George Buchanan, born in 1506 at Killearn, emerged as a seminal historian and humanist scholar whose intellectual output challenged the foundations of royal authority. Throughout a peripatetic career across Europe, he held significant academic and political positions, culminating in his role as a critic of monarchical power during the volatile Scottish Reformation.
Academic Foundations and Early Career
Buchanan began his formal education in 1520 at the University of Paris. After a brief return to Scotland and military service during an unsuccessful 1523 siege at Wark Castle, he graduated with a B.A. from the University of St Andrews in 1525. By 1528, he earned his M.A. at the Scots College in Paris, subsequently teaching at the College of Sainte-Barbe. Between 1529 and 1531, he served five times as the Procurator of the German Nation.
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During his tenure as a tutor for the Earl of Cassilis, Buchanan authored satirical works targeting the Franciscan order, such as the poem Somnium. Following his 1539 arrest during the persecution of Lutherans, he fled Scotland for Paris and later Bordeaux. At the College of Guienne, he taught Latin and wrote dramas, including Jephthes and Baptistes. His pupils included Michel de Montaigne, who recognized Buchanan as a leading Latin poet.
Political Philosophy and Legacy
His primary work, De jure regni apud Scotos, published in 1579, argued that political power originates with the people and that resistance to tyranny is lawful. This stance made his writings a target for state censorship; the Treason (No. 2) Act 1584 condemned his ideas, and the University of Oxford burned his works in 1664 and 1683. Buchanan held public offices in his later years, including Director of Chancery and Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland.
Fast facts
- Born: 1506, Killearn
- Died: 1582, Edinburgh
- Burial site: Greyfriars Kirkyard
- Notable work: De jure regni apud Scotos
- Languages used: Latin, English, Scots
- Primary occupations: writer, poet, historian, playwright, university teacher
Questions readers ask
What was the central argument of De jure regni apud Scotos?
It posits that the source of all political power is the people and justifies the resistance or punishment of tyrants who violate their governing conditions.
Where is George Buchanan buried?
He is buried at Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh.
Achievements
- Notable work: De jure regni apud Scotos
- Held posts at College of Guienne, University of St Andrews and Collège Sainte-Barbe
