1st Edition
Endangered Neutrality Tuscany, England and the Plowman Case (1696–1704)
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.
Introduction
The Plowman case and its significance
A methodological note
The sources
Chapter I: The Historiographical Setting of the Plowman Case
The Mediterranean and Livorno
Commerce and diplomacy
Politics, Diplomacy and the Public Sphere
The historiographical prejudice on seventeenth century Tuscany
Chapter II: The Plowman Case
William Plowman and his case
Plowman’s voyage to the Levant
Why the Plowman case became ‘a case’
The origins of the controversy with England
Chapter III: The Plowman Case and the Glorious Revolution
The economic and political situation in England after
the Glorious Revolution
The merchant, the consul, the secretary
The ambassador
Problems of trust
The government, the ambassador, the consul and the merchants
Chapter IV: The Novelty of Tuscan Neutrality
Neutrality: methods and definitions
‘Neutrality? I do not get it. There is nothing to it.’
The case of Tuscan neutrality
A personal matter
A role-playing game
A tight negotiation
A difficult correspondence
Transversal Messages
Diplomacy between broken flasks and traffic jams
Chapter V: The System of Tuscan Neutrality
The Articles of Neutrality
Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur
A Game of Chicken or Intelligence(s) Compared
In the Ocean of Politics
The Fleet of Intrigues – Part I
The Fleet of Intrigues – Part II
Chapter VI: Diplomacy and Public Opinion
A new friendship
Check to the Ambassador
The Rules of the Game
A Question of Opinions
The Merchants’ Rebellion
The Last Battle
Conclusions
Primary Sources
Bibliography
Biography
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.
