A complex diplomatic mission. Leonardo Donà at the Spanish court of Philip II (1570-1573), pp. 268-310 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Behind the negotiations: Nuncio Antonio Caetani's experience at the court of Madrid (1611-1618).
Theatrum historiae, 2018
[...]. A perspective on the relations between Rome and Madrid at the beginning of the seventeenth century will be examined by focusing on recommendations, favours, rewards, and benefices as recompense for gratitude and friendship. The approach purports to deepen the practice of early modern diplomacy by considering Caetani's networks and his perceptions as a privileged observer of court life.
During the Seventeenth century, the Republic of Lucca, as a small state, needed to seek protection especially from Spain, which was the actual ruler of the Italian peninsula; for this reason it was important to have a resident ambassador in Madrid. Connections and friendships were essential for the ambassador to obtain precious information on what was happening around Europe and to negotiate matters in the interest of his Republic (and even in his own) at the court of His Catholic Majesty. The case study, which I present, is the embassy of Lorenzo Cenami in Madrid in the second half of the 17th century (1662-1674) and is based on both public sources and private ones, the latter held in the Cenami family archives. This paper has two aims. Firstly, it intends to reconstruct the network of people with whom the diplomat interacts: other diplomats, members of Consejos and Junta de gobierno, people connected with king Philip IV, and then with the queen Gobernadora Mariana of Austria and with the child king Charles II. Secondly, it will focus on how the ambassador constructs this large network of relationships: making his moves, in the various shifts of balance within the court during twelve years, requires not only a good knowledge of who are the prominent people, but also recurrent interactions through frequent visits, formal and informal meetings, and a vast use of the practice of gift giving.
Review of 'Communication and Conflict: Italian Diplomacy in the Early Renaissance, 1350-1520
Reviews in History, 2016
In 1372 Renatus Malbecco, a Milanese ambassador, arrived in Avignon for a meeting with Pope Gregory XI. His embassy was evidently unwelcome: he was 'received with insults' and promptly sent away. An observing diplomat recounted this event in a couple of terse lines. A little over a century later it was the turn of Ludovico il Moro of Milan to dismiss a visiting envoy. This time, however, the equivalent observer narrated the events in dramatic form, describing the speech, movements and manners of the participants described for a neighbouring prince (p. 152). The language of diplomacy had become richer, its description thicker, its nuances more telling. These linguistic changes lie at the heart of Lazzarini's book, which explores developments in Italian diplomacy over a long 15th century, taking in the period of the Papal move to Avignon, the subsequent Conciliar era, and the aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Her ambitious monograph aims to find an alternative to narratives of diplomacy focused on the development of resident embassies in this period (and in particular to the variants of that narrative linking permanent diplomacy to the 'rise of the modern state'). It explores instead other chronologies and changes, most importantly as they relate to text, language, narration and their nuances. This is a richly-documented contribution to the now not-so-new 'new diplomatic history', which has sought for some 20 years to situate practices of diplomacy in their social and cultural context. Studies in this field
The Political Strategy of the Nuncio Antonio Caetani in the Maze of the Imperial Court (1607-1611).
«Legatio. The Journal for Renaissance and Early Modern Diplomatic Studies», 1 (2017), 2017
The archbishop of Capua, Antonio Caetani (1566–1624), was an eminent member of a Roman aristocratic family. From 1607 to 1611, he resided at the Imperial court of Prague as Apostolic Nuncio in the service to Pope Paul V, where he witnessed the turmoil that gradually overwhelmed Bohemia, ruled at that point by Emperor Rudolf II of the House of Habsburg. Caetani moved in an orbit characterised by various coexisting political, local, confessional and social forces. His negotiations within the maze of the court were characterised by a wise and cautious approach of not interfering openly in Imperial affairs: a sort of ‘wait-and-see’ policy that was almost inevitable. This was firstly because of the Imperial ministers, who, instead of acting as a conduit to reach the ears of the sovereign, were actually considered obstructive and unhelpful because of their private aims, personal resentments, and often-outright hostility. Secondly, Caetani’s mission was hampered by the Rudolf II's suspicious nature: the Emperor feared papal intrusion in Imperial affairs. The papal nuncios did not merely embody the pope; they were also political subjects within networks of interpersonal relationships. Within these networks, they could practice their diplomatic roles, and also carry out (their own) personal affairs. Below, I will attempt to demonstrate how Caetani’s political strategy failed to establish fruitful relations with the courtiers and the Emperor.
2020
In the spring of 1568, Uluç Ali Pasha, a Christian convert to Islam born in the Spanish viceroyalty of Naples, became the new Ottoman governor of Algiers. Subsequently, Phillip II of Spain tried to establish a dialogue with him. To conquer the city without having to resort to a military expedition, the king of Spain sent Francesco Gasparo, a Corsican merchant, to Algiers. This article aims to shed light on the Spanish diplomatic practice used in the dialogue with the Ottoman Governors of Algiers during the sixteenth century. To do so, we have had to move away from the traditional focus on the study of agreements and opt for a more holistic approach of the diplomatic event. Diplomacy is no longer seen as a simple political relationship capable of establishing an agreement between two parties during a specific time, but as a permanent practice defined by a complex structure. Th us, the article focuses on the agents and practices used during the Spanish negotiation with Uluç Ali to assess the tenets underpinning this type of diplomatic interaction. Gasparo’s mission enables us to reflect on the structure of Spanish diplomacy in the Early Modern Mediterranean. The Corsican merchant’s experience in Algiers reveals the presence of a specific dialogic pattern between the Iberian and Maghreb coasts and how it was consolidated during the sixteenth century. Th is article endeavours thus to analyse the characteristic elements and principles of what seems to be a specific diplomatic model.
Juan Antonio de Vera, first Count of La Roca, was a key statesman for the Spanish Monarchy. A man with a strong humanistic education, he was also a prolific writer and a lover of poetry. Among other works, he authored the first treatise on the office of the ambassador ever written in Spanish, El Embajador (1620), soon translated in to French and Italian. He was ambassador to Venice between 1632 and 1642, with the critical mission of securing the neutrality of the Serenissima in the European war in progress, the Thirty Years' War. While in Venice, he wrote and sent to print a number of works in a very difficult political and editorial context. The Serenissima was more favourable to France than to Spain in the battle for continental hegemonic power. Venice was also the main printing place and therefore of dissemination of ideas in Italy and an important communications hub between cultures. At the same time, editorial censorship was strong in the city. The Count was very much aware of all this and captured any possible opportunities to influence Venice through his literature. This activity required so much sophistication that most of the time he had to write under a pseudonym. This article traces the impact and consequences of the literary activity of the Count of La Roca, which proves to be an effective component of his diplomatic efforts in Venice. The aim is to explain how the Count of La Roca used his literature to raise his own profile as ambassador, the glory of his lineage and the reputation of the Spanish Monarchy overall.
Librosdelacorte.es, 12, 8 (Primavera-Verano, 2016), 2016
Antonio Caetani (archbishop of Capua, 1566-1624) was a high exponent of an aristocratic Roman family, whose loyalty to the Spanish crown was well known. He grew up within the patronage network of the Cardinal Nephew Pietro Aldobrandini and later moved to that of Scipione Borghese. Thereafter, he became a servant of three causes: firstly, he pledged obedience to the Pope and to the papal family; secondly, he was vassal of the Spanish crown, and thirdly, he had to serve his own noble House. Caetani’s “triple loyalty” will clearly be proved during his Nunciature of Spain (1611-1618): it had a significant impact on his diplomatic role at the court of Madrid. This topic might be helpful in highlighting some aspects of diplomacy in early modern Europe and will shed light on how the interests of individuals and factions were able to consistently influence international politics. ERRATA CORRIGE: The manuscript entitled "Life of the Cardinal Antonio Caetani", (BAV, Barb. Lat., Ms. 6030) is dated 1634 and not 1624.
Culture & History Digital Journal, 11 (1), 2022
Against the traditional vision, the relations between the Spanish Monarchy and the Republic of Venice improved significantly during the second half of the 17 th century. Once again, the war against the Ottomans in Candia (1645-1669) forced the Serenissima to look for the support of the Catholic King. For this reason, the role played by their ambassadors in Madrid, with a view to achieve the necessary assistance of Philip IV, became essential for the Venetian interests. At the same time, they pursued to ensure a relevant and closer position to the principal nucleus of power in the Spanish court. Accordingly, the continuous disputes with the members of the Spanish institutions with regard to their lodging become an essential field of study to measure the degree of influence, supremacy or immunity of these legates during the reigns of the two last monarchs of the House of Austria.