Cellamare Conspiracy
Encyclopedia
The Cellamare
Conspiracy of 1718 ( Conspiration de Cellamare) was a conspiracy against the then Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans
(1674-1723). "Created" in Spain, it was the brainchild of Antonio del Giudice
, Prince
of Cellamare
.
Ambassador to the French Court in 1715 during the reign of Louis XIV of France
; Louis XIV died in September that year and his successor, Louis XV of France
, aged five, was put under the care of the Duke of Orléans
who was a nephew (as well as son-in-law) of the late Louis XIV. Antonio del Giudice went to France during the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans
.
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At the instigation of Guillaume Dubois
, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, France formed the Quadruple Alliance
between England, Holland and the Holy Roman Empire
in order to combat the possible personal union between France and Spain, should the five-year old Louis XV die; Spain was then ruled by Louis XV's uncle, Phillip V
, who had been king of Spain since the death of Charles II
in 1700. The War of the Spanish Succession
had resulted in the Treaty of Utrecht
of April 1713; that treaty underlined that neither Philip nor his descendants could inherit the French throne, he having agreed to this previously.
The Prince of Cellamare and his embassy wanted to try and depose Philippe d'Orléans from power and make Philip V the Regent for his nephew. The plan was greatly supported by some of Philippe d'Orléans most notorious enemies, namely the duke and duchess du Maine, Louis Auguste de Bourbon and his wife, Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, who had entered into correspondence with the Spanish Prime Minister Giulio Alberoni
- a favourite of Queen Elisabeth Farnese.
With the support of the Spanish ambassador, a plot to carry out the transferral was soon woven into the entourage of the duchess. According to the memoirs of the duchess' lady-in-waiting the Baroness de Staal, Melchior de Polignac
and the Duke of Richelieu
, among others, were part of the plot.
The Duke of Richelieu was at the time having a romantic affair with one of the Regent's daughter's, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans. The Baroness's memoirs said that the duke and duchess of Maine had wanted to call a meeting between the États généraux
regarding the matter.
The correspondence between the duchess of Maine and Alberoni was later intercepted by the police and thus reported to the Regent who acted swiftly; one 9 December, the Prince of Cellamare was arrested and sent back to Spain; Alberoni was arrested on 5 December 1718 at Poitiers
; the duchess was exiled to Dijon
while her husband was imprisoned in the fortress of Doullens
in Picardy. The Duke of Richelieu was imprisoned in the Bastille
where he was later visited by his lover Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans dressed in disguise.
Despite this, the guilty members of the plot were all pardoned by 1720 and allowed to return to their residence.
On 9 January 1719, France declared war on Spain, following in the footsteps of England who had done so a couple of weeks earlier, on 27 December 1718.
Two years later, the aims of the Cellamare conspiracy were revived in the Pontcallec Conspiracy
, four leaders of which were executed.
Cellamare
Cellamare is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Puglia, Italy.Origin: 1171 AD; Founded by Archbishop RainaldoOrigin of Town Name: Cella D'AmoreOther Important Figures: Saint AnnePrimary Industry: Agrarian Community - Grapes...
Conspiracy of 1718 ( Conspiration de Cellamare) was a conspiracy against the then Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
(1674-1723). "Created" in Spain, it was the brainchild of Antonio del Giudice
Antonio del Giudice
Antonio del Giudice, duke of Giovinazzo, prince of Cellamare was a Spanish nobleman and diplomat.-Life:In 1715 he was made Spanish ambassador to France...
, Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of Cellamare
Cellamare
Cellamare is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Puglia, Italy.Origin: 1171 AD; Founded by Archbishop RainaldoOrigin of Town Name: Cella D'AmoreOther Important Figures: Saint AnnePrimary Industry: Agrarian Community - Grapes...
.
Background and Plot
Antonio del Giudice was named the SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Ambassador to the French Court in 1715 during the reign of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
; Louis XIV died in September that year and his successor, Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
, aged five, was put under the care of the Duke of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
who was a nephew (as well as son-in-law) of the late Louis XIV. Antonio del Giudice went to France during the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans
Régence
The Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
.
Guillaume Dubois
Guillaume Dubois was a French cardinal and statesman.-Early years:Dubois, the third of the four great Cardinal-Ministers , was born in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in Limousin...
, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, France formed the Quadruple Alliance
Quadruple Alliance
The term "Quadruple Alliance" refers to several historical military alliances; none of which remain in effect.# The Quadruple Alliance of August 1673 was an alliance between the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Spain, Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, in...
between England, Holland and the Holy Roman Empire
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
in order to combat the possible personal union between France and Spain, should the five-year old Louis XV die; Spain was then ruled by Louis XV's uncle, Phillip V
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, who had been king of Spain since the death of Charles II
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
in 1700. The War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
had resulted in the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
of April 1713; that treaty underlined that neither Philip nor his descendants could inherit the French throne, he having agreed to this previously.
The Prince of Cellamare and his embassy wanted to try and depose Philippe d'Orléans from power and make Philip V the Regent for his nephew. The plan was greatly supported by some of Philippe d'Orléans most notorious enemies, namely the duke and duchess du Maine, Louis Auguste de Bourbon and his wife, Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, who had entered into correspondence with the Spanish Prime Minister Giulio Alberoni
Giulio Alberoni
Giulio Alberoni was an Italian cardinal andstatesman in the service of Philip V of Spain.-Early years:He was born near Piacenza, probably at the village of Fiorenzuola d'Arda in the Duchy of Parma....
- a favourite of Queen Elisabeth Farnese.
With the support of the Spanish ambassador, a plot to carry out the transferral was soon woven into the entourage of the duchess. According to the memoirs of the duchess' lady-in-waiting the Baroness de Staal, Melchior de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac
Melchior de Polignac was a French diplomat, Roman Catholic cardinal and neo-Latin poet.A younger son of Armand XVI, marquis de Polignac, he was born at Lavoûte-sur-Loire, Haute-Loire, Auvergne. At an early age he achieved distinction as a diplomat...
and the Duke of Richelieu
Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Armand de Vignerot du Plessis was a French soldier, diplomat and statesman. Joining the army, he participated in three major wars and eventually rose to the rank of Marshal of France....
, among others, were part of the plot.
The Duke of Richelieu was at the time having a romantic affair with one of the Regent's daughter's, Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans. The Baroness's memoirs said that the duke and duchess of Maine had wanted to call a meeting between the États généraux
French States-General
In France under the Old Regime, the States-General or Estates-General , was a legislative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king...
regarding the matter.
The correspondence between the duchess of Maine and Alberoni was later intercepted by the police and thus reported to the Regent who acted swiftly; one 9 December, the Prince of Cellamare was arrested and sent back to Spain; Alberoni was arrested on 5 December 1718 at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
; the duchess was exiled to Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
while her husband was imprisoned in the fortress of Doullens
Doullens
Doullens is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.Its inhabitants are called Doullennais and Doullennaises.-Geography:...
in Picardy. The Duke of Richelieu was imprisoned in the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
where he was later visited by his lover Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans dressed in disguise.
Despite this, the guilty members of the plot were all pardoned by 1720 and allowed to return to their residence.
On 9 January 1719, France declared war on Spain, following in the footsteps of England who had done so a couple of weeks earlier, on 27 December 1718.
Two years later, the aims of the Cellamare conspiracy were revived in the Pontcallec Conspiracy
Pontcallec Conspiracy
The Pontcallec conspiracy was a rebellion that arose from an anti-tax movement in Brittany between 1718 and 1720. This was at the beginning of the Régence , when France was controlled by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans during the childhood of Louis XV...
, four leaders of which were executed.
Source
- The current information was taken from the present Conspiration de Cellamare on French Wikipedia.