The Language of Incognito in Late Seventeenth-Century Diplomacy

Abstract

Incognito was, by the end of the seventeenth century, a well-established and widely used practice in the European courts. In addition to its various convenience and financial uses, incognito could also have specifically diplomatic uses, acting as a unique and highly useful tool in negotiations, and it is this particular aspect of incognito this article aims to explore. Firstly, I will point out that, by suspending the standard rules governing social interactions, diplomatic incognito was first and foremost a way to free language and discourses from ceremonial restraints, which could very well be the sole and simple aim. The use of incognito did more however than simply facilitate diplomatic communications: it initiated, aside from the words spoken by the negotiators, another kind of dialogue, made of gestures and symbols, which I will endeavour to study. The last part of this article will be dedicated to the way this unique language made available using incognito could be used by early modern European states and their representatives to alter the balance of power and to level the diplomatic field in their favour.