Postcard NL-4966961

Hugo de Groot (lawyer) Hugo de Groot (Delft, April 10, 1583 – Rostock, August 28, 1645) was a Dutch lawyer and writer. He is known internationally as Hugo Grotius.
De Groot wrote Latin tragedies and poems, theological treatises and Dutch poems. His most important works are in the historical and legal fields. His most famous work is De iure belli ac pacis (On the law of war and peace) from 1625. It forms the basis for modern international law. He is also known for his advocacy of free access to the sea (and free trade) in the Mare Liberum (1609), first recovered and published in 1864. Contemporary legal historians regard him as one of the greatest jurists ever. Grotius has exerted an immense influence on public international law, his ideas relating to maritime navigation, for example, dominate most of contemporary maritime law.