British Diplomats And Diplomacy, 1660-1800

This book discusses British diplomats and diplomacy during the formative period in which Britain emerged as the leading world power.

Jeremy Black uses the issue of diplomatic representation in order to discuss questions about the professionalism of British government, the nature of patronage and the degree to which Britain should be seen in this period as moving towards a more modern and bureaucratic system.

Supported by copious quotations from their letters, the book focuses on an interesting group of individuals in order to provide an understanding of the capabilities of British foreign policy, and examines British diplomats and diplomacy in the context of the situation in other countries. It is based on a comprehensive mastery of British and foreign archival sources by a scholar whose work has has a remarkable impact in the historical world.

Preface, ix; Abbreviations, xi; 1 Introduction: The Diplomacy of a Rising World Power, 1; 2 The Choice of Envoys, 18; 3 Effectiveness, 51; 4 The 'English Plan' of Diplomacy, 64; 5 Means of Control, 77; 6 The Diplomatic Life, 96; 7 Diplomats and the Information Society, 118; 8 Diplomacy and British Foreign Policy, 146; Appendix: Sources, 177; Notes, 199; Selected Further Reading, 236; Index, 237.

Jeremy Black is Professor of History at Exeter University and is one of the world's leading military historians. He works on post-1500 military history and also on eighteenth-century British history, international relations, cartographic history and newspaper history.