Ius Gentium is one of the central categories through which Roman jurists explained law beyond the limits of a single civic community. The usual translation, “law of nations,” helps modern readers understand its reach, but it can also create a false impression.

The Law of Nations is one of the most important legal traditions behind modern public international law. It was not a fixed code, nor a single doctrine created by one author.

The history of International Law is not a linear account of civilised progress. It is the record of how political authority, commercial power, war, empire, religion, statehood, anti-colonial resistance, and institutional design were translated into legal arguments.

International Law and Colonialism is a study of how empire entered the language, structure, and practice of international law. Colonial rule did not develop in a legal vacuum.