Juan de Mariana

Juan de Mariana , 1536?-1623?, Spanish historian and political philosopher, a Jesuit. He taught in Rome and in Paris before going to Toledo, where he wrote his two great works. His Historiae de rebus Hispaniae [history of Spain], a notable achievement in history, presented a unified and coordinated history rather than a simple chronicle. Although sometimes credulous, he was to some extent critical of sources; his ability to create a smooth-flowing narrative was remarkable. His De rege et regis institutione [on the king and the institution of kingship] achieved particular note because it condoned tyrannicide. Mariana argued that when the state violated the welfare of the people, a desperate remedy was justifiable. He extolled the natural simplicity of the communal life of a lost golden age. His humanitarian ideals were widely influential; he is supposed to have had a great effect on Rousseau. His violent attack on debasement of the coinage, in which he expressed arguments later universally accepted, caused him to be imprisoned for a time.

Bibliography: See study by G. Lewy (1960).

Mariana, Juan (1536–1624), Spanish Jesuit. His book De Rege et Regis Institutione (1559), justifying tyrannicide, encouraged the belief that the Jesuits were responsible for the assassination of Henry IV of France and the Gunpowder Plot. He also wrote on the history of Spain.

Juan de Fuca Plate The small lithospheric plate in the north-east Pacific Ocean which is being subducted slowly under the North American Plate, giving rise to the generally andesitic volcanic chain from northern California to southern British Columbia. The Juan de Fuca Plate is a remnant of the Farallon Plate. The Juan de Fuca Ridge is offset from the East Pacific Rise by the San Andreas Fault.