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Grotius, Hugo

Birth: 10 April 1583

Death: 28 August 1645

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy

  • 288 Accesses

Abstract

Hugo Grotius (1583–1645) was a Dutch jurist, humanist, and theologian, whose work resonated with and inspired the political and intellectual issues of his time. Born to a family with a history of local governance and academic excellence, Grotius pushed beyond his family’s local political influence to become a diplomat, lawyer, and public intellectual of international prominence. Against the backdrop of escalating political tensions throughout Europe between parties such as Spain and the Netherlands, Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as France and England, Grotius’s writings in law and theology engaged with and broke new ground in debates that would influence the outcome of several political conflicts, from the Dutch Revolt against Spain to the Thirty Years’ War. At the same time, Grotius’s humanistic writings, especially his translations and philological works, are not to be overlooked for their scholarly and aesthetic contributions to European cultural history. This article narrates Grotius’s life and then examines some of his key interventions and legacy in the disciplines of philology, international law, and theology.

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References

Edited Collections of Primary Literature

  • Grotius, Hugo. 1679. Opera omnia theologica, in tres tomos divisa. Ante quidem per partes, nunc autem coniunctim et accuratius edita. Amsterdam: Blaeu; photomechanical reprint Stuttgart – Bad Cannstatt: Friedrich Frommann, 1972.

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Original Publications of Select Primary Literature

  • Grotius, Hugo. 1508. Tragoedia Christus Patiens. Lugduni Batavorum: Basson [i.e. 1608].

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  • Grotius, Hugo, trans. 1600. Syntagma Arateorum; Opus antiquitatis et astronomiae studiosis utilissimum. Leyden: Raphelengius.

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  • Grotius, Hugo. 1609. Mare liberum sive de jure quod Batavis competit ad Indicana commercial dissertation. Lugundi: Elzevir.

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  • Grotius, Hugo. 1625. De iure belli ac pacis: libri tres; in quibus ius naturae & Gentium: Item iuris publici praecipua explicantur. Paris: Buon.

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  • Grotius, Hugo. 1679. Opera omnia theologica in tres tomos divisa. Amsterdam: Blaeu.

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Secondary Literature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Patrick Brugh

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  1. Patrick Brugh
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Correspondence to Patrick Brugh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Verona, Mantova, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

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Brugh, P. (2016). Grotius, Hugo. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_556-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_556-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

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