The Birth of the Leviathan: The Imperial and Monarchial Discourses at the End of the Middle Ages

Emphasizing collision between the imperial and monarchial discourses as a defining tool for conceptualizing the Late Medieval state building, the speaker will show how the latter became dominant in the XVIth century political thought. This intellectual shift was crucial for understanding not only at once challenging universal and ethnocentric developments within European political landscape but also for such Late Medieval phenomena as the universal monarchy and territorial state. Intellectual resources of the imperial theme were remaining primary down to appearance of Dante’s famous works (“De Monarchia”, “Convivio”) and exceeded instrumental potential of monarchial polemics. Under Dante influence the monarchial discourse gradually adopted previously not shared imperial arguments; at first within the XIV – XVII centuries political discussions the very meaning of both arguments was slowly leveled up and then repeatedly differentiated from their medieval content. Both discourses shared their basic concepts while came closer. The imperial discourse remained within its initial contours but actively absorbed the monarchial idea of the certain “extension” fort the supreme power while the monarchial theme mastered intensified royal power components.

Moderator: Alexander Semyonov (PhD, Professor, Chair, Departament of History, National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg)

Language of the presentation - Russian

Venue: Promyshlennaya St., 17, Room 412

Contact email: ereutova@hse.ru