This book is the first to explore the rich festival culture of late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century France as a tool for diplomacy. Bram van Leuveren examines how the late Valois and early Bourbon rulers of the kingdom made conscious use of festivals to advance their diplomatic interests in a war-torn Europe and how diplomatic stakeholders from across the continent participated in and responded to the theatrical and ceremonial events that featured at these festivals. Analysing a large body of multilingual eyewitness and commemorative accounts, as well as visual and material objects, Van Leuveren argues that French festival culture operated as a contested site where the diplomatic concerns of stakeholders from various national, religious, and social backgrounds fought for recognition.

Table of contents :

Front Matter
Preliminary Material
Acknowledgements

List of Figures
Pages: x

List of Abbreviations
Pages: xi–xii

Preliminary Notes
Pages: xiii–xiv

Introduction
Pages: 1–27

Chapter 1 Unhappy Products of Unhappy Times: European Thought on Diplomacy and Festival Culture in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Pages: 28–70

Chapter 2 Cross-Confessional Diplomacy: The Parisian Court Festivals of Summer 1572
Pages: 71–129

Chapter 3 Diplomatic (In)Hospitality: Henri III’s Controversial Reception of Dutch Rebels, Winter 1585
Pages: 130–173

Chapter 4 Public and Back-Channel Diplomacy: Broadcasting Reconciliation at the Time of the Edict of Nantes and the Peace of Vervins, 1598–1600
Pages: 174–214

Chapter 5 Contesting Diplomacies: Continuity and Audience Control at Two Royal Marriages, 1612–1615
Pages: 215–253

Conclusion
Pages: 254–260

Back Matter
Bibliography

Index