L’ambassadeur de famille, diplomate et courtisan au service des Bourbons

Abstract

This paper will examine the status of foreigners at the French court through the analysis of the prerogatives the ambassadeur de famille enjoyed in the eighteenth century. The Conde d’Aranda, the Spanish ambassador to the French court from 1773 to 1787, represented another sovereign from the House of Bourbon, which enabled him to claim a higher rank than the other ambassadors. Attaining that rank was one of Aranda’s political objectives and also ensured that he was a member of Paris high society. In Versailles and Paris, the ambassadeur de famille paradoxically tried to become a member of French court society and transcend his foreign status to promote the Spanish nation.

Keywords

• French court
• Spain
• eighteenth century
• Conde d’Aranda (1719-1798)
• ambassadeur de famille
• reciprocity