The purpose of this article is to analyse the republican understanding of the political, derived from Aristotle and his reflections on political community, the connections between ethics and politics, and practical wisdom, phronesis. I argue that the understanding of the political/politics that recognizes not only a fundamental connection between politics and ethics but also sees it as a sphere of relationships involving free individuals who form a political community dedicated to the pursuit of the good life is closely linked to the issue of education. Authors belonging to the early modern republican tradition recognized and developed this issue in their political treatises, embedding discussions of freedom, citizenship, and the mixed system within a broader consideration of character formation and civic virtue in both the rulers and the ruled, essential for the political community to fulfil its goals of ensuring the coexistence of diverse groups and visions of what is just or equitable in society. The article is a contribution to the discussion on the role of education in the republican project, perceived here as crucial and largely overlooked in contemporary republican thought.