The Subversion of Loyalty? Concepts of Intervention in the Affairs of Ather States in the Second Half of the 16th — First Half of the 17th Centuries

The period 16th — first half of the 17th centuries was a vitally important one in the formulation of international law, concepts of sovereignty, and the emergence of the modern international system. In making foreign policy European sovereigns took into account the political thought of their time and the nascent “Law of Nations”, within which a discourse arose against extremes in government action (tyranny). Thinkers and statesmen argued that tyranny and atrocity were illegitimate and that action to end them was legitimate in terms of the Law of Nations. Оn the basis of such arguments, princes threatened or used force against regimes that egregiously ill-treated ethnic and confessional minorities. How did these theories and actions relate to the concepts of loyalty and identity? The article shows that, оn the one side, they overthrew loyalty to the tyrant ruler. From the other side, they did not deny loyalty as a legal and moral dogma, since the traditional institutional-group and new confessional loyalties of minorities were preserved and strengthened. In principle, loyalty should match identity. During the Reformation, new confessional-political identities arose, and with them a new system of loyalties which went beyond the boundaries of one country and took on an interstate character. Besides, the foundations of an impartial morality were born, which postulated a universal "I" with obligations to humanity. While the monarchy was recognized as the best form of government, and the theory of the divine right of kings was developing, tyrannical ideas appeared, which were connected with the protection of traditional estate-representative institutions, and new confessional and political identities. This situation was determined by the transitional and contradictory nature of the Early Modern Time, the formation of the state system, and the complex interaction of local and central interests.

Keywords

state system, tyranny, Law of Nations, loyalty, identity.

Received

24.03.2024

Publication date

15.07.2024

Number of characters

28572

Cite

GOST	Ivonina L. The Subversion of Loyalty? Concepts of Intervention in the Affairs of Ather States in the Second Half of the 16th — First Half of the 17th Centuries // ISTORIYA – 2024. – V. 15. – Issue 5 (139) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840031187-4-1 (circulation date: 22.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031187-4
MLA	Ivonina, Ludmila "The Subversion of Loyalty? Concepts of Intervention in the Affairs of Ather States in the Second Half of the 16th — First Half of the 17th Centuries." ISTORIYA 15.5 (139) (2024) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031187-4
APA	Ivonina L. (2024). The Subversion of Loyalty? Concepts of Intervention in the Affairs of Ather States in the Second Half of the 16th — First Half of the 17th Centuries. ISTORIYA 15(5 (139)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031187-4

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