Tudor politics, Tuscan ambition: a Florentine diplomat and intelligencer in sixteenth-century Europe

A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, 2000 Scholars generally believe that Anglo-Tuscan diplomatic ties were nonexistent in the mid-sixteenth century, when both England and Florence were considered too preoccupied with preserving their autonomy and domestic tranquility to have engaged in extensive foreign policy making. Connections in fact existed in the person of Antonio Guidotti (1492–1555), a precursor to the official relationship between England and Tuscany realized at the end of the century. During his reign, Cosimo I de' Medici (r. 1537–1574), acquired a level of sovereignty within the Habsburg Empire in part by utilizing individuals like Guidotti. Correspondence between Cosimo and Guidotti, housed in the Archivio di Stato in Florence and as yet unpublished, is a vital contribution to this study. Guidotti's career provides evidence regarding the extent of social mobility. Guidotti, the scion of a Florentine patrician family, used his personal and professional connections for advancement. Settling in Southampton, Guidotti ingratiated himself into the civic merchant elite and, through them, the English court. Despite, or because of, a massive business failure and a substantial debt to the crown, Guidotti was sent by the English to France to open discussions for the return to the French of the English-held town of Boulogne. His diplomatic success resulted in an English knighthood, and, upon his return to Florence, a formal entry followed by civic offices. Limits placed on Guidotti's social mobility, however, confirm the development of the Florentine patriciate into a closed caste during the sixteenth century. Guidotti also represents a new breed of diplomat. The clergy and nobility no longer dominated diplomacy by virtue of their education and rank. Guidotti and others of his ilk recognized that diplomacy might become a tool for social mobility. They appreciated the value of information, which they collected and disseminated to their employers. Guidotti is an example of this new diplomat, one who provides his connections, talents, and loyalty to the highest bidder. In short, Guidotti's career, and the context of Florence under Cosimo I and England under Edward VI, illustrate the growing professionalization of diplomacy, in which men of ambition with private access to information could receive international recognition.

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