Niccolò Machiavelli was born in the Republic of Florence in 1469 and died in 1527. In the years that the Medici family was expelled from Florence, 1449-1512, Machiavelli became a professional diplomat, serving as Secretary of the Second Chancery and later as Secretary to the Council of Ten of War, Florence's foreign policy body. During the rule of Piero Soderini, Machiavelli initiated and led the Florentine government’s transition from the use of mercenaries to its own militia. This move was successful at first, but the Florentine militia was defeated at Prato in 1512 and Soderini was forced to resign. The Medici family returned and was reinstalled by popular demand in the same year, forcing Soderini into exile and his supporters to be punished. Shortly thereafter, Machiavelli was accused of being a conspirator against the Medici, resulting in him being imprisoned and tortured. When he was released from prison, Machiavelli retreated to his home outside of Florence to concentrate on writing. During this self-imposed exile, Machiavelli wrote The Prince and dedicated the work to Lorenzo Di Piero dé Medici, hoping to demonstrate his support of the Medici government and seeking to be reinstalled to a diplomatic position.