While Niccolo Machiavelli's cultural and political formation has been traditionally evaluated through the study of his major political treatise The Prince (1513), more recently scholars have turned their attention to his writings at the time of Florence's Second Chancery (1498--1512) before the return of the Medici. This material --- composed of official, and semi-official letters--- provides information about Machiavelli's day-to-day administrative and political activities. It also represents an important witness of the administrative and political language shared by the officers of the Florentine Republic and assimilated by a young and relatively inexperienced Machiavelli. The very recent publication of the majority of Machiavelli's early writings now makes it possible to identify, categorize, and analyze specific terms, images, and issues representing the political culture of the Florentine Republic's Second Chancery. Through the analysis of three key concepts that shaped the decision making process of Florentine institutions, prudence, virtue, and justice, this thesis examines the extent to which the Florentine political and administrative environment played a role in the development of Machiavelli's political thought.
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