Hegel and German Public Law

This book takes the German imperial public law tradition and its potential impact on Hegel’s thought as a serious source for interpreting his thought. It analyses such connections in the young philosopher’s relation to the central figures of the earlier epochs of imperial publicism. By treating Hegel’s speculative work and political writings in tandem alongside German imperial public law and its authors, Hegel and German Public Law produces a powerful new way of understanding Hegel’s place in the history of political and legal thought.

Nathaniel Boyd also investigates other dimensions of German imperial public law that have not yet been explored in the critical literature. The book frames a period of political and historical transition in Europe, but also shows the importance of legal tradition and its conveyance to the modern age. It critically highlights the development of alternative forms of state and federation which were conveyed by the particular constitutional development of the Holy Roman Empire that can have a lasting influence on our comprehension of European political history more broadly.