A Court in Exile: The Stuarts in France, 1689-1718

Description

Court studies and Jacobitism have both received considerable attention from historians in recent years, yet so far no attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive examination of the Jacobite court in exile after the revolution of 1688-9. This book takes a completely fresh look at the Stuart court in France during the years when the Jacobite movement posed its greatest threat to the post-revolution governments in London. The Stuart court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye is revealed as not only large and well financed, but also magnificently located in a spectacular royal palace vacated only recently by Louis XIV and in very close contact with the French court at Versailles - yet maintaining the traditions, organisation and ceremonial of the English court at Whitehall. The book also shows how the Stuart court in France came to an end, and explains why and how it has since been so badly misrepresented.

Edward Corp is Professor of British History, University of Toulouse.

'Edward Corp's fine book illuminates many dark corners of what has too long been a neglected area of historical discourse.' The Tablet 'Edward Corp's fascinating, well written, and thorough examination of the Stuart court in exile after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 presents a special case that casts light on many of the issues ... Without doubt, A Court in Exile will be the standard work on the subject for years to come.' H-Albion@h-net.msu.edu 'Corp can only be praised for producing a first rate study of a forgotten chapter in British history. This important work destroys many myths about the exiled Stuarts and brings the Court of Saint-Germain vividly to life.' The Art Book 'Howard Erskine-Hill is the most formidable literary historian in their ranks ...'. Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... beautifully produced and well-illustrated ... will prove the definitive work on the subject for decades to come. ... Corp must be congratulated for his achievement. ... A Court in Exile provides us with a clear, well-sourced, and in-depth understanding of the problems facing the Stuarts in France ... it is hard to see how anybody will ever better Corp's fair-minded effort to explain this most slippery of subjects.' Royal Stuart Review