Jean Bodin's theory of sovereignty as a political and philosophical justification of the concept of nation-states

Abstract

This article examines the theory of sovereignty of Jean Bodin, which served as a political and philosophical justification for the concept of nation states. In his works «The Six Books of the Republic», «Method for the Easy Comprehension of History», Bodin formulated and developed in detail the concept of «sovereignty». He identified the main features and characteristics of this concept; Bodin also emphasized the importance of having «sovereign power» in the state, which is the key to a successful and prosperous state. Defining the power of the ruler of the state as absolute and complete, Bodin puts above this power only the Divine laws and laws of nature, to which all the sovereigns in the world must obey. The author draws a conclusion about the correlation between Jean Bodin's theory of sovereignty and the ideology of nation-states, which presupposes the existence of independent and independent state power, both in foreign and domestic policy, for which Bodin actually stands in his theory of sovereignty.