As an art form, diplomacy has always been shrouded in secrecy, very little, save the names of treaties, being known by the general public. Yet, as the early modern period progressed, the diplomatic activities developed a more stable and largely honourable set of precepts and traditions, though its practice remained only as sound as the men who employed it. At the court of James VI and I during the early years of the seventeenth century, foreign ambassadors of varying talents navigated a landscape where tact, subtlety and political nerve were essential. This study follows these envoys as they forged alliances, arranged dynastic marriages, and defended the prestige of their rulers. Rather than focusing solely on individuals, their countries, or isolated negotiations, it reveals the evolving diplomatic machinery that shaped an emerging international order.
As an art form, diplomacy has always been shrouded in secrecy, very little, save the names of treaties, being known by the general public. Yet, as the early modern period progressed, the diplomatic activities developed a more stable and largely honourable set of precepts and traditions, though its practice remained only as sound as the men who employed it. At the court of James VI and I during the early years of the seventeenth century, foreign ambassadors of varying talents navigated a landscape where tact, subtlety and political nerve were essential. This study follows these envoys as they forged alliances, arranged dynastic marriages, and defended the prestige of their rulers. Rather than focusing solely on individuals, their countries, or isolated negotiations, it reveals the evolving diplomatic machinery that shaped an emerging international order.
Über den Autor
Dr. Roberta Anderson FHEA, FRHistS, is a retired Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at Bath Spa University, Bath in the UK. She has published widely on themes in early modern diplomacy and reformation religion and society. Her latest publications are Confessional Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe (ed. with Charlotte Backerra. Abingdon: Routledge, 2021), Gender and Diplomacy: Women and Men in European Embassies from the 15th to the 18th Century (ed. with Laura Oliván Santaliestra and Suna Suner. Vienna: Hollitzer, 2021) and Performing Diplomacy in the Early Modern World (ed. with Reinhard Eisendle and Suna Suner. Vienna: Hollitzer, 2025).
