Res communis и res nullius: Франсиско де Витория и Альберико Джентили о статусе пространства и справедливой войне

Социологическое обозрение. 2025. Т. 24. № 3. С. 121–151.

Chaganova D.

The paper explores Early Modern patterns of international spatial thought through the lens of sixteenth century just war doctrines, focusing on the works of Spanish scholar Francisco de Vitoria and Italian-English jurist Alberico Gentili. Amid growing instability in the global legal order, the article turns to a foundational legal framework of sixteenth century Law of war — as expressed in Vitoria’s reflections On the American Indians and On the Law of War, and in Gentili’s treatise Three Books on the Law of War — to trace the origins of Early Modern spatial and legal thinking. The study seeks to integrate some crucial Early Modern concepts of world order into Russian-language scholarship.

The article is centered on Vitoria’s and Gentili’s conceptualization of the world as a whole (mundus, totus orbis) and their application of Roman private law analogies — such as “res omnium communis” (common property) and “res nullius” (nobody’s property). The author critically examines their shared concept of ius gentium (the law of nations) grounded in natural reason: on the one hand, it constructs a universal legal framework encompassing the whole world, on the other hand, it lacks clear exclusion criteria, relying, instead, on an intuitive understanding of natural rights and natural human behaviour. Additionally, the article challenges the common scholarly portrayal of Gentili as an opponent of the just war doctrine.

Keywords: международное право, spatial turn, пространственный поворот, справедливая война, политическое пространство, Франсиско де Витория, political space, philosophy of war, философия войны, Francisco de Vitoria, history of international law, just war, Альберико Джентили, res communis, res nullius, Alberico Gentili, res communis, res nullius

Publication based on the results of: National philosophy and culture: spiritual and moral values (2025)