Hugo Grotius

Hugo Grotius (Huig de Groot, or Hugo de Groot; Delft, 10th April 1583 - Rostock, 28th August 1645) worked as a jurist in the Dutch Republic and laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law. He was also a philosopher, Christian apologist, playwright, poet, and influential thinker.

Related Topics:
Delft - 10th April - 1583 - Rostock - 28th August - 1645 - Dutch Republic - International law - Natural law - Philosopher - Christian apologist - Playwright - Poet

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In his book Mare Liberum (Free Seas) he formulated the new principle that the sea was international territory and all nations were free to use it for seafaring trade. England, competing fiercely with the Dutch for domination of world trade, opposed this idea and claimed sovereignty over the waters around the British Isles.

Related Topics:
Nation - Trade - England - British Isles

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The dispute would later have important economic implications. The Dutch Republic supported the idea of free trade (even though it imposed a trade monopoly on nutmeg and cloves in the Moluccas). England adopted the Act of Navigation (1651), forbidding any goods from entering England except on English ships. The Act subsequently led to the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652 - 1654).

Related Topics:
Free trade - Monopoly - Nutmeg - Clove - Moluccas - Act of Navigation - 1651 - First Anglo-Dutch War - 1652 - 1654

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Grotius supported the States General of The Netherlands in its conflict with the stadtholder, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, son of William I, Prince of Orange (William the Silent). He was arrested by Maurice on 29 August 1618, together with Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. Van Oldenbarnevelt was executed, and Grotius was sentenced to life imprisonment in Loevestein castle. In 1621, he managed to escape the castle in a book chest, and fled to Paris.

Related Topics:
States General - The Netherlands - Stadtholder - Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange - William I, Prince of Orange - 29 August - 1618 - Johan van Oldenbarnevelt - Loevestein - 1621 - Paris

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In the Netherlands, he is mainly famous for this daring escape. Both the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the museum Het Prinsenhof in Delft claim to have the original book chest in their collection.

Related Topics:
Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam - Het Prinsenhof - Delft

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Grotius lived in the times of the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands and the Thirty Years' War between Catholic and Protestant European nations; it is not surprising that he was deeply concerned with matters of conflicts between nations and religions. Himself a Calvinist, he was a moderate who had many contacts with Catholics and hoped for a reunification of the Christian churches. In 1625 he published his book De jure belli ac pacis libri tres (Of laws of war and peace) where he presented his theory of just war and argued that all nations are bound by the principles of natural law.

Related Topics:
Eighty Years' War - Spain - Thirty Years' War - Calvinist - Just war - Natural law

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