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Who was Claudius Salmasius, and why did John Milton write against him?

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Engraved portrait of John Milton by Jacob Houbraken, showing Milton with shoulder-length hair, a lace collar, and period clothing, facing forward in an oval frame. — John Milton John Milton, engraving by Jacob Houbraken, 1741.

Claudius Salmasius (1588–1653) was a renowned French classical scholar and professor at Leiden, celebrated for his immense erudition in multiple languages and philology.1

During the English Civil Wars, Salmasius was commissioned—likely at the behest of Charles II—to write Defensio Regia pro Carolo I (1649). This work defended absolute monarchy and condemned the English Parliament for the trial and execution of Charles I.12

John Milton, serving as the Latin secretary for the Commonwealth, was assigned to refute this tract. In his 1651 response, Pro Populo Anglicano Defensio (A Defense of the People of England), Milton argued that the execution of a tyrant was justified by historical, scriptural, and political authorities. Milton’s defense was a crucial part of his role as an apologist for the Commonwealth, aimed at countering international criticism of the new republican government.123