Comte de Cagliostro - Mémoire pour le Comte de Cagliostro - 1786

Memoir for the Count of Cagliostro (1786)
Historical context
This document is a legal memo written in 1786 for the defense of the Count of Cagliostro (Giuseppe Balsamo), accused in the framework of the Affair of the Queen's Necklace. This affair, which erupted in France at the end of Louis XVI’s reign, involved several notable figures, including Cardinal de Rohan and the Countess of la Motte, and helped tarnish the reputation of Queen Marie-Antoinette.

Content of the memoir
the text is presented as a plea against the Attorney General, in the presence of the other accused. It also contains an excerpt from a letter from Count de Vergennes, Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressed to Mr. Gérard, provost of Strasbourg, dated 17 March 1787, stating that Cagliostro asked only for tranquility, security and hospitality.

Historical importance
This memoir is a valuable source for historians, as it illustrates the defense strategies in the trials of the Ancien Régime and provides an insight into the political and social tensions of the time. It is also a direct testimony of the way in which Cagliostro sought to defend himself against the accusations.

A rare and precious work for historians...