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The Reformation · 1574
The Right of Magistrates
Theodore Beza · 1519–1605
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What it is
Written after the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre: lesser magistrates may lawfully resist a tyrant, since rulers hold office by a covenant with the people.
Why it lasted
The most influential Protestant resistance theory, feeding directly into the Dutch revolt, the English civil war, and later revolutionary thought.
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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