왕과 관료의 재직조건에 나타난 밀턴의 국민주권론

Abstract

The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates exhibits Milton's fundamental idea of people's supreme power, as it discusses the tenure of kings and magistrates. This prose was published just two weeks after the execution of Charles I, though some of it had been written before his execution. Thus, it was hastily composed during or after the trial of the king. Admittedly, it is basically a justification of the execution of the tyrant, but for the purpose, it emphasizes the supreme power of people that can even depose the tyrants. It should be noted that Milton's concept of people was somewhat limited by the historical context surrounding him. He could not accept as people those who defend the tyrants or support the monarchy. But Milton says in Defensio Prima, "By people we mean all citizens of our society." Thus, his concept of people may be extended to our modern concept of it, though it was limited by the circumstances of the revolutionary age. Milton's idea of people's supreme power can be compared with the ideas of his two comtemporary political theorists, Tomas Hobbes and John Locke, or his later theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Even though these also proposed the theory of social contract, they failed to break away the tradition of monarchy. Milton's idea of people's supreme power goes beyond an opportunistic excuse to defend the execution of the tyrant. It is closely related to his idea of human dignity and freedom, and it is also based upon the law of God and natural law. So, regardless of the writer's motivation, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates shows well his idea of people's sovereignty, which is the primary condition of the free republic.