Final answer:
Machiavelli contributed to ideas on statecraft that influenced the secularization of authority and religious toleration, as exemplified by political changes during the sixteenth century and the Enlightenment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Machiavelli's insights on the changing dynamics between states and ecclesiastical power, particularly in the context of the principle of religious toleration, emerge from an understanding of the political transformations taking place during the sixteenth century. This period saw national leaders distancing themselves from the Catholic Church's influence to enhance their own sovereignty.
In grappling with this new reality, state builders and political theorists like Machiavelli suggested the secularization of governmental authority and the embracement of more pragmatic approaches to statecraft. This was conspicuously seen in the Constitutions of Melfi and the progressive separation of state business from religious dictates, ultimately fostering an environment where religious toleration began to gain ground.