Conciliarism, Humanism and Law: Justifications of Authority and Power, c. 1400–c. 1520

Description

How was power justified in late medieval Europe? What justifications did people find convincing, and why? Based around the two key intellectual movements of the fifteenth century, conciliarism in the church and humanism, this study explores the justifications for the distribution of power and authority in fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century Europe. By examining the arguments that convinced people in this period, Joseph Canning demonstrates that it was almost universally assumed that power had to be justified but that there were fundamentally different kinds of justification employed. Against the background of juristic thought, Canning presents a new interpretative approach to the justifications of power through the lenses of conciliarism, humanism and law, throwing fresh light on our understanding of both conciliarists' ideas and the contribution of Italian Renaissance humanists. Cover Half-title Title page Copyright information Dedication Contents Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction 1 Conciliarism and Changes of Mind Jean Gerson Panormitanus Nicholas of Cusa 2 Conciliarism and Papalism John of Segovia John of Turrecremata Antonio de' Roselli Evaluation of Conciliarism 3 Italian Humanism Republican Thought: The Case of Florence Arguing Both Ways The Mixed Constitution Arguments for Signorial or Princely Regimes Machiavelli 4 The Law The Tradition of Roman and Canon Law The English Common Law Tradition: Sir John Fortescue The French Juristic Tradition: Jean de Terrevermeille and Claude de Seyssel Conclusion Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Index