Prehistory of consular diplomacy. A new perspective on the activity of 17th-century Venetian consuls in the Ottoman Empire

• Published in: The Seventeenth century Vol. 37; no. 6; pp. 1009 - 1029
• Main Author: Chmiel, Piotr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Durham Routledge 02.11.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: 17th century; Consuls; Diplomatic & consular services; early modern diplomacy; Missionaries; Ottoman Empire; Slavery; Venice; Venice Italy; Italy; Ottoman Empire
• ISSN: 0268-117X; 2050-4616
• DOI: 10.1080/0268117X.2022.2090424

This article analyses the practice of early modern Venetian consuls through the prism of the contemporary concept of consular diplomacy. The idea in question identifies changes to present-day practice concerning consular protection that make consular work more similar to a "true" diplomacy based on negotiation s and cooperation. While aware of the risk of potential anachronisms, I argue that the concept of "consular diplomacy" can be applied - with some reservations - to the reality of the seventeenth-century Venetian diplomatic apparatus. By analysing the final reports and dispatches sent by foreign representatives of Venice in the Ottoman Empire, the article shows how far Venetian consular assistance was entangled with conflict prevention and concern for Venetian prestige. The cases selected for analysis mostly present activity by Venetian representatives concerning "supranational" protection granted to subjects of foreign monarchs, such as slaves and missionaries.