A Lesson in Diplomacy for Louis XIV: The Treaty of Montmartre, 1662, and the Princes of the House of Lorraine
2003; Oxford University Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/fh/17.3.225
ISSN1477-4542
Autores Tópico(s)European Political History Analysis
ResumoRevisionist historians have come to recognize that the most significant marker of Louis XIV's success as a monarch was not to be found in absolutist domination, but in his ability to balance factions, both at his court, in the army and in the administration of France. This article examines a particular event in the early years of the king's personal reign which clearly demonstrated to the young king the benefits and the necessity for such balance. The treaty of Montmartre properly belongs in the sphere of foreign affairs, a minor treaty in the long history of negotiations between France and the sovereign duchy of Lorraine. But because its inception and subsequent destruction were inextricably linked to the ambitions of several prominent court clans – princes étrangers, princes du sang, princes légitimés – the events of February 1662 demonstrate how the driving force of dynasticism and the disorders caused by imbalance of favours impressed upon Louis XIV the importance of maintaining himself above faction.
Referência(s)