Between Rome and Venice. The diplomatic activity of Carmine Nicola Caracciolo during the War of the Spanish Succession

In recent decades, the studies on diplomacy in the modern age enjoyed renewed interest. While entering into a consolidated historiographical tradition, the most recent research focused on highlighting not only the importance of diplomatic "practices", but also of the actors, in a twofold dimension, both public and private. The change in the point of observation, from the institutions to those acting within institutions, allowed to deepen the specifics of the experiences, to read the activities of individuals in relation not only to international political dynamics, but also to the management of power in most circumscribed local contexts. The present essay intends to insert itself into this line of research and, through the figure of Carmine Nicola Caracciolo, Prince of Santobuono, proposes a reflection on some particularly relevant aspects: what were the fields of action and the margins of maneuver of ambassadors in contexts, military and politicians, conflicting and in constant and rapid transformation; what were the mechanisms of building secret and secure communication networks between the different European courts; how the individual aspirations of individual diplomats found satisfaction in terms of prestige, recognition, careers.

Keywords: Carmine Nicola Caracciolo; Embassy to the Holy See; Embassy to Venetian Republic; Eighteenth Century; Spanish war of succession.

Valentina Favarò, Tra Roma e Venezia. L’attività diplomatica di Carmine Nicola Caracciolo negli anni della Guerra di Successione Spagnola in "CHEIRON" 1/2018, pp 110-133, DOI: 10.3280/CHE2018-001006