The Jacobites and the Grand Tour

The Jacobites and the Grand Tour examines the complex relationship between Jacobitism, educational travel, and small-states' diplomacy. It argues that travel illustrates the fundamental shift in European politics around Jacobitism in the first half of the 18th Century. By considering how small states used official diplomacy and soft power, the book unveils the mechanisms that enabled travellers to pursue their political and educational goals.

The first part offers a comparative perspective on the extent of Jacobite presence in European small states. The second part appraises the influence of Jacobitism on small states' diplomacy, and vice-versa. The final part brings together Jacobitism and educational travel, considering continental academies as extensions of small states' diplomacy. This work exploits little-studied archival materials and a wide range of travel narratives to explain how and why certain small states secretly supported the Jacobite cause during the crucial years surrounding the 1715 rising. Simultaneously, the book shows how early modern small states sought to cultivate good relations with Britain and Ireland by attracting travellers, ensuring connections with future diplomats or politicians in case a Stuart restoration never came.

By taking the Grand Tour out of the purely socio-cultural analysis, The Jacobites and the Grand Tour restores its political dimension. While the book covers an understudied aspect of European political history, its reach extends beyond Jacobite studies to court studies, travel studies, and the wider cultural history of the early modern period.