Quick Facts
Born:
March 20, 1502, Alba, Montferrat [Italy]
Died:
Dec. 31, 1575, Turin, Savoy (aged 73)
Notable Works:
“De re militari et de bello”
Subjects Of Study:
international law
war
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Pierino Belli (born March 20, 1502, Alba, Montferrat [Italy]—died Dec. 31, 1575, Turin, Savoy) was a Piedmontese soldier, jurist, and an authority on the law of war who is considered one of the founders of modern international law.

After serving as commander in chief of the army of the Holy Roman Empire in Piedmont, Belli was appointed (1560) a councillor of state by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy. His book De re militari et de bello (1563) was for its time an unusually thorough treatment of military law and the rules for conducting war.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.