The Preparation of Embassies and the Protocols Followed by Royal Portuguese Ambassadors in the Late Middle Ages (original) (raw)

EnglishDiplomatic correspondence and the information transmitted through letters of instruction, which gavediplomatsthe necessary support for the performance of their duties, have become a highly important subject in the study of medieval diplomacy. In documents of this type, we can find some quite remarkable and valuable information about what could or could not be said in diplomatic contexts, outlining the rituals, attitudes, and procedures that a diplomat was required to adopt in the course of his international mission. Together with the letters of instruction, diplomats also carried with them letters of credence (commonly known ascredentials). These werethe documents that the various monarchs gave to their legitimate representatives, and which were designed to be presented at the courts visited by each diplomatic mission. These letters were essential for guaranteeing the correct conduct of negotiations, since, besides presenting the diplomats and expressing the wish that they be...