Saxon Diplomats at the Court of Rudolf II (1609)
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Kateřina Pražáková
Abstract
The study focuses on the activities of Saxon diplomats at the court of Rudolf II in 1609, and in particular on envoys sent to Prague by Elector Christian II in March 1609, when news reached his Dresden court that the emperor was in a dangerous conflict with the Bohemian estates. The Elector of Saxony and the members of his privy council wanted the emperor and the estates to reach a reasonable compromise in which the Bohemian non-Catholics, especially the Lutherans, would be granted guarantees of religious toleration.
The study then investigates the first days of the Saxon diplomats in Prague, analysing their reports on the difficulties they faced. It shows that they were so concerned about the tumult in the city that they even feared for their lives. Despite this, they continued their mission and tried in various ways to achieve an audience with Rudolf II as soon as possible. The chapter further describes the efforts of the diplomats to establish contacts with such members of the emperor’s court who shared their views and tried to promote reconciliation, before discussing which representatives of the Bohemian Estates they tried to contact.
Abstract
The study focuses on the activities of Saxon diplomats at the court of Rudolf II in 1609, and in particular on envoys sent to Prague by Elector Christian II in March 1609, when news reached his Dresden court that the emperor was in a dangerous conflict with the Bohemian estates. The Elector of Saxony and the members of his privy council wanted the emperor and the estates to reach a reasonable compromise in which the Bohemian non-Catholics, especially the Lutherans, would be granted guarantees of religious toleration.
The study then investigates the first days of the Saxon diplomats in Prague, analysing their reports on the difficulties they faced. It shows that they were so concerned about the tumult in the city that they even feared for their lives. Despite this, they continued their mission and tried in various ways to achieve an audience with Rudolf II as soon as possible. The chapter further describes the efforts of the diplomats to establish contacts with such members of the emperor’s court who shared their views and tried to promote reconciliation, before discussing which representatives of the Bohemian Estates they tried to contact.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Protagonists, Issues, and Spaces: Papal Policy at the Beginning of Rudolf IIʼs Reign (1576–1584) 29
- “i ministri […] sono tutti hormai disautorizati, ne communicano si può dir più co ʼl padrone”: Social Interaction, Communication Structures and Languages at the Prague Imperial Court from the Perspective of the Nuncios and the Roman Curia around 1600 57
- Negotiation Spaces of Apostolic Nuncios in Prague at the Turn of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: A Topographic Reconstruction 77
- Hungarians and the Prague Nunciature 99
- Public or Private: The Display of Art in Rudolf II’s Imperial Residence at Prague Castle 119
- Diplomats and the Recreational Spaces of the Habsburgs in Prague: What Was There to See? 145
- Clients, Agents, and Intelligence Operatives of the Bavarian Dukes at the Court of Rudolf II 173
- Saxon Diplomats at the Court of Rudolf II (1609) 195
- An Empress and an Ambassador: The Settlement of Spanish Agents at the Court of Prague (1577–1581) 215
- One Emperor, One Shah, Too Many Ambassadors: Safavid Envoys in Prague (1600–1612) 233
- The Traces of English Diplomacy in Rudolfine Prague 259
- About the Authors
- Index
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Protagonists, Issues, and Spaces: Papal Policy at the Beginning of Rudolf IIʼs Reign (1576–1584) 29
- “i ministri […] sono tutti hormai disautorizati, ne communicano si può dir più co ʼl padrone”: Social Interaction, Communication Structures and Languages at the Prague Imperial Court from the Perspective of the Nuncios and the Roman Curia around 1600 57
- Negotiation Spaces of Apostolic Nuncios in Prague at the Turn of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: A Topographic Reconstruction 77
- Hungarians and the Prague Nunciature 99
- Public or Private: The Display of Art in Rudolf II’s Imperial Residence at Prague Castle 119
- Diplomats and the Recreational Spaces of the Habsburgs in Prague: What Was There to See? 145
- Clients, Agents, and Intelligence Operatives of the Bavarian Dukes at the Court of Rudolf II 173
- Saxon Diplomats at the Court of Rudolf II (1609) 195
- An Empress and an Ambassador: The Settlement of Spanish Agents at the Court of Prague (1577–1581) 215
- One Emperor, One Shah, Too Many Ambassadors: Safavid Envoys in Prague (1600–1612) 233
- The Traces of English Diplomacy in Rudolfine Prague 259
- About the Authors
- Index
