Tyranny From Ancient Greece To Renaissance France

Description

This Palgrave Pivot examines how prominent thinkers throughout history, from ancient Greece to sixteenth-century France, have perceived tyrants and tyranny. Ancient philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle were the first to build a vocabulary for tyrants and the forms of government they corrupted. Thirteenth century analyses of tyranny by Thomas Aquinas and John of Salisbury, revived from Antiquity, were recast as short observations about what tyrants do. They claimed that tyrants govern for their own advantage, not for the people. Tyrants could be usurpers, increase taxes, and live in luxury. The list of tyrannical actions grew over time, especially in periods of turmoil and civil war, often raising the question: When can a tyrant be legitimately deposed or killed? In offering a brief biography of these political philosophers, including Machiavelli, Erasmus, More, Bodin, and others, along with their views on tyrannical behavior, Orest Ranum reveals how the concept of tyranny has been shaped over time, and how it still persists in political thought to this day. Preface......Page 6 Contents......Page 10 Part I: Antique Understandings of Tyranny......Page 13 Chapter 1: The Athens of Plato, Aristotle, and Xenophon......Page 14 Brief Historical Contexts......Page 17 Chapter 2: Tyranny and Despotism in Plato’s Republic and Laws......Page 22 Tyranny and Despotism in Plato’s Laws......Page 24 Chapter 3: Aristotle on Tyranny in the Politics......Page 27 Tyranny in the Constitution of Athens......Page 31 Chapter 4: Xenophon on Tyranny in Hiero......Page 34 Chapter 5: Seneca the Younger on Tyranny in On Mercy......Page 39 Part II: Three Medieval Commentators on Tyranny......Page 45 Chapter 6: Mimetic Impulses and Early Receptions......Page 46 Chapter 7: John of Salisbury on Tyranny in Policraticus......Page 51 Chapter 8: Aquinas on Tyranny in the Regime of Princes and in the Summa Theologica......Page 54 Chapter 9: Giles of Rome on Tyranny in His Regime of Princes......Page 57 Part III: Recovering Plato and Aristotle on Tyranny in the Renaissance......Page 61 Chapter 10: Imminence of the Past......Page 62 The Recovery of Aristotle’s Politics......Page 63 The Recovery of Plato......Page 67 Christine de Pizan......Page 68 Mirrors of Princes......Page 69 Forms of Government Depicted in Siena......Page 71 Chapter 11: Machiavelli on Tyranny in the Prince and the Discourses......Page 73 Chapter 12: Seyssel on Tyranny in the Monarchy of France......Page 80 Chapter 13: Guillaume Budé on Tyranny in the Education of the Prince......Page 84 Chapter 14: Erasmus on Tyranny in the Education of a Christian Prince......Page 88 Chapter 15: Thomas More on Tyranny in the History of Richard III......Page 96 Part IV: A Time of Troubles in France, 1570–1605......Page 102 Chapter 16: The Valois Monarchy in Political Thought and Political Theology......Page 103 Chapter 17: Tyranny in Hotman’s Franco-Gallia......Page 108 Chapter 18: Étienne de la Boétie on Tyranny in Voluntary Servitude......Page 113 Chapter 19: Bèze on Tyranny in the Right of Magistrates......Page 120 Chapter 20: Bodin on Tyranny in the Six Books of the Republic......Page 124 Chapter 21: The Vindiciae contra tyrannos on Tyranny......Page 131 Chapter 22: Mariana on Tyranny......Page 139 Chapter 23: Jean Boucher on Tyranny in the True History of Henry de Valois......Page 145 La vie et Notables faits de Henry de Valois......Page 150 The Justa abdicatione......Page 154 Afterthoughts: An End to a Beginning......Page 157 Sources......Page 159 Works......Page 161 Index......Page 168