Brutus: Vindiciae, contra tyrannos: or, Concerning the Legitimate Power of a Prince over the People, and of the People over a Prince (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

The Vindiciae, contra tyrannos was the most infamous of the monarchomach treatises produced during the French wars of religion. This edition presents the first complete and accurate English translation of the work, a comprehensive apparatus, and an introduction that provides the first detailed analysis of the argument and also reconsiders the much-disputed question of authorship. It will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working on the history of political thought and early modern Europe. The Vindiciae, Contra Tyrannos was the most infamous of the monarchomach treatises produced during the French wars of religion, and continued to be revered (or execrated) as a key part of the radical canon for well over a century after its publication. It is one of the first attempts to advance a systematic justification, with interlocking secular and religious arguments, of resistance against legitimately constituted political authority. This edition presents the first complete and accurate English translation of the work, a comprehensive apparatus, and an introduction which provides the first detailed analysis of the argument and also reconsiders the much-disputed question of authorship. It will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working on the history of political thought and early modern Europe. 1 [Barclay, De Regno, IV, i, p. 216, argues that this subtitle is nonsensical, and that it reveals the author's ignorance of Roman law: either the people is superior to the prince, or the prince to the people, or they are equal; this fourth variant is a logical impossibility.] Preface -- The First Question -- The Second Question -- The Third Question -- The Fourth Question Stephanus Junius Brutus, The Celt ; Edited And Translated By George Garnett. Translated From The Latin. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. This edition of the Vindiciae, contra tyrannos presents the first complete and accurate English translation of this influential treatise, together with a comprehensive apparatus and an extensive introduction.