History 2403E Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Tyrant, Divine Law, Whois
2 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
March 6th, 2018
Early Modern Political Theory
- Developments are a direct consequence of the Protestant Reformation
- Theology into political life
- First place: in the empire itself
- Power shifts, time of insurgency – ottoman empire
- What happens if your prince converts to a faith that you find to be heretical?
o Begins to impose that faith on you and on the people that he governs
o And uses force
o Prince is a tyrant – harming rather than protecting
- Problem of cuis religiou, eius regios (religion drives it)
o What right do you have to resist such a ruler? If you feel like your ruler is a heretic
and a tyrant?
▪ Do you have the right?
▪ How?
▪ Ex. With England: rule of Edward VI and Mary
Political resistance: Ultra-Calvinists and Ultra-Catholic answer to question
- Medieval political theory: monarchs not absolute rulers
o Bound
▪ Divine law – cannot transgress the laws of god
▪ Traditions and laws of people they governed – monarchs not above the law
o The office, not the person, had a direct connection to god
▪ Office of King, not the person, that was sacred
▪ Only mattered that someone hold the crown
▪ Have to ensure line of succession is there; a connection to god
o Kings a necessary part of political structure and government
▪ Promote good, resist evil, god’s secular ruler on earth (will of god)
o Who is superior the king or pope? Who is the senior representative of God on earth?
- Phillippe Mornay (1574-1579) – Calvinist answer
o Series of book: Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants
▪ Vison of how government worked and right of resistance
o A system of contractual relationships: God, Prince and the People
▪ These different 3 parties existed in relation with each other because of a
contract that existed
• Gog and prince, prince and people, people and God
o If a prince were to become a heretic, or acted tyrannical (hurt or harm), the contract
would be broken
▪ Failed to support and honor the true faith
o Monarchs expected to govern in the interest and welfare of people they govern
o Broken contracts
▪ Have a duty as people to resist prince in existence of other contract
o Did not have the right of violent resistance: could not oppose leader through
violence
▪ Express discontent through proper channels
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Document Summary
Developments are a direct consequence of the protestant reformation. Power shifts, time of insurgency ottoman empire. If you feel like your ruler is a heretic and a tyrant: do you have the right, how, ex. With england: rule of edward vi and mary. Political resistance: ultra-calvinists and ultra-catholic answer to question. If there"s not justice in this life, there will be: believe that god will handle it, due process, only appeal is god, charles iii too soft, kills henry iii, problems: unmitigated suffering. Jaques-benige bossuet divine right theory: reacting to marianna: cannot have a system where people kill their leaders, not just the office but the person of the monarch is sacred. Jean bodin: six books of the republic (1596) (don"t worry about this) Thomas hobbes: levitation (1651, what is humanity like in a state of nature, people will compete and fight for their own interests and pursuits, only thing that keeps life from chaos is the government.
