Dante's place in the formation of Machiavelli's political philosophy

In this study, firstly, by examining the political theories of Machiavelli, who has an important place in the history of politics, the reasons for his being the founder of modern political science will be tried to be explained through the concepts of virtue and fortune, and his views that reveal the reasons for the success and failure of the rulers will be examined through his related works. Machiavelli's political theory will be the main topic of this study, since Machiavelli, who put forward his own political theories as a result of comparative historical analysis, rejected the political theories of his age, and provided the start of a new era in the field of politics with a positivist approach and still maintains its importance for today's political theory. Machiavelli's positivist approaches in the field of politics and her thoughts on the qualities of the ruler will be discussed in the first chapter, where he will be positioned as the founder of modern political science. In the following parts of the study, it will be examined to what extent the philosopher and poet Dante, who took an active role in the politics of his age influenced the political philosophy formed by Machiavelli, and the extent of this effect will be evaluated. Dante, as the excluded name of his period, paved the way for secularism secular political approach of Machiavelli and made the theology and philosophy with the aid of reason the basis of his political views. In this context, the influence of Dante's work De Monarchia (On Monarchy), in which he wrote his political views and was censored and banned by the Pope due to these views, will be examined. Key Words: Machiavelli, Virtue, Fortune, Political Philosophy, Modern Political Science, Dante, Monarchy