Papers by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
French Historical Studies, Oct 1, 2018
This article focuses on the experience of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to ... more This article focuses on the experience of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to 1814, under Hüsrev Mehemed Pasha's tenure as governor of the province (1806–8). It relies on the diplomatic correspondence between David and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The goal is to highlight the French interests in the area and their modification after the Treaty of Tilsit; the figure of Hüsrev Mehemed Pasha; the relationship of the locals with the Ottoman authority and the Consul; and the local effects of the revolution that overthrew the reformer sultan Selim III. The article reveals the ineffectiveness of communication from the highest to the lowest levels of French diplomacy in the Levant. It also demonstrates the complex Ottoman center-periphery dynamics during one of the empire's most critical moments.Cet article se focalise sur l'expérience de Pierre David, consul napoléonien en Bosnie de 1807 à 1814, pendant le mandat de Hüsrev Mehemed Pacha comme gouverneur de la province (1806–8). Par le biais de la correspondance diplomatique entre David et le ministère des Affaires étrangères, nous mettons en évidence les intérêts de la France dans la région balkanique et leur modification après le Traité de Tilsit, ainsi que la figure de Hüsrev Mehemed Pacha ; les relations entre la population locale, les autorités centrales ottomanes et le consul ; et, finalement, les effets locaux de la révolution qui a renversé le sultan réformateur Selim III. Nos résultats montrent un manque de communication entre les différents niveaux de la diplomatie française dans le Levant et une difficulté dans la redéfinition des priorités à l'échelle locale. L'article démontre aussi la complexité des dynamiques centre-périphérie pendant l'un des moments les plus difficiles de l'empire ottoman.
Avisos de Viena - Viennese Siglo de Oro Journal, 2024
Throughout our lives, many of us ponder the significance of our names. Like others, Giuseppe Pio ... more Throughout our lives, many of us ponder the significance of our names. Like others, Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla too embarked on this introspective journey during his teenage years, spurred by curiosity and a desire to understand his identity. His initial revelations came from Don Raffaele, a deputy-parish who informed him that Giuseppe means 'may God add and abound,' often sharing amusing anecdotes to emphasize this. Pio, on the other hand, simply translates to 'pious' in English.
While these etymologies provided some satisfaction, they barely scratched the surface of what names mean on a personal level. Names can carry profound personal significance, reflecting the intentions of those who bestow them, and are deeply entwined with religious, territorial, and even sports-related identities. The author's own family’s naming traditions offer a rich tapestry of such meanings, rooted in memory and devotion.
The author explores these traditions in the Italian region of Apulia within the maternal branch of his own family, the Di Biases, spanning three generations. The names in his family fall into three categories: those honoring relatives, those originating from religious devotion, and those chosen purely out of personal preference.
A recurring theme is the desire to keep the memory of loved ones alive through names. For instance, the name Luigi appears multiple times across generations, adhering to a tradition of naming firstborns after grandparents. This practice, common in the author's region, creates a link between past and present, ensuring that familial bonds endure.
Religious devotion also plays a significant role. Author's cousin Veliana, for example, is named after the Madonna dei Sette Veli, reflecting both religious faith and a connection to their hometown. The author's own name, Giuseppe Pio, honors both a family tradition and the revered Padre Pio.
Despite the pressure of tradition, some names are chosen freely, reflecting the parents' personal tastes once the customary obligations have been fulfilled. This blend of obligation and choice highlights the complex interplay of memory, devotion, and personal preference in the family's naming practices.
Ultimately, names in the author's family are not just labels but symbols of heritage, devotion, and continuity, weaving a rich narrative that connects generations and preserves a shared history.
Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno, 2017
This article offers an overview of the confidential correspondence between the Neapolitan Secreta... more This article offers an overview of the confidential correspondence between the Neapolitan Secretary of State, Bernardo Tanucci, and the Neapolitan diplomat to Constantinople Guglielmo Maurizio Ludolf between 1754 and 1776.
This correspondence proves to be a precious tool, which sheds further light on the most important political and diplomatic developments in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 18th century. Plus, it is a source to understand the European diplomatic milieu in Pera and offers several insights on a wide range of related subjects.
Avisos de Vienna - Viennese Siglo de Oro Journal, 2021
In the Spring of 1761 a pregnant woman of the harem gave Mustafa III the hope for a much waited m... more In the Spring of 1761 a pregnant woman of the harem gave Mustafa III the hope for a much waited male heir. Big public rejoicing was expected for the occasion, but he had to wait since a little girl came to the world instead and everybody thought the event was to be saluted by a much lower profile public celebrations. Things turned out very different, as huge celebrations took place for ten days. The paper analyses the extent of the celebrations, and especially their meaning for the dynasty, the Ottoman elites, commoners and foreign representatives. It also demonstrates how the use of artificial light in this occasion created a ceremonial space shared by the whole city of Istanbul to celebrate the achievements of the ruling household and create a moment of unity and legitimation between the sultan and his subjects.
French Historical Studies, Vol. 41, n. 4 (October 2018), 2018
This article focuses on the experience of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to ... more This article focuses on the experience of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to 1814, under Hüsrev Mehemed Pasha's tenure as governor of the province (1806-8). It relies on the diplomatic correspondence between David and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The goal is to highlight the French interests in the area and their modification after the Treaty of Tilsit; the figure of Hüsrev Mehemed Pasha; the relationship of the locals with the Ottoman authority and the Consul; and the local effects of the revolution that overthrew the reformer sultan Selim III. The article reveals the ineffectiveness of communication from the highest to the lowest levels of French diplomacy in the Levant. It also demonstrates the complex Ottoman center-periphery dynamics during one of the empire's most critical moments.
AFRICANA -Rivista di Studi Extraeuropei, 2015
This article focuses on the diplomatic mission of the Ragusan captain Casilari, to free the crew ... more This article focuses on the diplomatic mission of the Ragusan captain Casilari, to free the crew of a Ragusean ship captured by the Moroccan pirates. Through the relations between Ragusa and the empire of Morocco, the paper deals with an episode of the endemic piracy in the Mediterranean, but it also sheds light on the importance of the Ragusan consular network which provided vital information for the success of the mission.
"Lupi e cani randagi a Foggia nell'Ottocento borbonico", 2014
This paper focuses on the hunt against the wolf carried out by the municipality of Foggia, Southe... more This paper focuses on the hunt against the wolf carried out by the municipality of Foggia, Southern Italy, from 1827 to 1860. The aim is to retrace the policies implemented against this animal, which represented a danger for the livestock, then one of the most important economic resources of the province. Stray dogs were another major problem and the second part of the article deals with it. They were considered a threat for public health as potential carriers of rabies.
G.P. Cascavilla, Il viaggio dei sovrani in Puglia nel 1797, in «Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno», a. XXIII (2012), n. 45-46, pp. 181-191, 2012
This article sheds new light on the wedding of Francis of Bourbon (the future Francis I of the Tw... more This article sheds new light on the wedding of Francis of Bourbon (the future Francis I of the Two Sicilies) and his first wife Marie Clementine of Habsburg-Lorraine. The event took place in Foggia, Apulia, on June 26 1797.
The essay has as main sources the letters of the Consuls of the Republic of Ragusa at Naples, Trieste and Barletta, who reported several details concerning the travel of the royal family in Apulia, while waiting for the bride and the obstacles that the Austrian princess had to face before reaching the destination.
L'opera, comprese tutte le sue parti, è tutelata dalla legge sui diritti d'autore. Sono vietate e... more L'opera, comprese tutte le sue parti, è tutelata dalla legge sui diritti d'autore. Sono vietate e sanzionate la riproduzione con qualsiasi mezzo, formato o supporto comprese le fotocopie (queste ultime sono consentite solo per uso esclusivamente personale di studio, nel limite del 15% di ciascun volume o fascicolo e alla condizione che vengano pagati i compensi stabiliti), la scansione, la memorizzazione elettronica, la comunicazione e la messa a disposizione al pubblico con qualsiasi mezzo (anche online), la traduzione, l'adattamento totale o parziale.
In the second half of the 18th century some European Powers accredited to Constantinople organize... more In the second half of the 18th century some European Powers accredited to Constantinople organized their own postal service in order to deliver the diplomatic and commercial correspondence. In a context of an increasing rebellion against the central Ottoman power in the Balkan area, the route of the Spanish Post of Constantinople was terrestrial (proceeding through Spalato, Zara, then territories of the Serenissima) and maritime up to Ancona. The potential agreement between Venice and Madrid was preceded by the draft of the Minuta Fiduciaria, to submit to their respective governments for approval.
Talks and Conference Presentations by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
In 1774 Francesco Ragnina, envoy of the Republic of Ragusa to Saint Petersburg, in a moment of di... more In 1774 Francesco Ragnina, envoy of the Republic of Ragusa to Saint Petersburg, in a moment of discouragement wrote that the “courts are [like] an impenetrable sea”. Despite this ephemeral declaration of surrender, he and his colleagues in Vienna managed to learn a great deal of confidential information and, in one case, even communicate directly with one of the sovereigns in secret.
In a moment of intense anxiety, with the pressing need to gather intelligence to orientate their actions, and the necessity to access the higher echelons of the Austrian and Russian court in the 1770s, the Republic of Ragusa played all the available options. Its envoys and agents not only used the formal and regular channels of communication with the hosting courts, but they profited from an underground network of connections within the diplomatic community and more frequently benefitted from the services of actors above suspicion who were not directly involved in the state affairs, but gravitated around the court.
The two cases presented in this paper demonstrate how Ragusa effectively achieved to solve the issue of obtaining fundamental insights or even direct contact with the ruler through informal channels. The analysis will focus on the practices put in place to open these opportunities and compensate for the Republic’s lower standing on the international stage.
At the end of the 1760s the Republic of Ragusa and the Austrian Empire began to intensify their c... more At the end of the 1760s the Republic of Ragusa and the Austrian Empire began to intensify their connections aiming to restore a short-lived protection Vienna granted to Ragusa at the end of the previous century. In the frenzied negotiations with the Austrian court, Ragusa tried to preserve the highest possible degree of independence while avoiding showing herself to be inferior from a legal standpoint. The main issue preventing restoration of the previous agreement was in regards to payment of the tribute, in which the Austrians demanded additional payment of arrears, which was adamantly refuted by the Ragusans. Ragusa attempted to use legal arguments to preserve her position and financial standing, and even when they handed over the relic of the Holy Right Hand (Szent Jobb) of Saint Stephen of Hungary to appease Maria Theresa, this was done as an act inspired by goodwill rather than their submission.
Eventually Ragusa was able to get out of the arrears, but failed to defend her stance as the Empress reversed the request for the arrears not “by Justice, but by Grace”. Despite Ragusa’s best efforts
however they could not resist the considerable negotiating power of the Austrians, who had no intention to give in to requests of such a small entity. Their preference was to style themselves as a
benevolent caretaker with their protective power bestowed upon their protégé as a kind concession.
The Republic struggled to accept this reality, eventually giving up their resistance due to new and pressing needs in relation to the Russo-Ottoman war where the help of the Hofburg was needed.
Through this paper, it will become evident of the efforts Ragusa used to desperately emancipate herself, save money, and equalise her negotiating position with the Austrians as much as possible, and mitigate her inevitable situation of subjugation.
35th Annual Conference for the Society for the Study of French History, 2022
When Pierre David was dispatched to Bosnia in 1807 his mission was clear: he had to enlist the Ot... more When Pierre David was dispatched to Bosnia in 1807 his mission was clear: he had to enlist the Ottoman local governor and make sure the French interests in the area could be accomplished. After conquering Dalmatia, Napoleon put his eyes on the Balkans and he forged an alliance with the Ottomans against Russia.
David’s mission seemed easy, but when he reached Travnik he understood that Hüsrev Mehmet, the man of Istanbul in that mountainous, troubled and important frontier province of the Ottoman Empire, was his only chance to succeed. Surrounded by the suspicion of the locals, who feared a French invasion from the near Dalmatia, David found in Hüsrev not only a Francophile and an open interlocutor, but a trusted ally.
Since their very first encounter the consul labelled the governor the ”aimable visir” and their bond also developed into a personal friendship. On the other hand, Hüsrev also counted on David for his own political and personal survival, as he had to face challenges during one of the most troubled periods in Ottoman history.These two men coming from extremely different walks of life, and very different cultures, David a bourgeois from Calvados and Hüsrev a former slave and a consummate member of Ottoman elite, tried to support each other in an ever-changing scenario.
This paper analyses the encounter between these two men through the diplomatic correspondence of David with the French Minister of the Foreign affairs. Their friendship, which also inspired the novel “Bosnian Chornicle“ by Ivo Andrić, remained solid even when the flamboyant Napoleonic foreign policy changed the cards on the table and Ottoman internal order seemed to crush the fate of the pasha. Their encounter makes emerge not only the personal figures of these two characters, but it also shows the importance of the Balkans in Napoleonic tactics at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as the complex and difficult relationship between Ottoman centre and periphery.
At the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), the tiny Republic of Ragusa promptly declar... more At the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), the tiny Republic of Ragusa promptly declared its neutrality. However, the sudden and unforeseen developments of the conflict soon dragged Ragusa into an international dispute with Saint Petersburg.
In 1771 several members of the Ragusan Senate were deployed to defuse “the incoming storm”. What had started as a military conflict, however, soon turned into a religious and political clash, as the Russians requested to build an Orthodox church in the Adriatic city.
The Republic feared the ambitions of the Russians were being fueled by its Montenegrin neighbours (“quelli delle Bocche”), who were courted by Catherine II in an attempt to fashion herself as the protector of the Ottoman Orthodox population and to expand Russian influence in South-Eastern Europe.
Ragusa deployed its entire diplomatic network in an ewort to soxen the Russian position and avoid consequences, which were considered so treacherous that they could threaten Ragusa’s very existence.
The neighbourhood of Pera in Constantinople hosted a small community of foreign diplomats, who we... more The neighbourhood of Pera in Constantinople hosted a small community of foreign diplomats, who were sent to represent their own courts in the Ottoman Empire. These diplomats lived side by side, intertwining their work and private lives. The main protagonists of my presentation are two French ambassadors, the Count of Vergennes (who was later appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs) and the Count of Saint Priest. They both wed during their stay in Constantinople, but the circumstances of their stories were very different. Vergennes raised scandal for officialising his union with a woman “known by everyone”, whilst Saint Priest was the best marital candidate for the Neapolitan envoy’s beloved daughter. My presentation not only analyses the reasons that led these people to tie the knot, it further examines the reactions and the importance of the diplomatic network around them. This is achieved scrutinising the confidential correspondence between Guglielmo Maurizio Ludolf and Bernardo Tanucci, the Neapolitan Secretary of State, which is an invaluable information source about the diplomatic environment of Constantinople. A consummate and capable diplomat, Ludolf was the Neapolitan envoy to the Ottoman capital from 1747 to 1789 and simultaneously Spanish delegate for the period 1760-67. He had close relationship with both Vergennes and Saint Priest, and was both a privileged observer and an active character of their stories.
Ambassadors and consuls were often fathers, but the relationship with their children was not alwa... more Ambassadors and consuls were often fathers, but the relationship with their children was not always exemplary.
In this talk, I reported two cases. The first one is that of Guglielmo Maurizio Ludolf, ambassador of the Bourbons of Naples at Constantinople from 1789 to 1815, who merely considered his own natural child as an obstacle.
The other case is that of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to 1814.
The love for his children made him an upstanding example of family man and he risked his own life to protect his family against the threats and turmoils in one of the most unstable provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Book Reviews by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno - Rassegna di Studi Storici, 2020
Fondata trent'anni fa da Matteo Fantasia, "Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno" è espressione del Comitato... more Fondata trent'anni fa da Matteo Fantasia, "Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno" è espressione del Comitato provinciale di Bari dell'Istituto per la Storia del Risorgimento Italiano. Negli ultimi anni la rivista ha aperto i suoi spazi a contributi di altre realtà meridionali per una migliore adesione alla sua intitolazione, approfondendo temi e problemi collegati a quel periodo così determinante per gli sviluppi successivi del Paese. La rivista si avvale della collaborazione di studiosi accademici e di cultori della disciplina esterni alle istituzioni universitarie, nella consapevolezza che il dibattito storiografico si arricchisce dei suggerimenti e delle narrazioni proposte anche al di fuori delle istituzioni tradizionali. In quest'ottica, adotta una periodizzazione ampia del Risorgimento finalizzata a valorizzarne le radici e gli sviluppi secondo la prospettiva unitaria di quel movimento.
Risorgimento e Mezzogiorno, Rassegna di Studi Storici, 2017
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Papers by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
While these etymologies provided some satisfaction, they barely scratched the surface of what names mean on a personal level. Names can carry profound personal significance, reflecting the intentions of those who bestow them, and are deeply entwined with religious, territorial, and even sports-related identities. The author's own family’s naming traditions offer a rich tapestry of such meanings, rooted in memory and devotion.
The author explores these traditions in the Italian region of Apulia within the maternal branch of his own family, the Di Biases, spanning three generations. The names in his family fall into three categories: those honoring relatives, those originating from religious devotion, and those chosen purely out of personal preference.
A recurring theme is the desire to keep the memory of loved ones alive through names. For instance, the name Luigi appears multiple times across generations, adhering to a tradition of naming firstborns after grandparents. This practice, common in the author's region, creates a link between past and present, ensuring that familial bonds endure.
Religious devotion also plays a significant role. Author's cousin Veliana, for example, is named after the Madonna dei Sette Veli, reflecting both religious faith and a connection to their hometown. The author's own name, Giuseppe Pio, honors both a family tradition and the revered Padre Pio.
Despite the pressure of tradition, some names are chosen freely, reflecting the parents' personal tastes once the customary obligations have been fulfilled. This blend of obligation and choice highlights the complex interplay of memory, devotion, and personal preference in the family's naming practices.
Ultimately, names in the author's family are not just labels but symbols of heritage, devotion, and continuity, weaving a rich narrative that connects generations and preserves a shared history.
This correspondence proves to be a precious tool, which sheds further light on the most important political and diplomatic developments in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 18th century. Plus, it is a source to understand the European diplomatic milieu in Pera and offers several insights on a wide range of related subjects.
The essay has as main sources the letters of the Consuls of the Republic of Ragusa at Naples, Trieste and Barletta, who reported several details concerning the travel of the royal family in Apulia, while waiting for the bride and the obstacles that the Austrian princess had to face before reaching the destination.
Talks and Conference Presentations by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
In a moment of intense anxiety, with the pressing need to gather intelligence to orientate their actions, and the necessity to access the higher echelons of the Austrian and Russian court in the 1770s, the Republic of Ragusa played all the available options. Its envoys and agents not only used the formal and regular channels of communication with the hosting courts, but they profited from an underground network of connections within the diplomatic community and more frequently benefitted from the services of actors above suspicion who were not directly involved in the state affairs, but gravitated around the court.
The two cases presented in this paper demonstrate how Ragusa effectively achieved to solve the issue of obtaining fundamental insights or even direct contact with the ruler through informal channels. The analysis will focus on the practices put in place to open these opportunities and compensate for the Republic’s lower standing on the international stage.
Eventually Ragusa was able to get out of the arrears, but failed to defend her stance as the Empress reversed the request for the arrears not “by Justice, but by Grace”. Despite Ragusa’s best efforts
however they could not resist the considerable negotiating power of the Austrians, who had no intention to give in to requests of such a small entity. Their preference was to style themselves as a
benevolent caretaker with their protective power bestowed upon their protégé as a kind concession.
The Republic struggled to accept this reality, eventually giving up their resistance due to new and pressing needs in relation to the Russo-Ottoman war where the help of the Hofburg was needed.
Through this paper, it will become evident of the efforts Ragusa used to desperately emancipate herself, save money, and equalise her negotiating position with the Austrians as much as possible, and mitigate her inevitable situation of subjugation.
David’s mission seemed easy, but when he reached Travnik he understood that Hüsrev Mehmet, the man of Istanbul in that mountainous, troubled and important frontier province of the Ottoman Empire, was his only chance to succeed. Surrounded by the suspicion of the locals, who feared a French invasion from the near Dalmatia, David found in Hüsrev not only a Francophile and an open interlocutor, but a trusted ally.
Since their very first encounter the consul labelled the governor the ”aimable visir” and their bond also developed into a personal friendship. On the other hand, Hüsrev also counted on David for his own political and personal survival, as he had to face challenges during one of the most troubled periods in Ottoman history.These two men coming from extremely different walks of life, and very different cultures, David a bourgeois from Calvados and Hüsrev a former slave and a consummate member of Ottoman elite, tried to support each other in an ever-changing scenario.
This paper analyses the encounter between these two men through the diplomatic correspondence of David with the French Minister of the Foreign affairs. Their friendship, which also inspired the novel “Bosnian Chornicle“ by Ivo Andrić, remained solid even when the flamboyant Napoleonic foreign policy changed the cards on the table and Ottoman internal order seemed to crush the fate of the pasha. Their encounter makes emerge not only the personal figures of these two characters, but it also shows the importance of the Balkans in Napoleonic tactics at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as the complex and difficult relationship between Ottoman centre and periphery.
In 1771 several members of the Ragusan Senate were deployed to defuse “the incoming storm”. What had started as a military conflict, however, soon turned into a religious and political clash, as the Russians requested to build an Orthodox church in the Adriatic city.
The Republic feared the ambitions of the Russians were being fueled by its Montenegrin neighbours (“quelli delle Bocche”), who were courted by Catherine II in an attempt to fashion herself as the protector of the Ottoman Orthodox population and to expand Russian influence in South-Eastern Europe.
Ragusa deployed its entire diplomatic network in an ewort to soxen the Russian position and avoid consequences, which were considered so treacherous that they could threaten Ragusa’s very existence.
In this talk, I reported two cases. The first one is that of Guglielmo Maurizio Ludolf, ambassador of the Bourbons of Naples at Constantinople from 1789 to 1815, who merely considered his own natural child as an obstacle.
The other case is that of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to 1814.
The love for his children made him an upstanding example of family man and he risked his own life to protect his family against the threats and turmoils in one of the most unstable provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Book Reviews by Giuseppe Pio Cascavilla
While these etymologies provided some satisfaction, they barely scratched the surface of what names mean on a personal level. Names can carry profound personal significance, reflecting the intentions of those who bestow them, and are deeply entwined with religious, territorial, and even sports-related identities. The author's own family’s naming traditions offer a rich tapestry of such meanings, rooted in memory and devotion.
The author explores these traditions in the Italian region of Apulia within the maternal branch of his own family, the Di Biases, spanning three generations. The names in his family fall into three categories: those honoring relatives, those originating from religious devotion, and those chosen purely out of personal preference.
A recurring theme is the desire to keep the memory of loved ones alive through names. For instance, the name Luigi appears multiple times across generations, adhering to a tradition of naming firstborns after grandparents. This practice, common in the author's region, creates a link between past and present, ensuring that familial bonds endure.
Religious devotion also plays a significant role. Author's cousin Veliana, for example, is named after the Madonna dei Sette Veli, reflecting both religious faith and a connection to their hometown. The author's own name, Giuseppe Pio, honors both a family tradition and the revered Padre Pio.
Despite the pressure of tradition, some names are chosen freely, reflecting the parents' personal tastes once the customary obligations have been fulfilled. This blend of obligation and choice highlights the complex interplay of memory, devotion, and personal preference in the family's naming practices.
Ultimately, names in the author's family are not just labels but symbols of heritage, devotion, and continuity, weaving a rich narrative that connects generations and preserves a shared history.
This correspondence proves to be a precious tool, which sheds further light on the most important political and diplomatic developments in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 18th century. Plus, it is a source to understand the European diplomatic milieu in Pera and offers several insights on a wide range of related subjects.
The essay has as main sources the letters of the Consuls of the Republic of Ragusa at Naples, Trieste and Barletta, who reported several details concerning the travel of the royal family in Apulia, while waiting for the bride and the obstacles that the Austrian princess had to face before reaching the destination.
In a moment of intense anxiety, with the pressing need to gather intelligence to orientate their actions, and the necessity to access the higher echelons of the Austrian and Russian court in the 1770s, the Republic of Ragusa played all the available options. Its envoys and agents not only used the formal and regular channels of communication with the hosting courts, but they profited from an underground network of connections within the diplomatic community and more frequently benefitted from the services of actors above suspicion who were not directly involved in the state affairs, but gravitated around the court.
The two cases presented in this paper demonstrate how Ragusa effectively achieved to solve the issue of obtaining fundamental insights or even direct contact with the ruler through informal channels. The analysis will focus on the practices put in place to open these opportunities and compensate for the Republic’s lower standing on the international stage.
Eventually Ragusa was able to get out of the arrears, but failed to defend her stance as the Empress reversed the request for the arrears not “by Justice, but by Grace”. Despite Ragusa’s best efforts
however they could not resist the considerable negotiating power of the Austrians, who had no intention to give in to requests of such a small entity. Their preference was to style themselves as a
benevolent caretaker with their protective power bestowed upon their protégé as a kind concession.
The Republic struggled to accept this reality, eventually giving up their resistance due to new and pressing needs in relation to the Russo-Ottoman war where the help of the Hofburg was needed.
Through this paper, it will become evident of the efforts Ragusa used to desperately emancipate herself, save money, and equalise her negotiating position with the Austrians as much as possible, and mitigate her inevitable situation of subjugation.
David’s mission seemed easy, but when he reached Travnik he understood that Hüsrev Mehmet, the man of Istanbul in that mountainous, troubled and important frontier province of the Ottoman Empire, was his only chance to succeed. Surrounded by the suspicion of the locals, who feared a French invasion from the near Dalmatia, David found in Hüsrev not only a Francophile and an open interlocutor, but a trusted ally.
Since their very first encounter the consul labelled the governor the ”aimable visir” and their bond also developed into a personal friendship. On the other hand, Hüsrev also counted on David for his own political and personal survival, as he had to face challenges during one of the most troubled periods in Ottoman history.These two men coming from extremely different walks of life, and very different cultures, David a bourgeois from Calvados and Hüsrev a former slave and a consummate member of Ottoman elite, tried to support each other in an ever-changing scenario.
This paper analyses the encounter between these two men through the diplomatic correspondence of David with the French Minister of the Foreign affairs. Their friendship, which also inspired the novel “Bosnian Chornicle“ by Ivo Andrić, remained solid even when the flamboyant Napoleonic foreign policy changed the cards on the table and Ottoman internal order seemed to crush the fate of the pasha. Their encounter makes emerge not only the personal figures of these two characters, but it also shows the importance of the Balkans in Napoleonic tactics at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as the complex and difficult relationship between Ottoman centre and periphery.
In 1771 several members of the Ragusan Senate were deployed to defuse “the incoming storm”. What had started as a military conflict, however, soon turned into a religious and political clash, as the Russians requested to build an Orthodox church in the Adriatic city.
The Republic feared the ambitions of the Russians were being fueled by its Montenegrin neighbours (“quelli delle Bocche”), who were courted by Catherine II in an attempt to fashion herself as the protector of the Ottoman Orthodox population and to expand Russian influence in South-Eastern Europe.
Ragusa deployed its entire diplomatic network in an ewort to soxen the Russian position and avoid consequences, which were considered so treacherous that they could threaten Ragusa’s very existence.
In this talk, I reported two cases. The first one is that of Guglielmo Maurizio Ludolf, ambassador of the Bourbons of Naples at Constantinople from 1789 to 1815, who merely considered his own natural child as an obstacle.
The other case is that of Pierre David, Napoleonic consul in Bosnia from 1807 to 1814.
The love for his children made him an upstanding example of family man and he risked his own life to protect his family against the threats and turmoils in one of the most unstable provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
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