From the #HRE we turn to another quite special actor: #earlymodern#Switzerland. We are very happy to have found none other than Sarah Rindlisbacher Thomi from the university of Bern as an author.
Rindlisbacher wrote her PhD on “Ambassadors of Protestantism. Foreign policy activities of Zurich's town clergy in the 17th century” (in German). So who could be better suited to tell us about the characteristics of Swiss #emdiplomacy?! (2/5)
Nonetheless, Switzerland was because of its geopolitical position of great interest for these foreign powers. Thus, they sent their diplomats who then struggled to understand the dynamics of Swiss politics that differed quite a bit from European monarchies. (4/5)
Today’s #handbook author is none other than our wonderful co-editor @dorotheegoetze.
Goetze is Assistant Professor at the Midsweden University in Sundsvall. If you ask her herself, she is not an historian of #emdiplomacy, but does constitutional history and early modern peace research with a special focus on the #HolyRomanEmpire and the Baltic region. Thus, she brings different perspectives into the field of #NewDiplomaticHistory.
She publishes extensively in German, Swedish and English, e.g. this #openaccess article in English on hospitality and the Riga capitulation in 1710. (2/7)
Goetze then turns her attention to #emdiplomacy by individual Imperial estates. Exemplary she focusses on Brandenburg, Saxony and Hesse-Kassel. In general, she again regrets a lack of research. Although there are some studies focusing for example on the relations between Hesse-Kassel and Sweden, such studies are always limited on a particular period and case.
There’s a definite lack on studies who try to give a more concise overview and put the diplomatic activities of the different Imperial estates into context. (6/7)
Summing up, Goetze concludes that the complexity of #emdiplomacy is reflected in the complexity of the #HRE and calls for more a more inclusive approach meaning more exchange between different research tradition, combining constitutional history, court studies and dynastic history and #NewDiplomaticHistory. (7/7)
The tasks of an #emdiplomat were manifold: Sometimes it meant getting a noble countryman - or to be precise his servants - out of trouble, because he didn't no the foreign laws, as this story of the English ambassador in Venice shows.
After submitting my Habil thesis I have finally time to read other stuff, as this essay collection on the wedding of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. It's waiting for me to review for... too long.
So, far I'm really enjoying it. As it's about a royal wedding there's also lots of #emdiplomacy going on.