A Surprise at the Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France: Théodore de Godefroy and his Nautical Papers

Following our previous posts on documental discoveries in archives, we could not fail to report a French example. Theódore de Godefroy (1580-1649) was a famous French historian and jurist of the 17th century, with an important work and career under King Louis XIII of France (1610-1643). Coming from a Calvinist family of Professors of Law at Geneve University, Théodore came to France. In 1617, he was named historian of the King of France. He also became an advisor of the King and was named, in 1643, for the dealings of Munster and, in 1647, for the negotiations for the Treaty of Westphalia.

Throughout his extensive career, Theódore authored significant works, the most celebrated among them being Le Cérémonial de France (1619). Furthermore, he curated an important collection pertaining to Portugal, which led him to produce De L’origine des Roys de Portugal issues en ligne masculine de la Maison de France qui regne aujourd’hui (initially published in 1612). Theódore’s writings on Portugal are intrinsically linked to his numerous endeavors aimed at persuading the French elite to provide unwavering support for the Portuguese Restoration of independence (from 1640 onwards), in opposition to Spain. The bulk of Theódore’s personal papers, as well as those of his forebears and successors, are archived at the Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France in Paris. This collection comprises almost 600 volumes, with remarkable historical materials relevant to the history of Europe as a whole.

While Theódore’s primary objective revolved around political pursuits aimed at bolstering French arguments against Spanish dominance in Europe, he also understood the significance of nautical knowledge for France during his era. Thus, nautical materials acquired their own place in Theódore’s collection. One particularly noteworthy item is a translation, from the original Portuguese into French, of the renowned nautical rutter authored by Vicente Rodrigues. This nautical guide traced the seafaring route from Lisbon to Goa, in addition to several other routes traversing the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Accompanying this work is a Spanish nautical rutter, which provides guidance on sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Magellan. Interestingly, this nautical rutter also furnishes information pertaining to maritime routes leading to the Spanish Caribbean and various points in South America.

Theódore also had a collection of maritime intelligence documentation, among which a 1629 Spanish address to King Philip IV of Spain (1621-1665). The unnamed author implored the Spanish monarch (as his ancestors had done) to prioritize the education and training in cosmography of oceanic navigators. The aim was to ensure that Spain continued to possess the finest navigators capable of sailing its maritime routes effectively, thus retaining a competitive edge against emerging enemies such as the French, English, and Dutch. In pursuit of this goal, Theódore also translated another document into French—an undated Spanish plan devised to obstruct the successful nautical endeavors of the Dutch in their routes to Asia.

In one of his works, Theódore confided that the most jubilant moment in his life was when he received news that the French ambassador in Rome had finally achieved precedence over his Spanish counterpart. When writing this, Theódore was acutely aware that this outcome was realized because France was emerging as a power not only within the confines of Europe but also across distant oceans. These nautical items preserved within Theódore’s collection may not represent the only ones he acquired over the course of his extensive career. However, they serve as a testament to his profound insights. If France aspired to supplant Spain’s dominion on the European stage, it had to position itself as a formidable maritime and global player. To fulfill this ambition, France needed to glean invaluable lessons from its maritime competitors on how to construct and sustain a worldwide maritime empire. Theódore recognized that at the core of this endeavor lay the relentless pursuit of nautical knowledge. Consequently, he meticulously gathered nautical knowledge and maritime intelligence from Spain, Portugal, England, and the Dutch Republic. Similar to Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642), Theódore understood that maritime knowledge constituted a pivotal foundation upon which France could not afford to gamble to win the strategic contest of global power against Spain. [Nuno Vila-Santa]