An Age of Neutrals
Great Power Politics, 1815–1914

'An Age of Neutrals marks an impressive addition to the scholarly literature on neutrality. Integrating the work of historians, international lawyers and, in the broadest sense, international relations specialists, Abbenhuis sheds new light on our understanding of modern international practice in this key period of Europe's history.' Thomas Otte, University of East Anglia

'An impressively thoroughly researched, thoughtfully argued, and wide ranging study that offers a series of important insights into a topic that played a central role in nineteenth-century diplomacy and for too long has been unjustly neglected.' David Stevenson, London School of Economics and Political Science

'Meticulously researched, Maartje Abbenhuis' Age of Neutrals not only exposes the critical role played by neutrality in the 'long nineteenth century', but also offers a profoundly arresting, innovative and at times provocative interpretation of the international politics of the era.' Neville Wylie, University of Nottingham

'An Age of Neutrals is a rich, beautifully written, and expansive investigation into a long-lost diplomatic tradition.' H-Diplo

'In the twentieth-century age of total war and collective security, neutrality has not been highly regarded, but Maartje Abbenhuis convincingly argues that, between 1815 and 1914, neutrality was 'neither insignificant nor a policy reserved for the weak' … Abbenhuis has given us extremely useful ways in which to consider the value of neutrality in the nineteenth century.' Nicole M. Phelps, American Historical Review

'… Abbenhuis's [book is] ambitious and, above all, very readable … It is essential reading for all those interested in the international relations in the nineteenth century.' Samuël Kruizinga, Low Countries Historical Review