ABSTRACT
Hugo Grotius has been called the father of international law, but scholars have long debated whether he deserves this title. This chapter revisits this old question. The focus is not on international law but the separate notion of natural law. After offering a brief biographical sketch, the chapter proceeds to natural law theory, first setting the stage for Grotius by discussing the concept of natural law and its history prior to Grotius. Given the constraints, there are obviously many issues left unaddressed. Still, this context is helpful for understanding what is and what is not new about Grotius. There are many ways in which Grotius is indebted to his predecessors as well as contemporaries. If he is an innovator, the conclusion argues, it is because he appreciated better than anyone else how Martin Luther had changed Europe. To prepare the law of nature for this new era, Grotius sought to provide it with a new grounding.
