The Evolution of the Idea of International Criminal Justice

Abstract

The creation of an International Criminal Court was a desideratum which has accompanied the times and called upon the most enlightened minds to reflect. The winding road to Rome began with several trials described before the letter as "international", ending with the punishment of the guilty for acts committed during war or against peace, as early as the 13th century. There remained in collective memory the condemnation (and execution) of a descendant of the Staufer dynasty, Conradin von Hohestaufen, by a court in Naples at the request of Charles I of Anjou, for the murder of Italian civilians and other crimes, in 1268.