# Maximilian I — The Prince character guide

> Maximilian I in The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** The Emperor Maximilian, Maximilian, Maximilian I

**First appearance:** 0009-iii-concerning-mixed-principalities

## Who they are

Holy Roman Emperor known for indecisiveness and military overreach.

## In the story

### [Office](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se/chapters/office)

Machiavelli was an envoy at his court and described him as secretive and lacking force of character.

### [XXIII: How Flatterers Should Be Avoided](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se/chapters/xxiii-how-flatterers-should-be-avoided)

Cited as a modern example of a prince who consulted no one, kept his designs secret, and was consequently pliant and inconsistent, undoing one day what he did the next.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se/chapters/endnotes)

Born 1459, died 1519, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire; married Mary of Burgundy and later Bianca Sforza, involved in Italian politics.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se/characters/maximilian_i
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_prince_se/characters