The Oriental Diplomacy of the Habsburg Monarchy

The otherness of the Orient has been challenging the Western world in innumerable ways. Matching the appropriate decision in issues related to regions and states differing from our home lifeworld seems today as complicated as it was centuries ago. In regard of this, it is worth having a closer look at decision-making strategies of previous eras which may open up new perspectives in the managing of present conflicts as well. The presence of the Ottoman Empire in early modern Central Europe had doubtlessly a deep impact on the countries and nations of the region. The Habsburg Monarchy, which included not only Austrian territory, but the lands of the Hungarian and Bohemian crowns, belonged to the most important state-level actors of the contemporary political scene and had been facing an extraordinary military challenge of the Crescent Moon since the early 16th century. It goes without saying, conflicts require a profound understanding of the opponent to build up an appropriate strategy for future actions. Related to the early modern Habsburg-Ottoman rivalry in Central Europe, my project targets the following main questions: Where and by whom were the relevant decisions made and how can actors of the decision-making process be located in the court society and institutions? Where did their professional expertise come from and how did the Habsburg government exploit and circulate their knowledge? Finally, how did the Habsburg Monarchy create its own diplomatic corps and strategy for managing affairs related to the Ottoman Empire and the Oriental world? Investigations shall focus on a major period of peace in the 17th century, when subtle peacekeeping mechanisms and experienced diplomats defined the relationship between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. Investigations will focus primarily on the activity of the Viennese War Council, a collegial board of military and civil experts, which controlled the diplomatic machinery on the Habsburg side. The organ was established in 1556 and was originally designed for managing the Ottoman war in the Kingdom of Hungary. It became responsible for the diplomatic issues concerning the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East since the early 17 th century and covered a great deal of topics, such as peace negotiations, diplomatic missions, interpretation of correspondence, operating the diplomatic outpost in Constantinople etc. Through examining the Viennese War Council my endeavor is to address the characteristically early modern Oriental diplomacy of the Habsburgs studying its very core behind the scenes of diplomatic performances focusing on how decisions of fundamental importance were created in order to avoid serious military confrontations and stabilize Habsburg-Ottoman rule in the Central European space.

The "otherness" of the Orient has challenged the Western world in countless ways over the past centuries. Making the right decision in relation to regions and states that are largely different from our domestic environment seems just as complicated today as it did before. In this context, it is worth considering decision-making strategies from earlier eras, which can also be useful in dealing with current conflicts. The presence of the Ottoman Empire in early modern Central Europe undoubtedly had a profound impact on the countries and nations of the region. The Habsburg Monarchy was one of the central state actors on the contemporary political scene, which from the beginning of the 16th century at the latest was confronted with a staggering military superiority of the Crescent. It goes without saying that conflicts require a deep understanding of the enemy in order to develop successful strategies. In the context of the early modern Habsburg-Ottoman rivalry in Central Europe, the project answers the following questions: Where and by whom were decisions of Ottoman relevance made at the Habsburg court? Where did the expertise of the experts come from and how did the Habsburg administration apply their knowledge in politics? Finally, how did the Habsburg Monarchy create its own diplomatic staff and strategy for the administration of Ottoman affairs? The project covers a major period of peace in the 17th century, when sophisticated peacekeeping mechanisms and experienced diplomats characterized the relationship between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. In this context, the activities of the Viennese Aulic War Council, a collegial body of military and civilian experts that controlled the diplomatic machinery on the Habsburg side, were examined first and foremost. This body was founded in 1556 and was originally conceived for the Ottoman war in the Kingdom of Hungary, but from the early 17th century it was also responsible for oriental diplomacy and dealt with issues such as peace negotiations, diplomatic missions to the East, correspondence, operation of the diplomatic outpost in Constantinople, etc. The Aulic War Council housed the most important oriental experts of the time, who drafted the "oriental decisions" after thorough information gathering and evaluation and presented their proposals in the field of Ottoman diplomacy to the emperor and his closest advisors. Since the expert advice of the Aulic War Council was generally accepted, this scholarly endeavour finally addresses the characteristic oriental diplomacy of the early modern Habsburgs and shows how decisions of fundamental importance were made behind the intercultural scenes of the diplomatic stage in order to avoid military confrontations as far as possible and to stabilize Habsburg-Ottoman rule in the Central European region.