Niccolò Machiavelli

About Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a seminal Italian diplomat, political theorist, and philosopher from Florence. His enduring historical importance, reflected in an HPI Rank of #97, stems primarily from his work *The Prince*, a treatise that detached political analysis from traditional morality, arguing for pragmatism and the ruthless pursuit of state power—fundamentally shaping modern political science. This Renaissance thinker provided a starkly realistic, often controversial, view of how rulers actually maintain control.

Despite his high historical ranking, Machiavelli's modern internet attention is relatively modest. In 2025, he accrued 1.4 million annualized Wikipedia views, resulting in an Attention Gap factor of +2x, indicating he receives double the digital attention one might expect relative to his massive historical influence. Intriguingly, this places his online presence near that of Friedrich Nietzsche (#103 importance, 2.2M views), a later philosopher, suggesting that while Machiavelli is not ignored, his attention is significantly overshadowed by more contemporary figures in general history comparisons.

However, Machiavelli is showing upward traction. His 2025 pageview count is up by +15.7% year-over-year, and his momentum from Q1 to Q3 saw a positive shift of +4%, suggesting his work continues to be actively rediscovered in the current digital landscape.