ABSTRACT

This chapter aims to demonstrate that there is no such a thing as absolute sovereignty—that is that limited sovereignty is the norm, though the nature of the limitations varies. It introduces a brief historical overview of a few major thinkers and explores their ideas about sovereignty and its limitations. In relation specifically to the state and as a juridical idea, the concept of sovereignty was brought to life between the 15th and 16th centuries, and had originally to do with monistic conceptions of sovereign power. The medieval age saw sovereignty linked to moral and religious elements; modernity is mainly characterized by a secular power trying to separate itself from the church and at the same time to obtain total control over its affairs in response to social disorder. The transition between the modern and contemporary ages sees a change, with the population being the origin of sovereignty.