NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI(1469-527) was born in Florence. He served the Florentine republic as secretary and second chancellor but was expelled from public life when the Medici family returned to power in 1512. His other works include The Discourses, The Art of War, and the comic satire The Mandrake.
MICHAEL ENNIS studied history at the University of California, Berkeley, taught art history at the University of Texas, Austin, and developed museum programs as a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow. He is the author of two historical novels, The Duchess of Milan and Byzantium. He has written for Esquire and Architectural Digest and is a regular contributor to Texas Monthly. He lives in Dallas with his television producer wife, Ellen, and their daughter, Arielle.
