The Stuarts in Italy, 1766–1807: A Court in Perpetual Pretence

Citation

Baccolo S & Cunningham CE (2024) The Stuarts in Italy, 1766–1807: A Court in Perpetual Pretence. The Court Historian: The International Journal of Court Studies, 29 (2), pp. 134-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/14629712.2024.2367338

Abstract
Taking its cues from the conclusions of Edward Corp in The Stuarts in Italy, 1719–1766: A Royal Court in Permanent Exile, this article considers the evolution of the princely court held by the two final Stuart claimants, Charles Edward and Henry Benedict Stuart. It surveys the dénouement of this court from the deposed Catholic dynasty’s loss of de jure recognition of sovereignty in 1766 to the death of its last representative in 1807. By analysing the Stuarts’ interactions with the Papacy and European monarchies amid their ongoing struggle to uphold the appearance of royalty, it argues that the changing nature of their court emerged as a significant and distinctive nexus of cultural and symbolic meaning. The court of the exiled Stuarts from 1766 to 1807 emphasised the character, prerogatives and status of retreating Ancien Régime kingship in the decades preceding the French Revolution, during the years of its existence and in the Napoleonic era that followed.

Keywords
Stuart Pretenders; Prince Charles Edward Stuart; Prince Henry Benedict Stuart; Cardinal Duke of York; Stuart Court in Exile; Diplomatic Relations

Journal
The Court Historian: The International Journal of Court Studies: Volume 29, Issue 2