London carriage dispute

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The London carriage dispute ( French Guerre de préséance , English Contest for precedence ) was a diplomatic incident that took place in London on September 30, 1661 and escalated the simmering dispute between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Spain .

After both sides had for a while claimed the priority of their representatives in terms of protocol, the conflict escalated when the new Swedish ambassador Per Brahe moved into London. Both the French ambassador Godefroy d'Estrades and the Spanish ambassador Jean Charles de Watteville claimed to drive their carriages at the head of the train. Both sides had been well briefed beforehand. Louis XIV in particular insisted that France, as the supreme power of Europe, take precedence over any other. On the way to Whitehall there was a scandal : The French had armed themselves well, but in the scuffle that followed, which resulted in several deaths, the Spaniards won the upper hand, as they had bribed numerous onlookers as a precaution. Spaniards and “obligated” residents killed the horses in front of the French carriage as well as members of the delegation of the French ambassador. Therefore, the French were only able to take part in the entry.

Excusing audience of the Spanish ambassador before Louis XIV on March 24, 1662

The Spaniards had delivered exactly what Louis XIV had hoped for, namely a renewed insult to the French crown. The King of France reacted immediately: The Spanish ambassador to France was expelled from the country, the French ambassador to Spain withdrawn. Louis XIV demanded a public apology from the King of Spain and the unrestricted primacy of France in all affairs and at all courts of Europe. Should Spain fail to comply with these demands, France would invade Spain and annex the Spanish Netherlands . Knowing that Spain was insolvent and had no more troops after it had only lost a long war with France in the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659 , Spain had no choice but to accept all claims.

The London carriage dispute is considered the first major appearance of the "Sun King" in European politics. With the dispute, Louis XIV had also pursued the goal of showing all of Europe that he was not only the most powerful king in Europe, but also a politically experienced man. This incident is considered to be one of the best examples of foreign policy reasons of state . It is not about the action itself, but about the deliberate provocation of an incident on the part of France and the subsequent creation of a threatening backdrop towards Spain after the London incident.

The case was described by a contemporary witness: The Englishman Samuel Pepys mentions the episode in his diary on September 30th and October 4th, 1661. The mood report is interesting. There he says: “ And indeed we do naturally all love the Spanish, and hate the French. ”(German:“ And of course we all really love the Spaniards and hate the French. ”)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Diary of Samuel Pepys : Monday 30 September 1661 , Friday 4 October 1661