Sun Tzu born in the late Spring and Autumn period and that he was active as a general and strategist, serving king Helü of Wu in the late sixth century BC, beginning around 512 BC. Sun Tzu's victories then inspired him to write "The Art of War". "The Art of War" was one of the most widely read military treatises in the subsequent Warring States period, a time of constant war among seven ancient Chinese states Zhao, Qi, Qin, Chu, Han, Wei, and Yan who fought to control the vast expanse of fertile territory in Eastern China. One of the more well-known
Leadership trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive discipline and sternness in command result in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader. — Sun Tzu Machiavelli's "The Prince", written in the early 16th century, provided a manual for rulers ("princes" or "tyrants" in Machiavelli's terminology) to gain and keep power.In the 19th century the elaboration of anarchist thought called the whole concept of leadership into question. (Note that the "Oxford English Dictionary" traces the word "leadership" in English only as far back