ABSTRACT
This chapter first treats what can be defined as the passive roles of captives in negotiations for captive exchanges that preceded peacemaking. It then provides examples of how captives served as cultural mediators. Captives could be bestowed as a diplomatic gift to the enemy ruler, part of opening negotiations, similar to the use of costly garments, jewelry, exotic animals, or other valuables. In such cases, captives served as a commodity, evaluated by their number and worth. The need for cultural information was especially prominent when the Western Christians tried to connect to the Mongols and sometimes even make treaties with them. Captives could, nonetheless, become diplomats and negotiators for peace. The chapter concludes with the less-examined roles of captives in active diplomacy.
