Origins & Early Life

Alberico Gentili (14 January 1552 – 19 June 1608) was an Italian jurist, a tutor of Queen Elizabeth I, and a standing advocate to the Spanish Embassy in London, who served as the Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford for 21 years. He is regarded as the co-founder of the field of international law, and thus is known as the "Father of international law". The first medieval writer on public international law, Gentili became in 1587 the first non-Englishman to be a Regius Professor. He also authored numerous books, which are recognized to be among the most essential sources for international legal doctrines, but also include theological and literary material.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Gentili was born into a noble family in the town of San Ginesio, Macerata, Italy. It has been conjectured that Gentili's mother might have been the source of his early love for jurisprudence, but it was his father, Matteo Gentili, a physician, who assumed the role of his tutor in Latin and Greek. His father was a protestant. He obtained a doctoral degree in law at the University of Perugia at the age of 20. After his graduation, Gentili was elected as the chief judge of Ascoli...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Boris Godunov — Contemporary (Born in 1552) (1552): Tsar of Russia (1598–1605) during the tumultuous Time of Troubles.
• Edmund Spenser — Contemporary (Born in 1552) (1552): Master English poet, celebrated for the epic allegory, The Faerie Queene.
• Edward Coke — Contemporary (Born in 1552) (1552): A towering English jurist whose work championed the supremacy of common law over the Crown.
• Evangelista Torricelli — Contemporary (Born in 1608) (1608): Pioneering Italian physicist and mathematician, famed for inventing the barometer.
• Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor — Contemporary (Born in 1608) (1608): Habsburg Emperor navigating the end of the Thirty Years' War and the path to Westphalia.
• George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle — Contemporary (Born in 1608) (1608): English military officer and politician pivotal to the Stuart Restoration.
• Abul Fazl — Shared historical date (01-14 · Born) (1551): Pioneering Mughal historian, writer, and Grand Vizier of Emperor Akbar's court.
• Ahmed Ali (writer) — Shared historical date (01-14 · Died) (1994): Pioneering Urdu writer, poet, and diplomat from British India to Pakistan.
• Aage Bohr — Shared historical date (06-19 · Born) (1922): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Alfred Baphethuxolo Nzo — Shared historical date (06-19 · Born) (1925): Prominent South African politician and long-serving ANC leader.
• 1552 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1552
• January 14 (01-14) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 14
• 1608 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1608
• June 19 (06-19) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on June 19