The Mission of the French Diplomat N. H. de Bassville and the Roman Uprising of 1793

Abstract

French diplomacy in 1792—1793 was in a deep crisis. The new system of political appointments was not yet fully formed, and people without experience and merit could be appointed to important positions. One of these diplomats of the revolutionary era was N. H. de Bassville, who, by coincidence, ended up in the position of secretary of the French embassy in Rome and tragically died during the uprising in January 1793. If in the French revolutionary press the figure of Bassville was immediately glorified, then from the 1880s. In the scientific literature, this plot is considered strictly within the framework of positivist methodology. Even today, the situation in historiography has not changed much. The role of Cardinal Zelada, Secretary of State of the Vatican, in these events is downplayed or even distorted. Although it was the cardinal who made every effort so that the sharp and thoughtless actions of the French representatives did not lead to an outbreak of popular protest. The article attempts to abandon the stereotypical perception of Bassville’s mission and fit it into the context of the political history of the Papal State at the end of the 18th century, paying special attention to the causes of the explosion of popular discontent. The author shows that the hypothesis that the uprising of January 1793 itself was inspired by the papal authorities is not supported by the sources. An analysis of the sources, according to the author, gives reason to believe that the causes of the uprising were associated not only with the mentality of the lower strata of Rome, with the image of the French in the public mind, but also with the socio-economic situation in the region. In particular, with the situation with wheat, rumors about the export of which to France caused an uprising on January 13—14, 1793.