ABSTRACT
According to the traditional view, French was the predominant diplomatic language in Europe from the seventeenth century onward. Existing literature on eighteenth-century diplomacy in the Holy Roman Empire has focused on major powers. This paper examines language choices by mid-sized and smaller territories in their diplomatic correspondence with France. While French predominated, German and Latin were also used. Language choice depended on context, personal preference, custom, or proximity to the French court. Latin, common in formal contexts and, in particular, dynastic matters (births, marriages, deaths), declined over the century but persisted until the French Revolution. German was not used to address the French directly but appeared in legal and internal court documents obtained by French diplomats and had to be translated.
