Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born May 3, 1469 in Florence, north central Italy. He was a statesman, writer, and political theorist. He travelled on several missions in Europe for the Republic of Florence between 1498 and 1512. On the restoration of Medici, he was arrested on a charge of conspiracy in 1513 and, though pardoned, was obliged to withdraw from public life. He devoted himself to literature, writing historical treatises, poetry, short stories, and comedies. His masterpiece is Il Principe (The Prince), written in 1532, the main theme of which is that all means may be used in order to maintain authority. It was condemned by the pope, and its viewpoint gave rise to the adjective "machiavellian." His writings were not published until 1782. Machievelli died June 21, 1527.