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This text aims to investigate the characterization of state (respublica) in Erasmus of Rotterdam. For that, we consider the critical Latin version text of the Querela Pacis declamation and the mirror of the prince Institutio Principis Christiani. Our scope is to examine the established criteria for the state definition, its relations with the individual, as well as the legitimization of the ruler (princeps) through consensus. Erasmus’s reading allows him to understand the state as a sovereign human community capable of relating to its peers. To understand the proposed concept, we will take into account the consideration of references to respublica and consensus and others with a similar sense in the primary sources, presupposing the discussions about the just war and the convenience of peace, for the states themselves and for the citizens, in which the philosophical-juridical concept of State is inserted. It is important to emphasize that research requires the consideration of nature (rerum natura), in general, and of human nature, in particular, as well as the meaning of some concepts relevant to Political Philosophy, such as law of nations (ius gentium), of nationality, of the right of people to self-determination and, finally, of the legitimacy of the ruler in the light of the common good and the consensus of the subjects. These questions are principles present in Erasmus’s account of respublica, relevant to academic research within the framework of Political Philosophy.
