The Popular Element in Medieval Political Thought

• In Event: Democracy in the Middle Ages? Views from Islam and the West

Abstract

This paper will examine how different authors in the Middle Ages advocated for the inclusion of a popular element within the mixed regime. Comparing medieval arguments for political inclusion to those made by Aristotle, I find medieval thinkers placed greater value on the democratic element as a good in its own right.

Author

• Mary Elizabeth Sullivan, University of Central Arkansas