Introduction to the History of the Principal Kingdoms & States of Europe

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Samuel Pufendorf was a key figure in the early German Enlightenment, significantly impacting voluntarist natural law theory across Europe and the English-speaking world, particularly in Scotland and America. His work, An Introduction to the History of the Principal Kingdoms and States of Europe (1682), became one of his most renowned and frequently reprinted texts, although its influence has faded over time. Pufendorf's histories illustrate his natural law theory by detailing the development and interactions of states as collective social agents focused on securing their own interests, including self-preservation. This perspective allowed states to serve as vehicles for philosophical demonstration. By emphasizing empirical details and legitimating a politics of interest, his histories resonated with the emerging nation-states of early modern Europe, which sought validation for their actions and policies. Pufendorf's accounts were based on each nation's historians, presenting their positions from both current and historical viewpoints. This appealing approach to political history is reflected in the extensive publishing history of the work. This book is relevant for those interested in the history of international law and the evolution of historiography in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, offering a carefully edited and annotated English version of one of Pufendorf's most influential works.