Everything about The Monarchomachs totally explained
The
Monarchomachs (
French:
Monarchomaques) were originally
French Huguenots theorists who opposed
absolute monarchy at the end of the 16th century, known in particular for having theorized
tyrannicide. The term, originally a pejorative word coined in 1600 by the Scottish royalist and Catholic
William Barclay (1548-1608) from the
Greek words
μονάρχης ("monarchis") and
μάχομαι ("makhomai"), etymologically meant "those in war against the monarch" or the "killers of monarchs," . This conception of the magistrates and the association of wise people as best representants of the people separated them from modern conception of
democracy, as they restricted effective power to a minority.
Max Weber has considered them in his lecture
Politics as a Vocation as participants of the movement of
rationalization of law in Europe.
The Monarchomachs also claimed that if the sovereign persecuted true religion, he'd violate the contract concluded between God and the people, who were thus granted a
right of rebellion. They inspired themselves of
Aristotle,
Thomas Aquinas, and the
School of Salamanca on the killing of "bad kings." This legimitization of tyrannicide may have inspired as much the
friar Clément, who assassinated
Henri III in 1589, as
Ravaillac, who assassinated
Henri IV in 1610 . Rebellion against tyranny was considered not only as necessary, but as a divine right.
Monarchomach theory in the 16th century
The term
Monarchomachs itself was coined by
William Barclay 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.
The tyrannicide theory was popular during the 16th century in the context of the
Wars of Religion. At first a Protestant doctrine, it was reappropriated by the Catholics when Protestants came to be kings. Tyrannicide theory was then used in
revolutionary discourses during the debates concerning the execution of
Louis XVI, while the right of rebellion was included in the 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Influenced by the Huguenots, some British thinkers also embraced the Monarchomaque movement.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Monarchomachs'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://monarchomachs.totallyexplained.com">Monarchomachs Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
