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A Dialogue on the Law of Kingship among the Scots
George Buchanan (1506 - 82) was one of the most distinguished humanists of the Northern European Renaissance. Hailed by his contemporaries as the greatest Latin poet of his age, he is chiefly remembered today as a radical political theorist whose Dialogus, first published in Edinburgh in 1579, justified the deposition of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1567 on the basis of a theory of popular sovereignty, which vested in the people the right to resist, depose and kill tyrannical monarchs. Dedicated to his pupil James VI, whose violent reaction against his tutor's ideas led him to develop his own views on the divine right of kings, Buchanan's work nevertheless proved immensely influential both in Britain and on the Continent, making a notable contribution to the debates over the nature and location of sovereignty which would finally bear fruit in the writings of John Locke. This new edition, featuring facing-page Latin text and English translation, is accompanied by extensive notes and commentary on Buchanan's classical and contemporary sources and a detailed introduction that examines the development of Buchanan's political thought, the context in which the Dialogus was written and published, and an extended analysis of the text itself.
- GenresPolitics
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1579
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About the author
George Buchanan
390 books14 followersGeorge Buchanan (Scottish Gaelic: Seòras Bochanan; (born: February 1506) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced."
Buchanan was a Catholic who committed himself to the Reformation. He was tutor to the great French essayist Michel de Montaigne, to Mary, Queen of Scots, and, later, to her son, the boy who was to become King James VI of Scotland and I of the United Kingdom.
For mastery of the Latin language, Buchanan has seldom been surpassed by any modern writer. His style is not rigidly modelled on that of any classical author, but has a freshness and elasticity of its own. His translations of the Psalms and of the Greek plays are more than mere versions; his two tragedies, Baptistes and Jephthes, enjoyed a European reputation for academic excellence. His Pompae verses were written for performance at the court entertainments of Mary, including the Offering of the Rustic Gods sung during a masque devised by Bastian Pagez for the baptism of King James.
In addition to these works, Buchanan wrote in prose Chamaeleon, a satire in Scots against Maitland of Lethington, first printed in 1711; a Latin translation of Linacre's Grammar (Paris, 1533); Libellus de Prosodia (Edinburgh, 1640); and Vita ab ipso scripta biennio ante mortem (1608), edited by R. Sibbald (1702). His other poems are Fratres Fraterrimi, Elegiae, Silvae, two sets of verses entitled Hendecasyllabon Liber and Iambon Liber; three books of Epigrammata; a book of miscellaneous verse; De Sphaera (in five books), suggested by the poem De sphaera mundi of Joannes de Sacrobosco, and intended as a defence of the Ptolemaic theory against the new Copernican view.
The first of his most important late works was the treatise De Jure Regni apud Scotos, published in 1579. In this famous work, composed in the form of a dialogue, and evidently intended to instil sound political principles into the mind of his pupil, Buchanan lays down the doctrine that the source of all political power is the people, that the king is bound by those conditions under which the supreme power was first committed to his hands, and that it is lawful to resist, even to punish, tyrants.
The second of his larger works is the History of Scotland, Rerum Scoticarum Historia, completed shortly before his death, and published in 1582. It is remarkable for the power and richness of its style, and of great value for the period personally known to the author, which occupies the greater portion of the book.
Buchanan was a Catholic who committed himself to the Reformation. He was tutor to the great French essayist Michel de Montaigne, to Mary, Queen of Scots, and, later, to her son, the boy who was to become King James VI of Scotland and I of the United Kingdom.
For mastery of the Latin language, Buchanan has seldom been surpassed by any modern writer. His style is not rigidly modelled on that of any classical author, but has a freshness and elasticity of its own. His translations of the Psalms and of the Greek plays are more than mere versions; his two tragedies, Baptistes and Jephthes, enjoyed a European reputation for academic excellence. His Pompae verses were written for performance at the court entertainments of Mary, including the Offering of the Rustic Gods sung during a masque devised by Bastian Pagez for the baptism of King James.
In addition to these works, Buchanan wrote in prose Chamaeleon, a satire in Scots against Maitland of Lethington, first printed in 1711; a Latin translation of Linacre's Grammar (Paris, 1533); Libellus de Prosodia (Edinburgh, 1640); and Vita ab ipso scripta biennio ante mortem (1608), edited by R. Sibbald (1702). His other poems are Fratres Fraterrimi, Elegiae, Silvae, two sets of verses entitled Hendecasyllabon Liber and Iambon Liber; three books of Epigrammata; a book of miscellaneous verse; De Sphaera (in five books), suggested by the poem De sphaera mundi of Joannes de Sacrobosco, and intended as a defence of the Ptolemaic theory against the new Copernican view.
The first of his most important late works was the treatise De Jure Regni apud Scotos, published in 1579. In this famous work, composed in the form of a dialogue, and evidently intended to instil sound political principles into the mind of his pupil, Buchanan lays down the doctrine that the source of all political power is the people, that the king is bound by those conditions under which the supreme power was first committed to his hands, and that it is lawful to resist, even to punish, tyrants.
The second of his larger works is the History of Scotland, Rerum Scoticarum Historia, completed shortly before his death, and published in 1582. It is remarkable for the power and richness of its style, and of great value for the period personally known to the author, which occupies the greater portion of the book.
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June 26, 2020Living in the lowlands of Scotland, during any trip I take to Glasgow I often go to Buchanan street. Many Scottish people have not heard of the historian and humanist scholar George Buchanan, but his legacy was so much that according to Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." Buchanan was reared under the same teacher as John Knox, the Scottish philosopher John Mair.
The influence of Mair on both figures was immense, from their civic policies to their ecclesiastical views it is apparent that the man was a deeply important figure for both.
John Knox has made his way into the history books more often unlike George Buchanan, who lingers in the antiquarians mind much too often sadly. His political books and historical ones are now only found in the very largest of libraries and the very oldest ones too in Scotland. Despite his many statues in Edinburgh that I often see every day, his memory lingers at the back of the popular conception of the 16th century reformation. Hopefully, this will improve in the next few decades and more mainstream academic publishers will publish his immensely important latin works with detailed commentary for the scholar, but the likelihood is that this will probably not happen. As so many works from the ancients disappeared never to be seen again, the works of the historian Buchanan will probably fade away into obscurity and away from the popular imagination.
The influence of Mair on both figures was immense, from their civic policies to their ecclesiastical views it is apparent that the man was a deeply important figure for both.
John Knox has made his way into the history books more often unlike George Buchanan, who lingers in the antiquarians mind much too often sadly. His political books and historical ones are now only found in the very largest of libraries and the very oldest ones too in Scotland. Despite his many statues in Edinburgh that I often see every day, his memory lingers at the back of the popular conception of the 16th century reformation. Hopefully, this will improve in the next few decades and more mainstream academic publishers will publish his immensely important latin works with detailed commentary for the scholar, but the likelihood is that this will probably not happen. As so many works from the ancients disappeared never to be seen again, the works of the historian Buchanan will probably fade away into obscurity and away from the popular imagination.
July 3, 2017
I read this as it was included in my copy of Lex Rex (see that review), this is a must read. Buchanan makes for great arguments in his defining of what a king should be, what a tyrant is, why a king should be under law, and how to deal with one that is not.
B.-- What do you call a war undertaken against the public enemy of all mankind, -- a tyrant?
M.-- The justest of all wars.
B.-- What do you call a war undertaken against the public enemy of all mankind, -- a tyrant?
M.-- The justest of all wars.
November 16, 2010
Utterly fascinating, if somewhat appalling. Buchanan was almost a century ahead of his time (in a bad way) in his development of a social contract theoy that gave license to rebellion, and in setting aside Scripture and turing to "the light of nature" as the main source for politics.
Considered the leading classicist of his age, he was a friend and colleague of John Knox, despite the radical divergence between Knox's fanatical biblicism and Buchanan's pragmatic rationalism--the Scottish Reformation, a singularly unprincipled affair, made strange bedfellows. Most fascinatingly, he was the tutor of the boy-king James VI, later James I of England, and one of the greatest scholars and political thinkers ever to sit on a royal throne. Needless to say, while he benefited greatly from Buchanan's pedagogy, James utterly rejected his radical ideas.
The edition of the Dialogue I read had an enormous and very valuable introduction by Roger Mason.
Considered the leading classicist of his age, he was a friend and colleague of John Knox, despite the radical divergence between Knox's fanatical biblicism and Buchanan's pragmatic rationalism--the Scottish Reformation, a singularly unprincipled affair, made strange bedfellows. Most fascinatingly, he was the tutor of the boy-king James VI, later James I of England, and one of the greatest scholars and political thinkers ever to sit on a royal throne. Needless to say, while he benefited greatly from Buchanan's pedagogy, James utterly rejected his radical ideas.
The edition of the Dialogue I read had an enormous and very valuable introduction by Roger Mason.
January 12, 2019
An old and obscure text, but one with significant implications for the history of modern political theory.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews