open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/b.edu.145.235

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/93868

Discourse of Virtue and Government : Institutio principis in Italian Renaissance Humanism

日本語

Classical Reception

2024-12-25

Faculty of Education, Hokkaido University

Bulletin of Faculty of Education, Hokkaido University

145

235-250

This paper analyzes Pier Paolo Vergerio's "De ingenuis moribus et liberalibus studiis" and Enea Silvio Piccolomini's "De liberorum educatione" as discourses on virtue and governance, focusing on their educational processes in relation to the reception of classical traditions. The central inquiry explores how virtus was perceived as a foundational element of governance in the Renaissance cultural background, shaped by political dynamics and humanist movements. Vergerio advises the successors of the Padua's ruler to cultivate virtue through the studia liberalia, emphasizing the importance of constructing oneself as an ethical subject through the practices of reading and writing. He presents the ideal of a robust military leader, drawing inspiration from Ancient Sparta and advocates the value of physical training. Meanwhile, Piccolomini highlights the secular prince as a defender of orthodox faith, drawing mainly from Ps. Plutarch's "De liberis educandis" and Quintilian's "Institutio oratoriae." He envisions shaping an ideal ruler through habit formation, physical training, and studia humanitatis. The virtues and principles of governance articulated by both humanists underscore the pursuit of excellence through literature, habitual practices, and physical discipline. While their conceptions of the ideal prince are eclectic and rooted in the interpretations of classical antiquity, they contribute significantly to the political culture of Renaissance Europe.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1882-1669

AA12219452