Alexander Lee is a renaissance historian at the University of Warwick and an author.

Niccolo Machiavelli is one of the most famous political philosophers of all time. His work is often considered ruthless, brutal and manipulative, but who was the man behind the words?

Alexander has just written one of the most insightful and comprehensive biographies of Machiavelli ever, so let's return to 15th century Florence and find out what Niccolo was really like, how he continually failed in his own political career, why he threw up on an old woman after having sex with her, the truth underpinning his views on human nature and much more...