grant project "Bohemian and Moravian Nobility in the Diplomatic Service of the Austrian Habsburgs (1640-1740)", duration 2013-2017 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Extract from PhD research, based on original archival research, 2015
Analysis of the intricate selection process of envoys, couriers and resident diplomats of the Habsburg monarchs to the Ottoman Empire. Although far from a strict procedure, candidates were chosen throughout the century based on a handful of criteria. This paper describes the process and the factors that had an impact on it. The paper shows how Ottoman preference towards certain diplomatic competences and the trust placed in the dragomans directly and indirectly changed the selection process. It also demonstrates how Hungarian magnates struggled to strengthen their influence on Habsburg-Ottoman diplomacy. Lastly, it describes which measures were taken to cope with the chronic shortage of suitable candidates.
The death of Philip IV of Spain in 1665 meant an inflection point in the political attitude of his illegitimate son John of Austria. Since his stay at the court of Brussels (1656-1659), John came into conflict with the Imperial family of Vienna, who did not agree to treat him as an Infant of Spain. These problems of acknowledgment increased during the minority of Charles II, John’s stepbrother. The contacts of John with the Imperial ambassador Pötting were frustrating for both sides, as neither of the two accepted the treatment demanded by the other. Therefore, the relationships were carried out through unofficial interviews of informal agents of John as Francisco Bremundan, Diego de Velasco or Mateo Patiño with different representatives of the Imperial embassy. The chief topic discussed was the negotiation to marry King Charles II to Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria. This was the desired plan of Dowager Queen Marianne of Austria, but when John became ‘First Minister’ in 1677, he changed the political line developed until that time. John distrusted the alliance with his Viennese family and preferred to arrange the marriage of Charles II with the French Maria Luisa of Orleans. The aim of this paper is to show how unofficial diplomacy was used by John of Austria for the advancement of his own interests and its influence in the policy-making between the Habsburgs’ Courts between 1665 and 1679.
The Hungarian Historical Review, 2023
The composite state of the Spanish Habsburgs had a fading military, financial and diplomatic predominance in Central Europe in the first half of the seventeenth century. The Bohemian and Hungarian aristocracy was, to varying extents, integrated into the Spanish Habsburg system. This article presents three forms of integration and diplomatic relationship. First, it examines diplomatic and political encounters in the main governmental bodies and diets advising the emperor in decision-making, or more specifically, in the Imperial Privy Council in Vienna and during the diets of the kingdom of Hungary. Spanish Habsburg politicians and diplomats acted in many powerful ways to establish connections with Bohemian and Hungarian aristocrats so that they follow and adjust to their political agenda. Bohemian families (Slavata, Martiniz) had close relations and alliances with Spanish councilors in Vienna (who acted as ambassadors of the Spanish king), and several Hungarian aristocrats had interactions with them during the diets in order to secure the long-term interests of the dynasty in the Kingdom of Hungary. Second, the exchange, purchase, and influence of cultural goods and objects (e.g., books and gifts) and the ways in which these cultural goods were put to use, as well as the migration of people, show that the relationship went well beyond power politics and formal diplomatic relations. Personal and cultural influence and even early signs of acculturation can be clearly detected in several Bohemian and Hungarian families (e.g., the Forgách, Pázmány, and Zrínyi families), who ordered and read hundreds of books from Spanish Habsburg authors (including several books from Spanish Habsburg diplomats) and cities and exchanged diplomatic gifts with their Spanish counterparts. People, including influential figures (soldiers and nobles), also moved among Habsburg political centers, prompted by diplomatic or family relations between Spanish Habsburg politicians and Bohemian or Hungarian families. Third, information gathered in Vienna radiated to all Spanish Habsburg states in different layers of granularity, density, and confidentiality. Top Spanish diplomats could access and transmit classified documents and the texts of international contracts obtained from Central European aristocrats and events. They also sent thousands of reports to their superiors about general news in Bohemia and Hungary. At the same time, lower-ranking nobles often struggled to keep up with and understand international events and trends and failed to get information about the key results of wars and imperial diets, since they lacked access to the network and the seniority to exert adequate influence.
Representation and Self-Consciousness in 16th Century Habsburg Diplomacy in the Ottoman Empire
Akten des internationalen Kongresses zum 150-jährigen Bestehen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Wien, 22.-25. September 2004, 2005
This paper focuses on one particular aspect of political and cultural contacts between the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires that has received little attention, namely the representation of 16th century Habsburg embassies during their stay abroad. This element is closely linked with the way in which the Habsburg rulers saw themselves and vigorously tried to create an image of their monarchy. The first impression of a prince, as Machiavelli pointed out in his 'De principatibus', is determined by the impression one gets from the men in his environment. At least in the 16th century, this adage was incessantly applied by Habsburg rulers in maintaining diplomatic contacts with other monarchs. Not only did they instruct their envoys to pay a great deal of attention to this aspect of their mission, but also the envoys exerted themselves to maintain their ruler's 'réputation', both visually and verbally. Recent research has shown that a cultural interpretation of diplomacy can shed light on the way in which two radically different cultures interacted. Christian Windler has successfully applied this model of interpretation to the 18th century relations between France and Algiers. Diplomacy is here seen as an element of representation of the State, of its values, its monarch and its culture and the diplomats as the more important actors in this process. The great value attached to reputation and physical appearance by both the Ottomans and the Habsburgs must be understood within the context of a slowly evolving modus vivendi of diplomatic relations wherein, in this century, no rules or protocol had been set and wherein both parties tried to enforce new regulations and modes of conduct. The paper reflects upon the cultural relevance of representation, using examples from 16th century Habsburg embassies in the Ottoman Empire. Aspects which are discussed are the material equipment of Habsburg envoys (clothing, horses, gifts, etc), the verbal communication (the envoy's oratio for example), conflicts over formal hierarchy with both Ottoman dignitaries and Christian colleagues and, finally, iconographic material. All these aspects were equally important for rulers and diplomats to create an image of the embassy in particular and the relations between the Emperor and the Sultan in general. By interpreting its place in Early Modern culture, the lecture also tries to show the historical relevance of the discussed themes and offer a broader view on the subject, together with outlining some possible thoughts for future research.
2023
The use of works of art as diplomatic gifts or in the construction of the scenography of power during the Early Modern period has been widely discussed in recent decades. However, we have less information on the methods of acquisition and transportation of works of art between European courts before they fulfilled this ritual and political function. This paper will explore these topics by analyzing the correspondence of royal secretaries and Spanish ambassadors, who worked interchangeably for the courts of Spain and Vienna. The letters preserved in Austrian and Spanish archives make it possible to document the sending of books, sculptures, paintings, and even architectural models. The royal secretaries and ambassadors thus became first-rate cultural liaisons in forging the Habsburg dynasty's image of power.
This paper examines the previously unknown diplomatic mission of Hermann Jakob Count Czernin von Chudenitz in Warsaw in 1695. Neither Polish nor Czech nor Austrian historians paid any attention to it. Based on this, however, it is possible to demonstrate perfectly how tense the relations between Emperor Leopold I and the Polish King John III Sobieski, who, at the end of their lives, were officially allies in the Holy League. The author first briefly introduces this mission and then, using it as an example, attempts to show how the travels of the imperial ambassadors of that time were organised and also unveils other additional aspects of the diplomatic service. Above all he reconstructed the court of Count Czernin, who was surrounded by over 80 people, and also located the place of his accommodation in Warsaw and showed which apartment the Count possessed as an ambassador. Finally, he examined the question of the financial costs of this stay, and documented the fact that the ambassador had to pay many expenses from his own pocket, and that this mission had cost him cca. 50,000 guldens. U p till now neither in the Czech nor in the Polish nor in the Austrian historiography has any work in regard to the diplomatic mission of Hermann Jakob Czernin von Chudenitz to Poland in 1695 originated. In the Czech environment this is not surprising, because until recently almost no one there was actually dealing with the diplomacy of the early modern period and this situation has only improved during the last five years by the publication of the results of the systematic research work that was carried 1 This study originated as a part of the solution of the GA ČR's standard project No. 13–12939S entitled Bohemian and Moravian Nobility in the Habsburg Diplomatic Service (1640–1740). At this point I would like to note that the final form of this study originated with the assistance of several friends and colleagues. The results of his research of personal correspondence from the 1690's were kindly provided to me by Petr Maťa from Vienna, for which I thank him very much. I am also grateful to Vítězslav Prchal (for the data obtained from the Viennese archives concerning the funding of Czernin's mission) and to both the reviewers of this article (for the other recommended literature).
Librosdelacorte.es, monográfico 2, año 7, pp. 11-25, 2015
Since Charles V’s abdication in 1556, the House of Austria was divided into two branches. Philip II of Spain intended to create around his relatives in the Holy Empire a group of courtiers and counsellors linked to the Spanish monarchy through ties of loyalty and service. That “Spanish Faction” needed a prestigious patron to act as a broker. Empress Mary of Austria, sister of Philip II, wife of Maximilian II and mother of Rudolf II played the role of mediator. When she decided to return to Spain in 1581, her absence meant a cataclysm for the Spanish network in the Empire. The new ambassador, Guillén de San Clemente, introduced a significant change: since then, ambassadors enjoyed greater authority and autonomy to win and reward courtiers for serving to the Spanish King, but the limitations linked to ambassadors’ lower rank led to significant consequences in the management of affairs.