Thomas Aquinas, The Treatise ‘De Regimine Principum’ or ‘De Regno’
• It occurred to me that what I might offer a king above all would be a book written on the subject of kingship, in which I should, to the best of my powers, diligently draw out both the origin of a kingdom and what pertains to the king’s office, according to the authority of Divine scripture, the teachings of the philosophers, and the examples given by those who praise princes
1. It is necessary for men who live together to be subject to diligent rule by someone
• Man has a certain end. He can proceed towards that end in different ways. Therefore, man needs something to guide him towards his end
• Man is by nature a social and political animal
• One man cannot live a self-sufficient life
○ It is natural for man to live in fellowship with many others
• ‘Where there is no governor, the people shall be scattered.’
• Individual interests and the common good are not the same
• There is a ruling part of the body: either the heart or the head.
○ Therefore, in every multitude there should be some ruling principle
2. The various forms of lordship or government
• Now something is directed rightly when it is led to its proper end, and not rightly when it is led to an end which is not proper to it
• If, however, the government is directed not towards the common good but towards the private good of the ruler, rule of this kind will be unjust and perverted
• Government is exercised unjustly by one man alone, who, in ruling, seeks gain for himself and not the good of the community subject to him, such a ruler is called a tyrant
○ If unjust government exercised by several, it is called oligarchy ○ Again if wrongful government exercised by the many, This is
named democracy
• Just governments: polity, aristocracy, king
• It is the nature of kingship that there should be one who rules, and
that he should be a shepherd who seeks the common good and not his
own gain
• The threefold classification of good and bad constitutional forms given
here and in the preceding paragraph is derived from Aristotle’s Politics
• He (the father) does, however, bear a certain resemblance to a king, and for this reason kings are sometimes called the ‘fathers’ of their people
○ (Like Ibn Sina)
3. It is more beneficial for a community of men living together to
be ruled by one then by many
• The more effectively government preserves the unity of peace, therefore, the more beneficial it is; for we call something ‘more
• Clearly, however, something which is itself one can bring about unity more effectively than something which is many can
• It is clear that a plurality of rulers will in no way preserve a community if they are wholly at odds with one another
• Those things are best which are most natural, for in every case nature operates for the best; and in nature government is always by one
• For provinces or cities which are not ruled by one man toil under dissensions and are tossed about without peace
○ By contrast, provinces and cities governed by a single king rejoice in peace, flourish in justice and are gladdened by an abundance of things
4. Just as the rule of one is the best when it is just, so its opposite is the worst; and this is proved by many reasons and arguments
• Butjustastheruleofakingisthebest,sotheruleofatyrantisthe worst
• Tyranny is therefore more harmful than oligarchy and oligarchy than democracy
• To be subject to a tyrant seems the same as to be mauled by a ferocious animal
5. How varied the forms of government were among the Romans; and that their commonwealth sometimes prospered under the government of many
• The kings were expelled by the Roman people when they could no longer bear the burden of their rule, or, rather, of their tyranny
• They then instituted for themselves consuls and other magistrates by whom they commenced to be ruled and guided, wishing to exchange kingship for aristocracy; and, as Sallust remarks, ‘It is incredible to recall how swiftly the city of Rome grew once she had achieved her liberty.’
• Presently, however, the Romans became exhausted by the continual quarrels which eventually grew into civil wars,
6. Tyrannical government more often arises from the rule of many than from that of one; and so government by one is better
• The dissension which often follows government by several persons is contrary to the good of peace, which is the foremost goal of any social community; but this is a good which is not taken away by tyranny, for the tyrant only takes away some of the goods of individual men – unless the tyranny is so excessive that it ravages the whole community
○ The rule of one is therefore to be preferred to that of many, though perils flow from each
• The rule of many turns into tyranny more rather than less frequently than that of one
• In almost every case government by many has ended in tyranny; and this appears very clearly in the example of the Roman commonwealth
7. The conclusion is that the rule of one man is the best simply. It is shown how a community should conduct itself in relation to him so as to remove the opportunity of his becoming a tyrant, but that even tyranny is to be tolerated for the sake of avoiding a greater evil
• Once the king has been appointed, the government of the kingdom should be so arranged as to remove from the king the opportunity of becoming a tyrant; and, at the same time, his power should be restricted so that he will not easily be able to fall into tyranny
• Finally, we must consider what should be done if the king does become a tyrant
• If, however, the tyranny is not excessive, it is more advantageous to tolerate a degree of tyranny for the time being than to take action against the tyrant and so incur many perils more grievous than the tyranny itself
• After the tyrant has been removed, the community is divided into factions over the question of what the new ruling order should be
8. The holy Doctor here asks whether honour or glory above all ought to motivate a king in ruling; and he presents opinions as to what view should be held on this question
• It has seemed to some that this reward is nothing else than honour and glory
• If, therefore, the prince were not content with honour and glory, he would seek pleasure and riches, and so would fall to plundering and injuring his subjects
• ‘He shall find true glory who despises it’
• ‘The less he sought glory the more it followed him’
• Moreover, dangerous evils arise from the desire for glory
• There is another vice closely related to the desire for glory, namely,
dissimulation
• For one who desires glory either exerts himself to follow the true path
of virtuous action so as to secure the approval of men, or at any rate
tries to secure it even if only by fraud and artifice
• For of all earthly rewards the highest seems to be the testimony
rendered to a man for his virtue by other men
Thomas Aquinas classified the forms of constitutions deriving from Aristotelian perspective. He strongly advocated to be ruled by one than by many even though it is the worst type of government when it turns into a tyranny because it is more effective to achieve order and the order can bring the unity of peace. The book examines the question of power and liberty through this classification and even though he is the defender of a ruling by one, the king's power must be constrained so that he will provide the order without turning into a tyrant. There will always be the problem of corruption so we should minimize it. Although Romans had liberty when they ruled by many, it caused civil war and the new constitutions took liberty from their hand. Aquinas also brought the idea that faith and reason can be compatible.
Keywords: kingship, authority, fellowship, multitude, ruling principle, individual interest, common good, unjust rule, proper end, unity of peace, tyranny, oligarchy, democracy, father of people, ruling by one, ruling by many, effective ruling, Romans, liberty, civil war, power restriction, honour, desire for glory
• It occurred to me that what I might offer a king above all would be a book written on the subject of kingship, in which I should, to the best of my powers, diligently draw out both the origin of a kingdom and what pertains to the king’s office, according to the authority of Divine scripture, the teachings of the philosophers, and the examples given by those who praise princes
1. It is necessary for men who live together to be subject to diligent rule by someone
• Man has a certain end. He can proceed towards that end in different ways. Therefore, man needs something to guide him towards his end
• Man is by nature a social and political animal
• One man cannot live a self-sufficient life
○ It is natural for man to live in fellowship with many others
• ‘Where there is no governor, the people shall be scattered.’
• Individual interests and the common good are not the same
• There is a ruling part of the body: either the heart or the head.
○ Therefore, in every multitude there should be some ruling principle
2. The various forms of lordship or government
• Now something is directed rightly when it is led to its proper end, and not rightly when it is led to an end which is not proper to it
• If, however, the government is directed not towards the common good but towards the private good of the ruler, rule of this kind will be unjust and perverted
• Government is exercised unjustly by one man alone, who, in ruling, seeks gain for himself and not the good of the community subject to him, such a ruler is called a tyrant
○ If unjust government exercised by several, it is called oligarchy ○ Again if wrongful government exercised by the many, This is
named democracy
• Just governments: polity, aristocracy, king
• It is the nature of kingship that there should be one who rules, and
that he should be a shepherd who seeks the common good and not his
own gain
• The threefold classification of good and bad constitutional forms given
here and in the preceding paragraph is derived from Aristotle’s Politics
• He (the father) does, however, bear a certain resemblance to a king, and for this reason kings are sometimes called the ‘fathers’ of their people
○ (Like Ibn Sina)
3. It is more beneficial for a community of men living together to
be ruled by one then by many
• The more effectively government preserves the unity of peace, therefore, the more beneficial it is; for we call something ‘more
• Clearly, however, something which is itself one can bring about unity more effectively than something which is many can
• It is clear that a plurality of rulers will in no way preserve a community if they are wholly at odds with one another
• Those things are best which are most natural, for in every case nature operates for the best; and in nature government is always by one
• For provinces or cities which are not ruled by one man toil under dissensions and are tossed about without peace
○ By contrast, provinces and cities governed by a single king rejoice in peace, flourish in justice and are gladdened by an abundance of things
4. Just as the rule of one is the best when it is just, so its opposite is the worst; and this is proved by many reasons and arguments
• Butjustastheruleofakingisthebest,sotheruleofatyrantisthe worst
• Tyranny is therefore more harmful than oligarchy and oligarchy than democracy
• To be subject to a tyrant seems the same as to be mauled by a ferocious animal
5. How varied the forms of government were among the Romans; and that their commonwealth sometimes prospered under the government of many
• The kings were expelled by the Roman people when they could no longer bear the burden of their rule, or, rather, of their tyranny
• They then instituted for themselves consuls and other magistrates by whom they commenced to be ruled and guided, wishing to exchange kingship for aristocracy; and, as Sallust remarks, ‘It is incredible to recall how swiftly the city of Rome grew once she had achieved her liberty.’
• Presently, however, the Romans became exhausted by the continual quarrels which eventually grew into civil wars,
6. Tyrannical government more often arises from the rule of many than from that of one; and so government by one is better
• The dissension which often follows government by several persons is contrary to the good of peace, which is the foremost goal of any social community; but this is a good which is not taken away by tyranny, for the tyrant only takes away some of the goods of individual men – unless the tyranny is so excessive that it ravages the whole community
○ The rule of one is therefore to be preferred to that of many, though perils flow from each
• The rule of many turns into tyranny more rather than less frequently than that of one
• In almost every case government by many has ended in tyranny; and this appears very clearly in the example of the Roman commonwealth
7. The conclusion is that the rule of one man is the best simply. It is shown how a community should conduct itself in relation to him so as to remove the opportunity of his becoming a tyrant, but that even tyranny is to be tolerated for the sake of avoiding a greater evil
• Once the king has been appointed, the government of the kingdom should be so arranged as to remove from the king the opportunity of becoming a tyrant; and, at the same time, his power should be restricted so that he will not easily be able to fall into tyranny
• Finally, we must consider what should be done if the king does become a tyrant
• If, however, the tyranny is not excessive, it is more advantageous to tolerate a degree of tyranny for the time being than to take action against the tyrant and so incur many perils more grievous than the tyranny itself
• After the tyrant has been removed, the community is divided into factions over the question of what the new ruling order should be
8. The holy Doctor here asks whether honour or glory above all ought to motivate a king in ruling; and he presents opinions as to what view should be held on this question
• It has seemed to some that this reward is nothing else than honour and glory
• If, therefore, the prince were not content with honour and glory, he would seek pleasure and riches, and so would fall to plundering and injuring his subjects
• ‘He shall find true glory who despises it’
• ‘The less he sought glory the more it followed him’
• Moreover, dangerous evils arise from the desire for glory
• There is another vice closely related to the desire for glory, namely,
dissimulation
• For one who desires glory either exerts himself to follow the true path
of virtuous action so as to secure the approval of men, or at any rate
tries to secure it even if only by fraud and artifice
• For of all earthly rewards the highest seems to be the testimony
rendered to a man for his virtue by other men
Thomas Aquinas classified the forms of constitutions deriving from Aristotelian perspective. He strongly advocated to be ruled by one than by many even though it is the worst type of government when it turns into a tyranny because it is more effective to achieve order and the order can bring the unity of peace. The book examines the question of power and liberty through this classification and even though he is the defender of a ruling by one, the king's power must be constrained so that he will provide the order without turning into a tyrant. There will always be the problem of corruption so we should minimize it. Although Romans had liberty when they ruled by many, it caused civil war and the new constitutions took liberty from their hand. Aquinas also brought the idea that faith and reason can be compatible.
Keywords: kingship, authority, fellowship, multitude, ruling principle, individual interest, common good, unjust rule, proper end, unity of peace, tyranny, oligarchy, democracy, father of people, ruling by one, ruling by many, effective ruling, Romans, liberty, civil war, power restriction, honour, desire for glory