Christopher St. Germain facts for kids

Christopher St. Germain (born 1460 – died 1540) was an English lawyer and writer. He wrote about law and was also a Protestant supporter who debated important ideas of his time.

About Christopher St. Germain

Christopher St. Germain was born in 1460. His parents were Sir Henry and Anne St. Germain from Shilton, a town in Warwickshire, England.

His First Big Book: The Doctor and Student

In 1528, St. Germain published his first important book. It was called Dialogus de fundamentis legum Anglie et de conscientia. Most people know it as The Doctor and Student. The book is set up as a conversation between two characters: a doctor of divinity (someone who studies religion) and a student of English law (a lawyer-in-training).

This book explored how English common law (laws based on customs and past court decisions) connected with what people believed was right or wrong (their conscience). It was the first time anyone really looked at the idea of equity in English law. Equity is about fairness and making sure laws are applied justly, even if the strict rules don't quite fit.

St. Germain probably translated the book into English himself around 1530 or 1531. He also added more parts later. The Doctor and Student became very popular. It helped many people understand basic ideas of common law. For a long time, it was used as a textbook for law students.

Debates with Thomas More

In 1532, St. Germain wrote a pamphlet called Treatise Concerning the Division between the Spiritualty and Temporalty. This writing seemed to try and bring together the church leaders (spiritualty) and ordinary people (temporalty). However, Thomas More, another famous writer and statesman, disagreed. More believed St. Germain's writing actually made the divide between them worse.

Thomas More wrote a response called Apology. St. Germain then replied to More with his own dialogue, Salem and Bizance. More quickly wrote back with Debellation of Salem and Bizance in 1533. The next year, St. Germain published his final piece in this debate, called Additions of Salem and Bizance. This ended their public argument through books.

Later Writings and Death

During the 1530s, St. Germain likely wrote several other pamphlets. These were published without his name on them. He passed away in 1540 when he was 80 years old.