engleski

The Social Network of the First Ambassadors of Dubrovnik to the Sublime Porte

The aim of this essay is to analyze how friendship was constructed and expressed in the 'speech acts' of the Ragusan ambassadors through the first half of the 15th century. The interpretation is based on the instructions issued to the envoys in the service of the Dubrovnik`s Republic who were engaged in various missions across Europe and at the Sublime Porte. The paper focuses on the detection of a meaning of a 'friendship network' that Ragusan ambassadors rely on performing entrusted duties. The research is based on the analysis of numerous case studies preserved in the archival seria Lettere di Levante, kept in the State Archive in Dubrovnik, which reveals different strategies for forming and preserving Ragusan diplomatic networks. Of special interest are questions of establishing and maintaining friendship ties within a specific network. The possible interpretations of the friendship concept in the diplomatic discourse conjoin research perspectives and objectives from linguistics, the history of emotion, and ceremonial practices, such as gift- giving. The essay aims to underpin the expressions used to evoke the friendship bonds, expectations, and obligations of the involved subjects depending on their hierarchical status and power at the specific moment. On the other hand, the paper problematizes the concept of friendship between those people who shared the same ethnic and political identity, but also of those who belonged to different cultural, religious, and intellectual milieus.

Dubrovnik ; diplomacy ; social networks ; Sublime Porte

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