Secretaries General of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1831—1914: King’s Musketeers of Diplomacy

From 1831 until the First World War, one of the main roles in the process of implementing the Belgian foreign policy course belonged not to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and envoys on the ground, but, at first glance, less visible employees of the Ministry — the secretaries general. Despite their official position these people were, first of all, trusted representatives of the heads of State, they were entrusted with responsible and secret missions, about which the leadership of the department was often not informed. In the article, the author examines some aspects of the activities of the post prominent figures of the Belgian Foreign Ministry of the period 1831—1914: Jean-Baptiste Nothomb, Auguste Lambermont and Leon van der Elst, who can be called with confidence not only outstanding civil servants, but also like-minded and associates of the kings of Belgium.

Keywords

Belgium, diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, secretary general, Leopold I, Leopold II, Albert I, J.-B. Nothomb, A. Lambermon, L. van der Elst

Received

27.06.2023

Publication date

26.10.2023

Number of characters

36016

Cite

GOST	Khorosheva A. Secretaries General of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1831—1914: “King’s Musketeers” of Diplomacy // ISTORIYA – 2023. – V. 14. – Issue 9 (131) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840028140-3-1 (circulation date: 21.05.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028140-3
MLA	Khorosheva, Aleksandra "Secretaries General of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1831—1914: “King’s Musketeers” of Diplomacy." ISTORIYA 14.9 (131) (2023) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028140-3
APA	Khorosheva A. (2023). Secretaries General of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1831—1914: “King’s Musketeers” of Diplomacy. ISTORIYA 14(9 (131)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028140-3

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