Perquisition chez un ambassadeur. Les papiers du prince de Cellamare (1718)
Search at an ambassador's house. The papers of the Prince of Cellamare (1718)
Abstract
In 1718, the Spanish ambassador to France, the Prince of Cellamare, was involved in political operations prepared by the Duchess of Maine (daughter-in-law of the late Louis XIV), who was hostile to Philippe d'Orléans – this prince was assuming the regency on behalf of the young King Louis XV. At the same time, the Regent negotiated the Quadruple Alliance, which was to lead to war against Philip V of Spain, Louis XIV's grandson. The French government decided to search the Spanish embassy. This action is analysed here. Such proceedings were rare, which shows that international life generally respected diplomatic immunities. The documents discovered and published were intended to prepare French public opinion for the conflict.
En 1718, l’ambassadeur d’Espagne en France, le prince de Cellamare, est impliqué dans des opérations politiques préparées autour de la duchesse du Maine (belle-fille de Louis XIV), hostile à Philippe d’Orléans qui assume la régence au nom du jeune roi Louis XV. Le Régent négocie alors la Quadruple alliance qui doit déboucher sur une guerre contre Philippe V d’Espagne, petit-fils de Louis XIV. Le gouvernement français décide une perquisition à l’ambassade d’Espagne. Cette action est ici analysée. Une telle procédure reste rare, ce qui montre que la vie internationale respecte en général les immunités diplomatiques. Les documents découverts et publiés doivent préparer l’opinion publique française au conflit.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this Journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This Journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the Journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this Journal.