República Mista

República Mista (English: Mixed Republic) is a seven-part politics-related treatise from the Spanish Golden Age, authored by the Basque-Castilian nobleman, philosopher and statesman Tomás Fernández de Medrano, Lord of Valdeosera, of which only the first part was ever printed. Originally published in Madrid in 1602 pursuant to a royal decree from King Philip III of Spain, dated 25 September 1601, the work was written in early modern Spanish and Latin, and explores a doctrinal framework of governance rooted in a mixed political model that combines elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and timocracy. Structured as the first volume in a planned series of seven, the treatise examines three foundational precepts of governance—religion, obedience, and justice—rooted in ancient Roman philosophy and their application to contemporary governance. Within the mirrors for princes genre, Medrano emphasizes the moral and spiritual responsibilities of rulers, grounding his counsel in classical philosophy and historical precedent. República Mista is known for its detailed exploration of governance precepts.

The first volume of República Mista centers on the constitutive political roles of religion, obedience, and justice. Without naming him, it aligns with the anti-Machiavellian tradition by rejecting Machiavelli’s thesis that religion serves merely a strategic function; for Medrano, it is instead foundational to political order.

Although only the first part was printed, República Mista significantly influenced early 17th-century conceptions of royal authority in Spain—notably shaping Fray Juan de Salazar's 1617 treatise, which adopted Medrano's doctrine to define the Spanish monarchy as guided by virtue and reason, yet bound by divine and natural law.