Abstract

The tumultuous beginnings of the17th century encouraged the rise of ideologies that sought to defend the juridical, political and economic particularism of the Spanish Monarchy's "provinces". Naples, the scene of several violent demonstrations also saw an increase in the number of treatises and pamphlets published arguing for the restoration of a principality that was fully sovereign or autonomous. This paper focuses on the diplomacy practiced by the City and Kingdom of Naples as a special channel between monarch and vassals. The election of ambassadors to be sent to the Habsburg courts (Barcelona and Vienna), the struggle for new privileges and oaths, or the negotiation in the Palace to block the Roman diplomacy are the main aspects that will be examined.