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ancient constitutionalism  

Definition

  • Ancient constitutionalism is a related set of medieval and (especially) early modern doctrines, generally opposed to royal absolutism, state centralization, and the doctrine of reason of state, in the name of a traditional fundamental law. Ancient here means “previous, old,” as in the French ancien of ancien régime; the law and constitution that are being appealed to, remembered, or invented were medieval, not ancient in the sense that refers to classical Greece or Rome. [Source: Encyclopedia of Political Theory; Ancient constitutionalism]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/ancient_constitutionalism

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