MARTENS, FREDERIC FROMMHOLD DE 1909), Russian jurist, was born at Pernau in Livonia. In 1868 he entered the Russian ministry of foreign affairs, and in 1872 was professor of public law in the Imperial School of Law and the Imperial Alexander Lyceum. In 1874 he started special juristic work for the Russian government. His book on The Right of Private Property in War appeared in 1869, and was followed in 1873 by The of Consul and Consular Jurisdiction in the East. These were the first of a series of studies which won for their author a world-wide reputation, and raised the character of the Russian school of international jurisprudence. First amongst them must be placed the great Recueil des traites et conventions conclus par la Russie avec les puissances etrangeres (13 vols., 1874-1902). This collection, published in Russian and French in parallel columns, contains not only the texts of the treaties but valuable introductions dealing with the diplomatic conditions of which the treaties were the outcome. These introductions are based largely on unpublished documents from the Russian archives. Of Martens' original works his International Law of Civilized Nations is perhaps the best known. More openly "tendencious" in character are such treatises as Russia and Eng land in Central Asia (1879) ; Russia's Conflict with China (i881), The Egyptian Question (1882), and The African Conference of Berlin and the Colonial Policy of Modern States (1887).
Martens was repeatedly chosen to act in international arbitra tions. Among the controversies which he helped to adjust were that between Mexico and the United States—the first case de termined by the permanent tribunal of The Hague—and the difference between Great Britain and France in regard to New foundland in 1891. He played an important part in the negotia tions between his own country and Japan, which led to the peace of Portsmouth (Aug. 1905) and prepared the way for the Russo Japanese convention. He was employed in laying the foundations for The Hague Conferences. He was one of the Russian Pleni potentiaries at the first conference and president of the fourth committee—that on maritime law—at the second conference. His visits to the chief capitals of Europe in 1907 were an important preliminary in the preparation of the programme. He was judge of the Russian supreme prize court established to determine cases arising during the war with Japan. He died suddenly on June 20, 1909.
See T. E. Holland, in Journal of the Society of Comparative Legisla tion for October 1909, where a list of the writings of Martens appears.