The Registers of Heredom(tm) The 1813 Arrêté Territorial Sovereignty, Recognition, and the De la Hogue Supreme Council A Full Diplomatic Translation and Original French Transcription Hardcover

The 1813 Arrêté: Territorial Sovereignty, Recognition, and the De la Hogue Supreme Council presents a full diplomatic English translation and the complete original French transcription of one of the most consequential constitutional documents in the early history of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.Issued under the authority of the Supreme Council for France and sanctioned under the presidency of Cambacérès, the Arrêté addresses claims advanced in the name of the Supreme Council for the French possessions in America. At the center of the dispute were Jean-Baptiste Marie de la Hogue and his associates, who sought recognition, honorary status, and authority to administer American Masonic affairs while operating in France.The document examines fundamental questions of Masonic law and protocol: territorial sovereignty, regularity, lawful initiation, recognition, delegated authority, the validity of patents and diplomas, and the constitutional prohibition against rival Supreme Councils occupying the same jurisdiction.Of particular importance is the Arrêté's conclusion that personal Masonic rank did not automatically carry territorial sovereignty into France. It rejected the establishment of a parallel Supreme Council in Paris, required unrecognized claimants to prove that their degrees had been lawfully conferred by a legitimate authority acting within its own territory, and treated unauthorized jurisdictional activity as a threat to Masonic unity.This edition also includes a substantial documentary introduction comparing the Arrêté with the later 5818 Statutes and Regulations associated with the de la Hogue Supreme Council. That comparison reveals both continuity and tension between the French Council's territorial doctrine and the later administrative structure created for the French possessions of America and the Indies.Prepared according to strict diplomatic standards, the English translation preserves the formal structure, institutional language, tone, and legal character of the original source. The original French text follows in full, allowing readers to compare the translation directly with the historical document.This work is intended for historians of Freemasonry, researchers of the Scottish Rite, archivists, documentalists, and students of Masonic sovereignty, succession, recognition, and constitutional legitimacy.Diplomatically Transcribed and Translated by A. L. Guerra.