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Analysis Of Dante: De Monarchia

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Dante: De Monarchia

Power struggles have existed throughout history and have taken many forms: nation against nation, between two different civilizations, or a battle for control of a group or area. One such important struggle that occurred throughout the Middle Ages was between spiritual and secular factions over who is the ultimate authority–emperor or pope? An early example of this dilemma arose in 410 CE when the Visigoths sacked Rome. Pagans quickly blamed Christians for Rome’s demise asserting that the Christian God failed to protect the city. This claim prompted Augustine to write The City of God in 413 CE. In his book, Augustine explained his doctrine of two cities: one earthly and one heavenly. He described the four essential …show more content…

In his treatise, De Monarchia, which presented his views of monarchy and the conflict between the church and the state. While recognizing that man’s eternal life is ultimately more important than his earthly life, Dante believed that is the Emperor who was responsible for directing man towards happiness on Earth, while the Pope managed man’s eternal life. Hence, he argued for the autonomy of the temporal side, under the Emperor, from that of the spiritual side, under the Pope. In refuting Pope Innocent III’s theory that just as the moon reflects light from the sun, so too do temporal rulers obtain their rights from the pope, Dante asserted that since both pope and emperor are mortal, they each derived their powers and authority directly from …show more content…

He argues that in the same way the Jews were chosen to receive and disseminate God’s religion of mankind, the Romans were chosen to be given and dispense the knowledge of law and justice. Thus, Dante firmly maintains the existence of a separate State and Church. He believes that the spiritual power of the Papacy is sovereign over the souls and spiritual welfare of man and the temporal power of the Empire is supreme over the lives and human welfare of man. He upholds that if the Pope and the Emperor exerted their authority only in their own dominions, there would be no war and there is nothing more desirous in this world. Dante saw in the Holy Roman Empire exactly what it had always meant to be: a reincarnation of Caesar’s

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