'Engaging with the intellectual history of the European Law of Nations engages colonialism and the history of the world. If anyone should attempt to do that, on this scale, it should be Martti Koskenniemi.' C. L. Lim, International and Comparative Law Quarterly
'[This] book is so much more than a brand-new history of international law in the pre-modern era; it is a new history, it is an extraordinary piece of scholarship ... not just a scientific work of the finest quality, but also an amazing literary achievement. ... It contains a dazzling amount of knowledge about so much more than international law. It also offers new views on intellectual history, medieval scholasticism, the history of early modern theology, and the history of law, tout court.' Wim Decock, Journal of the History of International Law / Revue d'histoire du droit international (JHIL)
'... intellectual historians and many other audiences too will happily and gratefully scavenge on its rich argument, wealth of scholarship and detail.' Koen Stapelbroek, Journal of the History of International Law / Revue d'histoire du droit international (JHIL)
'... a veritable trove of intellectual pleasure, full of ideas and written in a remarkably accessible style.' Randall Lesaffer, American Journal of International Law