{"id":110966,"date":"2025-08-27T00:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T22:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slotloevestein.nl\/?page_id=110966"},"modified":"2025-10-16T18:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:51:30","slug":"laws-of-war-limits-to-violence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.slotloevestein.nl\/en\/laws-of-war-limits-to-violence\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row unlock_row=”” row_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_use_pixel=”yes” shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ uncode_shortcode_id=”643056″ column_width_pixel=”780″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”554211″]Hugo Grotius is best known for his daring escape from Loevestein Castle. His true legacy, however, lies in his ideas on peace, freedom, and justice \u2014 ideas that form the foundation of modern international humanitarian law. Today, that law is under pressure: treaties are broken, and nations withdraw from the institutions that uphold them.<\/p>\n

In the footsteps of Hugo Grotius
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Four centuries ago, Hugo Grotius wrote his groundbreaking work De Iure Belli ac Pacis<\/em> (On the Law of War and Peace<\/em>). In it, he articulated principles for protecting innocent people during times of war \u2014 principles that, at their core, still shape our understanding of justice today.<\/p>\n

One person can<\/strong> make a difference. Since Grotius\u2019s time, many individuals and organisations have followed in his footsteps. They stood up for peace and justice \u2014 from the Red Cross and M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res to KidsRights and countless committed citizens. You, too, can make a difference, just as Hugo Grotius did. Let his example inspire you today.<\/p>\n

Turbulent times<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the early 1600s, in the midst of the Eighty Years\u2019 War, the Dutch Republic was shaken by deep unrest. During the Twelve Years\u2019 Truce (1609\u20131621), a theological dispute spiralled into a fierce political power struggle between Prince Maurice and Johan van Oldenbarnevelt.<\/p>\n

In 1619, Maurice seized power. Van Oldenbarnevelt was executed, while his advisors Hugo Grotius and Rombout Hogerbeets were sentenced to life imprisonment in Loevestein Castle \u2014 which from that moment on became a powerful symbol of political oppression.<\/p>\n