Commentary

Marsilius of Padua at the Intersection of Ancient and Medieval Tradition

- Syros, Vasileios, Marsilius of Padua at the Intersection of Ancient and Medieval Tradition. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012).
Excerpt: “What gained Marsilius of Padua notoriety in his time and a well-deserved position in modern narratives on the history of European political ideas is his interest in laying bare and combating the unique cause of the stride and dissension that… More

Medieval Sovereignty: Marsilius of Padua and Barolus of Saxoferrato

- Maiolo, Francesco, Medieval Sovereignty: Marsilius of Padua and Barolus of Saxoferrato (Delft: Uberon Publishers, 2008).
Medieval Sovereignty examines the idea of sovereignty in the Middle Ages and asks if it can be considered a fundamental element of medieval constitutional order. Francesco Maiolo analyzes the writings of Marsilius of Padua (1275/80–1342/43) and Bartolous… More

Marsilius of Padua and ‘the Truth of History’

- Garnett, George,  Marsilius of Padua and ‘the Truth of History’. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).
This book presents a radical reinterpretation of the great medieval thinker, Marsilius of Padua. George Garnett’s iconoclastic re-reading of Marsilius’s work – based on a careful attention to the texts – overturns the widely accepted… More

The Shadow of Antenor: On the Relationship Between the Defensor Pacis and the Institutions of the City of Padua

- Piaia, Gregorio, ‘The Shadow of Antenor: On the Relationship Between the Defensor Pacis and the Institutions of the City of Padua,’ in Kaufhold (ed.), Politische Reflexion, (Brill, 2004) 193-207.
This volume investigates the methods of political theory in the later Middle Ages. It presents both, case studies of prominent authors like Marsilius of Padua, William of Ockham or Baldus de Ubaldis, and the attempt to outline the phenomenon of political… More

University Masters and Political Power: The Parisian Years of Marslius of Padua

- Courtenay, W. J. ‘University Masters and Political Power: The Parisian Years of Marslius of Padua,’ in Kaufhold (ed.), Politische Reflexion (Brill, 2004), pp. 209-23.
This volume investigates the methods of political theory in the later Middle Ages. It presents both, case studies of prominent authors like Marsilius of Padua, William of Ockham or Baldus de Ubaldis, and the attempt to outline the phenomenon of political… More

Community and Consent: The Secular Political Theory of Marsiglio of Padua’s Defensor Pacis

- Nederman, C,  Community and Consent: The Secular Political Theory of Marsiglio of Padua’s Defensor Pacis (lanham, Md., 1995).
From the publisher: In the first examination of the Defensor Pacis in almost fifty years, Cary J. Nederman demonstrates Marsiglio of Padua’s continuing relevance, connecting his philosophy to contemporary debates about community, identity, difference,… More

On Marsilius of Padua

- Strauss, Leo, "On Marsilius of Padua," in Liberalism: Ancient and Modern (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995).
Excerpt: “The diseases of the Commonwealth which Aristotle had discussed endanger this or that kind of governance or render good government impossible. But in Marsilisus’ opinion the disease with which the defender is concerned renders any… More

Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power

- Mansfield, Harvey,  Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power (New York: The Free Press, 1989).
Excerpt: “With Marsilius of Padua’s great work, Defender of the Peace (1324) we come almost to the point of departure for the modern doctrine of executive power. For the first time “execution” and the “executive” became a… More

Marsilius of Padua

- Strauss, Leo, "Marsilius of Padua," in History of Political Philosophy, edited, L. Strauss and J. Cropsey (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).
Excerpt: “Marsilius, whose chief work is entitled defender of the piece, was a Christian Aristotelian. But both his Christianity and his Aristotelianism differ profoundly from the beliefs of the most celebrated Christian Aristotelian, Thomas Aquinas.… More

The Foundations of Modern Political Thought

- Skinner, Q. R. D., The Foundations of Modern Political Thought, (Cambridge, 1978).
A two-volume study of political thought from the late thirteenth to the end of the sixteenth century, the decisive period of transition from medieval to modern political theory. The work is intended to be both an introduction to the period for students, and a… More

Marsilius of Padua’s Argument from Authority: A Survey of its Significance in the Defensor Pacis

- Condren, C., ‘Marsilius of Padua’s Argument from Authority: A Survey of its Significance in the Defensor Pacis’, Political Theory, v (1977).
Excerpt: “Classical rhetoricians emphasized that the mode of argument was as important as the content; ultimately, that they were inseparable. Aluid est distincto, aliud separatio. The point is pertinent to Marsilian studies. Much time has been spent… More

Padua in the Age of Dante

- Hyde, J. K.,  Padua in the Age of Dante (Manchester, 1966).
Excerpt: “The only Paduan writer to produce a radical discussion of the communal institutions was Marsiglio Mainardini; it is doubtful if his analysis can be improved upon. As Marsiglio recognized, the essence of the Paduan state was the citizen body,… More

The ‘Positivism’ of Marsiglio of Padua

- Lewis, Ewart, “The ‘Positivism’ of Marsiglio of Padua,” Speculum, vol. 38 (1963).
Excerpt: “Perhaps no important publicist has baffled interpretation more persistently than Marsiglio of Padua. His orginiality compels recognition; but it seems difficult to determine in what it consisted. Claims that he anticipated modern equalitarian… More

The King’s Two Bodies: A Study in Medieval Political Theology

- Kantorowicz, E. H.  The King’s Two Bodies:  A Study in Medieval Political Theology (Princeton, 1957).
In 1957 Ernst Kantorowicz published a book that would be the guide for generations of scholars through the arcane mysteries of medieval political theology. In The King’s Two Bodies, Kantorowicz traces the historical problem posed by the… More

Political Theories of the Middle Ages

- Gierke, Otto, Political Theories of the Middle Ages, trans. Maitland (Cambridge, 1900).
Excerpt from Translator’s Introduction: “As to the text, the last charge which could be made against it would be that of insufficient courage in generalization, unless it were that of aimless medievalism. The outlines are large, the strokes are… More

Studies in the History of Political Thought from Gerson to Grotius

- Figgis, J. N.,  Studies in the History of Political Thought from Gerson to Grotius, 2nd Edn. (Cambridge, 1916).
Excerpt: “On the other side we have in the Defensor Pacis of Marsilius of Padua one of the most remarkable books in the history of politics. The contents are too well known to need a lengthy description. Here it will suffice to note that the author… More