The Preface to the Six Books of the Сommonwealth by Jean Bodin. The Features of the German Translation by Johann Oswaldt

About the authors:

Gulnara I. Bayazitova, Cand. Sci. (Hist.), Associate Professor, Head of Department of Modern History and Global Politics, University of Tyumen; g.bayazitova@utmn.ru; ORCID: 0000-0003-2858-9518

Lidiya Yu. Korge, Master of Pedagogy, History Teacher, Lyceum No. 93 (Tyumen); korge_l@inbox.ru

Abstract:

This article studies the first German translation of the “Six Books on the Republic” by the French lawyer and philosopher Jean Boden, published in 1592. Particular attention is paid to the preface to the treatise, which was written by the translator, a Lutheran priest Johann Oswaldt. There, Oswaldt sets out his position on the “Republic” as well as points out the need for this translation and the relevance of Boden’s treatise for monarchs and rulers. Oswaldt’s foreword is remarkable, firstly, for the terminological synthesis that he carries out. Relying on Boden’s both French and Latin manuscripts of “The Republic”, he carefully selects appropriate German terms to convey their connotations. Second, the German translation of “The Republic” opens the possibility of following the reception of Jean Boden’s ideas in Germany.

The authors of this article come to the conclusion that Oswaldt had a practical purpose when he translated the main political work that substantiated the theory of sovereignty. The dedication of the translation to the Duke of Württemberg and the Count of Mümpelgard politicizes his scholarly effort. In fact, following Boden himself, Oswaldt aims to make “The Republic” read and utilized by his patrons. In the long term, the implementation of the ideas outlined in “The Republic” will lead to the foundation of the sovereignty of Württemberg.

At the same time, the study of the first German translation has further research implications, since it outlines the area of distribution of Boden’s treatise on the European continent. The German translation followed the Italian and Spanish editions, but appeared earlier than the English translation. Hence, this article might pave the way for studying the reception of the theory of sovereignty in the works of German authors in Russian historiography.

References:

1. Bayazitova G. I. 2014. “‘Six books about the state’. Foreword: translation and comments”. Evropa. Mezhdunarodnyy almanakh, vol. XIII/1-2, pp. 227-228. [In Russian]

2. Bayazitova G. I. 2017. “On the concept of ‘République’ by Francois Othman and Jean Boden”. Filosofiya. Zhurnal Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki, vol. I, no. 1. Gosudarstvo i revolyutsiya, pp. 34-56. [In Russian]

3. Mityureva D. S. 2019. “Boden’s term ‘Republic’ in the translation of R. Knolls and in the context of political disputes in England in the first half of the 17^th century”. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Seriya: Istoriya, no. 2 (45), pp. 132-136 [In Russian]

4. Prokopiev A. Yu. 2002. Germany in the Era of the Religious Schism of 1555-1648. Saint Petersburg: Gumanitarnaya akademiya. 384 pp. [In Russian]

5. Semyonov I. S. 2006. European Dynasties: Complete Genealogical Reference. Moscow: Entsyklopediya. 1104 pp. [In Russian]

6. Tatsenko T. N. 2012. “Development of central government bodies in the German territorial states of the 16^th century. Duchy of Württemberg”. Srednie veka, no. 71 (1-2), pp. 133-152. [In Russian]

7. Agglo-montbeliard. Accessed 25 October 2020. http://www.agglo-montbeliard.fr

8. Bodin J. 1592. Respublica, Das ist: Gründtliche und rechte Underweysung, oder eigentlicher Bericht, in welchem außführlich vermeldet wird, wie nicht allein das Regiment wol zubestellen ... Alles so wol auß Göttlichen, als Weltlichen Rechten, ... in sechs Bücher verfasset. Translated into German by J. Oswaldt. Mümpelgard.

9. Bodin J. 1579. Lex six livres de la République. Paris: Chez Jacqes du Puys.

10. Bodini I. 1586. Andegavensis. De republica libri sex. Parisiis: Apud Iacobum Du-Puys.

11. Blickle P. 2003. Von der Leibeigenschaft zu den Menschenrechten. Eine Geschichte der Freiheit in Deutschland. Verlag C. H. Beck. 426 S.

12. Friedeburg R. von. 2013. “The Reception of Bodin in the Holy Roman Empire and the Making of the Territorial State”. In: Lloyd H. A. (ed.). The Reception of Bodin, pp. 293-320. Leiden; Boston.

13. Goetz H-W., Zielinski H. 1989. Lexikon des Mittelalters. München/Zürich. Pp. 1029‑1035.

14. Mayer Tasch P. C. 2000. Jean Bodin: eine Einführung in sein Leben, sein Werk und seine Wirkung; mit einer Bibliographie zum geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Schrifttum über Bodin zwischen dem Jahr 1800 und dem Jahr 2000. Düsseldorf: Parerga. 120 pp.

15. Lloyd H. A. 2017. Jean Bodin: “This Pre-Eminent Man of France”. Intellectual Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 311 pp.

16. Optiz-Belakhal C. 2006. Das Universum des Jean Bodin. Staatsbildung, Macht und Geschlecht im 16. Jahrhundert. Campus Verlag Frankfurt/New York. 207 pp.

17. Skinner Q. 1978. The Foundation of Political Thougth. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

18. Sommerfeld M. Ph. 2019. Staatensouveränität und ius cogens. Verlag Springer, Heidelberg. 440 pp.

19. Strohm Ch. 2008. Calvinismus und Recht Weltanschaulich-konfessionelle Aspekte im Werk reformierter Juristen in der Frühen Neuzeit. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. 398 pp.

20. Ed. by Howell A. Lloyd. 2013.The Reception of Bodin. Leiden; Boston. 467 pp.

21. Jean Bodin. 2011. Über den Staat. Ausw., Übers. und Nachw. von Gottfried Niedhart. Stuttgart: Reclam. 151 pp.