This 1955 work is the classic history of the development of modern diplomacy in Renaissance Europe. Sometime after the year 1400, the diplomatic traditions of civilized cultures-which have existed as far back as the records of human history extend-took a sharp turn that was the result of new power relations in the newly modern world. Mattingly believed these could be illustrative of how nations and traditions change...and that we might apply those lessons to our own rapidly changing global culture. Discover: • the legal framework of Medieval diplomacy • diplomatic practices in the 15th century • the Italian beginnings of modern diplomacy • precedents for resident embassies • the dynastic power relations of European nations in the 16th century • French diplomacy and the breaking-up of Christendom • the Habsburg system • early modern diplomacy • and more. American scholar of European history GARRETT MATTINGLY (1900-1962) is also the author of Catherine of Aragon (1941) and the bestselling The Armada (1959), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.

This award-­winning story of the defeat of the Spanish Armada has been hailed as a historical masterpiece. The book covers Queen Elizabeth's reign over a turbulent nation, while the Duke of Parma plans the invasion of England from the Netherlands. The crucial period from February 1587 to December 1588 is presented in a series of detailed, dramatic scenes. The second part of the book is devoted to the naval battle from the first sight of the Armada off the Scilly Isles to the return of its broken remnants to the ports of Spain.

Product Description: Garrett Mattingly's thrilling narrative sets out the background of the sixteenth-century European intrigue and religious unrest that gave rise to one of the world's most famous maritime crusades and the naval battles that decided its fate...read more