Petrus Peckius the Elder

Petrus Peckius
Personal details
Born
Pieter Peck

16 July 1529 (1529-07-16)
Zierikzee
Died16 July 1589 (1589-07-17)
Mechelen
Resting placeChurch of St Michael, Leuven
NationalityNetherlandish
SpouseCatharina Gillis
ChildrenPetrus Peckius the Younger
Residence(s)Leuven, Namur
Alma materUniversity of Leuven
ProfessionLaw professor

Petrus Peckius the Elder (born Pieter Peck, also known as Pierre Peckius; 16 July 1529 in Zierikzee – 16 July 1589 in Mechelen), was an eminent Netherlandish jurist, one of the first to write about international maritime law,[1] and the father of Petrus Peckius the Younger.

He was an orthodox Catholic and remained loyal to the Crown during the Eighty Years' War. In 1582 he was appointed a justice in the Great Council, the supreme law court of the Seventeen Provinces, which normally sat in Mechelen but due to the Dutch Revolt was then meeting in the city of Namur.

He was married to Catharina Gillis (sister of a secretary of Margaret of Parma, and of a governor of Ostend) with whom he had several children.

  1. ^ David M. Walker (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Law (Clarendon Press, 1980), p. 940.