- 1 - Hamel, “Milton’s Republicanism”, History of Political Thought, 1, 2013. The Republicanism of John Milton : Natural Rights, Civic Virtue and the Dignity of Man Pre-proofreading version Christopher Hamel (Université libre de Bruxelles) hamel_christopher@yahoo.fr Hamel, Christopher. “The republicanism of John Milton: Natural rights, civic virtue and the dignity of man”, History of Political Thought 34.1 (2013): 35-65. Abstract This article considers the connection between Milton’s republicanism and his use of natural rights language. Based on Milton’s understanding of man’s dignity, one can claim that natural rights and civic virtue are consistently articulated. Inextricably linked to his being created free, the dignity of man is central both in the description of the birth of political society and in the defense of the inalienable right to liberty against tyrannical government. Thus, while not an end in itself, civic virtue nevertheless has an irreducible moral value, for being a virtuous citizen means first of all exercising one’s own freedom in a way that complies with the natural dignity of man. Keywords: Milton, republicanism, dignity of man, natural rights, civic virtue, liberty.