Infidels and Empires in a New World Order: Early Modern Spanish Contributions to International Legal Thought

Infidels and Empires in a New World Order examines the Spanish imperial debate at Valladolid in 1550, which shaped subsequent international relations in the West. It highlights the religious continuities and dissonances in early modern international legal thought with important implications for contemporary global society.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 372 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Before the advent of international relations in the West, there existed a complex web of Christian-infidel relations. Infidels and Empires in a New World Order challenges the conventional narrative of international relations that begins with Westphalia in 1648 by delving a century back to the Spanish imperial debate at Valladolid, which focused on the conversion of indigenous peoples in the Americas. In addition to shedding light on this significant yet overlooked chapter from the colonial periphery of Western Europe, this book also explores the Anglo-Iberian Atlantic to examine how the ambiguous status of the infidel other under natural law and the law of nations culminated at Valladolid influenced subsequent international relations in subtle yet profound ways. From the conquistadors Hernán Cortés and Samuel Purchas to the theologian Bartolomé de las Casas and the Puritans of New England, a diverse range of unconventional colonial figures engage in dialogue with Francisco de Vitoria, Hugo Grotius, and John Locke, revealing surprising religious continuities and dissonances in early modern international legal thought that have significant implications for contemporary global society.

Weight: 550g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108735575