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The Education of a Christian Prince

Erasmus · 1516

Erasmus's 1516 guide to just rulership, written for the young future Emperor Charles V and often compared with Machiavelli's The Prince.

Erasmus wrote this guide to kingship for the future Charles V, expressing his peaceful Christian political philosophy.

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Scan of a book page with a woodcut border of figures, columns and cherubs framing a title page. The central text reads Institutio Principis Christiani, per Erasmum Roterodamum, and ends with Apud inclytam Basilbam.
Erasmus, Institutio principis Christiani, Basel, 1516.

About this source

What it is

The Institutio principis Christiani is a mirror-for-princes work written by Erasmus of Rotterdam in 1516 and dedicated to Prince Charles, later Emperor Charles V. Erasmus wrote it partly hoping to become Charles's tutor; he was instead appointed tutor to Charles's brother Ferdinand. The title page shown here is from a Basel printing.

Why it matters

The book argues that a good ruler should be educated broadly, govern justly, and be loved rather than feared, putting it in direct contrast with Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, written around the same time but published later. It reflects Erasmus's

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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Page from a 16th-century printed Latin book with a pen-and-ink marginal drawing at upper left of a figure in a hooded garment holding up a small figure of a man, with handwritten Latin notes and a printed column of Latin and Greek text beside it. The handwritten annotation reads 'Vere nobiles qui' at the top.Book

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Title page of the 1516 Basel edition of Erasmus's Novum Instrumentum omne, in black letter and roman type, with large capitals NOVVM IN at top, a printer's woodcut device in the center, and a printed privilege notice at the bottom. Text is in Latin.Book

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Novum Instrumentum omne

Erasmus · 1516

Title page of a 1524 book printed in Basel. Text reads 'De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio, Desiderii Erasmi Roterod', with 'Primum legito deinde iudicato' below, a printer's ornament, and 'Basileae apud Ioannem Frobenium, Anno M.D.XXIIII. Mense Septembri.' at the bottom.Book

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De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio

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Scan of the title page of a 1525 book, with an ornate woodcut border of architectural arches and foliage. Central text reads 'DE SERVO ARBITRIO MARTINI Lutheri ad D. Erasmum Roterodamum' and 'Vvittembergae 1525', with a winged cherub holding a shield marked with a monogram at the bottom. A circular library stamp reads 'Ex Bibl. Paulina Monast.' and handwritten notes appear at top and right.Book

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On the Bondage of the Will

Martin Luther · 1525

Oil painting of an older man with grey hair wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed robe, resting his hands on a red book with gold lettering and green ribbon markers. A green curtain and carved pilaster stand behind him, with books and a glass bottle on a shelf at right.Painting

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Erasmus

Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523

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