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Which major book did Hugo Grotius publish in 1625?
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Hugo Grotius
Portrait of Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius), oil on panel by the workshop of Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt, 1631; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
In 1625, Hugo Grotius published his legal masterpiece, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (On the Law of War and Peace).123
This work is considered one of the greatest contributions to the development of international law. Written while Grotius was in exile, the book sought to minimize bloodshed by constructing a theory of law that could restrain and regulate war between independent powers. By placing natural law at the center of his argument, Grotius aimed to establish a framework for conduct that would be valid regardless of religious belief, though he also incorporated religious norms to ensure the practical effectiveness of his theory.123