King as father in Early Modern Spain

Abstract

127

The image of the king as father lay at the heart of discussions about the ideal of monarchy in early modern Europe. Machiavelli’s proposition that a prince should worry first about instilling fear than love met with critics who defended the paternal qualities that made love more important than fear. Tied to these discussions were debates over the practical and political merits of limiting access to the ruler. The paternal metaphor allowed early modern Spanish political writers to articulate competing opinions over the appropriate access of subjects to the Spanish king, which had important implications about the duties of the monarch and the role of his ministers and royal officials throughout the Spanish empire. Writers shared the premise that the king should be like a father, caring for his subjects like children, who had a duty to love and respect him. Differences revolved around how best to achieve this paternal-filial relationship, especially given the enormous challenges, and risks, faced by Spanish monarchs. The paternal image therefore provided a standard against which to measure particular rulers and their policies.

Keywords

king, kingship, father, love, Machiavelli