Arms procurement and diplomatic negotiation. Saltpeter trade in renaissance Italy
Journal title SOCIETÀ E STORIA
Author/s Fabrizio Ansani
Publishing Year 2021 Issue 2021/171
Language Italian Pages 32 P. 1-32 File size 201 KB
DOI 10.3280/SS2021-171001
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Developing from the analysis of fifteenth-century correspondences, the essay discusses the complex diplomatic issues behind the market of saltpeter, that is, the primary, indispensable component of gunpowder. Highlighting the different approaches adopted by resident ambassadors and informal agents to the procurement of this rare mineral, the article will reconstruct the state intervention in its trade during the climax of the late medieval «artillery revolution». The result of the research will restate - from an economic perspective - the intimate connections between diplomatic activities and war preparations in the era of the «balance of power».
Keywords: Diplomacy, artillery, armaments, trade, saltpeter, renaissance.
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Fabrizio Ansani, Artiglieria e diplomazia. Esportazioni di salnitro e problemi di munizionamento nella corrispondenza degli oratori italiani del quattrocento in "SOCIETÀ E STORIA " 171/2021, pp 1-32, DOI: 10.3280/SS2021-171001