Prince of Europe: The Life of Charles Joseph de Ligne - 1735-1814 - Reviews - Book Review

Contemporary Review, July, 2003

Prince of Europe: The Life of Charles Joseph de Ligne (1735-1814). Philip Mansel. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. [pounds sterling]25.00. 338 pages. ISBN 1-84212-731-4. The author already has a formidable reputation for elegantly written books on French history based on exhaustive research. Ligne, however, was not French although he was a frequent visitor at Versailles.

Born in Belgium, he served the Austrian Habsburgs as a Field Marshal and diplomat. However, most of his numerous literary works, especially his influential ones on garden design, were written in French and he is a type-figure of the Enlightenment. He lived long enough to see the disasters to which some of its ideas led. He himself suffered considerably from the wars of the French Revolution, yet he always remained a serene figure and in time did return to his Catholic faith. Mr Mansell has given us a vivid insight into an eighteenth century 'European'. How different from the clapped-out Brussels politicians who swarm in his native land. (R.M.)