Polity Atlas
BookPrimary source

The Spirit of the Laws (book IX, chapters 1–3, on confederate republics)

Montesquieu · English translation by Thomas Nugent, revised edition (Colonial Press, New York, 1900), vol. 1 · 1748

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Type
Book
Author
Montesquieu
Accessed
2026-09-01
Reliability notes
First published in French as De l'esprit des lois (Geneva, 1748). The passage on Lycia is book IX, ch. 3 (p. 128 of the linked edition).

Claims citing this source

2 claims
EstablishedIn the Dutch Republic sovereignty lay with the seven provinces, each with one vote in the States General; the States General could make treaties, war and peace, raise armies and fleets and assess provincial contributions, but such decisions required unanimity and the sanction of the provinces.EstablishedFederalist No. 9 quotes Montesquieu: 'Were I to give a model of an excellent Confederate Republic, it would be that of Lycia.'