ABSTRACT
Confessional barriers were in place when an alliance was forged by marriage between princely houses. However, when talking about military or political alliances, treaties, or the balance of power, questions of religion or confession did not play a role for monarchs and their ministers. This chapter focuses on the 1730s and two diplomats, an imperial ambassador and a British envoy, who tried to or had to support members of their own religion, not in their city of residence, but in territories joined with or adjacent to those in which they operated. Diplomats had the right to practise their religion within their homes, even if they were of a different religion to that of their host country. A ‘free house’ was not only exempt from certain duties, but was also subject to a separate court system, and inhabitants were free to exercise their religion.
