The Limits of Harrington’s Republicanism

While Harrington was a republican of a certain kind, his thought was not always typical of this discourse, resulting in conflict with other republicans of the time. Chapter 5 traces the limits of Harrington’s republicanism, examining his attitude towards royalists and considering the relativism reflected in his acknowledgment that absolute monarchy may be the best form of government for certain states. The chapter demonstrates that Harrington did not see his model as incompatible with a single figurehead. The Lord Archon in Oceana acts both as legislator and as princely ruler or doge. Harrington was then a pluralist, not an exclusivist, republican, more concerned with the exercise of popular power at the foundation of the system than with whether one or a few ruled at its apex. He thus offered a middle way between traditional monarchy and kingless republicanism, rendering more understandable his relations with Charles Stuart and Charles Louis.