Princely Virtues in the Middle Ages, 1200-1500

by Bejczy, Istvan P.; Nederman, Cary J.

• ISBN13: 9782503516967
• ISBN10: 2503516963
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-28
• Publisher: Isd

Summary

The contributors to this book examine the diverse roles played by moral virtues in the political writing of the Later Middle Ages. Medieval political thought has a long tradition of scholarship, and its ethical dimension has always received sustained attention. This volume specifically concentrates on the meaning and function of virtues in a political context, a theme which has thus far been neglected. The authors deal with Latin texts (occasionally in combination with vernacular ones) from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries that define, legitimize, or criticize secular rule by using catalogues of virtues, originating from ancient philosophy as well as Christian moral theology. The contributions discuss various aspects related to this theme, such as the relation between the virtues of rulers and general moral precepts; the tension between secular or philosophical perspectives on virtue and Christian moral thought; the use of moral virtues for political ends; the balance between praise of the prince's virtues and criticism of his vices; and so forth. The medieval texts under discussion are of French, German, English, Italian, and Spanish origin, and vary from educational treatises and historiography to moral theology and political philosophy.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Concept of Political Virtue in the Thirteenth Century	p. 9
Rex strenuus valde litteratus: Strength and Wisdom as Royal Virtues in Medieval Spain (1085-1284)	p. 33
Princely Virtues or Virtues for Princes?: William Peraldus and his De eruditione principum	p. 51
Virtue and the City: The Virtues of the Ruler and the Citizen in the Medieval Reception of Aristotle's Politics	p. 73
Royal Misdemeanour: Princely Virtues and Criticism of the Ruler in Medieval Castile (Juan Gil de Zamora and Alvaro Pelayo)	p. 99
Justice, Temptation, and the Limits of Princely Virtue in Dante's Conception of the Monarch	p. 123
Virtues and Exempla in John of Wales and Jacubus de Cessolis	p. 139
The Opposite of Love: Royal Virtue, Economic Prosperity, and Popular Discontent in Fourteenth-Century Political Thought	p. 177
Clemens princeps: Clementia as a Princely Virtue in Michael of Prague's De regimine principum	p. 201
Jean Gerson on Virtues and Princely Education	p. 219
Princely Virtues in De felici progressu of Michele Savonarola, Court Physician of the House of Este	p. 237
Piety, Wisdom, and Temperance in Fifteenth-Century Germany: A Comparison of Vernacular and Latin Mirrors for Princes	p. 259
Bibliography	p. 281
Index of Manuscripts	p. 307
Index of Names and Anonymous Works	p. 309
List of Contributors	p. 315
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