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Marsilius of Padua
Italian political thinker and scholastic scholar, a leading representative of fourteenth-century political theory whose Defensor Pacis argued for lim…
Timeline
- c. 1280–1312Padua · VenetoBorn in Padua, he studied medicine and philosophy at the local university, became familiar with the Aristotelian tradition of politics, and took part in the political debates of the Italian city-states, accumulating academic and practical background for his later political theory.
- 1312–1324Paris · Île-de-FranceHe completed and published the Defensor Pacis in Paris, working with John of Jandun, centering his arguments on popular sovereignty, the supremacy of law, and the separation of church and state, challenging papal supremacy and provoking a strong ecclesiastical backlash.
- 1324–1342Munich · BavariaAfter his works were condemned by the pope he went into exile, entering the service of Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV, taking part in the political and theological disputes of the imperial–papal conflict, and continuing his activities in Munich and elsewhere until his death.
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Marsilius of Padua https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marsilius-padua/
- Defensor Pacis — Marsilius of Padua (2005)