The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Preface
• Introduction
• Some Opinions of the De Monarchia
• The Monarchy of Dante Alighieri
• Book I: Whether Temporal Monarchy Is Necessary For the Well-being of the World
• Chapter I: Introduction.
• Chapter II: To What End Does Government Exist Among All Men?
• Chapter III: To Actualize the Whole Capacity of the Possible Intellect In Speculation and Action.
• Chapter IV: To Attain This End Humanity Requires Universal Peace.
• Chapter V: When Several Things Are Ordained For One End, One Must Rule and the Others Obey.
• Chapter VI: The Order Which Is Found In the Parts of the Human Race Should Be Found In the Race As a Whole.
• Chapter VII: The Relation of Kingdoms and Nations to the Monarch Should Be That of Humanity to God.
• Chapter VIII: Men Are Made In the Image of God; But God Is One.
• Chapter IX: Men, As the Sons of Heaven, Should Follow In the Footprints of Heaven.
• Chapter X: In Order to Settle All Disputes a Supreme Judge Is Necessary.
• Chapter XI: The World Is Best Ordered When In It Justice Is Preëminent.
• Chapter XII: Humanity Is Ordered For the Best When Most Free.
• Chapter XIII: He Who Is Best Adapted For Ruling Is the Best Director of Other Men.
• Chapter XIV: What One Agent Can Do Is Better Done By One Than By Many.
• Chapter XV: In Every Sort of Thing That Is Best Which Is Most One.
• Chapter XVI: Christ Willed to Be Born In the Fullness of Time When Augustus Was Monarch.
• Book II: Whether the Roman People Rightfully Appropriated the Office of Monarchy
• Chapter I: Introduction.
• Chapter II: What God Wills In Human Society Is to Be Held As Right.
• Chapter III: The Romans As the Noblest People Deserved Precedence Before All Others.
• Chapter IV: Because the Roman Empire Was Aided By Miracles It Was Willed of God.
• Chapter V: The Roman People In Subduing the World Had In View the Good of the State and Therefore the End of Right.
• Chapter VI: He Who Purposes Right Proceeds According to Right.
• Chapter VII: The Roman People Were Ordained For Empire By Nature.
• Chapter VIII: The Decree of God Showed That Empire Belonged to the Roman People.
• Chapter IX: The Romans Were Victorious Over All Contestants For Empire.
• Chapter X: That Which Is Acquired By Single Combat Is Acquired With Right.
• Chapter XI: The Single Combats of the Roman People.
• Chapter XII: Christ In Being Born Proved That the Authority of the Roman Empire Was Just.
• Chapter XIII: Christ In Dying Confirmed the Jurisdiction of the Roman Empire Over All Humanity.
• Book III: Whether the Authority of the Roman Monarch Derives From God Immediately Or From Some Vicar of God
• Chapter I: Introduction.
• Chapter II: God Wills Not That Which Is Counter to the Intention of Nature.
• Chapter III: Of the Three Classes of Our Opponents and the Too Great Authority Many Ascribe to Tradition.
• Chapter IV: The Opponents’ Argument Adduced From the Sun and Moon.
• Chapter V: Argument From the Precedence of Levi Over Judah.
• Chapter VI: Argument From the Election and Deposition of Saul By Samuel.
• Chapter VII: Argument From the Oblation of the Magi.
• Chapter VIII: Argument From the Prerogative of the Keys Consigned to Peter.
• Chapter IX: Argument From the Two Swords.
• Chapter X: Argument From the Donation of Constantine. 1
• Chapter XI: Argument From the Summoning of Charles the Great By Pope Hadrian.
• Chapter XII: Argument From Reason.
• Chapter XIII: The Authority of the Church Is Not the Source of Imperial Authority.
• Chapter XIV: The Church Received Power of Transference Neither From God, From Herself, Nor From Any Emperor.
• Chapter XV: The Prerogative of Conferring Authority Upon the Empire Is Contrary to the Nature of the Church.
• Chapter XVI: The Authority of the Empire Derives From God Directly.

SOME OPINIONS OF THE DE MONARCHIA

Allen, Fragments of Latin Christianity: “The fond dream of universal sovereignty, its allied ideal Empire and Church, had its completed expression and defense in Dante’s treatise on the Divine Right of Monarchy.”

Bryce, Holy Roman Empire, chap. 15: “The career of Henry the Seventh in Italy is the most remarkable illustration of the Emperor’s position: and imperialist doctrines are set forth most strikingly in the treatise which the greatest spirit of the age wrote to herald or commemorate the advent of that hero, the De Monarchia of Dante.”

Church, Dante, p. 94: “The idea of the De Monarchia . . . holds a place in the great scheme of the Commedia; it is prominent there also—an idea seen but in fantastic shape, encumbered and confused with most grotesque imagery, but the real idea of polity and law, which the experience of modern Europe has attained to.”

Hallam, Middle Ages, chap. 8, part 2: “Some who were actively engaged in these transactions took more extensive views, and assailed the whole edifice of temporal power which the Roman see had been constructing for more than two centuries. Several men of learning, among whom Dante, Ockham, and Marsilius of Padua are the most conspicuous, investigated the foundations of this superstructure, and exposed their insufficiency.”

Milman, Latin Christianity, bk. 12, chap. 4: “The ideal sovereign of Dante’s famous treatise on Monarchy was Henry of Luxemburg. Neither Dante nor his time can be understood but through this treatise.”

Lowell, Dante, Riverside Edition, Vol. 4. p. 151: “It is to be looked on as a purely scholastic demonstration of a speculative thesis, in which the manifold exceptions and modifications essential in practical application are necessarily left aside.”