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De regimine principum
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De regimine principum

treatise by Saint Thomas Aquinas
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De regimine principum (On the Government of Princes) is a treatise by Saint Thomas Aquinas, written around 1266. It was intended for the king of Cyprus and discusses the ideal ruler and the principles of good governance.12

Aquinas, a prominent medieval Scholastic theologian and philosopher, based his political philosophy on Aristotelian premises, integrating them with Christian doctrine. He believed that government should aim for the common good and that rulers should govern according to law, not by tyranny. The work emphasizes that human beings are social and political animals, and that the state naturally occurs to improve human spiritual life. Aquinas's political thought favored monarchy but stressed the importance of limiting royal authority by law and serving the community's well-being.324

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8 Britannica Sources
  1. St. Thomas Aquinas: Top Questions
  2. St. Thomas Aquinas
  3. St. Thomas Aquinas - Years at the papal Curia and return to Paris
  4. political philosophy - Aquinas
  5. political science - Ancient influences
  6. political philosophy - John of Salisbury
  7. Western philosophy - Political philosophy
  8. constitutiones principum

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