A nagykövet védelmének kérdése. Esterházy herceg és a Bettera-ügy
The Issue of the Ambassador’s Protection – Prince Esterhazy and the Bettera Case

Summary/Abstract: Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy became Austria's ambassador to London following the Congress of Vienna. He played a key social and political role during his time in England, and he was a recognised and respected figure in his profession. From the second half of the 1810s, however, his stay in London was overshadowed by a seemingly persistent problem, a personal dispute with Vito Bettera. The Ragusan nobleman had formerly been in the service of Paul Anton Esterhazy's father, Nicholas Esterhazy, but later their working relationship came to an end. Nonetheless, after his departure, Bettera demanded an annual pension, and since he resided in London from 1816, he turned to Paul Anton Esterhazy with his financial problem. The case dragged on for years, but Bettera's demands became more and more violent as time went on, and Prince Paul was publicly insulted in January 1823. The Prince, as an ambassador, requested protection from the British government after the incident, and urged it to intervene in the case. The study highlights how the Liverpool cabinet responded to the situation. To what extent did it feel that the obligation to protect the ambassador was within their own competence, or even necessarily applicable in a situation where the physical safety of the ambassador was at risk for reasons that did not fall within the category of official duties, but within the category of private life? The study aims to point out the complexity of this issue, and present an interesting and lesser known period in the life of Paul Anton Esterhazy.

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