Organic Unity and Political Tranquillity: Reassessing Marsilius of Padua’s Corporatist Analogy of the State Introduction Marsilius of Padua’s Defensor Pacis (1324) occupies a pivotal position in the intellectual transition from medieval ecclesiastical universalism to early secular political constitutionalism. Writing in the context of the papal–imperial conflicts of the fourteenth century, Marsilius sought to neutralise clerical … Continue reading Critically analyse Marsilius of Padua’s organic analogy between the state and the human body, particularly his contention that the relationship between the state and its constituent parts in securing political tranquillity parallels the relationship between the organs of an animal in maintaining health.