 The title page of the copy of Grotius' Mare Liberum in the Peace Palace Library | |
| Author | Hugo Grotius |
|---|---|
| Original title | Mare Liberum, sive de jure quod Batavis competit ad Indicana commercia dissertatio |
| Translator | Richard Hakluyt |
| Language | Latin |
| Subject | Law of the sea |
| Genre | Law |
| Publisher | Lodewijk Elzevir |
Publication date | 1609 |
| Publication place | Dutch Republic |
Published in English | 2004 |
| OCLC | 21552312 |
Mare Liberum (or The Freedom of the Seas) is a book in Latin on international law written by the Dutch jurist and philosopher Hugo Grotius, first published in 1609. In The Free Sea, Grotius formulated the new principle that the sea was international territory and all nations were free to use it for seafaring trade. The disputation was directed towards the Portuguese Mare clausum policy and their claim of monopoly on the East Indian Trade.