John of Salisbury, Policraticus

by Taylor Dickinson

​Description
John of Salisbury’s Policraticus, meaning ‘the statesman’ in pseudo-Greek, is commonly attributed to being the first work of political theory written in the Middle Ages. There are eight books in this approximately 250,000-word compilation. The modern arrangement of the text does not reflect the order of its composition. Written from 1156-1159, John began Policraticus as a guide to demonstrate the basis of life as a good man and bring to light the false joy of his contemporaries. Being that he wrote books VII and VIII while exiled from Henry II’s court, most scholars describe this portion as ‘self-consolatory’. The work soon transformed into advice to clerical bureaucrats about how to avoid the pitfalls of life at royal and ecclesiastical courts. Books IV-VI focus on a theory of government and society which would better shelter the spiritual and physical wellbeing of civil servants, princes and their subjects. Policraticus affirms that men are morally bound to seek their own temporal fulfillment through the acquisition of knowledge and practice of virtue, much in line with the author’s background. Of political theory, John believes that the political system should be guided by the principles of nature, but men must cooperate with nature by means of experience and practice because nature does not determine human behavior. John uses narratives or stories to exemplify a lesson or doctrine, called exempla. His sources include his personal experiences at papal and royal courts. Having been a close friend of Thomas Becket and Pope Adrian IV, it is no surprise that he relays personal stories and sayings of the two within the work. Policraticus embraces references to Holy scripture, having an obvious preference for the old testament, but is also is well-known for acknowledging doctrines of pagan antiquity. John uses narratives from Christian writers such as St. Augustine and St. Jerome, along with invoking the works of classical authors like Virgil, Horace, Lucan, and Ovid. One of John’s most important sources was Aristotle’s Organon, from which infuses the doctrine of the golden mean, emphasizing moderation of character and actions, as well as the psychology of moral character into Policraticus. The treatises were not yet well-dispersed during John’s time and it is speculated that he, being one of the best-read men of the 12th century, might have been the first in the Middle Ages to read it in its entirety.
 
Importance for the Study of Angevin History
John of Salisbury, author of Policraticus, lived from 1115-1180. After studying at Mont-Saint-Geneviève, he joined the household of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, putting him in close proximity to major players of the Angevin Empire. This included Thomas Becket, to whom he would dedicate Policraticus and address directly throughout the text. John supported Henry II against Stephen during the turmoil but was vocal about his opposition to Henry’s policies concerning the English Church to the point where he was banished from the royal court in 1156-1157, when he would begin to compose Policraticus. He would again spend time in exile, in France or at the Papal court, during the 1160’s, when he threw his support towards Becket against Henry II and the bishops in support of the king. Despite his animosity towards the crown, John found himself distanced from Thomas Becket’s unwillingness to compromise with Henry. In Policraticus, he writes that secular government should be permitted to be conducted without direct interference by the Church. He also addresses the role of ‘tyrant’ as any person with ambitions to restrict the freedom of another while also holding the power to do so, but does not limit the position to those of public officials. John tackled the ideas of private and ecclesiastical tyranny, as well. John of Salisbury was a man navigating the realms of temporal and clerical power, which is clearly displayed in Policraticus when he spends equal time criticizing the behaviors of clerics and priests as he does secular leaders. He finished this work before the assassination of Thomas Becket, thus having already put in writing his belief that the clergy were faced with a greater temptation to abuse their power and become ecclesiastical tyrants than the other two sects. John of Salisbury returned to England after Becket’s death and was appointed bishop of Chartres, where he remained until his death. 

Manuscripts
Corpus Christi College, MS 046
British Library, Royal 13 D IV
British Library, Royal 12 F VIII (Addressed to Thomas Becket) (IMAGE: Royal 12 F VIII f. 62)
Bodleian Library, MS. Barlow 48
Bodleian Library, MS. Barlow 6
Bodleian Library, MS. Auct. F. 1. 8
Bodleian Library, MS. Lat. misc. c. 16 
 
Editions and Translations
John of Salisbury. Policraticus, Of the Frivolities of Courtiers and the Footprints of Philosophers. Edited by Cary J. Nederman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
 
Pike, Joseph B., trans. Frivolities of Courtiers and Footprints of Philosophers: Being a Translation of the First, Second, and Third Books and Selections from the Seventh and Eighth Books of the Policraticus of John of Salisbury. New York: Octagon Books, 1972.
 
Description
John of Salisbury’s Policraticus, meaning ‘the statesman’ in pseudo-Greek, is commonly attributed to being the first work of political theory written in the Middle Ages. There are eight books in this approximately 250,000-word compilation. The modern arrangement of the text 

Bibliography
Bollermann, Karen and Nederman, Cary, "John of Salisbury", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL= <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2016/entries/john-salisbury/>.
 
John of Salisbury. Policraticus, Of the Frivolities of Courtiers and the Footprints of Philosophers. Edited by Cary J. Nederman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
 
Nederman, Cary J. John of Salisbury. Vol. 228. Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies. Tempe, AR: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2005.
 
Nederman, Cary J. John of Salisbury. Vol. 228. Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies. Tempe, AR: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2005.
 
Nederman, Cary J. Lineages of European Political Thought: Explorations along the Medieval/Modern Divide from John of Salisbury to Hegel. Washington D.C.:The Catholic University of America Press, 2009.