Much Ado About Nothing? Baron Forstner and Anglo-Lorrain Relations, 1710–1715

Abstract

Baron Wolfgang Jacobus Forstner von Breitenfels was envoy to Duke Leopold I of Lorraine (1697–1729) at the court of Queen Anne of Britain and Ireland (1665–1714) between 1710 and 1713. Using Forstner's unexamined papers, this article explores Lorrain perceptions of Britain during the twilight of Anne's reign. As a monarch's political decisions were influenced by the correspondence of their representatives and the quality of the information they received, the article examines how Forstner's correspondence affected Leopold's decision making. It argues that the relationship between Anne and Leopold was shaped by Forstner's impressions of Anne, her court, and ministers. Forstner's reports on the state of Jacobitism in England misled Leopold into believing that Anne's ministry advocated the restoration of her half-brother: James Francis Edward Stuart (1688–1766). As a result, James was welcomed in Lorraine between 1713 and 1716 - three years that were crucial for the preparation of the Jacobite Rising of 1715.