Vattel’s Le droit des gens ou Principes de la loi naturelle appliqués à la conduite et aux affaires des Nations et des Souverains was published in 1758: the success of this work was immediate to the point that historians defined the period between 1780 and 1790 as the age of Vattel.
Vattel’s influence continued above all during the 19th century in practical, diplomatic and doctrinal levels: Vattel’s treaty on the law of nations was quoted by judicial tribunals, in speeches before legislative assemblies, and the decrees and correspondence of executive officials.
The resulting theory of his internationalist doctrine, the identification of the fundamental laws of the States that are the sovereignty, the independence, the equality have become basic notions of international law, so much so that in almost every international law book of the 19th century there appears at least one reference to Vattel’s work.
The scope of her lecture is to show how Vattel’s Le droit des gens was received in Europe in the 19th century, particularly regarding the translations, multiple editions and different comments about it: why was Vattel’s work widely studied during all of the 19th century? Why were the editions and the translations of this work so numerous in Europe? What were the necessities at the international level? Did the internationalist consider it as a part of history of law of nations or try to actualise it? What kind of Vattel’s doctrines had most influence on European international thoughts?
Venue: The Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Drammensveien 78 (entrance from the east/garden-side), 3rd floor.
Registration by email to Eugenia Blücher: eugenia.bluecher@jus.uio.no