Preface

General Introduction by Jeroen Vervliet

1 The Political Setting and Origins of Mare liberum

1.1 Mare liberum, published anonymously at the time of the conclusion of the truce in 1609

1.2 The assignment to Hugo Grotius by the Zeeland Chamber of the Dutch East India Company in 1608

1.3 The seizure of a Portuguese carrack in the Straits of Singapore in 1603

1.4 The sequel amongst the directors of the Dutch East India Company

1.5 A policy brief by Hugo Grotius, 1604-1606

2 Legal Argument in Mare liberum

3 Aftermath. Bilateral Negotiations and a Battle of Books around Mare liberum

3.1 I ntroduction

3.2 Colonial conferences in London and The Hague (1613-1615)

3.3 William Welwood’s An Abridgement of All Sea-Lawes (1615)

3.4 Hugo Grotius’ Defensio capitis quinti maris liberi (1615)

3.5 De justo imperio Lusitanorum Asiatico (1625) by Seraphin de Freitas

3.6 Hugo Grotius’ De jure belli ac pacis (1625

3.7 John Selden’s Mare clausum (1635)

3.8 Epilogue

Editor’s Introduction by Robert Feenstra

1 Existing Editions of Mare liberum

2 Mare liberum and De jure praedae

3 Translations of Mare liberum

4 The Recently Edited Old English Translation by Richard Hakluyt

5 Recent Research on Manuscript Leiden BPL 917

6 The Objectives of the Present Edition

7 The Verification of the References in the Margin and the Problem of Linking Them to the Text

8 The List of Sources

9 The Choice of the Editions Mentioned in the List

10 Some Final Remarks on the Authors Cited

Edition of the Latin Text and English Translation

Abbreviations Used for References in the Editor’s Introduction,in his Notes and his List of Sources

List of Sources

Index of Sources Not Mentioned in the List

1 Roman and Canon Law Sources

2 Ancient Non-Legal Sources

General Index