Memoirs And Recollections Of Count Segur - Ambassador From France To The Courts Of Russia And Prussia.
"First published in English in 1825, Memoirs and Recollections of Count Ségur offers a vivid first-hand account of European diplomacy and court life during one of the most turbulent periods of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century history. Louis-Philippe, Comte de Ségur, served as French ambassador to the courts of Russia and Prussia and moved at the very centre of power during the final decades of the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic era. Writing with the authority of direct experience, Ségur combines political observation with personal reflection, producing a memoir that is as engaging as it is historically significant.
Volume I traces Ségur's early life, education, and entry into diplomatic service, introducing the personalities, intrigues, and ceremonial complexities of European courts. His descriptions of Catherine the Great's Russia and Frederick the Great's Prussia are especially valuable, offering nuanced portraits of rulers, courtiers, and diplomats, and shedding light on the subtle mechanics of international relations on the eve of revolutionary upheaval. Throughout, Ségur balances narrative flair with thoughtful analysis, revealing both admiration and criticism as he reflects on power, ambition, and the fragility of political systems.
Printed in London by Henry Colburn in 1825 and illustrated with a finely engraved portrait frontispiece, this first volume stands as an important example of early nineteenth-century diplomatic memoir. Rich in anecdote and contemporary insight, it provides an indispensable perspective on pre-Revolutionary Europe and the personalities who shaped it, and would particularly appeal to collectors of Napoleonic-era history, students of European diplomacy, and readers drawn to intelligent, observant memoirs of high political life."
