Conciliarism, Humanism and Law
Justifications of Authority and Power, c. 1400–c. 1520

Explores how power and authority were justified in late medieval Europe, addressing arguments that people at the time found convincing.

Joseph Canning (Author)

9781108831796, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 July 2021

200 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.5 cm, 0.46 kg

'The particular merit of the present study is that it places three formative forms of late medieval political culture on an equal footing and follows their characteristics and developmental tendencies.' Thomas Wolki, Sehepunkte

How was power justified in late medieval Europe? What justifications did people find convincing, and why? Based around the two key intellectual movements of the fifteenth century, conciliarism in the church and humanism, this study explores the justifications for the distribution of power and authority in fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century Europe. By examining the arguments that convinced people in this period, Joseph Canning demonstrates that it was almost universally assumed that power had to be justified but that there were fundamentally different kinds of justification employed. Against the background of juristic thought, Canning presents a new interpretative approach to the justifications of power through the lenses of conciliarism, humanism and law, throwing fresh light on our understanding of both conciliarists' ideas and the contribution of Italian Renaissance humanists.

Introduction
1. Conciliarism and Changes of Mind
2. Conciliarism and Papalism
3. Italian Humanism
4. The Law
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]