monarchy – Nemo's Library

Gibbon: How Augustus Undermined the Constitution of Rome

Posted on November 30, 2024

The obvious definition of a monarchy seems to be that of a state, in which a single person, by whatsoever name he may be distinguished, is intrusted with the execution of the laws, the management of the revenue, and the command of the army. … A martial nobility and stubborn commons, possessed of arms, tenacious of property, and collected into constitutional assemblies, form the only balance capable of preserving a […]

“Monarchia” by Dante Alighieri

Posted on July 4, 2015; Last updated on April 26, 2018

Papal Authority vs. Imperial Authority In Monarchia, Dante addresses three questions concerning monarchy: 1. Whether universal monarchy is necessary to the well-being of the world 2. Whether the Roman people took on Empire by right 3. Whether imperial authority comes from God directly or from Papal authority 1. The Priest and King Argument Argument for Papal Authority: From 1 Kings, they take the creation and deposition of Saul, and say […]