Machiavelli has given plenty of advice in his book The Prince- here I will point out what I believe to be the top ten advices he has given.
Chapter IV: Do no let anyone become too powerful as they will end up becoming the reason of your destruction.
Machiavelli points out that once the prince is in place he cannot be as foolish as to leave of others in power or to let anyone come to be as powerful as he is. Instead he is either to destroy their power or make it impossible for one to come to power without relying on the prince’s own authority and influence.
This obviously should be done so that there is no question of who holds the power in ones own country and so that everyone can only act on the prince’s authority.
Chapter III: When a territory has a different culture or language it is a better idea for the prince to move to the territory- also send people and armies from ones own territory to tie to the two together.
If a prince lives within a foreign territory he has just attained then it is easier for him to snuff out a problem before it has a real chance to grow. He can take care of rebellious people, ideas of upsetting the state, etc. Also, by bringing in people from his own country he begins to tie the two together, no longer making the new territory truly separate.
This should be done so that a state does not feel detached to the new form of power and so that when the prince is there it will be easier for the people to feel closer to the new ruler and faster forget the old.
The best ways to become Prince:
Chapter VIII: Through crimes
Machiavelli does distinguish the fact that ruling through crime is essentially “evil” and advises it only as a method to obtain a goal. He gives the advice that when one essenti ...