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Grotius, Hugo
1583–1645
Dutch humanist

Dutch humanist* Hugo Grotius was skilled in matters of law, literature, history, and religion. An accomplished writer, he authored more than 120 works in Latin and Dutch and wrote around 7,800 letters. Though he held several official posts, his most enduring accomplishment was his work on law and religion.

Grotius's father, a humanist and well-connected official, greatly affected his son's education. At age 11 Grotius enrolled at the University of Leiden in southern Holland. He later traveled to France and earned a degree in law, but he returned to Holland to open a practice. By this time he was gaining a reputation as a Greek and Latin poet and editor of classical* texts. He gained employment based on his exceptional writing skills, first chronicling Holland's history, and later writing texts for the Dutch East India Company, which carried out Dutch trade.

In the early 1600s Grotius became a leader on one side of a bitter dispute among Dutch Calvinists* over theology* and the power of the state in church matters. When the other side won, Grotius was sentenced to life in prison, where he prepared a number of later books. After three years there, he made a famous escape by hiding in a book chest—a plan devised by his wife.

Soon after his escape, Grotius moved to Paris, where he received a regular yearly income from the king, Louis XIII. There he wrote his two most famous books. The first, The Law of War and Peace (1625), was an in-depth study of the law of conflicts. It quickly gained recognition, becoming a foundation of international law. His other work, The Truth of Christian Religion (1627), was a scholarly defense of Christianity. It remained popular into the 1900s, appearing in more than 150 Latin editions as well as translations in 12 languages.

(See also Law.)

* humanist

Renaissance expert in the humanities (the languages, literature, history, and speech and writing techniques of ancient Greece and Rome)

* classical

in the tradition of ancient Greece and Rome

* Calvinist

member of a Protestant church founded by John Calvin

* theology

study of the nature of God and of religion