Letter of King James III to the Emperor, October 18, 1715

Being on the point of embarking for Scotland, King James III sent the following letter to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI. James sent similarly worded letters to the Most Christian King, the Kings of Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and Prussia, the Republics of Venice and Genoa, the Swiss Republic, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Dukes of Lorraine, Modena, and Parma, the Electors of Mayence, Treves, Cologne, and Bavaria, the Elector Palatine, and the States General, as well as to Cardinals Albani, Paulucci, Imperiali, and Sacripanti.

A printed version of the French text can be found on pages 436 and 437 of volume 1 of Calendar of the Stuart Papers, Historical Manuscripts Commission (London: 1902). The English translation is my own.

Ayant plû à Dieu de disposer les coeurs d'une grande partie de nos sujets de rentrer dans leur devoir, et de nous rappeller dans nos états, avant que de partir pour nous mettre à leur teste, nous avons crû en devoir donner part à Votre Majesté Imperiale, tant pour la prier de favoriser nos justes desseins pour le recouvrement de nos royaumes, que pour l'assurer que nous ne pretendons pas par cette entreprise troubler en aucune manière la paix de l'Europe, mais au contraire l'affermir, étant resolu d'entretenir l'amitié et la bonne correspondence avec tous les princes et états nos voisins, et particuliérement de cultiver celle de Votre Majesté Imperiale en tout ce que nous pourrons quand nous sommes rétablis dans la paisible possession du trône de nos ancêtres. Nous esperons cet heureux rétablissement de la justice de notre cause, du zèle et de l'affection de nos bons sujets, et de la droiture de nos intentions. Cependant comme nous ne cherchons dans cette occasion qu'à nous acquitter de ce que le devoir et l'honneur demandent de nous, nous nous flattons non seulement de l'approbation de Votre Majesté Imperiale mais même de son assistance et son amitié.

Having pled God to dispose the hearts of a large part of our subjects to return to their duty and to recall us to our states, before leaving to put ourselves at their head, we believed it in order to take leave of Your Imperial Majesty, in part to ask you to support our just plans for the recovery of our kingdoms, as well as to assure you that we do not intend by this enterprise to trouble in any way the peace of Europe, but on the contrary to strengthen it, being resolved to maintain friendship and a good relationship with all the princes and states our neighbours, and particularly to cultivate that of Your Imperial Majesty in every way we can when we are reestablished in the peaceful possession of the throne of our ancestors. We hope in this happy restoration of the justice of our cause, of the enthusiasm and the affection of our good subjects, and of the rightness of our intentions. Nevertheless as on this occasion we only look to acquit ourselves of what duty and honour demands of us, we flatter ourselves not only of the approval of Your Imperial Majesty but also of your assistance and your friendship.