Dr. Aneliya Stoyanova will present his research proposal on the topic:

A Possible Ally from the East: The Habsburg Intelligence and the Ottoman-Safavid Rivalry, 1560s–1610s.

on 14 January, 2021 (Thursday) at 16:30 h.

Abstract

The project examines the dependencies in the triangle of bilateral relations between three of the leading powers of the Early modern era – the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Habsburgs. The series of Ottoman-Safavid wars in the extremely vibrant period of the late 16 th and early 17 th century temporarily hindered the military activity of the Sublime Porte in the Mediterranean and Central Europe. They were hence beneficial for both branches of the Habsburg dynasty based in Vienna and Madrid – prime antagonists of the Ottoman advance to the West. Furthermore, the perception of the Ottomans as a common enemy lead to ambitious plans for cooperation and anti-ottoman alliances between the Habsburgs and the Safavids. The project explores how the Imperial court in Vienna/Prague understood the Ottoman-Safavid rivalry and tried to take advantage of it. By examining written sources, produced by the Habsburg court and its diplomatic network, the research aims at outlining the degree of acquaintance with different aspects of the manifold bilateral relations between the two Muslim states and also at answering the question whether the Safavids were viewed as potential allies or rather as a convenient distraction of the enemy’s powers from the Western front. Due to the lack of permanent contacts between the Emperor and the Shah, it was the Habsburg intelligence in Istanbul that regularly provided Vienna/Prague with the latest information regarding the developments in the Ottoman-Safavid relations. The project brings to light the crucial practices of collecting and delivering information and its vital importance for the decision-making process at the Imperial court. It should further answer the question of how essential were both the official and the secret diplomatic moves. Since the examined connections remain poorly researched, the expected results aim to contribute to the general study of Europe’s image of the East and more concretely to the study of the relationship of the Habsburgs with the Middle East.

Aneliya Stoyanova, Ph.D. obtained her Bachelor (2011), Master (2013) and Ph.D. (2020) in History from Sofia University. Her scientific interests lay in the Early Modern history, more specifically in intercultural diplomacy, diplomatic intermediation and ceremony, and social networking. Different aspects of the everyday life of European diplomats in the Ottomanempire, and the history of diseases in the Early modern period are also subjects of her research. Her Ph.D. thesis (Vienna, Madrid and the Habsburg–Ottoman relations, 1555–1606) focuses on the solidarity between the two branches of the Habsburg dynasty in their relations with the Ottomans in the second half of the 16 th century. Aneliya Stoyanova was awarded a Richard Plaschka Scholarship (2015–2016) and a Ph.D. Scholarship of the Gerda Henkel Foundation (2018–2019) and has conducted several months of archival research in Austria and Spain.