Countries rise and fall, but within this chaos is the certainty that new leaders will emerge to replace those who have fallen. What differentiates great leaders from small ones? This question weighed heavily on the minds of many great Renaissance thinkers because of the power that comes from this knowledge. In the 16th century, Nicolas Machiavelli sought to answer this hackneyed question. It was in his publication of The Prince that Machiavelli disseminated his cold and practical formula on how to govern. In The Prince, Machiavelli clearly states the characteristics of a great ruler. These Machiavellian traits are manifested in the life of Alexander the Great and some of the traits used by Machiavelli are taken from Alexander's style of government. Although he lived before the creation of the Prince, much of Alexander's success stemmed from his Machiavellian principles of war, deception, and his ability to absorb the culture of conquered territories by limiting changes in their government. War is an inevitable part of history and it was not in peace that Alexander the Great acquired one of the greatest empires in the world. As Hugh Liebert said, “Alexander the Great is considered the first statesman to attempt to create a ‘universal state’” (Liebert 1). This “universal state” was not achieved by peaceful methods. It was by conquering everything that stood in his way that Alexander demonstrated an excellent understanding of the Machiavellian principles of war. Chapter fourteen of Machiavelli's The Prince begins by stating: "A prince must therefore have no cares or thoughts except for war" (Machiavelli 37). If war is to be a major concern for a ruler, then who else demonstrates a better understanding of war than Alexander the Great...... middle of paper ...... so that the conquered territories remain relatively unchanged, Alexander was able to control potential unrest before it arose. However, Alexander's reign was not without discord. Many Machiavellian actions for the good of the empire were considered unsavory by a privileged few. Although this caused some distrust, Alexander's power and governing expertise were enough to overcome these adversities. Due to the characteristics mentioned above, Alexander the Great is as close to a true Machiavellian ruler as possible. Works Cited Liebert, Hugh. “Alexander the Great and the history of globalization”. The Politics Review 73 (): 533-560. Print.Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. 1st edition. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print. Martin, Thomas, Barbara Rosenwein, and Bonnie Smith. The creation of the West. Third edition. 1. New York: Bedford, 2010. Print.