Suebi

See also: Bodin

Jean Bodin (born in 1529 with Angers, in Maine-et-Loire - died in 1596, with Laon, in the Aisne) was a Jurisconsulte, a Philosophe and a political theorist French, which influenced the intellectual history of the Europe by the formulation of its economic theories and its principles of the “good government”. He is regarded as the initiator of the modern concept of Souveraineté. Moreover, it was made lawyer of the religious tolerance in one particularly intolerant time. One often quotes of him the aphorism " It is richnesses only of hommes" .

Biography

Contemporary of Michel de Montaigne and Nostradamus, Jean Bodin was most probably born with Angers in 1529, within a middle-class family. He was the son of a tailor. In its youth, it receives a formation in the cloisters of the Carmelite nuns in Angers, then with Paris, where it follows the courses of the university and the Collège de France, impregnating as well medieval Scolastique as of the humanism of the Renaissance.

At least starting from 1549, it is released from its monacaux wishes. It is possible that it was implied in a lawsuit for Hérésie in 1547/1548 and that he remained in the Geneva calvinist: in both cases, one finds trace of his name, but they could be homonyms, the name being more common.

On the other hand, it seems certain that he studied and taught the Roman law to the university of Toulouse in the years 1550. It gains Paris in 1561, whereas starts in France the terrible period of the wars of religion, and there exerts as lawyer.

It writes there its first important work, the “Methodus AD facilem historiarum cognitionem” ( Method of the History ), which it will publish in 1566, and whose success will require one second edition increased in 1572. Referring explicitly to “ the Republic ” of Plato, it proposes to seek and include/understand, through the History, the best laws in order to be inspired some.

Jean Bodin had the favor of Henri III which made it choose for deputy with the States of Blois (1576 - 1577) by the Tiers state of the Vermandois. He was opposed to the projects of the king who wanted to revoke the edicts of pacification, was disgrâcié, and stuck to François de France, Duc of Alençon, since Duc of Anjou who filled it his favors. With died from this prince (1584), it was withdrawn with Laon, and exerted there the functions of prosecutor of the king. In 1589, it made declare this city for the Members of a league; but soon afterwards, it determined the inhabitants of them to recognize Henri IV. He dies of the Peste to Laon in 1596.

Work

The Méthode of the History brings to legal humanism a true base, and the work must be classified among the great classics of the Renaissance. With the other large book of Jean Bodin - Six Books of the Republic - it forms a coherent unit. They are the two parts of the same project. The first described and interprets, the second theorizes, prescribes and proposes. Bodin seeks to think the whole of the evolution of the human society in space and time, and reaches that point in a masterly way. He does not interpret the texts but the History of the men to draw a science from it from the policy. Six Books of the Republic - exposed on the nature of the Republic (the State) whose existence is defined by the Souveraineté - became traditional political thought. For him, the Sovereign state is stronger than the civil laws and is only subjected to the natural laws and divine.

In 1578, Jean Bodin publishes two works: one of right, the other of economy. In the first, heading Iuris universi distibutio , which is a reflection on the gasoline of the right, it establishes a systematization of the Roman law. In the second, whose title is Réponse to the paradox of Mr. de Malestroict concerning the rise of all things, and the means of curing it , it draws up a relationship between the assembled prices at the 16th century and the contribution of the Noble metals of America, It is in this work that it stated the quantity theory of money , which does of him one of the first defenders of the theory of the Mercantilisme in France.

Open and curious spirit, it was also interested in the Astrologie or in the study of the demon S. If the work which made its reputation was its Six books of the Republic , which the Toothing-stone “the germ of of the laws ”, Bodin calls the Spirit, whose curiosity was unbounded, was also interested in the Démonologie. It published in 1580 Of Démonomanie of the wizards , which one made various editions under the title Fléau of the demons and the wizards . It defines the Sorcier in it as that which pushes with something by diabolic means (Ier Book), research what is the magic, and seeks to prove, in long discourses, that the wizards have of the capacities (Book II). It also milked there illicit means of protection and means to prevent the evil spells (Book III), as well as means of dealing with the wizards, to recognize them and evidence which establishes the crime of sorcery (Book IV). In this work - regarded as one of best on the Sorcery - Bodin expresses in fact the opinions of its time: he believes in the pacts made with the demon S, in the evocation of dead and the carnal copulation with the demons; he thus recommends the Torture and elimination in mass of the wizards, and in that he is opposed to Jean Wier.

With regard to the Astrology, one will remember that in his Six Books of the Republic , it had blamed the Toulouse astrologer Auger Ferrier, which answered him in a Advertissement with Mr. Jean Bodin on the fourth book of its Republic , (Toulouse, 1580). It followed a polemic, and Jean Bodin answered known as Ferrier, having blamed it in his turn, in a text published under the pseudonym of Rene Herpin, Apologie or answer for the Republic for Bodin , (Paris, 1581), text which will be thereafter assistant of the multiple editions as well French as foreign of the Six Books of the Republic .

Books of Jean Bodin

  • Method to study the History (1566, in Latin)
  • Paradoxes of Mr. de Malestroit concerning the fact of the currencies and the enrichment of all things (1568)
  • six books of the Republic (in 6 books, Paris, 1576), which it translated itself into Latin: he milked there his subject rather completely, and decides for a moderate monarchy. One sometimes, but with exaggeration, compared this work with the Esprit of the laws of Montesquieu. This comparison shows at which point the book can be founder in his field: constitutional law.
  • Iuris universi distibutio (1578), systematization of the Roman law and reflection on the gasoline of the right
  • Answer to the paradoxes of Mr. de Malestroict concerning the enrichment of all things and the means of curing it , (1578), where it draws up a relationship between the assembled prices at the 16th century and the contribution of the Noble metals of America, work which does of Bodin one of the first defenders of the theory of the Mercantilisme in France.
  • Démonomanie of the wizards (1580, in French), where it supports the existence of the wizards.
  • Apology or answer for the Republic for Bodin , (Paris, 1581)
  • Amphitheater of nature (1595)
  • Universae naturae theatrum (1596)
  • Colloquium heptaplomeres , work written in 1587, but remained handwritten a long time, dialog where he discusses the various religions and appears to give the preference to the Déisme; this work was published only in 1858, with Leipzig, by Ludwig Noack.

The Œuvres of Jean Bodin were registered with the Index Librorum Prohibitorum by the authorities of the the Vatican to Rome.

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