Fatal Diplomacy, 1541
The murder of two French envoys on the river Po in the summer of 1541 not only provoked a diplomatic whodunnit round the courts of Europe, but also throws light on attitudes to diplomacy in the Renaissance world. Linda and Marsha Frey tell the story and its implications.
Concerns about the safety of diplomats have surfaced recently in the news. Diplomacy, it seems, can be a hazardous profession. Today diplomats face danger from terrorists, rebels and unfriendly powers. In the sixteenth century envoys had similar fears and similar problems. Consider one of the famous murders in the Renaissance, the slaying of two French envoys, Rincon and Fregoso.
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