The Man Who Inspired the Term "Machiavellian": Who is Niccolò Machiavelli?

Why do politicians often have a reputation for being deceitful, underhand, dishonest….? 

Could it all have begun with the writings of Machiavelli in the 15th century? The adjective ‘Machiavellian’ has crept into our everyday language, meaning ‘cunning, scheming and unscrupulous, especially in politics’. But is this fair? If he’s judged in the context of his own time (as we should surely judge all those historic figures who are now being ‘ cancelled’ for actions we now dis