French Revolutionaries in the Ottoman Empire: Political Culture, Diplomacy, and the Limits of Universal Revolution, 1792-1798

Description

The effects of the French Revolution reached far beyond the confines of France itself. The Ottoman Empire, ancient ally and major trading partner of France, was not immune from the repercussions of the 'Age of Revolutions', especially since it was home to permanent French communities with a certain legal autonomy. French Revolutionaries in the Ottoman Empire examines, for the first time, the political and cultural impact of the French Revolution on Franco-Ottoman relations, as well as on the French communities of the Ottoman Empire. The modern interpretation of revolutionary ideological expansionism is strongly influenced by the famous propaganda decree of 19 November 1792 which promised 'fraternity and help to all peoples who wish to recover their liberty', as well as the well-studied efforts to export the Revolution into the territories conquered by the revolutionary armies and to the various Sister Republics. Against all expectations, however, French revolutionaries in the Ottoman Empire exhibited neither a 'crusading mentality' nor a heightened readiness to use force in order to achieve ideological goals. Instead, as this volume shows, in matters of diplomacy as well as in the administration of French expatriate communities, revolutionary policies were applied in an extremely circumspect fashion. The focus on the effects of the French regime change outside of France offers valuable new insights into the revolutionary process itself, which will revise common assumptions about French revolutionary diplomacy. In addition, Pascal Firges takes a close look at the establishment of the new political culture of the French Revolution within the transcultural context of the French expatriate communities of the Ottoman Empire, which serves as a thought-provoking point of comparison for the emergence and development of French revolutionary political culture. Cover French Revolutionaries in the Ottoman Empire: Diplomacy, Political Culture, and the Limiting of Universal Revolution, 1792–1798 Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures List of Maps List of Tables A Note on Conventions PLACE NAMES DATES ADDRESSEES OF LETTERS TRANSLATIONS TRANSLITERATIONS Introduction: Diplomats and Expatriates in the Ottoman Empire during the French Revolution Approach and Historiography CHAPTER OUTLINE EXPLORING THE FIELD: A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE OTTOMAN CAPITAL AND TO THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF ITS FRENCH INHABITANTS THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE EUROPEAN DIPLOMATIC SYSTEM CONNECTIONS AND DISTANCES Part I: Franco-Ottoman Relations during the Revolution 1: The End of the French Diplomatic Ancien Régime Traitor and Most Loyal Servant: The Last Ambassador of the Most Christian King Who Will Represent France? From the King´s Last to the Republic´s First Minister `No One Among Us Pays any Attention to those Badges of Theirs´: The Ottoman Government and the Regime Change in France Conclusion 2: Negotiating for a Besieged Republic: Franco-Ottoman Diplomacy in 1793 Reversing the Renversement des Alliances: Politics of the Ancien Régime, Politics of the New Regime Selim III´s Benevolent Neutrality: The Ottoman Perspective on the War of the First Coalition `The French Government Is Not Consolidated Enough Yet´: The Unsatisfactory Commencement of Marie Descorches´s Mission to ISTANBUL Organizational Difficulties: Personnel, Money, and Communications Conclusion 3: Negotiating for a Victorious Republic: Franco-Ottoman Diplomacy 1794-1798 `Making an Elephant Run Like a Hare´: Marie Descorches´s Diplomatic Mission (1794-5) Playing Safe: An Ottoman Attempt to End the War of the First Coalition Reaping What Was Sown: The Mission of Raymond Verninac (1795-6) From Alliance to Imperialist Aggression: The Mission of General Aubert-Dubayet (1796-7) Conclusion Part II: From Paris to Istanbul 4: Neglect or Refusal?: The Revolutionary Government´s Attitude towards Franco-Ottoman Negotiations during the Terror The Administration of French Revolutionary Foreign Policy Barère´s Impracticable Principles of Diplomacy Cannon Diplomacy: Revolutionary Approaches to Foreign Policy Cannon Diplomacy? Paris and the Ottoman Negotiations during the Terror The Paris Jacobins and Conventional Diplomacy Conclusion 5: Between Innovation and Continuity: French Revolutionary Political Culture and Diplomatic Practice Presents and Corruption Ceremonial and Etiquette Representation Conclusion 6: Self-Containment or World Revolution?: The Purpose of French Revolutionary Propaganda The Spectre of Global Jacobinism French Propaganda as Counter-Propaganda The French News Bulletin French Propaganda for French Citizens Conclusion Part III: Regime Change in the French Communities of the Levant, 1792-1795 7: Forgotten by Liberty?: Regime Change and the Challenges to Consular Authority in the Levant The Legal Framework of the French Expatriate Communities: The Capitulations and the Royal Ordinance of 1781 Citizen Hénin and the Istanbul Jacobin Club Republican Insubordination Defection, emigration, and the Thainville-effect Offshoots of the Revolutionary War on Ottoman Soil Conclusion 8: On Silent Feet: Stabilizing the Regime Change in the French Communities Two Strategies, One Revolution: Force in France, Wisdom in the Levant A Paradoxical Protectorate: The French State and the Catholic Church in the Levant Resorting to the Tribunal of Opinion: Internal Propaganda Paris Trying to Create Unity in the Levant: The Mission of Commissaire Thainville Coercion in the Levant Conclusion 9: Turning Expatriates into Citizens: The Emergence of a New Political Culture in the French Communities of the Levant `Purified by a Republican Chisel´: Removing the Symbols of Monarchy Revolutionary Festivals: Performing the French Revolution in the Ottoman Empire Celebrating the Décadi Conclusion Conclusion: The French Revolution on Silent Feet Glossary Bibliography ARCHIVAL SOURCES NEWSPAPER ARTICLES (IN DATE ORDER) OTHER PRINTED SOURCES SECONDARY WORKS Index