Relazioni diplomatiche tra l’Ungheria dei Jagelloni e gli stati italiani alla luce delle ambasciate inviate e ricevute (1490–1526): Uno schizzo

Abstract

The relationships between the Hungarian-Bohemian kings Vladislaus II (1490–1516) and his son Louis II (1516–1526) and certain Italian states can be characterised by the number and distribution of the envoys sent and received. Milan, Florence and Naples were occasional, while the Holy See and Venice were regular destinations of the Hungarian diplomats. In the case of the former, relations were largely determined by the dynastic ties that King Matthias Corvinus had established or sought to establish, and then they were cut (the remarriage of the widowed Queen Beatrix to Vladislaus II and their curial divorce, lasted until 1500). Florence’s connections extended to commercial interests. With the Pope and Venice there was a reciprocal, balanced ambassadorial presence, also because of the common Ottoman threat, but on the Hungarian side an ‘ultramontane’, more archaic system of ad hoc missions, based on personal specialisation, can be compared with a hierarchical and representational diplomatic organisation with long-term assignments.