While Machiavellianism is notable in the works of Machiavelli , scholars generally agree that his works are complex and have equally influential themes within them . For example , J.G.A. saw him as a major source of the republicanism that spread throughout England and North America in the 17th and 18th centuries and Leo , whose view of Machiavelli is quite different in many ways , agreed about Machiavelli 's influence on republicanism and argued that even though Machiavelli was a teacher of evil he had a " grandeur of vision " that led him to advocate immoral actions . Whatever his intentions , which are still debated today , he has become associated with any proposal where " the end justifies the means " . For example , Leo wrote : To quote Robert Bireley : Machiavelli 's ideas had a profound impact on political leaders throughout the modern west , helped by the new technology of the printing press . During the first generations after Machiavelli , his main influence was in non-Republican governments . Pole reported that '' The Prince '' was spoken of highly by Thomas Cromwell in England and had influenced Henry VIII in his turn towards Protestantism , and in his tactics , for example during the Pilgrimage of Grace . A copy was also possessed by the Catholic king and emperor Charles V . In France , after an initially mixed reaction , Machiavelli came to be associated with Catherine de ' Medici and the St. Bartholomew 's Day massacre . As reports , in the 16th century , Catholic writers " associated Machiavelli with the Protestants , whereas Protestant authors saw him as Italian and Catholic " . In fact , he was apparently influencing both Catholic and Protestant kings
Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
Niccolò Machiavelli