Renaissance: Prelude to Modern Political Theory

Abstract

If one takes a widespread view of European history up to the twelfth century and the height of feudalism, the political debates were between the advocates of Papal authority on the one hand and the imperial demands of the Holy Roman Empire on the other. The latter claimed direct divine origin of its authority, unmediated through the Church. The opposition to Papal authority prepared the ground for those who would later argue for the priority of private conscience over the dictates of all kinds of external authority, including the Church. The political landscape was changing from the twelfth century, towards a fragmentation of ‘Holy Empires’ and the rise of independent European states. Norman Davies (1997) talks of the ‘crisis of Christendom’ between 1250 and 1493. In Europe: People knew that Christendom was sick; they knew that the ideals of the Gospel of Love were far removed from the prevailing reality; but they had little idea of how to cure it. The senior Christian state, the Byzantine Empire, was reduced to a pathetic rump. The Holy Roman Empire could not control its own mighty subjects, let alone exercise leadership over others. The Papacy was falling into the quagmire of political dependence. Feudal particularism reached the point where every city, every princeling, had to fight incessantly for survival. The world was ruled by brigandage, superstition, and the plague. (1997 p. 383)