The Prince, Chapter 7 summary

What happens

1. The narrator argues that rulers raised by fortune struggle to remain powerful unless they establish secure foundations.
2. Francesco Sforza provides a contrast to Cesare Borgia, whose initial power depends on his father and French soldiers.
3. Borgia wins over rival followers, traps the Orsini leaders, and strengthens his control of Romagna and Urbino.
4. He gives Ramiro sweeping authority to restore order, then executes him to distance himself from the minister’s cruelty.
5. Borgia prepares for a hostile papal successor, but Alexander’s death coincides with his own severe illness.
6. The narrator praises Borgia’s methods but identifies his acceptance of Julius II as a ruinous mistake.

In this chapter

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