On Sovereignty

On Sovereignty is Jean Bodin’s seminal exploration of the foundations of political power—arguably the most influential modern articulation of sovereignty.

Writing in the turbulent aftermath of religious wars and dynastic instability, Bodin demonstrates that:

• Every stable commonwealth must be grounded in a single, indivisible source of supreme authority.
• Sovereignty cannot be fragmented without dissolving the state itself.

With clarity and force, and rooted in history, legal reasoning, and political realism, he demolishes illusions of mixed government and constitutional balance.

This volume distills the key passages from his Six Books of the Commonwealth, presenting them in a new, scholarly translation with extensive commentary.

On Sovereignty remains essential reading for anyone interested in the nature of power, legitimacy, and the enduring problem of political order.