Le droit des gens di Emer de Vattel : le vicende editoriali di un successo destinato a durare per secoli

Emer de Vattel (1714-1767) published his Droit des gens ou Principes de la loi naturelle appliqués à la conduite et aux affaires des Nations et des Souverains in 1758. The success of this work was immediate. His internationalist doctrine, the identification of the fundamental laws of States, that are sovereignty, independence and equality have become basic notions of international law. The aim of the present paper is to reconstruct the Swiss historical and cultural context where Vattel lived and worked, furnishing his biographical profile and scrutinizing the origin of his Droit des gens.