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The Complaint of Peace

Erasmus · 1517

Erasmus's most sustained pacifist text, in which Peace herself laments the warfare of Christian rulers.

Erasmus wrote this personified lament against war, his strongest statement of pacifist conviction.

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About this source

What it is

The Querela Pacis, or Complaint of Peace, is a work written by Erasmus of Rotterdam in which Peace is personified and speaks in her own voice, lamenting how mistreated she is by humankind. The edition referenced here is an English translation published in 1917, reprinted from an older English version attributed to T. Paynell.

Why it matters

This is considered Erasmus's most sustained statement against war, written at a time when Christian rulers across Europe were frequently at war with one another despite their shared faith. Using the device of Peace speaking for herself, Erasmus makes an emotional as well as intellectual appeal against the human cost and foolishness of conflict.

Look closer

  • Why might Erasmus have chosen to let Peace speak in her own voice rather than argue directly himself?
  • What does it suggest about Erasmus's values that he devoted a whole work to criticising war among Christians?
  • How might this argument have been received by rulers and the Church at the time?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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