Diodorus Tuldenus (c. 1590-1645) and the Development of Natural Law in the Habsbourg Low Countries.

In the early seventeenth century, Albert and Isabella (1598-1621-1633), and Philip IV (1621-1665) strove to reform the Southern ‘loyal’ provinces of the Low Countries in challenging circumstances of war and economic depression. Despite these drawbacks, cultural life flourished. The baroque paintings by Rubens (1577-1640), moral theological treatises by the Leuven Jesuit Lessius (1554-1623) and the humanist Collegium trilingue enjoyed a high international esteem. In legal scholarship, the same period was marked by the development of natural law. Preliminary evidence suggests that Leuven law professors have actively contributed to the institutional reform, the cultural life and the debates on natural law. Unfortunately, however, their writings have largely been neglected by legal historians. This project hopes to bridge this gap through a micro-historical research which focuses especially on the contributions of one key figure, i.e. Diodorus Tuldenus (c. 1590-1645): one of the 'founding fathers' of the public law discipline, a legal historian, political philosopher, counsellor, and a well-respected, innovative teacher.

Keywords:Diodorus Tuldenus

Disciplines:Roman law