Private letters and international politics on the eve of the Prince

What is the atmosphere surrounding Machiavelli at the time of writing his Prince? What political events precede the famous letter that the secretary addresses to his friend Francesco Vettori on December the 10th, 1513? Our aim is to go back to these long-debated questions in order to consider the historical character of Machiavelli and that of pope Leo X – the leader of the Medici family, under a new light.