Paolo Sarpi’s vow of obedience: catholic political thought in early seventeenth-century Venice

Jaska Kainulainen

doi:10.3989/hs.2016.004

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the idea of obedience in early-modern Catholic political thought. I focus on early seventeenth-century Venice and on one of its leading political thinkers, Paolo Sarpi. I argue that for Sarpi and the Venetian nobility obedience was a religious, Catholic concept, which they nonetheless applied to a secular system of governance; notwithstanding their refusal to obey the papal ban during the interdict of Venice in 1606-1607, Venetians regarded obedience as an act of piety and an indispensable element of civic life.

Highlights

Resumen El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar la idea de obediencia en el pensamiento político católico de la edad moderna, en particular en Venecia en el siglo xvii y en Paolo Sarpi, uno de sus pensadores políticos más importantes
The aim of this paper is to study the idea of obedience in early-modern Catholic political thought
I argue that for Sarpi and the Venetian nobility obedience was a religious, Catholic concept, which they applied to a secular system of governance; notwithstanding their refusal to obey the papal ban during the interdict of Venice in 1606-1607, Venetians regarded obedience as an act of piety and an indispensable element of civic life

Summary

Introduction

Resumen El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar la idea de obediencia en el pensamiento político católico de la edad moderna, en particular en Venecia en el siglo xvii y en Paolo Sarpi, uno de sus pensadores políticos más importantes. This study is based on the assumption that in order to understand a Catholic republic’s disobedience against the papacy it is crucial to see how closely the Catholic idea of obedience was related to notions of piety and spiritual perfection This said, it might be possible and –somehow– justifiable to write a study on the interdict of Venice from the point of view of realpolitik and economic interests, to omit all references to religion and Catholicism, and yet to find a plausible explanation for Venetians’ clash with Rome. The giovani have been described as an anticlerical party, as a clique marked by their opposition to the conservative, pro-papal party known as the vecchi While this distinction is essentially correct, it blurs concepts such as ‘conservative’, ‘anticlerical’, and ‘obedience’ in the context of early-modern Venetian politics. I first explore the Christian –and Catholic– roots of the early-modern idea of obedience and move on to discuss the influence of contemporary political theories such as absolutism and the divine right of kings on the political thought of Sarpi, the most influential figure amongst early seventeenth-century Venetian polemicists

Objectives

Conclusion