Monarchomachs
The Monarchomachs (
Born out of the French Wars of Religion, they were most active between 1573, a year after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and 1584. The Monarchomachs pleaded in favour of a form of "popular sovereignty". Arguing for a sort of contract between the sovereign and the people, they have been considered as the precursors of social contract theories.[1]
Theory of tyrannicide
The Monarchomachs included jurists such as the Calvinists
Monarchomachs considered that the end of the
The Monarchomachs also claimed that if the sovereign persecuted true religion, he would violate the contract concluded between God and the people, who were thus granted a
Monarchomach theory in the 16th century
The term Monarchomachs was coined by William Barclay[5] in his book De Regno et Regali Potestate (About the Powers of Authority and Royalty), published in 1600. Barclay's theory was that the Huguenots had lost their struggle with the Catholic Church and were turning their battle towards the government to undermine the king's support of the Catholics. Eventually, the term was used to classify anyone who was opposed to the king's rule.
At first a Protestant doctrine, the notion of tyrannicide was reappropriated by the Catholics when Protestants came to be kings. It was then used in
Influenced by the Huguenots, some British thinkers also embraced the Monarchomaque movement.[who?]
See also
- Beerwolf, a concept introduced by Martin Luther
- Early modern France
References
- ^ Gallica(in French)
- ^ Memo.fr Archived 2007-05-07 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- ^ Un pouvoir constituant... pour libres professeurs ? (on the book of Jean Fabien Spitz, John Locke et les fondements de la liberté moderne), by François Matheron, Multitudes, June 2002 (in French)
- ^ Jacques Clément avant Ravaillac, Le Figaro, 30 November 2006 (in French)
- ^ Quentin Skinner, The Foundations of Modern Political Thought, Cambridge University Press, 1978, p. 301.
Sources
- Original works:
- François Hotman. Francogallia. - Francofurti, apud heredes A. Wecheli, 1856.
- François Hotman and Joseph de Paris, capucin. Dessein perpétuel des Espagnols à la monarchie universelle, avec les preuves d'iceluy. - S.l., s.n., 1624.
- . - S. l., s. n., 1575..
- Stephanus Junius Brutus (pseudonym attributed to Hubert Languet and Philippe de Mornay). De la puissance légitime du prince sur le peuple, et du peuple sur le Prince, traité très-utile et digne de lecture en ce temps escrit en Latin par Estienne Iunius Brutus, et nouvellement traduit en françois. - S.l., s.n., 1581.
- Anonym. Le Réveille matin des François. Touchant les troubles & mouvements de ce temps. - S.l., s.n., 1622.
- Nicolas Barnaud. Le Réveille-matin des françois et de leurs voisins, composé par Eusebe Philadelphe cosmopolite. - Edimbourg, Impr. de Jaques James, 1574.
- Anonym. Le caractère de la royauté et de la tyrannie, faisant voir par un discours politique : 1. Les Qualitez nécessaires à un Prince pour bien gouverner ses sujects. 2. Les Maux qui arrivent aux peuples lorsque les souverains sont incapables de les gouverner. - Paris, 1652.
- William Allen. A treatise made in defence of the lauful power and authoritie of priesthod to remitte sinnes : of the peoples duetie for confession of their sinnes to Gods ministers : And of the churches meaning concerning indulgences, commonly called the Popes Pardos...- 1567, Ioannem Foulerum.
- Juan de Mariana. Joannis Marianae, ... de Rege et regis Institutione libri III... - Tolède, Rodericus, 1599.
- Articles and commentary:
- Paul-Alexis Mellet (dir.), Et de sa bouche sortait un glaive. Les Monarchomaques au XVIème siècle, Genève, Droz, 2006.