Informatie en negotiatie, het gezantschap van Hiëronymus van Beverningk naar Spanje, 1670-1671. Een bronstudie naar de diplomatieke praktijken van de Republiek

This thesis investigates the modus operandi of an early modern Dutch ambassador from the perspectives of New Diplomatic History. The States-General appointed Hiëronymus van Beverningk (1614-1690) as their ambassador to the Spanish court between 1670 and 1671. Van Beverningk had a difficult task: he was instructed to persuade the Spanish to accept the humiliating stipulations of the Treaty of Aachen (1668), but avoid overtures to negotiate a defensive alliance. That would antagonize France and spark a war under disadvantageous circumstances for the Dutch Republic. How did the ambassador conduct negotiations and represent the Dutch state? Where did he obtain information and what language and discourse did he use in communication with the Spanish ministers? Analysis of the correspondence between Van Beverningk and the home front reveals that the ambassador – formally the envoy of the States-General – served a variety of masters: notably John de Witt, but also the Burgemeesters of...Show moreThis thesis investigates the modus operandi of an early modern Dutch ambassador from the perspectives of New Diplomatic History. The States-General appointed Hiëronymus van Beverningk (1614-1690) as their ambassador to the Spanish court between 1670 and 1671. Van Beverningk had a difficult task: he was instructed to persuade the Spanish to accept the humiliating stipulations of the Treaty of Aachen (1668), but avoid overtures to negotiate a defensive alliance. That would antagonize France and spark a war under disadvantageous circumstances for the Dutch Republic. How did the ambassador conduct negotiations and represent the Dutch state? Where did he obtain information and what language and discourse did he use in communication with the Spanish ministers? Analysis of the correspondence between Van Beverningk and the home front reveals that the ambassador – formally the envoy of the States-General – served a variety of masters: notably John de Witt, but also the Burgemeesters of Amsterdam. The latter were involved because of the significant Dutch commercial interests in the Spanish Empire and their ties to the extensive consular network in Spain. During his stay in Madrid Van Beverningk served as the focal point of this network: the consuls provided him with information and complaints of Dutch merchants, which the ambassador structured and presented to the Spanish authorities.Show less

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Informatie en negotiatie, het gezantschap van Hiëronymus van Beverningk naar Spanje, 1670-1671. Een bronstudie naar de diplomatieke praktijken van de Republiek