Juan de Mariana facts for kids
.jpg)
Juan de Mariana (born September 25, 1536 – died February 17, 1624) was a Spanish Jesuit priest, historian, and scholar. He was also known as Father Mariana. He was a member of the Monarchomachs, a group who believed that people could resist unfair rulers.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Juan de Mariana was born in Talavera de la Reina, a city in Spain. He studied at the Complutense University in Alcalá de Henares. When he was 17 years old, he joined the Society of Jesus, a religious order.
Teaching and Return to Spain
In 1561, Mariana began teaching theology in Rome. One of his students was Robert Bellarmine, who later became a cardinal. After Rome, Mariana taught in Sicily. In 1569, he moved to Paris, France. There, many people came to hear him explain the writings of Thomas Aquinas, a famous philosopher.
By 1574, Mariana's health was not good. He received permission to go back to Spain. He spent the rest of his life at the Jesuits' house in Toledo. He was very busy writing many books. He passed away in Madrid.
Major Writings and Ideas
Mariana's most important work was Historiae de rebus Hispaniae. This was a history of Spain. The first part came out in 1592. Later, he added more parts, bringing the history up to 1621. The book was very popular. Mariana then translated it into Spanish so more people could read it.
On Kings and Rulers
Another interesting book by Mariana was De rege et regis institutione. This means On the King and the Royal Institution. It was published in 1598. In this book, Mariana discussed if it was right to remove a ruler who was acting like a tyrant. He said it could be allowed. This idea caused a lot of trouble for the Jesuits, especially after King Henry IV of France was killed in 1610.
On Changing Money
Mariana also wrote a book called Tractatus VII. theologici et historici. This book included a section called De monetae mutatione, which means On the Alteration of Money. In this part, Mariana talked about how governments might change the value of money. This book was put on the Index Expurgatorius. This was a list of books that the Catholic Church did not want people to read. Because of this book, Mariana was held by the Inquisition.
After Mariana died, a paper he wrote about problems within the Jesuit order was found. It was published as Discursus de erroribus qui in forma gubernationis societatis Jesu occurrunt. This means A discourse on the sickness of the Jesuit order.
Works in English
Some of Mariana's writings have been translated into English.
- "A Treatise on the Alteration of Money", Journal of Markets and Morality, Vol. V, No. 2, Fall 2002.
- "On the Coinage", Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, Vol. XXI, No. 2, Summer 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Juan de Mariana para niños
