ABSTRACT
The late eighteenth century knows five 'great powers': Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. Against demands made by any of these a smaller neighbour was virtually helpless unless supported by another of the Big Five. The phrase 'state system', as applied to Europe before the French Revolution, has several advantages over 'international relations'. The origins of late eighteenth-century diplomatic practices can be traced back to Greco-Roman, and even earlier Middle Eastern, antiquity. The direct line of development, however, begins in the Christian middle ages, specifically with heralds as official messengers and with the papal nuncios of the Catholic Church. The joint seizure of Polish lands in 1772 had suggested a degree of community among Austria, Prussia and Russia which was thoroughly belied by their subsequent actions. The last years of the Old Regime, far from being wholly aimless or static, had witnessed a series of important shifts in the European state system.
