The modern theory of sovereignty was popularized by

1. Analyze the question The question asks who popularized the modern theory of sovereignty. Sovereignty means the supreme, final authority of a state to make and enforce laws within its territory, free from outside control.

2. Explain the concept Here is how each thinker is linked to political ideas:

• John Locke: Known for natural rights (life, liberty, property), the social contract, and limited government. He is not the father of sovereignty theory.
• Thomas Hobbes: Known for Leviathan, where he argued for an absolute sovereign through the social contract. He developed the idea further, but he did not originate or first popularize it.
• Jean Bodin: A French political thinker who, in Six Books of the Republic (1576), first systematically defined sovereignty as the absolute and perpetual power of a state. He is widely regarded as the father of the modern theory of sovereignty.
• Baron de Montesquieu: Known for the separation of powers in The Spirit of the Laws.

3. Solution Textbooks on Government, including those used for JAMB, credit Jean Bodin with popularizing and first systematically presenting the modern theory of sovereignty. Hobbes, Austin, and Rousseau later built on it, but Bodin is the pioneer.

4. Answer C. Jean Bodin

5. Tip Use this memory aid:

• Bodin = Body of power, the sovereign state (sovereignty)
• Montesquieu = separation of powers
• Locke = natural rights and liberal government
• Hobbes = Leviathan and absolute rule
• Rousseau = general will

Whenever you see "sovereignty" and "modern theory" together, think Bodin first. Austin is the one for the legal theory of sovereignty.