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The Tuscan Contest. Neutrality, Trade and Diplomacy between England and Tuscany (1696-1704) / UBALDO MOROZZI

Swansea University Author: UBALDO MOROZZI

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.60097

Abstract

This thesis analyses the commercial and diplomatic relations between England and Tuscany through a case study, the Plowman case. The case developed between the end of the Nine Years’ War and the War of Spanish Succession. It began in 1696 when William Plowman, an English merchant residing in Livorno...

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Published: Swansea 2022
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: James, Leighton ; Dunnage, Jonathan
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60097
Abstract: This thesis analyses the commercial and diplomatic relations between England and Tuscany through a case study, the Plowman case. The case developed between the end of the Nine Years’ War and the War of Spanish Succession. It began in 1696 when William Plowman, an English merchant residing in Livorno, asked Grand Duke Cosimo III of Medici to arm three ships to trade in the Levant. Tuscany was neutral in the conflict and the sovereign demanded the merchant not to harm any French vessel during his voyage. Plowman broke his promise and captured several French vessels. Cosimo III arrested the merchant and forced him to pay compensation to the French. Meanwhile the English government interceded in favour of Plowman, starting a complicated dispute between England and Tuscany that eventually brought them to the brink of war. The analysis of the Plowman case allows to assess the economic and political importance of the Mediterranean Sea and of the Tuscan port of Livorno at the end of the seventeenth century. Livorno was not only one of the most important trading centres in the Mediterranean but also a fully equipped military port and thus had fundamental strategic importance for England. The controversy was instrumentally used by England to impose its sovereignty over Tuscany with the aim of acquiring a privileged access to the port. The study of the Plowman controversy reveals the extraordinary case of Tuscan neutrality and this work will demonstrate how Tuscany was the first European state to apply a long-term neutrality policy. This thesis explores how a small state as Tuscany managed to preserve its neutrality intact and how trade could be used as an instrument for resolving international disputes. The analysis of the Plowman case also reveals how the Glorious Revolution had profound impact on the English administration and consequently on its diplomatic capabilities. Not only does this work show the challenge of re-establishing diplomatic relations with Catholic European countries, but also demonstrates how the regime change forced the English government to rely on inexperienced personnel, which were chosen more for their political affiliation rather than for their competence. Finally, the analysis of the Plowman case allows to significantly re-evaluate Tuscany at the end of the Seventeenth century. The Grand Duchy has been so far described as a weak and decadent country, but study of the controversy demonstrates instead how Tuscany played an important role in the European scenario both from an economic and political point of view.
Keywords: Tuscany, England, Neutrality, Diplomacy, Symbolism, Trade, Regime change, culture shock, Cosimo III, Medici, William III, Plowman
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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