The Jacobites and the Grand Tour - (Jacobite Studies) by Jérémy Filet (Hardcover)

About the Book

Investigating the functioning of travel in political culture by using early modern small states as a case study, this book examines the complex relationship between Jacobitism, educational travel, and small state diplomacy.

Book Synopsis

In the first monograph to fully examine the intersecting networks of Jacobites and travellers to the continent, Filet considers how small states used official diplomacy and deployed soft power - embodied by educational academies - to achieve foreign policy goals. This work uses little-known archival materials to explain how and why certain small states secretly supported the Jacobite cause during the crucial years surrounding the 1715 rising, while others stayed out of Jacobite affairs.At the same time, the book demonstrates how early modern small states sought to cultivate good relations with Britain by attracting travellers as part of a wider trend of ensuring connections with future diplomats or politicians in case a Stuart restoration never came. This publication therefore brings together a study of Britain, small states, Jacobitism, and educational travel, in its nexus at continental academies.

From the Back Cover

The Jacobites and the Grand Tour examines the complex relationship between Jacobitism, educational travel, and small states' diplomacy. It argues that travel illustrates the fundamental shift in European politics around Jacobitism in the first half of the 18th Century. By considering how small states used official diplomacy and soft power, the book unveils the mechanisms that enabled travellers to pursue their political and educational goals.

The first part offers a comparative perspective on the extent of Jacobite presence in European small states. The second part appraises the influence of Jacobitism on small states' diplomacy, and vice-versa. The final part brings together Jacobitism and educational travel, considering continental academies as extensions of small states' diplomacy. This work exploits little-studied archival materials and a wide range of travel narratives to explain how and why certain small states secretly supported the Jacobite cause during the crucial years surrounding the 1715 rising. Simultaneously, the book shows how early modern small states sought to cultivate good relations with Britain and Ireland by attracting travellers, ensuring connections with future diplomats or politicians in case a Stuart restoration never came.

By taking the Grand Tour out of the purely socio-cultural analysis, The Jacobites and the Grand Tour restores its political dimension. While the book covers an understudied aspect of European political history, its reach extends beyond Jacobite studies to court studies, travel studies, and the wider cultural history of the early modern period.

About the Author

Jérémy Filet is a Lecturer in French at Manchester Metropolitan University