ABSTRACT
Since 1989 historical research into patterns of denunciation has become very fashionable. This chapter examines the issue of political denunciation in the context of a conspiracy that happened in an early modern republic. A belief in conspiracies seems to be a universal phenomenon. According to recent research on conspiracy and conspiracy theories, it is found in all societies, all cultures and all eras regardless of the very different political and cultural settings. In both European historiography and literature, the notion of conspiracy has played a prominent part ever since antiquity. It is closely linked to the problem of resistance against tyranny as well as violent and illegitimate forms of political takeovers. Denunciation of their conspiracy, however, put a stop to hidden processes of communication and triggered a series of government measures – arrests, mobilization of the militia, legal proceedings – which in turn became objects of public and private debate.
