Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T13:42:54.291Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - Friedrich von Gentz and His Wallachian Correspondents

Security Concerns in a Southeastern European Borderland (1812–28)

from Part IV - Agents and Practices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2019

Beatrice de Graaf
Affiliation:
Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
Ido de Haan
Affiliation:
Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
Brian Vick
Affiliation:
Emory University, Atlanta
Get access

Summary

Between 1812 and 1828 Friedrich von Gentz acted as political correspondent for three successive princes of Wallachia. This chapter reveals the complex relationship between the freelance diplomat and his generous clients, in which Gentz acted as an unofficial diplomatic agent, confidant and tutor, thereby engaging in a process of ‘distance social teaching’ in relation to his princely correspondents, who themselves were ‘intelligence brokers’ in Europe’s southeastern periphery. In turn, the hospodars kept Gentz regularly updated on the Danubian principalities' political situation, and appealed to Gentz’s expertise for guidance in the diplomatic conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, in which ambassadorial conferences worked for the cooperative management and resolution of international crises. The relationship between Gentz and his Wallachian correspondents provides a telling example of a practice that disseminated to southeastern Europe a new political and security culture.

Type
Chapter
Information
Securing Europe after Napoleon
1815 and the New European Security Culture
, pp. 251 - 270
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×