History of Western Political Thought (Volume 2: The Middle Ages)

Author: Xu Datong, Chief Editor; Cong Ruyun, Volume Editor
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This volume systematically explores the formation and development of political thought in medieval Europe (5th-15th centuries). It focuses on introducing the political ideas of figures such as the Church Fathers and Augustine, Gratian, Roman jurists like Bracton, John of Salisbury, Aquinas, Aegidius, John of Paris, Dante, Bartolus of Sassoferrato, Brunus, Marsiglio, William of Ockham, Nicholas of Cusa, and Fortescue. The medieval political thought, spanning a millennium, serves as the direct source of modern political thought. It encompasses Christian theological political thought from the Roman Empire era to the end of the Middle Ages, the political ideas of Roman jurists, the democratic and legal concepts of early Germanic peoples, feudal contractual and political thought in the middle and later Middle Ages, the emergence of national state ideas in the late Middle Ages, and the political thought of emerging urban citizens. The central issue of political thought is the relationship between church and state, manifesting as the struggle between the papacy and the monarchy. Christian dualistic political thought and the democratic and legal ideas of the Germanic peoples form two main threads. The book integrates the development of political thought into the economic, political, religious, church-state relations, and intellectual cultural transformations of the Middle Ages. It not only provides critiques of the grand theoretical systems of famous political philosophers but also meticulously distills and analyzes political concepts widely embedded in religious beliefs and life, political institutions and struggles, social relations, and even behavioral etiquette. This showcases the complex and diverse nature of medieval political thought, as well as its continuous innovation, transformation, and renewal.