Business Misunderstanding or Diplomatic Pressure: a Note from Leopold von Talman, the Austrian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1737

Abstract

The paper examines a note from Leopold von Talman, the Austrian ambassador to Constantinople, addressed to the Republic of Dubrovnik on the eve of the Austro-Ottoman War of 1737. In June 1737, Talman was in Soroca, along the Dniester River, from where he sent this note to Dubrovnik. Talman was known for writing letters with conspiratorial themes, and it can be inferred that this letter served, among other purposes, as a warning to Dubrovnik to respect Austrian interests along the eastern Adriatic coast.