Endangered Neutrality

Tuscany, England and the Plowman Case (1696-1704)
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-52847-2
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 578 g

Reihe: Politics and Culture in Europe, 1650-1750

Analysing a struggle for neutrality amid a rapidly changing European scene, this book illustrates how the small state of Tuscany cunningly managed to preserve its sovereignty and independence during a dangerous diplomatic dispute with England.

Endangered Neutrality follows the actions of William Plowman (1660-?), who sparked the dispute, and those of two of the main characters of the story, Iacopo Giraldi (1663-1738), Tuscan ambassador to England, and Lambert Blackwell (d.1727), English envoy to Tuscany. Through these privileged points of view, the reader is plunged into the highest levels of European politics and diplomacy of the period.

This book offers a radically new approach to the study of Tuscan history, particularly in relation to the reign of Cosimo III de’ Medici. It underlines the weakness of the concept of the ‘small state’, showing how Tuscany managed openly to confront a much more powerful country such as England. Tuscany built a ‘system of neutrality’ which, leveraging the economic importance of the Mediterranean trade routes and of the port of Livorno, allowed the Grand Duchy to preserve its independence. Analysis of the case also offers a unique perspective on the functioning of the Tuscan and English diplomatic corps, assessing the impact of the Glorious Revolution on English diplomatic capabilities. Special attention is devoted to the importance of symbolism in diplomatic practice and to the role of trade and public opinion in resolving international disputes.

Zielgruppe

Academic and Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Morozzi, Ubaldo

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 

Chapter I: The Historiographical Setting of the Plowman Case

Chapter II: The Plowman Case

Chapter III: The Plowman Case and the Glorious Revolution

Chapter IV: The Novelty of Tuscan Neutrality

Chapter V: The System of Tuscan Neutrality

Chapter VI: Diplomacy and Public Opinion

Conclusions  

Primary Sources

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Ubaldo Morozzi earned his doctorate at Swansea University in 2022. His research focuses on Tuscan history, diplomatic history, and international relations. His previous publications include Storia dei Conventi Cappuccini Toscani (2017) as well as a number of articles and edited volumes on Italy during the First World War.