Humanism and Empire is about that most 'modern' of ideas - liberty. For more than a century, scholars have argued that the origins of the concept are to be found in the writings of fourteenth-century Italian humanists. Thought to be predominantly civic in outlook, these early humanists are said to have drawn on classical literature to fashion a defence of communal freedom against the 'tyranny' of neighbouring lords and - crucially - the overbearing absolutism of the German emperors. In this ground-breaking book, Alexander Lee challenges this long-held belief. While the humanists were indeed anxious to combat the threat of tyranny, Lee shows that - paradoxically - they regarded the Holy Roman Empire as the best guarantee of communal liberty, and as a bulwark against the instability of republics. As such, Humanism and Empire offers a radically new vision of the foundations of modern political thought, and will change the way we think about the notion of liberty.