ABSTRACT
This statement is attributed to Cardinal Jules Mazarin, otherwise known as Giulio Mazzarino, in 1637, but could have been said by any number of nobles, diplomats or intellectuals to whom the boundaries of early modern political states had little social or emotional value.2 It helps us see in part the mentality that continued to define the Lorraine-Guise as both French aristocrats and European princes in a much wider sense. While overtly attending the Crown of France as courtiers, officers and governors, the members of the Lorraine cadet branches continued to see themselves as part of the greater maison ducale et souveraine, and linked to its interests as a state between the great powers of France, Spain and the Empire. This duality of dynastic pride and service to the French Crown can be seen, for example, in letters written by the comte d’Armagnac to Duke Léopold of Lorraine. In one he states that ‘It gives me great pride to bear your name’, while in another, he affirms his loyalty to Louis XIV: ‘Monseigneur, be persuaded that we follow the intentions of our sovereign.’3
