Interpolity Law and Jurisdictional Politics

Abstract Challenging the common assumption that legal misunderstanding was pervasive, this article analyzes jurisdictional politics as an element of “interpolity law”—a broad framework for interactions across polities and regions in early modern world. It draws on recent research to show how such approach allows historians avoid some familiar pitfalls associated with studies pluralism. This provides clear methodological advantages over study global history a function multi-normativity. Political communities globe centered internal external conflicts nature reach authority. By focusing jurisdiction touchstone action tracing authority produced through conflict, our treats pluralism valuable descriptive term rather than analytical framework. The portrays state potentially one among many forms authority, it brings into sharp focus continuities within pluri-political regions. tracking institutional shifts occurred when empires states moved assert power multi-jurisdictional orders, perspective informs new narratives about trajectories regional order.