Emmerich de Vattel (25 April 1714 to 28 December 1767) was a philosopher, diplomat and jurist from the Principality of Neuchatel whose work profoundly influenced the development of international law. He is most famous for his 1758 book The Law of Nations, which combined naturalist and positivist legal reasoning and synthesized Christian Wolff framework with ideas drawn from Leibniz and Hugo Grotius to establish principles governing the conduct of states and diplomatic relations. The work proved highly influential among the American founders; Benjamin Franklin noted that it had been continually in the hands of members of the Continental Congress, and the United States Department of Defense 2015 Law of War Manual cites Vattel as an authoritative secondary source on the law of war.
Facts
RolePhilosopher, diplomat and jurist; author of The Law of Nations (1758) 1 Nationality / JurisdictionNeuchâtel (now Switzerland) 1 BirthplaceCouvet, Principality of Neuchâtel 1 Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) Role (category) Sources
1. Emmerich de Vattel (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributorsWikipedia lead paragraph, sentences 1-2
Emmerich de Vattel (French pronunciation: [vatɛl] 25 April 1714-28 December 1767) was a philosopher, diplomat, and jurist. Vattel's work profoundly influenced the development of international law. He is most famous for his 1758 work The Law of Nations.
Wikipedia body text, Early life and career section, birth sentence
The son of a Protestant minister, Vattel was born at Couvet, Principality of Neuchâtel (now the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel), on the 25th of April 1714.
Wikipedia body text, Other works section, death sentence
He died in 1767 during a visit to Neuchâtel.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Vattel's Law of Nations considered especially significant to the American founding?
Benjamin Franklin said the book had been continually in the hands of the members of the Continental Congress, and it is still cited today, including in the US Department of Defense's 2015 Law of War Manual.
Emmerich de Vattel's 1758 treatise The Law of Nations shaped the founding generation of the United States directly. After receiving copies of the French original from Charles Dumas, Benjamin Franklin wrote in December 1775 that the book had been continually in the hands of the members of the Continental Congress then sitting, adding that it came in good season as a rising state needed to consult the law of nations. The work's influence outlasted the founding era: the United States Department of Defense's 2015 Law of War Manual cites Vattel, after Hugo Grotius and before Francis Lieber and Hersch Lauterpacht, as an authority in determining the rules of the law of war.
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