CHAPTER: Rebels, Exiles and Pirates in Context: Flexible Labels in the Aftermath of the Peace of Utrecht (1713-1720)", in G. DE GIUDICI, D. FEDELE & E. FIOCCHI MALASPINA (eds.), Soggettività contestate e diritto internazionale in età moderna [Collana di studi di storia del diritto medievale e moderno, ed. P. ALVAZZI DEL FRATE, G. ROSSI & E. TAVILLA; 9] (Rome: Historia et Ius, 2023), pp. 153-176 (ISBN 978-88-946376-9-4) (OPEN ACCESS)

 

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Abstract:

The concepts ‘rebel’ and ‘pirate’ abound in eighteenth-century political discourse. These categories can be used to place individuals outside of the political arena and the protection of the law of nations. The present contribution focuses on the epithet ‘rebel’ or ‘pirate’ in the complex negotiations on the amendment and confirmation of the European peace order established at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701/1702-1713/1715). Delving into British and French diplomatic correspondence, successive examples of ‘rebels’ or ‘pirates’ come to the fore, from Brittany over Scotland, Catalunya, the Jacobites and Neapolitan privateers, to arrested Spanish and Swedish diplomats. Alliances and status of enmity between sovereigns were not necessarily conclusive, hence the importance of an ambiguous continuum of potential positions.

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