Political philosophy of Bartolo da Sassoferrato and his theory of forms of government

The paper deals with the theory of governmental forms in the political philosophy of Bartolo da Sassoferrato. The study shows the transformation of the Thomistic doctrine of state due to fit it to the practical purposes of constitutional legislation in the Holy Roman Empire and the Papal States. Based on Bartolo’s political and philosophical treatises, the author analyzes his theory of right and perverted governmental forms, the phenomenon of tyranny, the classification of governmental forms, their features in large, medium, small states. The research reveals his doctrine of legal qualification of tyranny as well as methods of preventing it by legal means. The author argues that Bartolo’s research methods include both mediaeval and modern elements. The study reveals the relationship between experience, rational arguments and authoritative texts as a cognitive tool.