According to Lobenwein & Rous, two forms of espionage can be distinguished, espionage in the true sense, which aims to obtain secret information of others, and counter-intelligence, which seeks to ward off such attacks on one's own information security. Around 1650, one can see a turning point towards a greater professionalisation of espionage.

Interestingly enough, research is presuming a caesura in the development of early modern diplomacy at about the same time, without the two having been discussed together so far. (7/7)

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Lobenwein and Rous emphasise that, when studying diplomatic practice and the transfer of information, the interplay between orality, writing and other media is crucial; this also applies when dealing with the practices of espionage. Information that was supposed to remain secure was mainly transmitted orally. (6/7)

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The accquistion of information was the most important function of early modern diplomats which was facilitaded through the establishment of permanent embassies from the 15th century onwards and discussed in numerous contemporary handbooks and treatises on early modern diplomacy. The boundaries between overt and covert, legal and illegal information gathering were fluid. This ambiguity finds expression in the term honourable espion which was coined by Pierre Ayrault. (5/7)

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Rous, who wrote her dissertation on Wettin dynastic marriages, studied early modern secret diplomacy in her habilitation. Currently, she prepares the 5th Saxon State Exhibition which will open in 2029 as curator.

https://www.steiner-verlag.de/Geheimdiplomatie-in-der-Fruehen-Neuzeit/9783515130523 (4/7)

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Lobenwein is a Post-Doc at the German Historical Institute at Rome @MaxWeberStiftung After research on nobility and questions of medical history, her current project focuses on the acquisition and processing of information of Habsburg and Venetian diplomats in the Ottoman Empire

https://dhi-roma.it/index.php?id=lobenwein&L=24 (3/7)

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Sunday evening is often crime time on the telly but early modern diplomacy offers crime and thrillers, too.
Therefore, we do not want to miss the opportunity to continue our countdown by introducing two more of our handbook authors to you. Please welcome Elisabeth Lobenwein and Anne-Simone Rous! (2/7)

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Brunert and Weber clearly show that we need to reflect on the conditions, functions as well as the underlying messages of diplomatic correspondences, when we read them to discover early modern diplomacys secrets. (9/9)

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During the 17th and 18th centuries we could see both the intensification and diversification of diplomatic reporting. Using the Westphalian peace congress as an example, Brunert and Weber provide insights into different traditions and forms of diplomatic reporting.

Diplomatic letters should not only inform, but were means of personal relations such as patronage-clientel-relations or ways of legitimising one’s actions. (8/9)

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