How might The Prince be useful evidence in understanding how Machiavelli believed power is gained, maintained, and consolidated?

The Prince is the pragmatic doctrine of Machiavelli on statecraft and it contains his philosophy.

Explanation:

The pragmatism of The Prince is rather construing and hard hitting.

It often argues for striated measures and openly asks the Prince to be a dictator in the Italian city states to make them more prosperous

Now. this was evident in his way of consolidation of power and its maintenance.

Power if gained by war or diplomacy was to shift the ruling power of the place conquered and to unsettle it enough to not make it possible to revolt.

Cultural assimilation was the key to consolidate power.