Overview

This book highlights the crucial contributions of translators in shaping early modern diplomacy, offering a unique lens through which to understand the growing complexity of international relations and communication in this era. The early modern period was a transformative time for European diplomacy, marked by the rise of resident diplomacy, the advent of peace congresses, and significant shifts in linguistic practices. As Latin, German, and Italian waned as major diplomatic languages, French emerged as the dominant pan-European medium of diplomatic communication. These changes had profound implications for translation in diplomacy, shaping its role, function, and institutionalisation. New translation departments were established, and the need for trained translators became critical, leading to the foundation of schools and the development of specialised practices. By adopting a transnational perspective, the book offers a fresh, insightful exploration of the evolution of translation and its impact on the expanding network of diplomatic contacts and correspondence. Bringing a panoramic and multidisciplinary approach to the history of translation, this book is intended for scholars and students of the early modern period, translation studies, the history of diplomacy, the history of languages and historical sociolinguistics, and European cultural history more generally.

Full Product Details

Author:   Vladislav Rjéoutski (German Historical Institute in Paris, France) ,  Guido Braun (University of Upper Alsace, France) ,  Indravati Félicité (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany) ,  Sophie Holm (Max Weber Network Eastern Europe, Finland)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.453kg
ISBN:  

9781032479231

ISBN 10:   103247923
Pages:   362
Publication Date:   04 November 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: Translation in Early Modern Diplomacy Part 1: Translation in Peace Negotiations 1. Translation and Papal Peace Mediation at the Congresses of Münster and Nijmegen 2. Interpreters and Their Multiple Roles during the Carlowitz Peace Congress (1698–1699) 3. Diplomacy, Languages, and the European Balance: Negotiations at the Congress of Soissons (1728–1729) Part 2: Diplomatic Contacts between Christian and Non-Christian Countries 4. Can I Have Your Word?: Foreign Terms in Seventeenth-Century Treaties of the Dutch East India Company 5. “I have no one who can translate and understand these letters”: Diplomatic Communication Challenges in Ukraine’s Relations with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate in the Late Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Century 6. Challenges and Innovations in Diplomatic Translation: The Russian Mission in the Ottoman Empire (Late Seventeenth – Early Eighteenth Centuries) Part 3: Policies, Cultures and Institutions 7. Translating Diplomacy: The Role of Translators in the Ambassadorial Chancery in Seventeenth-Century Russia 8. From Apprenticeship to Expertise: Translator Training in Russia (First Half of the Eighteenth Century) 9. Diplomatic Affairs, Translation Processes and Political Decision-Making at the Eighteenth-Century Swedish Diet 10. Translation and Professionalisation: The Case of the French Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs in the Eighteenth Century Part 4: Family and Individual Strategies 11. The Business of Translation: The Graciáns and the Monopoly of Diplomatic Translation Services at the Spanish Court 12. Between Diplomacy and Literature: Pavel Levashev’s Translations, Career Strategies, and the Development of Russian Diplomatic Language

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Author Information

Vladislav Rjéoutski is a Gerda Henkel Fellow, formerly a research fellow at the German Historical Institute in Paris/Max Weber Network Eastern Europe, and principal investigator in a DFG-funded research project on languages in eighteenth-century Russian diplomacy in a European context. He co-authored The French Language in Russia (2018) and co-edited Languages of Diplomacy in the Early Modern World (2025). Guido Braun is Full Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Upper Alsace (Mulhouse) and Director of the Centre for Research on Economies, Societies, Arts, and Technologies (CRESAT). He co-edited Languages and Diplomacy, 15th to 21st Centuries (2025). Indravati Félicité is Full Professor and Chair of Early Modern History at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Her authored and edited works include Le Saint-Empire face au monde. Contestations et redéfinitions de l’impérialité XVe-XIXe (2024) and Regard critique sur les souverainetés, Moyen Âge – XXIe siècle (forthcoming). Sophie Holm is a research fellow at the Max Weber Network Eastern Europe in Helsinki. She has authored a chapter on languages and diplomatic culture in Early Modern European Diplomacy: A Handbook (2024). She currently works within a DFG-funded research project on languages in eighteenth-century Russian diplomacy in a European context.

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