Coluccio Salutati Political Thought

Coluccio Salutati(1331-1406)is not only the leader of the second generation of the humanism's movement after Petrarch and Boccaccio,but also called the greatest chancellor of Europe.In Bologna which was one of the greatest educational centers of Europe,he finished his elementary education and notarial program there,and then,he had worked for many communes and Roman Curia as a notary for more than twenty years,and finally,he had held an appointment as the Florentine chancellor for thirty-one years,until his death.Salutati stuck to the humanistic activities throughout his life,such as collecting and studying ancient manuscripts,composing Latin works,and so on.What's more,he applied his study to political affairs,composing more than eight thousand public letters,which exerted great influence on the political situations of Florence.During the period of his tenure as the Florentine chancellor,he experienced the war between Florence and the papal,civil disorders,like Ciompi,the Papal Schism,and three times of the Milanese War.His attitude towards pro-republic or approval of monarchy depending on the need of the specific situations.We can say that,what he concerns is not the form of the government,but the fact that whether the law dominants the commune and the commune guard the freedom.In the face of contemporary complex relationships between communes of Italy,the papal and the Empire,Salutati still retained loyalty to the papal and the Empire,but when they conflicted with Florence,he would fight against them with his pen without hesitation.He had the sense of pride,regarding Italy and Florence as special community,and maybe hope that Italy has a common leader while each commune keeps their independence.What's more,he is a typical pioneer and practitioner of civic humanism,encouraging living an “active life” life and leading a generation of humanists to give up“contemplative life” and combine the study of humanities with political affairs and business activities to serve their country.Many questions deserve further study.For example,can Salutati's letters be treated as credible materials for the study of his political thought? Were his words just for the immediate demands of Florentine diplomatic,or did they reflect his or Florentine dominant political thought to any certain extent? What is the relationship between his political thought and Florentine situations,and did they affect the contemporaries and the later generations? Did his political thought undergo any significant development?...