Between Italian and European Courts

Early Modern Ambassadors on the Move

Series: 

Author:
Paola Volpini
Translator:
Matthys van Huyssteen
Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the figure of the ambassador underwent profound changes. This volume investigates its various aspects, analysing the criteria for choosing the diplomat, the arrival and the long years spent at the host court, as well as the conditions of the return home. In the context of the significant growth of circulating information, the procedures for creating embassy archives are also considered. Attention is paid to the networks of relations, influenced by polycentrism in the decision-making processes, to the cultural implications, connected to the forms of diplomatic sociability, to the rapid and sometimes frenetic turnover of individuals entrusted with portions of diplomatic agency: secretaries, agents, men of letters, sometimes women. By offering an innovative analysis of the relationship between diplomatic treatises, forms of the political and practical sources on the ambassador, this volume critically reflects on some pivotal themes in the history of European diplomacy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-74057-0
Publication:
17 Mar 2026
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-74056-3
Publication:
16 Apr 2026
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Paola Volpini, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Early Modern History and Political and Diplomatic History at the University of Parma, Italy. Her research interests cover sixteenth- and seventeenth-century history of political, diplomatic and cultural mediation. She has published many articles and monographs, including Los Medici y España. Príncipes, embajadores y agentes en la Edad moderna (Madrid, 2017) and Mobilità sociale e circolazione delle élites fra Italia e Stati dell’Europa (secoli XVI-XVIII) (Rome, 2021).
List of Figures

Introduction: the Impossible Census of Ambassadors

1 Diplomacy in the Early Modern Age Themes and Research Perspectives
 1 A Historiographical Renewal
 2 The Ambassador at Court
 3 Periodisations and Sources
 4 New Research Paths
 5 Political Information and Communication Figures
 6 Cultural Exchanges

2 Forms and Characteristics of Diplomacy in the Early Modern Europe
 1 Small States and European Powers
 2 Tools and Spaces of Diplomacy
 3 Preparation and Requirements
 4 Who Chooses the Ambassador? State Forms and Recruitment
 5 A Multitude of Figures: Residents, Extraordinaries, Agents and Women

3 At Court
 1 The Instructions
 2 The Ambassador’s Accommodation
 3 The Secretaries
 4 The Handover to the Incoming Ambassador
 5 The Audience: Accreditation and Initial Contacts
 6 Ambassadors Extraordinary and Reputation
 7 Expenses

4 Some Years or a Lifetime Abroad
 1 Friendships and Relationship Networks
 2 Political Groups and Faction Dynamics
 3 Keeping Updated
 4 The Network of Correspondents
 5 Archives and Chancelleries
 6 An Officer Abroad

5 Setting Out
 1 Bidding Farewell to the Sovereign
 2 The Relazioni of Ambassadors
 3 Dispatches, Material for Diplomatic Training
 4 A Trunk Full of Papers and Books
 5 Careers

Conclusions

Bibliography
Index
Scholars, researchers, and academic libraries interested in Early Modern Diplomacy and who want to read up on Italian scholarship. It also serves as a useful introduction to European Early Modern Diplomacy more broadly. International Relations scholars and students will also find the book a useful read. Keywords: Diplomacy, Politics, Embassy, Agents, Italian States, Europe, Small States, Early Modern Age, Cultural Exchange, Political Culture, Diplomatic Knowledge, Instructions, Epistolary Communication, Final Reports. Gift-Giving, Ceremonial Activity.
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