By: Jason K. Everett, Staff Writer, International
Judicial Monitor
Alberico Gentili was one
of the earliest writers on international law and an influential figure in the
realm of modern legal education. Gentili, one of four men known as the
"Fathers of International Law," was born to a noble family in the
Macerata region of Italy on January 14, 1552. He took an interest in law at an
early age and earned a doctoral degree in law from the University of Perugia by
age 20.
Following his graduation,
Gentili was elected as the chief judge of Ascoli in the Marche region of Italy,
but rather chose to settle further north in Macerta, his native town, where he served
in a number of roles, including the task of recasting the town’s statutes. His
duties, however, were cut short as he was exiled from Italy in 1579 due to his
Protestant faith.
Gentili then set out for
England, traveling by way of Tubingen and Heidelberg. He arrived in London in
the autumn of 1580 and sought a position at the University of Oxford. With a
commendatory letter from the Earl of Leicester, the then current chancellor of the
university, Gentili was quickly admitted to teach. Gentili’s lectures on the
nature and content of Roman law soon became widely known, as did the dialogues
and commentaries he published. Establishing his position as an accomplished
scholar, Gentili secured an appointment as Regius Professor of Civil Law in
1587.
Gentili’s first book on
international law was De Legationibus Libri Tres, published in 1585.
The inspiration for this work was a controversy involving a Spanish Ambassador,
Mendoza, who had been implicated in a plot against Queen Elizabeth. Gentili
was consulted as an advisor for the proper course in
International
Judicial Monitor