Foreign Policy and the French Revolution
Foreign Policy and the French Revolution Charles- François Dumouriez, Pierre LeBrun, and the Belgian Plan, 1789 1793 Patricia Chastain Howe
* FOREIGN POLICY AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION Copyright Patricia Chastain Howe, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 All rights reserved. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States- a division of St. Martin's Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprim of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37213-3 DOI 10.1057/9780230616882 ISBN 978-0-230-61688-2 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data rs available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Howe, Patricia Chastain. Foreign policy and the French Revolution : Charles-Fran<;ois Dumouriez, Pierre Lebrun, and the Belgian Plan, 1789-1793 1 Patricia Chastain Howe. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-230-60448-X 1. France-History-Revolution, 1789-1799. 2. France-Foreign relations. 3. Dumouriez, Charles Fran<;ois Du Perier, 1739-1823. 4. LeBrun, Pierre, 1754-1793. 5. Foreign ministers-france. 1. Title. DC157.H68 2008 944.04-dc22 2008017170 Design by Westchester Book Group. First edition: December 2008 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Transferred to Digital Printing in 2013
For my daughter, Kari Howe Stoltz
Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 Pierre LeBrun and the Liégeois Revolution, 1754 1792 7 2 Charles- François Dumouriez and the Belgian Revolution, 1739 1792 23 3 The Legislative Struggle for Control of French Foreign Policy, 1789 1792 41 4 Revolution in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March-June 1792 63 5 Consolidating Control of the Belgian Plan, May- August 1792 81 6 Advancing the Belgian Plan, August- November 1792 97 7 Stalemate in the Belgian Provinces, November-December 1792 111 8 Efforts to Prevent a Wider War, January 1793 129 9 Failure of the Belgian Plan, February- March 1793 149 10 Endgame, March-December 1793 171 Conclusion 187 Notes 191 Bibliography 245 Index 253
Ac know ledg ments Over the twenty- six years I have been working on this research, I have accumulated a great debt of gratitude to many people who have sustained my efforts. My original mentor, George V. Taylor, patiently taught me the tools of the profession. Other colleagues who have read and commented on my work with grace and insight along the way include Keith Luria of North Carolina State University, Etienne Helin of the University of Liège, and Paul R. Hanson of Butler University. At the University of St. Thomas, my heartfelt thanks to George M. Woytanowitz, who has shared his wise comments on the entire manuscript; to Scott Wright, who has been a longstanding source of help and encouragement; to Christine Igielski, who has worked so diligently on the mechanics of preparing the manuscript for publication; to Virginie Sanchez, who has also helped with editing the fi nal work; and to Allison M. Seiwert, who prepared the maps for publication. My editor, Jeanne Barker- Nunn, has been a constant source of support and enthusiasm. I also wish to thank the directors and staff members of the archives and libraries in Paris, Brussels, Liège, and London, where I spent so many hours under their watchful and helpful direction. Finally, I thank my family, whose love and loyalty have sustained me throughout: my mother, Barbara Peavey Chastain; my daughter, Kari Howe Stoltz, to whom I dedicate this work; my brother, Peter Frederick Chastain; and my husband, Arthur King Howe, Jr. To say thank you is just not enough.