Cambridge Studies in Italian History and Culture: Dynasty and Diplomacy in the Court of Savoy: Political Culture and the Thirty Years' War (Paperback)

Toby Osborne
Cambridge University Press
 9780521037914
0-521-03791-3

History has been unkind to the House of Savoy during the Thirty Years' War, viewing it as a powerless puppet of Richelieu and Olivares. By contrast, this book examines the varied and powerful dynastic aspirations of Savoy through the career of its leading ambassador, Alessandro Scaglia (1592-1641). Scaglia was a court clan member who used diplomatic service, his expertise in the high arts, and his cosmopolitan network of friends to further Savoy's interests and those of his family.