ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the normative view of early modern diplomacy at the level of formal practice and the challenges posed to peaceful interactions by the changing political and cultural landscapes of Europe and the world, and how Europeans grappled in practice with these challenges. It presents translation metaphorically: of the symbolic acts of translation, that is, of interpreting different cultural codes and of the search for shared understandings of such fundamental issues as diplomatic protocols or material gifts as foundational for building stable grounds for negotiating. The scholarly discipline of international relations has often characterised diplomacy from the viewpoint of the 'state' as an abstract entity, and correspondingly as a description of the ways states manage their interactions with each other. Looking at European diplomacy in its early modern context provides a rich testing ground for exploring issues of diplomacy, translation and mediation.
