The School of Salamanca in the sixteenth century and the way kingship is canvassed in Shakespeare’s Richard II

Abstract

Although there appears to be no direct evidence that Shakespeare had access to the relectiones taught in the School of Salamanca during the sixteenth century, this study demonstrates that, forty years after their dissemination, the theories of Francisco Vitoria and his disciples were probably in circulation throughout England. The methodology in this article juxtaposes Shakespeare’s Richard II with one of Vitoria’s relectiones. This relectio modified the medieval idea of the divine origin of kingship, and generated a discussion about the origin of royal power which is central to the plot of Shakespeare’s play.