Periodically a work of history is published that transforms our appreciation of a field, an individual, a body of ideas, an institution or a period in ways that are likely to be the benchmark for, and guide to, research and scholarship for many years to come. War and Peace—Alberico Gentili and the Early Modern Law of Nations is such a work. It critically assesses the existing scholarship and, on the basis of further research and both profound theoretical and pragmatic reflection, reconstructs the interpretative framework within which the historical record is viewed.
Professor Vadi’s richly detailed and astonishingly informative monograph seeks to reinterpret the history and theory of international law by focusing on the contribution to international law of Alberico Gentili (1552–1608), the sixteenth-century Italian émigré, legal scholar, Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford, and practicing lawyer. It is more than an outstanding study of the life, ideas, and times of a canonical figure, providing us with a clearer understanding of the classic texts, and a powerful case for continuing importance and relevance of Gentili’s work. It is also an intellectual provocation to anyone interested in the history and current state of international law. This ground-breaking volume is essential reading for anyone seeking to plumb and make sense of the antecedents of international law. With international law experiencing a period of turbulence and challenge, there could be no better time to be reminded of how earlier crises shaped today’s legal, political, and cultural landscapes.
The impact of Professor Vadi’s writing is heightened by the clarity of exposition, the lively and engaging nature of the narrative, the judicious use of jargon, and its care in assessing the attitudes and actions of past historical actors—all delivered with a nice sense of the paradoxical. While there is much research and insight (including the use of literary, legal, and historical sources, some of which are recent and important archival discoveries), Professor Vadi also invites readers to regard her scholarship as tentative and to make up their own minds. Her goal is to conduct a conversation. It is my belief that the appearance of this volume will enable that conversation to be held more fully than hitherto.
David Sugarman, F.R. Hist. S.
Professor Emeritus of Law, Lancaster University Law School, UK;
Senior Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies,
School of Advanced Studies, University of London