This article examines the question of whether Marsiglio of Padua should be considered a democrat. Some scholars have argued that the Defensor Pacis endorses an elitist form of government. Since Marsiglio allows quality as well as quantity to be accounted for in public decision-making, they contend that a small group of elites could legitimately dominate the city's government. While other scholars have disputed this claim by pointing to Marsiglio's many populist statements, I take a different approach. I examine Marsiglio's citations of Aristotle's Politics to show that, although denying being a democrat, Marsiglio repeatedly cites the passages in which Aristotle presents democratic claims. These claims, although rejected by Aristotle as flawed, are presented by Marsiglio as justifications for his preferred constitution. Thus, despite his denials, Marsiglio of Padua endorses explicitly democratic positions. Thus it is highly likely that Marsiglio was actually a closet democrat.
