Medieval thinkers framed tyranny as a crime against humanity itself.

Evidence

Writing a century earlier, John of Salisbury had defined tyranny as one of the forms of high treason, a crime “executed against the body of justice itself” Tyranny, he continued, is “not only a public crime, but if this [crime against justice] can happen, it is more than public.” Hence, John deemed “the tyrant a public enemy,” publicus hostis, and “whoever does not prosecute him transgresses against himself and against the whole body of the earthly republic” (Policraticus, J.I5). — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 952

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Carl Schmitt’s enemy-of-humanity concept, which the author explicitly links here, as well as to the pirate as hostis humani generis in legal history; also resonates with current international-law debates on crimes against humanity.
• DEFINE: Defines the medieval legal category of the ‘public enemy’ (publicus hostis) as one who attacks justice itself, the body of the republic.