Grotius On The Rights Of War And Peace An Abriged Translation

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

“On The Law of War and Peace” was translated into many languages, and most law schools adopted it as the basis of the right of nations. Princes and statesmen consulted the book, and just as Alexander the Great always had a copy of Homer's ‘Iliad,’ so the great Gustavus Adolphus always had with him a copy of Grotius’ work, to remind himself that even the most successful general must respect some laws. Grotius’ strength lies in his moderation and in the fact that he quotes copiously from the best authorities to fortify his views .

Since the nineteenth century, Hugo Grotius's 'Rights of War and Peace' has commonly been seen as the classic work in modern public international law, laying the foundation for a universal code of law. However, in the seventeenth century and during the Enlightenment, the work was considered a major work of political theory that strongly defended the rights of individual agents -- states as well as private persons -- to use their power to secure themselves and their property. Grotius's continuing influence owed much to the eighteenth-century French editor Jean Barbeyrac, whose extensive commentary was standard in most editions, including the classic, anonymously translated, English one (1738), which is the basis for the Liberty Fund edition. The present edition also includes the Prolegomena to the first edition of 'Rights of War and Peace' (1625); this document has never before been translated into English and adds new dimensions to the great work.