Erasmus: The Education of a Christian Prince with the Panegyric for Archduke Philip of Austria

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Cambridge University Press, Jul 31, 1997 - Political Science - 181 pages
This is a new student edition of Erasmus' crucial treatise on political theory and also contains a new, excerpted translation from his Panegyric. The Education of a Christian Prince is one of the most important "advice-to-princes" texts published in the Renaissance and was dedicated to Charles V. It is a strongly pacifist work in which Erasmus sought to ensure that the prince governed justly and benevolently. This edition also includes an original introduction, a chronology of the life and work of Erasmus, and a comprehensive guide to further reading.

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About the author (1997)

Desiderius Erasmus was born, probably in 1469, in Rotterdam, Holland. He studied in Paris, traveled in England, Germany, and Italy, and wrote in Latin. Living at the time of the Renaissance when most intellectual concepts were being examined, Erasmus was a great admirer of the ancient writers and edited many of their works. Erasmus remained a Roman Catholic, but believed that many of the priests and theologians had distorted the simple teachings of Jesus. He published an edition of the New Testament-the first edition in the original Greek-in order to make clear the essential teachings of Christianity. Erasmus liked above all things clear and honest thinking; he despised intolerance and persecution. He was the greatest of the humanists because his books, more effectively than any others, propagated a humane philosophy of life, teaching that one's chief duties are to be intelligent, open-minded, and charitable. The most famous and the most influential of Erasumus' books were The Praise of Folly (1509) and Colloquies (1518). These works, written in lively, colloquial, and witty Latin, expressed his ideas on the manners and customs of his time. Erasmus exerted a powerful influence not only through his books, but also through the private letters that he wrote to a great number of humanist scholars in all parts of Western Europe. He carried on extensive correspondences with Thomas More of England. More than 1500 of his letters survive today. Erasmus died in Basel, Switzerland, on July 12, 1536.

Lisa Jardine was born in Oxford, England on April 12, 1944. She studied mathematics and English at university receiving a MA in the literary theory of translation from the University of Essex and a PhD from the University of Cambridge with a thesis on the scientific genius of Francis Bacon. She taught English at Warburg Institute, the University of Essex, Cornell University, Cambridge University, and Queen Mary and Westfield College. She wrote several books during her lifetime including Francis Bacon: Discovery and the Art of Discourse, Ingenious Pursuits, Worldly Goods, Global Interests: Renaissance Art Between East and West, and Temptation in the Archives: Essays in Golden Age Dutch Culture. Going Dutch: How England Plundered Holland's Glory won the $75,000 Cundill International Prize in History in 2009. She received a Royal Society medal for popularizing science and was appointed CBE in 2005 for her contribution and commitment to state education. She died of cancer on October 25, 2015 at the age of 71.

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