ABSTRACT
The first political manoeuvres took place at the heart of this web of human and business relations; the cities of Ancient Greece and the principalities of the Italian Renaissance are evidence.
363 – The methods used in diplomacy were fashioned out of those of commerce. In the beginning, there was no distinction between the two: with time, bargaining refined itself into negotiation, dealings into treaties and pacts into peace. But the connection persisted, basically because both have their origins in the same principle – the meeting of minds and interests. This, facilitated by direct contacts and enshrined in written form, was to impart a more lasting, balanced and stable quality to relations between princes and peoples. In this difficult environment, force and trickery were no longer the only rules that applied.
