In
1513 Niccolo Machiavelli wrote his most widely known work,
The Prince. Intended to be read by
Lorenzo Di Medici as a manual on the current political situation and means to deal with it, The Prince is a book which outlines the simple mechanics of taking and ruling states, of ruthlessly being the most effective and widespread ruler possible. The means outlined in this book have little regard to
morality, only regard to the effective achievement of ends.
Fear,
Love,
Respect are all used by Machiavelli's hypothetical
Prince for the singular purpose of rule rather than out of any sort of innate morality. In short, The Prince is a manual of how to win, no more, no less.
To this day, Mr. Machiavelli is associated with amoral cutthroat ethics. In the time shortly after he wrote he was reviled for his writings in this book. He was and is reviled SO MUCH that the phrase Old Nick, a term to this day synonymous with Satan, The Devil, and Lucifer, came into existence because our friend Machiavelli was equated with this personification of evil.
Machiavelli wasn't doing anything but trying to play the game. After all, there can be only one at the top. And he wasn't gay, he was and is reviled purely on the basis of this writing.