In 1670, Charles II Stuart felt the need to re-establish a dialogue with the states of the Italian peninsula and commissioned Lord Fauconberg to enter into political and commercial negotiations with Turin, Genoa, Florence and Venice. Regardless of the celebratory reports, the mission was a disaster: only the Savoy court seemed interested in establishing alliances and collaboration. Following in the ambassador's footsteps, the essay devotes particular attention to the Tuscan leg, the most embarrassing and unsuccessful episode of the tour. At the root of the disaster were mutual misunderstandings, the untimeliness of the initiative and the envoy's lack of discretion, but also the indocility of the English factory in Livorno. Only much later would the Tuscans discover themselves as Anglophiles. Despite the Grand Duke's sympathy for the English, and despite the latter's passion for Italian art and the legacy of the classical world, it seems that the cultural gap between Florence and London at the end of the 17th century was still very wide.
Post occasio calva: Lord Fauconberg e il negoziato anglo-toscano del 1670-71
Andrea Addobbati
2024-01-01
Abstract
In 1670, Charles II Stuart felt the need to re-establish a dialogue with the states of the Italian peninsula and commissioned Lord Fauconberg to enter into political and commercial negotiations with Turin, Genoa, Florence and Venice. Regardless of the celebratory reports, the mission was a disaster: only the Savoy court seemed interested in establishing alliances and collaboration. Following in the ambassador's footsteps, the essay devotes particular attention to the Tuscan leg, the most embarrassing and unsuccessful episode of the tour. At the root of the disaster were mutual misunderstandings, the untimeliness of the initiative and the envoy's lack of discretion, but also the indocility of the English factory in Livorno. Only much later would the Tuscans discover themselves as Anglophiles. Despite the Grand Duke's sympathy for the English, and despite the latter's passion for Italian art and the legacy of the classical world, it seems that the cultural gap between Florence and London at the end of the 17th century was still very wide.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
