Mémoires et rapports de Jean Capodistrias (1809-1822) : (promblèmes et recherche)
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Abstract
For the first time the attempt is made to list and describe the memoranda,
notes, reports, drafts of speeches and diplomatic orders of John Capodistrias
during the time when he served Alexander I, Tsar of Russia, as senior diplomatic official. The search to locate these writings of Capodistrias covered a
variety of sources, especially that of Russian bibliography. The direct and indirect evidence attests up to now the existence of 76 pieces of work by Capodistrias, of which 10 have not yet been spotted in any archives, 20 are located in different archives, but remain unpublished, and the remaining 46 have been published. Of the last of these most received the light of publicity in recent Russian publications: because of this, too, they have not been evaluated by historians. The conclusions which the author reaches are: a) That the most important diplomatic documents of Capodistrias and the greatest number of them were composed in the years 1814-1815 and 1818, when there were the well-known congresses of Vienna, Paris and Aachen. b) That up to the present time these writings of a biographical nature have not been examined in biographical accounts of Capodistrias, especially when such writings belong to a period when he was representing, as senior diplomat, the greatest terrestial power on the European mainland. Thus, Capodistrias’ personality has been rendered in a somewhat defective or mistaken way. c) That these writings demonstrate the enormous spectrum of Capodistrias’ up-to-date knowledge of the world-wide issues of his time. His reports refer as much to matters concerning the Ionian Islands, the Greek and Balkan regions, as to the fundamental problems of Europe and the New World.
notes, reports, drafts of speeches and diplomatic orders of John Capodistrias
during the time when he served Alexander I, Tsar of Russia, as senior diplomatic official. The search to locate these writings of Capodistrias covered a
variety of sources, especially that of Russian bibliography. The direct and indirect evidence attests up to now the existence of 76 pieces of work by Capodistrias, of which 10 have not yet been spotted in any archives, 20 are located in different archives, but remain unpublished, and the remaining 46 have been published. Of the last of these most received the light of publicity in recent Russian publications: because of this, too, they have not been evaluated by historians. The conclusions which the author reaches are: a) That the most important diplomatic documents of Capodistrias and the greatest number of them were composed in the years 1814-1815 and 1818, when there were the well-known congresses of Vienna, Paris and Aachen. b) That up to the present time these writings of a biographical nature have not been examined in biographical accounts of Capodistrias, especially when such writings belong to a period when he was representing, as senior diplomat, the greatest terrestial power on the European mainland. Thus, Capodistrias’ personality has been rendered in a somewhat defective or mistaken way. c) That these writings demonstrate the enormous spectrum of Capodistrias’ up-to-date knowledge of the world-wide issues of his time. His reports refer as much to matters concerning the Ionian Islands, the Greek and Balkan regions, as to the fundamental problems of Europe and the New World.
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