ABSTRACT
The Sidneys’ involvement in Continental affairs during the seventeenth century through diplomacy, administrative appointments, and personal travel is central to an understanding of their public prestige and family lives. But while their court status was frequently enhanced by onerous duties abroad, the impact of these commitments on their family lives, especially in terms of their expense and a debilitating sense of being exiled from home and loved ones, was immense. The remarkable wealth and range of the Sidneys’ family archive, published writings, and other surviving documents makes the narrative of their experiences from the accession of James i in 1603 until the death of William iii in 1702 well worth exploring-and at times redefining-from the specific perspective of their Continental activities.
