The Traces of English Diplomacy in Rudolfine Prague
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Hana Ferencová
Abstract
This chapter explores the traces of English diplomacy in Rudolfine Prague, focusing on the limited yet significant interactions between Tudor and early Stuart England and the court of Emperor Rudolf II. Due to the lack of familial ties and religious alignment between the English and Austrian Habsburg dynasties, diplomatic relations were sporadic and irregular. However, English diplomats such as Philip Sidney and travellers like Arthur Throckmorton provided valuable accounts of political, social, and cultural life at the Imperial court. Drawing on travel diaries, correspondence, and other contemporary sources, this chapter examines how English ambassadors and courtiers engaged with Prague’s courtly spaces, ceremonies, and material culture. Particular attention is given to how these diplomats navigated the complex political landscape and the role their presence played in shaping diplomatic and cultural exchanges. Although English diplomatic initiatives in Prague were rare, this study highlights their broader significance within the European context of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, contributing to a deeper understanding of cross-cultural interactions during Rudolf’s reign.
Abstract
This chapter explores the traces of English diplomacy in Rudolfine Prague, focusing on the limited yet significant interactions between Tudor and early Stuart England and the court of Emperor Rudolf II. Due to the lack of familial ties and religious alignment between the English and Austrian Habsburg dynasties, diplomatic relations were sporadic and irregular. However, English diplomats such as Philip Sidney and travellers like Arthur Throckmorton provided valuable accounts of political, social, and cultural life at the Imperial court. Drawing on travel diaries, correspondence, and other contemporary sources, this chapter examines how English ambassadors and courtiers engaged with Prague’s courtly spaces, ceremonies, and material culture. Particular attention is given to how these diplomats navigated the complex political landscape and the role their presence played in shaping diplomatic and cultural exchanges. Although English diplomatic initiatives in Prague were rare, this study highlights their broader significance within the European context of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, contributing to a deeper understanding of cross-cultural interactions during Rudolf’s reign.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 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
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 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
