A Study On Stephen Langton’s Thought Of Restricting Monarchy

Stephen Langton,Archbishop of Canterbury(1150-1228),who participated in the signing of the Magna Carta,became another core figure after John the "Landless King" and the rebellious aristocracy.During the confrontation between the aristocratic armed forces and the king’s army in Lannimead in 1215,Langton not only affirmed the political authority of the feudal monarchy and the relationship between the kingdom’s monarchs and ministers,but also participated in the signing of the Magna Carta through the study of the Bible,and put his thought of "limiting royal power" into several articles of the charter.This article mainly expounds the relevant contents of his thought of "restricting royal power" from the following four parts:The first chapter of this paper focuses on the background of Langton’s time,and mainly introduces the social,religious and political conditions of Europe from the 12 th to the 13 th century.England was in the heyday of the Middle Ages from the 12 th to the 13 th century.There was constant friction between the ever-expanding royal power and the political tradition of "limited royal power",and the focus of the religious and sectarian struggle was the struggle for the authority of bishops.As a result,the tradition of "limited monarchy" prevailed.Stephen Langton’s life is in this era.This chapter hopes to explore the formation of Langton’s thought by combing the social,religious and politico-religious relations in this period.The second chapter of this article focused on combing Langton’s life,including Langton’s family background,his experience at the University of Paris and the content of the sermon.The Paris period was the starting point of Langton’s career.His study and teaching experience in Paris laid a solid foundation for his later political career,which made him favored by Englison III,crowned Archbishop of Canterbury and entered the political arena of England.During his tenure as archbishop,he participated in the signing of the Magna Carta,the most important event in his life,which was an extraordinary experience for him.As a mediator in this Lanimead incident,he exerted a very important influence,and finally peacefully mediated the conflict between the king and the aristocracy,the church and the people,and relied on his own knowledge and ideas.Affected the formulation of the provisions of the Magna Carta.The third chapter mainly introduces the core of Langton’s thought of restricting monarchy from four angles.One is his thought of "religious dualism".Under the background of medieval times,Archbishop Stephen Langton adhered to the idea that monarchy and religious power should be separated.In Langton’s eyes,monarchy and religious power should be independent of each other.The "community" that operates separately has its own operating rules in its own community,and the king must not extend his hand to the ecclesiastical field.The second is the thought of the rule of law of "the king under the law".Based on the in-depth study of the Bible,Langton concluded that the royal power comes from God,and this power is always limited by the law,and puts forward the principle of due process that "trial precedes execution".To regulate the exercise of monarchy.The third is the thought of "resisting monarchy",which is mainly based on the tyranny brought about by the king’s wanton exercise of power and injustice,the people can not obey him,this kind of resistance is legal.The fourth is the thought of "contractual kingship".Langton derived such a principle from Deuteronomy,that is,the laws of the state should be shown in writing.Therefore,he advocated that written laws should be made between God,the king and the people to form a contract.Further put the royal power under the law and be bound by it.Finally,it discusses the influence of Langton’s thought of restricting monarchy.Through Langton,who advocated the restriction of royal power,the two most important influences for later generations are the idea of "rule of law" to restrict the monarchy by law and to strive for the right of freedom.The restriction of royal power promoted the further growth of the rule of law in England.at the same time,the factor of "freedom" in his thought also affected people’s attention to freedom and rights in later generations.