The Stuarts in Italy, 1719-1766 : A Royal Court in Permanent Exile

For nearly half of the eighteenth century, the exiled Stuart Court provided an important British presence in Rome. Based on new research in Italian and British archives, this book reassesses the lives of the exiled Stuarts, their courtiers, and their relations with the Popes, cardinals and princely families of Rome.

For nearly half of the eighteenth century, the exiled Stuart Court provided an important British presence in Rome. It acted as a surrogate embassy for the many Grand Tourists passing through the city - Hanoverian Whigs as well as Tories and Jacobites - and as a significant social and cultural centre. This book presents the first complete study of the Court of the exiled Stuart King James III, offering a significant reassessment of its importance and of the lives of the Stuarts and their courtiers, and their relations with the Popes, cardinals and princely families of Rome. Edward Corp's interdisciplinary approach also reveals the Stuarts' patronage of leading portrait painters, their influence on the development of Italian opera, and the impact of their Court buildings on relations with their supporters. This book will be essential reading for everyone with an interest in Jacobitism, Italian culture and the eighteenth-century Grand Tour.