According to Machiavelli a Prince’s greatest ally should be his own people because if one is loved by his people he will not need to dear them. Machiavelli says as long as a ruler is liked by the people that ruler will be hard to depose or kill and “he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people, he can only be attacked with difficulty.” (Machiavelli ch.19) he also mentions that when a Prince becomes the lord of a new principality to disarm the people can be disastrous as the people believe you do not trust them. However if they are unarmed arming them can gain you allies in them as they believe you trust them and will keep the ones who are faithful to you already faithful. The point Machiavelli stresses most is to keep the people happy and even if one is not a benevolent ruler to appear to the majority as one in order to keep the people loyal.
Without the people the Prince is only a Prince of himself which is why it is important for a prince to have his people as allies and not as potential backstabbers, Machiavelli says you build forts when you fear your people and you don’t need forts when your people love you, because they will protect you.
I would like like to see more of a comparison (with citations) to Mac's thoughts about the nobility and the military.
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