Holland. The young Delft lawyer, Huig De Groot (Grotius), writes De jure praedae, which argues that the Spanish naval blockade of the Netherlands is an act of war, and that this provocation gives the Dutch the right to consider Spanish and Portuguese ships as enemies. The following year, he publishes his masterpiece: Mare Liberum (The Freedom of the Seas), in which he argues for the right of the Dutch to participate in the East Indies trade. The right to trade is established, and from then on, it governs the world.
