engleski

Men of Wealth and Taste. The Role of Early Humanism in the Development of a Central European Diplomatic Network

During the closing decades of the Middle Ages, Central Europe was both divided and connected by an ever-changing pattern of alliances, policies and initiatives. This unsteady and dangerous ground was traversed by semi-professional diplomats, usually high and middle-ranking clerics, who would serve their rulers as envoys, negotiators, informants and schemers. During the mid-15th century, some of these men, such as Nicholas Lasocki, John Vitez or Prokop of Rabštejn, developed an interest in humanism, either out of love of the literary arts, or as a means of self-promotion. It is exactly this common interest that brought them into contact with each other, as well as other Central European or Western humanists. They would lend books and recommend their protégés to each other, as well as exchange poems or letters, but would also share secrets and negotiate backroom political deals. This paper will attempt to explore the role this early Central European humanism had in the development of a diplomatic network by its proponents, whether personal friendship would translate into political support, and to what degree did these liaisons contribute to the spread of humanist leanings. It will try to contribute to the knowledge of the process of making diplomatic acquaintances and contacts in the Late Middle Ages, as well as to determine whether they influenced literary, artistic or scientific interests of the hypothetical network's members.

Renaissance, diplomacy, humanism, international relations, literature

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