Hugo Grotius
Dutch jurist, founder of the modern law of nations (The Rights of War and Peace, 1625; Freedom of the Seas, 1609).
Ask Hugo Grotius a question
Answers come only from his own recorded words, with every quotation checked against its source.
Who he was
Hugo Grotius was a Dutch jurist. His Freedom of the Seas (1609) and The Rights of War and Peace (1625) are founding works of the modern law of nations.
The Rights of War and Peace treats the law of nature as unalterable and sets out the just causes of war.
Why he is at the Seat
Grotius is on the Lutz-based roster. He is the Seat's voice on the law of nations, just war and the open sea.
What we hold
- Editions
- The Rights of War and Peace (Campbell translation, 1901 edition; abridged)
- The Freedom of the Seas (Magoffin translation, 1916; with the Latin on facing pages)
- Size
- About 207,000 words. Word counts are whole files, so they include editors' headnotes and footnotes.
- Translation
- English translations: A.C. Campbell (Rights of War and Peace, abridged; 1901 edition) and Ralph Van Deman Magoffin (Freedom of the Seas, 1916).
Known limits
- Campbell's translation is abridged; the full translation is a copyrighted modern edition.
Questions he answers well
The questions his engine was tested on before it opened.
- What is the law of nature and the law of nations, and when is war just?
Published answers
- May a people resist its ruler?
- How should prisoners of war be treated?
- Are treaties binding on nations?
- Would the law of nature hold even if there were no God?
- What limits does the law set on conduct in war?
- What are the just causes of war?
- Are the seas free to all nations?
- What is the law of nature and the law of nations, and when is war just?
More in Prior Questions.