论马基雅维利笔下的法兰西王国--君主制“公民生活”的范例

The Kingdom of France in Machiavelli’s"vivere civile":The model of monarchical vivere civile

全面认识马基雅维利作品中的法兰西王国对于理解他对君主制的态度具有重要作用。依照马基雅维利的观点,法兰西是当时欧洲治理得最好的王国之一,它成功的关键在于国王的权力受法律和制度的约束,并通过高等法院维持了贵族与人民之间的平衡。这些看法使得当时的法兰西王国成为马基雅维利笔下君主制“公民生活”的典范。探究马基雅维利对法兰西王国的态度,有助于我们进一步挖掘君主制在其政治构想中的独特地位:君主制不仅可以是一个国家建立初期的过渡体制,还可以是一种良序而持久的政体。由此可见,马基雅维利并不是一位纯粹的共和主义者,事实上,他虽偏爱共和制,但同样推崇法兰西王国的模式。

A comprehensive understanding of Machiavelli's Kingdom of France is important for comprehending his attitude towards the monarchy.According to Machiavelli,the Kingdom of France is one of the best-governed kingdoms in Europe,and the key to its success lies in that the king’s right is subjected to laws and institutions,and that the balance between the noble and the people is kept by the higher court.These characteristics make the Kingdom of France a perfect example of what Machiavelli sees as the monarchical"vivere civile".Exploring Machiavelli’s attitude towards the Kingdom of France will help us further grasp the unique status of monarchy in his political philosophy that the monarchy can be not only a transitional regime in the making of a state,but also a well-ordered and durable one.Thus,Machiavelli is not a pure republican.Essentially speaking,he,though favoring the republic,admires the model of the Kingdom of France as well.