Hugo Grotius

Dutch jurist, known as the "father of international law" and the "father of natural law." Born into a distinguished family in Delft, he was a highly regarded child prodigy, composing Latin poetry at the age of eight and entering Leiden University at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, he served as a member of the Dutch mission to King Henry IV of France, who praised him as the "miracle of the Netherlands." On his way back, he received a doctorate in law in Orléans. At the age of sixteen, he became a lawyer, and later held public positions such as attorney general and magistrate. In 1619, he was caught up in a political dispute over theological debate between Arminians and their opponents, and was arrested, sentenced to life imprisonment, and imprisoned in the Lovestein Castle. In 1621, with the help of his wife Maria, he managed to escape by hiding in a wooden box carrying books, and fled to Paris, where he was protected by Louis XIII. During this time he devoted himself to writing for about ten years, completing his major work , De jure belli ac pacis (1625) (On the Law of War and Peace). In 1634, he accepted an offer from Sweden and became the Swedish ambassador to France the following year. During this period he wrote Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. When France and Sweden recalled their ambassadors to each other in 1645, Grotius returned to Stockholm for a time. He declined an invitation from Queen Christina to settle in Sweden, and set out for Lübeck in August of that year (1645), but was shipwrecked in a storm, and died in Rostock on the way there after landing, at midnight on August 28.

His research covered a wide range of subjects, including politics, religion, and history, in addition to law, but it was in the field of international law that he had the greatest influence on later generations, and he based international law on the principles of modern natural law. His main work, The Laws of War and Peace (3 volumes), describes the rights, causes, and methods of war, and was the first to systematize international jurisprudence. His other works include De jure praedae (De jure praedae) (written 1604-1605, the manuscript of which was discovered in 1864 and published in 1868) and Mare liberum (De liber nave ...

[Ikeda Fumio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

オランダの法学者、「国際法の父」「自然法の父」とよばれる。デルフトの名門に生まれ、神童の誉(ほま)れ高く、8歳でラテン語の詩をつくり、11歳でライデン大学に入学した。15歳のときオランダ使節団の随員としてフランス国王アンリ4世のもとに使し、国王から「オランダの奇跡」とたたえられ、帰途オルレアンで法学博士の学位を受けた。16歳で弁護士となり、その後法務官、行政長官などの公職にもついた。1619年アルミニウス派と反対派の神学論争をめぐる政治上の紛争に巻き込まれて捕らえられ、終身刑に処されてローフェスタイン城に幽閉された。1621年、妻マリアの助けによって、書物を運ぶ木箱に身を潜めて脱出に成功し、パリに逃れ、ルイ13世の庇護(ひご)を受けた。この間約10年間著述に専念し、主著『戦争と平和の法』De jure belli ac pacis（1625）を完成した。1634年スウェーデンの申し出を受けて、翌1635年から駐仏スウェーデン大使となった。この時代に『旧・新訳聖書注解』を書いた。1645年フランスとスウェーデンが相互に大使を召還したとき、グロティウスはいったんストックホルムに帰った。クリスチナ女王からスウェーデンに定住するように勧められたのを断り、その年（1645）8月リューベックに向け出発したが、暴風のため遭難し、上陸後同地に向かう途中、ロストックで8月28日夜半に没した。

　彼の研究は、法律以外にも政治、宗教、歴史など多方面にわたるが、後世にもっとも大きな影響を与えたのは国際法の分野であり、近代自然法の原理によって国際法を基礎づけた。主著『戦争と平和の法』（3巻）は戦争の権利、原因、方法について述べ、初めて国際法学を体系づけた。ほかに『捕獲法論』De jure praedae（1604～1605年執筆、1864年原稿が発見され1868年公刊）、『自由海論』Mare liberum（1609）など。

［池田文雄］

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