Monarchia

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De Monarchia is Dante Alighieri's main work on political theory . The work was probably written after the death of Emperor Henry VII (perhaps 1316 ), but must still be seen as a reaction to his policy of a restauratio imperii .

The key point is Dante's view that the emperor must exercise world domination so that the divine order can be realized. The monarchia , which is divided into three books, Dante wrote according to Aristotelian points of view and turned its content against the papal claim to rule (see also Boniface VIII and Unam Sanctam ). Often branded as anachronism and naive fantasy, the work reflected the medieval notions of the universal power of the empire.

content

In the first chapter of the first book, Dante describes the purpose of his work. Following the example of Aristotle, he describes that all people naturally strive for knowledge. This knowledge, which we are supposed to acquire, was made available to us by our ancestors. We have been enriched by their work and we must do the same. We have to work for posterity, otherwise you will miss your duty. But it is of no use to repeatedly re-record the old, that would be wasted time, you have to find out and research new things. Dante wants to go even further in his work, he wants to reveal the truth and in fact he wants to bring the truth of the temporal, secular monarchy to light, because this has not yet been researched enough. This was because it was of no use to the researchers in the short term; there was no immediate profit. But Dante thinks that it is useful to work for long-term successes that, however, do not generate any profit in the short term.

In the second chapter he defines his work steps more precisely. He wants to study the temporal monarchy , that is, everything that is beyond time does not belong to the worldly monarchy, for example God and souls belong to the hereafter. Then, in the third section, the questions of doubt must be defined:

  • Is the monarchy necessary for the good of humanity?
  • Did the Roman people legitimately claim the office of monarch?
  • Does the authority of the empire depend on that of the papacy?

The fifth section is about the realization that there are things that cannot be influenced, that are not subject to our power, such as mathematics , physics and metaphysics . These things can only be observed. However, everyone needs those things that can be influenced for their own benefit. Aristotle raises the question: "How should we act?" This in turn takes the Bible into account. The Bible as an authority provides answers to the question of what is good and what is bad. Basically, however, says Dante, the activity alone is the goal of the human species. The prerequisite for the realization of this goal is peace.

He answered yes to the first question in the first book and justified it, among other things, with the fact that everything is organized on one thing, it is the intention and self-representation of God on earth, a supreme judge in worldly matters is necessary and people under the monarch have the greatest freedom have.

In the second book he gives arguments why the Roman people hold the office of monarch by right. He believes that the Roman people are the noblest, were naturally made to rule, and have triumphed over all others.

The structure of the third book differs from the other two in that Dante first refutes the arguments of his opponents that the dependence of the authority of the empire on that of the papacy through the Bible and history, e.g. B. justify by the Constantine donation . In the second part, Dante begins by explaining his truth. The church does not have the power to appoint the emperor, but the imperial authority comes directly from God. Man has two overarching goals, earthly and heavenly paradise. He gets there by various means, by reason (philosophical virtues) and by faith (theological virtues). Emperor and Pope, necessary because of human desires, take the lead in achieving the two ends. They are both appointed by God and are independent and equal in relation to one another.

In the 15th century the humanist Marsilio Ficino translated De Monarchia into Italian .

Translations

  • Monarchey or that the Keyserthumb is needed for the wolfart diser world , BJ Heroldt, Basel 1559 (facsimile 1965)
  • About the monarchy , KL Kannegießer, Leipzig 1845
  • About the monarchy , O. Hubatsch, Berlin 1872
  • Monarchy , C. Sauter, Freiburg im Breisgau 1913 (reprint 1974)
  • The Monarchy , W. von den Steinen, Munich 1923
  • Monarchia. Study edition Latin-German , ed. by R. Imbach and C. Flüeler, Stuttgart 1998
  • Monarchia, Latin-German , Introduction, translation, etc. Comment v. R. Imbach, Stuttgart 1989

literature

  • Francis Cheneval, The Reception of the Monarchia Dantes up to the Editio Princeps in 1559 . Munich 1995.
  • Hans Fenske: History of Political Ideas . Frankfurt am Main 1997
  • Jürgen Miethke , Arnold Bühler: Emperor and Pope in conflict . Düsseldorf 1988
  • Ulrich Prill: Dante . Stuttgart 1999

Web links

Wikisource: De Monarchia - About the Monarchy , KL Kannegießer, Leipzig 1845  - Sources and full texts