Defensor pacis (The Defender of Peace) is a political treatise written by the Italian medieval scholar Marsilius of Padua that laid the foundations of modern doctrines of popular sovereignty. It appeared in 1324, in the context of the political struggle between Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Pope John XXII, and provoked controversy that lasted through the century; the treatise is vehemently anticlerical and was censured by Pope Benedict XII and Pope Clement VI. Extending the tradition of Dante's De Monarchia in separating the secular state from religious authority, it affirms the sovereignty of the people and civil law and seeks to sharply limit the power of the papacy, which Marsilius characterized as a fictitious power and the cause of the trouble prevailing among men.
Facts
Classification
Document TypePolitical Philosophy or Theoretical Work 1 Connections
Drafted By
Source Marsilius of Padua (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Defensor pacis
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The tract Defensor pacis (The Defender of Peace) laid the foundations of modern doctrines of popular sovereignty.
Marsilius of Padua (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Drafted By: Marsilius of Padua, IntroductionQuote, Drafted By: Marsilius of Padua, Introduction
Marsilius’s most significant work, Defensor Pacis
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