Baron François-Paul de Lisola (Franz Paul Freiherr von Lisola) (22 August 1613 - 19 December 1674) was an seventeenth-century diplomat and pamphleteer from Salins, France-Comté. In older English literature, his name is sometimes given as d’Isola. [1]
Bitterly anti-French, he served the Austrian Habsburgs and has been credited by modern historians with helping establish France as England's primary opponent in the so-called Second Hundred Years' War. [2] In the nineteenth-century, following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, German historians became greatly interested in him and credited him as the creator of the Grand Alliance or League of Augsburg. [3] [4] [5]
Lisola was born to Jérôme de Lisola, seigneur de Thise, and Suzanne Recy. His family was likely originally from Italy, but his father was born in Lyon. Lisola studied law in Dôle and earned a doctorate. From 1636-1638, he annoyed the authorities of Besançon, leading him to leave France-Comté and enter the service of the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III. He was first appointed as a representative to the Court of St. James in 1640. [6]
In 1646, Lisola was temporarily involved in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Westphalia, but his virulent anti-French attitude led to his being recalled. He was more successful in negotiations between Leopold I and Frederick William of Prussia in during the Second Northern War (1655-1660). For this, in 1659, Leopold granted him the title of baron. He was later instrumental in arranging Leopold's marriage to the Spanish Infanta, Margaret Theresa, in 1666. [7]
Lisola played a key role in the creation of the Triple Alliance of 1668 between England, the Dutch Republic, and Sweden. He also wrote numerous pamphlets attacking France and Louis XIV, claiming the latter was seeking to dominate Europe and establish a 'universal monarchy.' [7] His most famous and popular pamphlet was the 1667 Bouclier d'Etat et de Justice, which was published in English as 'THE BUCKLER OF State and Justice Against The DESIGN manifestly discovered of the UNIVERSAL MONARCHY, Under the vain PRETEXT OF THE QUEEN of France HER PRETENSIONS.' [8]
It is unclear how many of the works attributed to Lisola were actually written by him. [9] Pierre Bayle noted in 1675 that many libellers published under Lisola's name. [2] Works attributed to him include:
Baron François-Paul de Lisola (Franz Paul Freiherr von Lisola) (22 August 1613 - 19 December 1674) was an seventeenth-century diplomat and pamphleteer from Salins, France-Comté. In older English literature, his name is sometimes given as d’Isola. [1]
Bitterly anti-French, he served the Austrian Habsburgs and has been credited by modern historians with helping establish France as England's primary opponent in the so-called Second Hundred Years' War. [2] In the nineteenth-century, following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, German historians became greatly interested in him and credited him as the creator of the Grand Alliance or League of Augsburg. [3] [4] [5]
Lisola was born to Jérôme de Lisola, seigneur de Thise, and Suzanne Recy. His family was likely originally from Italy, but his father was born in Lyon. Lisola studied law in Dôle and earned a doctorate. From 1636-1638, he annoyed the authorities of Besançon, leading him to leave France-Comté and enter the service of the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand III. He was first appointed as a representative to the Court of St. James in 1640. [6]
In 1646, Lisola was temporarily involved in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Westphalia, but his virulent anti-French attitude led to his being recalled. He was more successful in negotiations between Leopold I and Frederick William of Prussia in during the Second Northern War (1655-1660). For this, in 1659, Leopold granted him the title of baron. He was later instrumental in arranging Leopold's marriage to the Spanish Infanta, Margaret Theresa, in 1666. [7]
Lisola played a key role in the creation of the Triple Alliance of 1668 between England, the Dutch Republic, and Sweden. He also wrote numerous pamphlets attacking France and Louis XIV, claiming the latter was seeking to dominate Europe and establish a 'universal monarchy.' [7] His most famous and popular pamphlet was the 1667 Bouclier d'Etat et de Justice, which was published in English as 'THE BUCKLER OF State and Justice Against The DESIGN manifestly discovered of the UNIVERSAL MONARCHY, Under the vain PRETEXT OF THE QUEEN of France HER PRETENSIONS.' [8]
It is unclear how many of the works attributed to Lisola were actually written by him. [9] Pierre Bayle noted in 1675 that many libellers published under Lisola's name. [2] Works attributed to him include: