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ADVANCE ARTICLE: Stefano CATTELAN & Louis SICKING, “The Coastal Seas in International Law: Contextualising Grotius’s De Iure Belli ac Pacis” (Grotiana)

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  (Image source: Brill ) Abstract: This article reconsiders Hugo Grotius’ contribution to the law of the sea by shifting the focus from Mare liberum (1609) to the more nuanced arguments of De iure belli ac pacis (1625). While often portrayed as the chief advocate of the freedom of the seas, his later work reveals a more complex position: without abandoning the principle of free navigation on the high seas, he acknowledged that coastal states might, under specific conditions, assert exclusive rights over adjacent waters. Situating Grotius within a longue durée framework, the article traces the evolution of coastal jurisdiction from medieval practices in the Low Countries and beyond, through early modern diplomatic disputes over fishing rights and neutral waters. In particular, Grotius outlined the distinction between maritime dominium and imperium, hinting at the fact that exclusive rights at sea derived from either physical proximity to the coast or effective control. The ...

CONFERENCE: Laboulaye et la galaxie libérale (Paris: Senate, 20 OCT 2025)

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  (image source: ESCLH Blog ) The French Senate hosts an international colloquium on Edouard Laboulaye on 20 october 2025. Dr. Raphaël Cahen will present on " L’historien du droit, les revues juridiques et les réseaux européens ". More information here .

CONFERENCE: Annual Forum of Young Legal Historians (Ghent: UGent, 17-20 SEP 2025)

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  (image: Ghent 'barge'; source: VRT ) Drs. Louis Debersques , drs. Antoine Leclère and dr. Stefano Cattelan present papers at the Annual Forum of Young Legal Historians , in Ghent. More information here .

VACANCIES: PhD positions on FWO Senior Fundamental Research Projects “Cities as breeding grounds: legal change in financial law (ca. 1620-ca. 1750)” and “Collective negotiations in sovereign default and corporate insolvency (1890-1920)” (Prof. Dave DE RUYSSCHER, DEADLINE 15 OCT 2025)

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Prof. Dave De ruysscher advertises two vacancies for PhD candidates on FWO Senior Fundamental Research Projects.  1. Cities as breeding grounds: legal change in financial law (ca. 1620-ca. 1750) More information here . 2. Collective negotiations in sovereign default and corporate insolvency (1890-1920) More information here .

INTERVIEW: Frederik DHONDT on the crisis in the Bayrou-government (De Morgen, 5 SEP 2025)

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Prof. Frederik Dhondt was interviewed by De Morgen  on the current political crisis in the Bayrou-government in France. Read the interview here .

CALL: EUTopia Connected Learning Community Legal History 2025-2026: The End of War

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  Call: EUTopia Connected Learning Community Legal History 2025-2026: The End of War (image: St-Germain-en-Laye : signature du traité de paix avec l'Autriche : les abords du château : [photographie de presse] / Agence Meurisse by Agence de presse Meurisse. Agence photographique - 1919 - National Library of France, France - No Copyright - Other Known Legal Restrictions; Source: Europeana ) De Terugkeer van Oorlog In 2022 keerde de oorlog terug naar het Europese continent, in Oekraïne – met tastbare gevolgen voor iedereen. Wie dacht dat we leefden in een wereld waar geweld tussen staten verboden is (art. 2(4) VN-Handvest), kreeg een harde waarschuwing. Dit benadrukt opnieuw de nood aan een juridische cultuur van vrede. Instellingen en normen stoppen het vechten niet, maar – zoals Anne Peters uitlegt – zelfs in een ‘ time of monsters ’ versterken de taal en de logica van het internationaal recht de internationale publieke opinie, het zogenaamde "tribunaal van de wereld...

EUTOPIA: Virtual Exhibition Connected Learning Community Legal History 2024-2025 (Collective and Individual Rights in Legal History)

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(image source: EUTopia CoLeCo Legal History ) The 2024-2025 EUTopia Connected Learning Community Legal History: Collective and Individual Rights in Legal History contributions have been assembled in a virtual exhibition  by Lewis Twiby (PhD candidate, University of Warwick). Find out more on the EUTopia CoLeCo blog .