Brandenburg-Prussia between Madrid and ViennaThe failed diplomatic mission of Melchior von Ruck (1676-1680)

Resumen

The presented dissertation is focused on the diplomatic, economic, and military relationships and strategies between the Hispanic Monarchy and Brandenburg-Prussia in the period of the Franco-Dutch War. The work is divided into three main parts to offer a more comprehensive analysis of mentioned interaction between Berlin, Madrid, and Vienna. The mentioned triangle will be looked at in the context of dynastic cooperation between Austrian and Spanish Habsburg lines. For this reason, the first part, it was introduced the general political struggles of Leopold I after the Peace of Westphalia and his need for cooperation with the Hispanic Monarchy. These chapters also focus on his sister, Mariana of Austria, and her importance for the dynastic policy. The author analyzes a vital connection between the Dietrichstein faction and Mariana of Austria to accent the benefits for the members of the Dietrichstein faction. In the second part, the author analyzes the development of the diplomatic relationship between Brandenburg-Prussia and the Hispanic Monarchy based on the military agreement between Berlin and Madrid and Berlin and Vienna. As a fiscalmilitary state, Brandenburg-Prussia rented its soldiers for subsidies regularly. On the other side, the Habsburg dynasty must protect its territories against France in the second part of the seventeenth century. This simple description formed the basics of their diplomatic relationship. However, because the promised subsidies were not paid on time, Berlin sent to Madrid its envoy, Melchior von Ruck, who did not succeed even after four years in Madrid (1676-1680). For this reason, the relationship between Berlin and Madrid turned completely from allies into open naval conflict with Brandenburg-Prussia. Frederick William tried to capture Spanish ships with silver from the New World. This part will aim to interpret Brandenburg-Prussian diplomatic strategies and the mission of Melchior von Ruck in a colonial context because the Elector of Brandenburg wished for his part of the colonial fortune. Frederick William saw the Brandenburg-Prussian colonial experiment as an opportunity to support his territorial expansion in the Baltic area. The third part of the dissertation focuses on the diplomatic missions of Germanspeaking diplomats and residents (the imperial ambassadors, the envoy of Brandenburg, and the Hanseatic consuls) at the Spanish royal court in the second part of the seventeenth century. Besides the traditional character of their missions, the author analyses their social status, financial and symbolic capital, and everyday life. Based on New diplomatic history, the author reconstructs their role in the early modern ceremony at the Spanish royal court in Madrid, the reality of diplomatic immunity in Madrid, and cultural perception of their mission