Crawford Matthews (University of Hull, UK)
On the 8th of July 1706 [1], an agent dispatched by Frederick I. King in Prussia arrived the allied army camp in the Spanish Netherlands. Here he met with John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough and commander of the allied military forces currently engaged in fighting the War of the Spanish Succession against Louis XIV of France. Frederick’s agent delivered a message to Marlborough, who was also one of the partners in the ruling duumvirate in England, that the King in Prussia wanted the removal of the current English ambassador from his court in Berlin. Frederick expressed to Queen Anne that he would, with her leave, recall his ambassador, so that she might do the same to Lord Raby (the English ambassador), and that he was desirous he might not go back to Berlin’. Frederick went on to state that ‘he has no objection to Lord Raby but his being so well with the Grand Chamberlain’s wife… that it gives him a ridicule all over the Empire’.[2] Frederick’s desire to see Raby removed was clearly sincere, as while Marlborough was being asked to aid in the removal of Raby, other Prussian agents were asking the Dutch envoy whether he could intercede with the Grand Pensionary of the Dutch Republic and help procure Raby’s withdrawal.[3] „Texte des RECS #8: The Production of Royal Rank through Ambassadorial Presence: Frederick I and the utilisation of Anglo-Prussian relations“ weiterlesen
