ABSTRACT
In early modern Europe the idea of Universal Monarchy was the subject of a debate established by contemporaries in order to form a judgement on the question of how international politics should take shape. The special question under discussion was not in what way different states or nations could be united within one dominion, but rather how the union of different dominions could be avoided. Therefore it ought to be said that Universal Monarchy appears to have had a rather bad image, at least at first sight, though there were some exceptions which have to be dealt with in the course of this essay.
