Key Findings
This project aims to further the reintroduction of Tyranny as a concept in modern political discourse. Tyranny, and ancient theories of Tyranny, have generally been neglected since at least the nineteenth century by those interested in political practice. However, the study of Tyranny offers advantages, in providing an explicitly historical perspective on a contemporary problem and in emphasising ‘the moral component’, and the moral consequences, of authoritarianism, the loss of which has been (in the words of Garry Kasparov) ‘a catastrophe’ for foreign policy in the West – as exemplified in particular by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
We aim to further study, and improve the understanding of the public and policy makers, in three areas:
- The Concept of Tyranny: what Tyranny has meant in theory throughout history and what it means now.
- The Application of the term Tyranny to historical and contemporary regimes: we seek in the long-term to provide a framework by which regimes may be classified as tyrannies empirically and objectively.
- The Behaviour of Tyrants and their subjects: Tyrannies have different interests, provide different incentives and so promote different patterns of behaviour from those common to democracies. For democratic policy makers to successfully negotiate with Tyrannies and predict their behaviour, they need to understand the nature of tyrannical society and the type of ‘soul’ it produces.
Events
Forthcoming Events
No upcoming events. Please view our past events and links to recordings below.
2024
In-person Workshops
Conference: Understanding Authoritarianism, University of Ostrava, 29th-31st May 2024
Our partners the M.O.R.D.O.R. consortium international conference dedicated to dictatorships and non-democracy, taking place in Ostrava (Czech Republic) from Wed. 29 May to Fri. 31 May 2024.
Aimed foremost at political scientists, area experts, sociologists, historians, anthropologists, policy-analysts and other experts working on political regimes and autocracy; this conference will be a one-time event, co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.
Further details on Understanding Authoritarianism.
Tyrannica Westminster Launch at The Henry Jackson Society
11 June 2024, 6.00-8.00pm (London time), The Henry Jackson Society, Millbank Tower
A panel discussion including Aliona Hlivco (Former Ukrainian MP and Managing Director, HJS), Paul Kenyon (BAFTA-winning journalist and author of Dictatorland) and Benedict Rogers (Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch and author of The China Nexus). Wine and refreshments will be served following the panel and plenary discussion.
This event is funded by the AHRC Impact Accelerator Account.
Online Lectures
30th January 2024, 4.00 p.m. GMT, Juan Antonio Senent de Frutos (Loyola University in Seville), Political community, common good and tyranny in the School of Salamanca (sixteenth century).
19th February 2024, 6.00 p.m. GMT – panel discussion
31 January 2024, 6.00 p.m. (London time), Thucydides on Traps and Wars (Online).
A conversation betweenMarek Węcowski (University of Warsaw) and Edmund Stewart (University of Nottingham). This event is a collaboration with Antigone Journal (antigonejournal.com).
2023
In-person Workshops
Lessons for Modern Politics and International Relations: The Ancient Spartan Constitution
The House of Lords, Wednesday 9th March 2022.
See full details for Lessons for Modern Politics and International Relations.
The Ancient Spartan Constitution II: Lessons for Modern Politics and International Relations
This panel will take place as part of the Conference ‘Ancient Sparta and Laconia in the 21st century: Recent Trends and Developments’ Sparti,
8-11 June 2023, organised by the Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies at the University of Nottingham.
See further details on The Ancient Spartan Constitution II.
Register for the Ancient Sparta and Laconia in the 21st century conference.
Online Webinars
Ongoing online lecture series (see below): Tyranny and Freedom in Early Christian Thought and the Middle Ages
All lectures on Microsoft Teams. Contact mateusz.strozynski@amu.edu.pl to register.
Laurent Baggioni (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3), Tyranny and Freedom in Italy in the Late Middle Ages: Ancients and Moderns
Monday, 22 May 2023, 7p.m. (Polish time).
Loïc Chollet (University of Bern), Talking about crusades and political freedom at the Council of Constance: Pawel Wlodkowic in the European context
Monday, 5 June 2023, 7p.m. (Polish time)
Panel discussion II, Monday, 26 June 2023, 7p.m. (Polish time).
IAS Invited Lecture Series On Tyranny and Democracy: Dictators and Democrats in the Ancient Greek World
An international webinar series hosted by the Institute of Classical Philology and Institute for Advanced Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań.
Organisers: Mateusz Stróżyński (Poznań) and Edmund Stewart (Nottingham) Read the official Institute of Classical Philology web page.
Online lecture series: Tyranny and Freedom in Early Christian Thought and the Middle Ages
Cary J. Nedermann (Texas A&M University), Tyranny and Consent in Marsiglio of Padua’s ‘Defensor Pacis’
Monday, 3 Apr 2023, 7p.m. (Polish time).
Sylvain Piron (École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris), The Pope as a tyrant? Tyranny and freedom in the conflict between the Spiritual Franciscans and papacy,
Monday, 6 March 2023, 7p.m. (Polish time).
Links to Recordings
Please note the following recordings are from external links not managed by the university, so videos may not have accurate captions.
Part 1: The Classical World
Edmund Stewart ‘What is a tyranny? How can you tell the difference between a tyrant, an oligarch and a democrat?’, 4th November 2021.
Watch the 'What is a tyranny?' video on YouTube.
Edward Harris, ‘The Origin of Tyranny as a Political Slogan and the Rise of Freedom and the Rule of Law?’, 17th November 2021.
Watch the 'The Origin of Tyranny' video on YouTube.
James Kierstead, ‘How Fine a Thing’: Isēgoria, State Performance, and Democratic Dignity’, 7th December 2021.
Watch the 'How Fine a Thing' video on YouTube.
Xavier Marquez, ‘Ancient Tyranny and Modern Dictatorship: The Changing Face of Non-democracy’, 11th January 2022.
Watch the 'Ancient Tyranny and Modern Dictatorship' video on YouTube.
Mirko Canevaro, ‘What is it like to live under a tyrant? Esteem, honour, and respect in tyrannical regimes’, 2nd March 2022.
Watch the 'What is it like to live under a tyrant?' video on YouTube.
Ellodie Paillard, ‘Why Did Tyrants Sponsor Theatre?’, 6th of April 2022.
Watch the 'Why Did Tyrants Sponsor Theatre?' video on YouTube.
Andrew Hanssen and Robert Fleck, ‘What Can We Learn by Comparing the Modern World to Ancient Greece?’, 4th of May 2022.
Watch the 'What Can We Learn by Comparing the Modern World to Ancient Greece?' video on YouTube.
Josiah Ober, ‘What can Political Science tell us about ancient tyranny and ancient democracy?’, 1st of June 2022.
Watch the 'What can Political Science tell us about ancient tyranny and ancient democracy?' video on YouTube.
Part 2 Tyranny and Freedom in Early Christian Thought and the Middle Ages
Andrzej Nowak (UJ): 'Tyranny and republicanism in the 16th-century Poland and Lithuania', 5th February 2024.
Watch the 'Tyranny and republicanism in the 16th-century Poland and Lithuania' video on YouTube.
Juan Antonio Senent de Frutos (Loyola University in Seville), Political community, common good and tyranny in the School of Salamanca (sixteenth century).
Watch the 'Political community, common good and tyranny in the School of Salamanca' video on YouTube.
Richard Dougherty, ‘Augustine on Human Freedom: Politics and Theology in the Roman World’, 10th October 2022.
Watch the 'Augustine on Human Freedom' video on YouTube.
Constantine Bozinis, ‘Dogma and Politics in Gregory of Nyssa’, 14th November 2022.
Watch the 'Dogma and Politics in Gregory of Nyssa' video on YouTube.
Andrew Fear, ‘Tyranny and Democracy: Gregory, Isidore, and Hamlet's dilemma’, 24th January 2023.
Watch the 'Tyranny and Democracy' video on YouTube.
Pawel Figurski, ‘Tyranny and Freedom in the Making of Sacramental Rulership from Charlemagne to Gregory VII’, 30th January 2023.
Watch the 'Tyranny and Freedom in the Making of Sacramental Rulership' video on YouTube.
24th October, 5.00 p.m., Cary J. Nedermann (Texas A&M University), The Theory and Practice of Tyranny in Machiavelli’s Writings.
Watch the 'The Theory and Practice of Tyranny in Machiavelli’s Writings' video on YouTube.
28 November, 4.00 p.m., GMT Ronald G. Asch (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), The figure of the tyrant in political thought and practice in the later sixteenth century.
Watch the 'The figure of the tyrant in political thought and practice in the later sixteenth century' video on YouTube.
Other events
'On Tyranny: How Today’s Democracies Can Recognise and Confront Tyranny', Tyrannica Westminster Launch, The Henry Jackson Society, 11 June 2024, The Henry Jackson Society, Millbank Tower.
Watch the 'On Tyranny' video on YouTube.
Thucydides on Traps and Wars, A conversation between Marek Węcowski (University of Warsaw) and Edmund Stewart (University of Nottingham).
Watch the 'Thucydides on Traps and Wars' video on YouTube.
Publications
Policy Briefs / Discussion Documents
Policy Discussion Document produced for the workshop ‘The Spartan Constitution’, held at The House of Lords, 9th of March 2022.
Academic Publications
Stewart, E., 2023. Tyranny in Tragedy, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought. 40: 234-58.
Stewart, E., 2021. The Tyrant’s Progress: the meaning of the ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΣ in Plato and Aristotle, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought 38: 208-36.
Stewart, E., 2021. Tragedy and Tyranny: Euripides, Archelaus and popular patronage, in S. Lewis (ed.)
Tyranny: New Contexts (Dialogues d'Histoire Ancienne, Supplément; Besançon: Presses Universitaires de Franche-Comté), 81-101.
Media, Blog Posts and Press Coverage
Read Ισχυρό το αποτύπωμα του Πανεπιστημίου του Νότινγκαμ στη Σπάρτη, Lakonikos.gr, 11th January 2023.
Read Stewart, E., 2022. What is the difference between a populist and a dictator? The ancient Greeks have answers, The Conversation, 27th October 2022.
Read Stewart, E., 2022. Confusing populism with tyranny’, The Critic, August-September 2022: 77-8.
Read Stróżyński, M. 2022. Ukraine’s Island of Heroes, Antigone Journal.
Read Stróżyński, M. 2022. Classics and Freedom in the Younger Europe, Antigone Journal.
Read Stewart, E., 2021. Thucydides’ Trap: are the USA and China today’s Athens and Sparta?, Antigone Journal.
Read Stewart, E., 2021. ‘What do you fear most? Tyranny and the polis’, Antigone Journal.
Linked Projects
MORDOR: Mapping and Organising Research on Dictatorships Website: Erasmus+ project, co-funded by the European Union focusing on improving general education on authoritarianism and to prepare recommendations for EU foreign policy stakeholders regarding democracy support.