Vindiciae contra tyrannos: or, Concerning the legitimate power of a prince over the people, and of the people over a prince

The first question : Whether subjects are bound and ought to obey princes, if they command that which is against the law of God -- The second question : Whether it be lawful to resist a prince who does infringe the law of God, or ruin His Church : by whom, how, and how far it is lawful -- The third question : Whether it be lawful to resist a prince who does oppress or ruin a public state, and how far such resistance may be extended : by whom, how, and by what right or law it is permitted -- The fourth question : Whether neighbor princes may or are bound by law to aid the subjects of other princes, persecuted for true religion, or oppressed by manifest tyranny.

The Vindiciae, contra tyrannos was the most infamous of the monarchomach treatises produced during the French wars of religion, and continued to be revered (or execrated) as a key part of the radical canon for well over a century after its publication. It is one of the first attempts to advance a systematic justification, with interlocking secular and religious arguments, of resistance against legitimately constituted political authority. This edition presents the first complete and accurate English translation of the work, a comprehensive apparatus, and an introduction which provides the first detailed analysis of the argument and also reconsiders the much-disputed question of authorship. It will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working on the history of political thought and early modern Europe