Bluntschli, Johann Kaspar (1808–1881)

German jurist. He published a major work on jurisprudence, the Allgemeines Staatsrecht/General Constitutional Law (1852), and became one of the greatest authorities on international law. In 1873 he founded the Institute of International Law in Ghent, Belgium.

Bluntschli was born in Zürich, Switzerland, and studied at the universities of Berlin and Bonn. He became professor of law at Zürich University, and also a member of the parliament. Here he was soon recognized as leader of the moderate Conservative party. Unable to secure acceptance of his views on government he resigned, and in 1848 went to Munich, Germany, where he became professor of constitutional law. In 1861 he was appointed professor of political science at Heidelberg in Germany.

Among his works are Geschichte der Republik Zürich/History of the Republic of Zürich (1847), Das moderne Kriegsrecht/Modern Martial Law (1866), and Das moderne Völkerrecht/Modern International Law (1868).