Aristocracy and its Enemies in the Age of Revolution

382 Pages·2009·1.51 MB·English

by  William Doyle

ARISTOCRACY AND ITS
ENEMIES IN THE AGE OF
REVOLUTION
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ARISTOCRACY
AND ITS
ENEMIES IN THE
AGE OF
REVOLUTION
WILLIAM DOYLE
1
1
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
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Doyle,William,1942–
Aristocracyanditsenemiesintheageofrevolution/byWilliamDoyle.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–19–955985–5(alk.paper)
1. France—History—Revolution,1789–1799—Socialaspects.2. Aristocracy(Political
science)—France—History—18thcentury.3. Nobility—France—History—18thcentury.
4.Aristocracy(Politicalscience)—France—Publicopinion—History—18thcentury.
5.Nobility—France—Publicopinion—History—18thcentury.6. France—Social
conditions—18thcentury.7. France—Intellectuallife—18thcentury.8. Public
opinion—France—History—18thcentury.I.Title.
DC158.8.D692009
944.04—dc22
2008053060
TypesetbyLaserwordsPrivateLimited,Chennai,India
PrintedinGreatBritain
onacid-freepaperby
ClaysLtd.,StIvesplc
ISBN978–0–19–955985–5
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Contents
Preface vii
List of abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
1. Aristocracy Ascendant: The Worldof Eighteenth-Century
Nobility 9
2. Ideologies of Inequality 37
3. AgelessAntagonisms: The Limits of Discontent 58
4. Aristocracy Avoided: Americaand the Cincinnati 86
5. Straws in the Wind: The Breakdown of the Old Order 138
6. Aristocracy Attacked: The Rise and Fall of the Noble Order 168
7. Aristocracy Abolished: The Destruction of Noble Power 204
8. Ci-devants, 1790–1792 239
9. Persecution, 1792–1799 274
10. Ambiguous Aftermaths 311
Select Bibliography 341
Index 357
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Preface
The longest chapter in this book is about the Society of the Cincinnati.
As originally conceived, nearly forty years ago, it was to have been a
book in itself. But there was always something else to do, and as the years
slipped by it came to seem like a project that would have to wait until
retirement. Then, with retirement still some way off, I was unexpectedly
invited to write my ‘dream book’, and realized that this was the moment.
Sabbatical leave was due, and I was fortunate enough to spend some of it
at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. There I researched the
Cincinnati in depth, and wrote that chapter. I also came to recognize that
there was not enough new material to merit a whole book.
The controversy over the Cincinnati, however, was always chiefly
significantasanepisodeinamuchbiggerstory.Thechallengetoaristocratic
rule in the world of Europe and its colonies was a development of world-
historical significance, and one seldom seriously studied for its own sake. I
decided,therefore,toembedmyfindingsontheCincinnatiinawiderstudy
of the most fundamental part of that challenge. Thus it grew into a book
abouttheattemptoftheFrenchrevolutionariestoabolishnobilityentirely,
comprising both its background and its consequences. What happened in
America and France does not of course exhaust the subject. The challenge
transcendedfrontiersandresonatedineverycorneroftheEuropeanworld.
But the initial example came from the revolutionaries of America and
France, and that is where the main focus of the book lies.
Innumerable friends and colleagues have helped me throughout its
long and unpredictable evolution. Initial interest in the Cincinnati was
encouraged by the late George C. Rogers, Jr, pre-eminent historian in
his day of South Carolina. The suggestion of writing the dream book
came from Tony Morris, whose repeated involvement over the years
in the history I have written has marked its whole course. The crucial
sabbatical wasengineeredbyIanWei;andJonathan IsraelandtheInstitute
viii preface
Members at Princeton in 2004 proved a rare stimulus. The staff of the
Institute Library worked wonders in procuring rare books and documents.
Nor could the Cincinnati chapter have been written so easily without
access to the magnificent resources of the Firestone Library at Princeton
University. Earlier versions of parts of the book were tested by debate
in the seminars of David Bell at Johns Hopkins, Don Sutherland at the
University of Maryland, Jean-Pierre Poussou at the Sorbonne (Paris IV),
the Early Modern seminars at Oxford and at the Institute of Historical
Research, London, and the history research seminars at the universities of
BristolandSussex.Ploughingaparallelfurrow,HamishScotthasalsobeen
a never-failing source of ideas, suggestions, and opportunities.
Another project, still hopefully far from completion, passes its fortieth
anniversary this year. Over that time, Christine has been my frankest
critic and my most unfailing support. Nothing can rob her of the most
affectionate dedication yet.
WD
June 2008
Abbreviations
AAE Archives des Affaires e´trange`res
AmHR American Historical Review
AP Archives parlementairesde 1787 a` 1860: Se´rie I,ed. J.Madival
and E. Laurent, 90 vols. (Paris 1879- )
Bachaumont [L.Petit de Bachaumont], Me´moires secre`ts pour servir a`
l’histoire de lare´publique deslettres en France depuis
MDCCLXII jusqu’a` nos jours, 36 vols. (London 1780–9)
Best. T. Besterman (ed.), Voltaire’s Correspondence andRelated
Documents, Definitive Edition, 50 vols., being vols. 85–135
of Complete Works of Voltaire (Geneva, Banbury, and
Oxford, 1968- )
BL British Library, London
BN Bibliothe`que Nationale, Paris
GWC Edgar Ansell Hume(ed.), General Washington’s
Correspondence concerning the Society of the Cincinnati
(Baltimore, 1941)
Jefferson Papers Julian P. Boyd (ed.), The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
(Princeton, 1950- )
JMH Journal of Modern History
Moniteur L. Gallois (ed.), Re´impression de l’Ancien Moniteur, 29 vols.
(Paris, 1840–5)
SVEC Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century