Władza i racja stanu w czasach Renesansu włoskiego i hiszpańskiego
Power and Reason of State at the Time of Italian and Spanish Renaissance

Summary/Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The goal of this article is to present a specific character of the Renaissance political thinking in Italy and its influence on the Spanish political thought at XVIth century. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The article presents two – in the opinion of author – principal components of the Renaissance political thought in Italy: the ideas of the reason of State and the balance of powers. It reveals theirs influence on the minds of the Florentine humanists of Quattrocento and Cinquecento, and analyses also theirs effect on the Spanish Habsburgs aspiration to the hegemony. The method applied is the history of ideas. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The article consists of the two parts: the first is dedicated to the political thought of the Italian Renaissance, the second one – to the an analysis of its impact on the political strategies of Spain at the time of its hegemony in Europe as the main power, which defended the catholic reason of State. RESEARCH RESULTS: The principal result of analyses is to take notice of the substantial Renaissance concept of the reason of State, which was taking shape in Italy at the epoch before the Council of Trent, and which was focused mainly on the politics limited to the political strategies of the Appenine Peninsula States. In the second part appears a thesis that there were attempts to implant this concept to the Iberic Peninsula, but – owing to the new geopolitical situation and after Italian wars and revival of Thomism – this concept could not be either understood or applicable. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The intention of the article is to show an important moment of the epoch of the late Renaissance, when – owing to the change of geopolitical situation in Europe and to the evangelization of the New World – the Italian ideas of reason of State and of balance of powers have to make room for reasons resulting from the necessity of defending the catholic world against the Protestantism.

• Details
• Contents