Abbé Raynal - Histoire du Stadhouderat - 1749

The History of the Stadtholdership of Abbé Raynal is a political and historical work devoted to the institution of the stathouder in the United Provinces. Abbé Raynal traces the origin, evolution, and transformations of this office, situated at the border between military power, executive authority, and republican balance. The work analyzes the constant tensions between the stadtholder and political liberties, showing how this office could at times be a factor of stability or a threat to the republican spirit. Raynal adopts a critical reading, attentive to abuses of power, internal rivalries, and European diplomatic concerns. Beyond the institutional history, the text more broadly questions the nature of power, its possible drift, and the conditions necessary for political freedom.

Guillaume-Thomas Raynal was born in 1713 in Rouergue and received religious training before turning to literature and philosophy. Settled in Paris, he frequented the intellectual circles of the Enlightenment and made himself known as a historian and political thinker. Gradually, he adopts a critical stance toward absolutism, colonialism, and religious intolerance. His major work, Philosophical and Political History of the Two Indias, earns him European fame but also censorship and exile. A committed figure of the Enlightenment, Raynal embodies the intellectual who uses history as a tool for political, moral, and social reflection.



Abbé Raynal - History of the Stadtholderate.

Amsterdam, 1749. New edition.

Complete in 1 volume in-12 (316 pp.)

Full vellum binding in very good condition. Smooth, unlettered spine with a title piece. Small scattered stains. Clean interior, well preserved.

A beautiful copy of this rather uncommon work.