Arnoldus Clapmarius
Encyclopedia
Arnoldus Clapmarius (1574–1604) was a German academic, jurist and humanist, known for his writings on statecraft
.
. He studied from 1591 to 1595 at Helmstedt
, Heidelberg
and Marburg
, travelled, and then became tutor to the son of Eberhard von Weyhe. He was appointed successor to Christoph Coler at Altdorf
by Moritz of Hesse-Kassel, as professor of history and politics; he died four years later.
He died in Nuremberg
.
as academic disciple. He attempted a synthesis of historical knowledge, neo-stoicism, and the works of Tacitus
.
His papers were edited by his brother Johannes (1605), who published the major book De arcanis rerum publicarum libri sex; there were later editions by Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus
(1641), and Martinus Schoock (1668, 1672). Clapmarius took the ideas of Scipione Ammirato
derived from Tacitus, and combined them with Aristotle
's taxonomy of constitution
s.. He wrote of the arcana dominationis and jus dominationis proper to types of constitution, the latter being a nuanced version of reason of state; in his Conclusiones de jure publico (1602) he had identified the arcana dominationis with the Italian ragion di stato, but now argued that the jus dominationis was the statesman's privilege to work outside the normal legal framework (while disclaiming Machiavellianism
). He claimed to extract from Tacitus the secrets (arcana) of retention of power as employed by the Roman emperors.
The ideas of Clapmarius proved influential. He was the first to connect in detail the ragion di stato with the classical vocabulary of Aristotle and Tacitus. Gabriel Naudé
took directly from him in a conception of the coup d'état
. His work also attracted much attention in the Netherlands
in the middle of the 17th century among those concerned to limit state power; the Bedekte konsten (Hidden Arts) (1657) of Gerard van Wassenaer, and almost identical Nauwkeurige consideratie van staet (Close Consideration of the State) (1662) attributed to Pieter de la Court
, were heavily influenced by Clapmarius.
Another work was Nobilis adolescentis triennium, first published in Christian Becmann's Manuductio ad Latinam linguam (1611) and often reprinted. In it Clapmarius made the humanist case for mastery of the Latin language, as preparation for a career for example in diplomacy or the law.
Public affairs
Public affairs may refer to:* Public administration* Public affairs * Public affairs * PublicAffairs, a USA publishing company* Public Affairs , a Czech political party...
.
Life
He was born in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. He studied from 1591 to 1595 at Helmstedt
Helmstedt
Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, travelled, and then became tutor to the son of Eberhard von Weyhe. He was appointed successor to Christoph Coler at Altdorf
Altdorf
Altdorf may refer to: In Switzerland:*Altdorf, Switzerland, the capital of the canton of Uri , *Altdorf, Schaffhausen, a village in the canton of Schaffhausen ,...
by Moritz of Hesse-Kassel, as professor of history and politics; he died four years later.
He died in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
.
Works
Clapmarius was an early contributor to public lawPublic law
Public law is a theory of law governing the relationship between individuals and the state. Under this theory, constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law are sub-divisions of public law...
as academic disciple. He attempted a synthesis of historical knowledge, neo-stoicism, and the works of Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
.
His papers were edited by his brother Johannes (1605), who published the major book De arcanis rerum publicarum libri sex; there were later editions by Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus
Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus
Johannes Arnoldi Corvinus was a Dutch Remonstrant minister and jurist.-Life:He was born in Leiden, and in 1606 was a Calvinist preacher there. A pupil of Jacobus Arminius, he took up the Arminian views, he was a public supporter of them by 1609, and in 1610 signed the Five Articles of Remonstrance...
(1641), and Martinus Schoock (1668, 1672). Clapmarius took the ideas of Scipione Ammirato
Scipione Ammirato
Scipione Ammirato was an Italian historian.Ammirato was born at Lecce, in the kingdom of Naples. His father, intending him for the profession of law, sent him to study at Naples, but his own decided preference for literature prevented him from fulfilling his father's wishes...
derived from Tacitus, and combined them with Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's taxonomy of constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
s.. He wrote of the arcana dominationis and jus dominationis proper to types of constitution, the latter being a nuanced version of reason of state; in his Conclusiones de jure publico (1602) he had identified the arcana dominationis with the Italian ragion di stato, but now argued that the jus dominationis was the statesman's privilege to work outside the normal legal framework (while disclaiming Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe and other works...
). He claimed to extract from Tacitus the secrets (arcana) of retention of power as employed by the Roman emperors.
The ideas of Clapmarius proved influential. He was the first to connect in detail the ragion di stato with the classical vocabulary of Aristotle and Tacitus. Gabriel Naudé
Gabriel Naudé
Gabriel Naudé was a French librarian and scholar. He was a prolific writer who produced works on many subjects including politics, religion, history and the supernatural. An influential work on library science was the 1627 book Advice on Establishing a Library...
took directly from him in a conception of the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. His work also attracted much attention in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the middle of the 17th century among those concerned to limit state power; the Bedekte konsten (Hidden Arts) (1657) of Gerard van Wassenaer, and almost identical Nauwkeurige consideratie van staet (Close Consideration of the State) (1662) attributed to Pieter de la Court
Pieter de la Court
Pieter de la Court was a Dutch economist and businessman. He pioneered modern thinking about the economic importance of free competition and was an uncompromising advocate of the republican form of government.-Biography:...
, were heavily influenced by Clapmarius.
Another work was Nobilis adolescentis triennium, first published in Christian Becmann's Manuductio ad Latinam linguam (1611) and often reprinted. In it Clapmarius made the humanist case for mastery of the Latin language, as preparation for a career for example in diplomacy or the law.