ABSTRACT

Women, Diplomacy and International Politics since 1500 explores the role of women as agents of diplomacy in the trans-Atlantic world since the early modern age. Despite increasing evidence of their involvement in political life across the centuries, the core historical narrative of international politics remains notably depleted of women. This collection challenges this perspective.

Chapters cover a wide range of geographical contexts, including Europe, Russia, Britain and the United States, and trace the diversity of women’s activities and the significance of their contributions. Together these essays open up the field to include a broader interpretation of diplomatic work, such as the unofficial avenues of lobbying, negotiation and political representation that made women central diplomatic players in the salons, courts and boudoirs of Europe.

Through a selection of case studies, the book throws into new perspective the operations of political power in local and national domains, bridging and at times reconceptualising the relationship of the private to the public. Women, Diplomacy and International Politics since 1500 is essential reading for all those interested in the history of diplomacy and the rise of international politics over the past five centuries.

chapter |12 pages

Introduction

The long international history of women and diplomacy

chapter 2|16 pages

Cousins and Queens

Familial ties, political ambition and epistolary diplomacy in Renaissance Europe

chapter 3|22 pages

Dynastic Relations on an International Stage

Margaret de la Marck (1527–1599) and Arenberg family strategy during the Dutch Revolt

chapter 5|21 pages

Marriage Plots

Royal women, marriage diplomacy and international politics at the Spanish, French and Imperial Courts, 1665–1679

chapter 6|13 pages

‘Paper Negotiations'

Women and diplomacy in the early eighteenth century

chapter 8|14 pages

The Tsar's Sister as State Diplomat

Maria Pavlovna between Weimar and Saint Petersburg on the eve of the Congress of Vienna 1

chapter 9|16 pages

A ‘Goodwill Ambassador' in the Post-Napoleonic Era

Roxandra Edling-Sturdza on the European scene

chapter 10|15 pages

Gendering Diplomatic History

Women in the British diplomatic service, circa 1919–1972

chapter 13|18 pages

A Woman's Place is in the Embassy

America's first female chiefs of mission, 1933–1964

chapter 14|14 pages

Vangie Bruce's Diplomatic Salon

A mid-twentieth-century portrait

chapter 15|15 pages

The Performance of Diplomacy

The residence, gender and diplomatic wives in late twentieth-century Sweden