The first count of Gondomar's library and diplomatic practice (1613-1622)
<p>This thesis offers the first detailed study on the intersection between diplomacy and Spanish libraries during the early modern period. It focuses on the library of Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, first count of Gondomar (1567-1626). Once deemed by John Elliott as the ‘greatest specialist in Engl...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Spanish English |
| Published: |
2019
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | <p>This thesis offers the first detailed study on the intersection between diplomacy and Spanish libraries during the early modern period. It focuses on the library of Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, first count of Gondomar (1567-1626). Once deemed by John Elliott as the ‘greatest specialist in English affairs’ of Spain, Gondomar oversaw a very notable embassy in London from 1613 to 1622. He also became one of the main conduits of English information to Madrid during the Anglo-Spanish peace of the early 17th century (1604-1625). </p>
<p>Through a detailed analysis of Gondomar’s library, my thesis explores the political value behind the various types of English sources acquired during his embassies: books, printed portraits, maps, manuscript reports, pamphlets and other such items. As shown by recent historiography, the procurement of local sources was important to premodern diplomats, as they endeavoured to share in the period's bid for ‘information mastery’ about other polities, such as England. However, as this study illustrates, the mechanics that gave life to such ambitious ideals are often difficult to reconstruct with the records of a personal repository like Gondomar's. Thus, even though the evidence connecting Gondomar's library with his diplomatic strategy is often suggestive, it is no less true that the information unearthed in this thesis seldom leads to a straightforward interpretation on the Spanish ambassador's wider policies.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, by studying the documentary practices carried out by premodern agents like Gondomar, this project casts some light into the ways in which local sources could become an important concern for a diplomatic manoeuvre or turn into one of the main subjects of a diplomatic report. In the process, this thesis also offers suggestive evidence on how a personal library could be shaped by state affairs, and influenced by a series of social, religious and linguistic contexts outside the repository's walls.</p> |
|---|