The Prince Chapter 20 Summary

Summary

The chapter surveys several measures princes commonly use to secure their states—disarming or arming subjects, fostering factions, courting or crushing enemies, and building fortresses—and weighs their advantages and dangers. Machiavelli begins by noting that different princes take different approaches: some disarm their subjects, others arm them; some create factional divisions in subject towns, others destroy strongholds. He says a definitive judgment requires local particulars but offers general principles where possible.

Machiavelli argues that new princes generally benefit from distributing arms to trustworthy supporters because armed men become loyal adherents, while disarming subjects signals distrust and breeds hatred; disarmament also forces reliance on mercenaries, who are unreliable. In newly annexed provinces, however, disarming locals (except loyal allies) is often necessary, while the prince should replace their armed forces with his own. He criticizes reliance on factionalism, saying divided cities quickly fall when an external enemy arrives because factions will not unite. He also observes that adversity can elevate princes: provoking and then crushing hostility can increase renown. On fortresses, Machiavelli shows ambivalence: fortresses can serve as protection or bridle, but they are useful only in certain circumstances—when a prince fears his people more than foreign enemies. If a prince is hated, forts cannot save him because foreigners will aid the people. He gives historical examples—Messer Nicolo Vitelli demolishing fortresses, Guido Ubaldo razing them, Francesco Sforza’s castle causing future trouble, and the Countess of Forli briefly helped by fortresses but ultimately vulnerable when her people allied with foreigners—and concludes that the best fortress is not being hated by the people. He praises both builders and demolishers of fortresses depending on context but faults those who trust forts while neglecting popular goodwill.

Key events

1. Survey of methods princes use to secure states (arming/disarming, factions, fortresses)
2. Argument that new princes generally arm supporters rather than disarm subjects
3. Advice to disarm men in newly annexed provinces and replace with own soldiers
4. Rejection of factional manipulation as reliable in wartime
5. Observation that adversity can raise a prince’s renown
6. Discussion of fortresses: when they help and when they hurt, with examples

Analysis

This chapter advances Machiavelli’s pragmatic, context-driven approach to ruling: he refuses universal prescriptions and instead compares means against ends and circumstances. Thematically it reinforces two central Machiavellian ideas—practicality over idealism and the primacy of popular support for political survival. By contrasting arming versus disarming, fostering factions, and building versus demolishing fortresses, Machiavelli exposes tensions between short-term security measures and long-term stability. His historical examples function as case studies rather than moral exemplars, emphasizing consequences over virtue. Narrative technique is didactic and aphoristic—Machiavelli lays out maxims (e.g., the best fortress is not to be hated) supported by rapid examples, which creates an impression of empiricism and authority. Symbolically, fortresses stand for artificial barriers to political danger; Machiavelli reframes them as second-best to securing loyalty. The chapter also foreshadows later arguments about the limits of mercenaries and the necessity of rooted power bases, while its repeated insistence on weighing particulars prepares the reader for future chapters that apply similar cost-benefit reasoning to other institutions and actions. Overall, the chapter tightens the book’s structural pattern of presenting problems, weighing historical evidence, and extracting pragmatic rules.

Important quotes

“When you disarm them, you at once offend them by showing that you distrust them, either for cowardice or for want of loyalty, and either of these opinions breeds hatred against you.”

NarratorExplains why disarming subjects backfires for a new prince: it signals distrust and provokes hatred.

“The best possible fortress is—not to be hated by the people, because, although you may hold the fortresses, yet they will not save you if the people hate you, for there will never be wanting foreigners to assist a people who have taken arms against you.”

NarratorSummarizes the chapter's key judgment that popular goodwill outweighs physical fortifications.

“Fortresses, therefore, are useful or not according to circumstances; if they do you good in one way they injure you in another.”

NarratorStates the chapter's central ambivalence: fortresses can help or harm depending on context.

Characters in Chapter 20

• Messer Nicolo Vitelli
• Guido Ubaldo
• Cesare Borgia
• Bentivogli
• Countess of Forli
• Count Girolamo
• Francesco Sforza
• Pandolfo Petrucci
• The Venetians
• The people / the subjects
• A new prince
• Our forefathers