‘Jules Develle: deconstructing the Myth of the Obscure Foreign Minister’ (original) (raw)

2024, The George Rudé Seminar in French History and Culture, Sydney

In January 1893, the management of French foreign policy was entrusted to Jules Develle, who by then had gained some reputation as a protectionist minister of agriculture. In the French period press, Develle was portrayed as an incompetent amateur who, with virtually no knowledge of protocol and decorum, rose to thehead of the Quai d’Orsay. This ‘black legend’ that arose around Develle was then apparently picked up by modern historiography, where Develle received no close attention but was labelled ‘obscure’. This paper aims to reconstruct the tenure of Jules Develle, the French foreign minister, and deconstruct the myth of ‘obscure’ figure who was entrusted the heading of the Quai d’Orsay in 1893. Based on the analysis of primary sources, namely Develle’s personal and official correspondence, which were so far neglected by scholars, and comparing it with the correspondence of Develle’s colleagues, associates, political partners, and the contemporary French press, the paper aims to present a unique portrait of a politician who has so far been overlooked by modern historiography.