The Play of Negotiation: Muslim Ambassadors in Spanish Classical Theatre

The presence of Turks and Moors in classical European theatre is well known and multifaceted, from the dramatic Shakespeare’s Othello to the burlesque Turkish prince of Moliere’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme. Little research has been done on the roles of Muslims in Spanish Golden Age theatre, and even less on diplomatic agents, but we have found dozens of plays in which these men appear. As a part of the DIPLOINMED project, we are unearthing this cultural heritage and analysing the interplay between actual Islamic representatives in Habsburg Madrid and the different archetypes that Muslim ambassadors played in the theatre, combining mockery of religious prejudices and respect for royal agents.

The Spanish national project DIPLOINMED (Intercultural Mediterranean Diplomacy of the Spanish Monarchy, https://ih.csic.es/es/research-project/diplomacia-intercultural-mediterranea-monarquia-hispana-diploinmed) searches for the agents of Mediterranean diplomacy between Spanish authorities and Muslim polities in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Going beyond the classical figures of ambassadors, we focus instead on frontier authorities, merchants, friars, or religious minorities (Moriscos and Sephardim). Special attention is also paid to the sites of diplomacy aside from royal courts. With a team of twenty researchers, the project combines conferences and academic publications with public history initiatives such as educational talks, guided tours, theatre performances, databases, exhibitions, and documentaries.

All welcome, but please register to attend: https://ucl-eme-play-negotiation.eventbrite.co.uk

This event has been organised by UCL Centre for Early Modern Exchanges. The Centre is dedicated to the study of the diverse cultural, economic and social exchanges between early modern states in the Old World and beyond in the period 1450-1800. Our work focuses on how complex intercultural interactions from translation to trade began to create borders and frontiers between countries, vernacular literatures and identities in this period.

Image credit: Details of Image: Antoine Coypel, Mohamed Temim, ambassadeur du sultan du Maroc, assistant à un spectacle dans une loge de la Comédie italienne à Paris, en février 1682 (ca. 1682), Château de Versailles, https://collections.chateauversailles.fr/#/query/5f4ed196-b4f1-4ada-b7a4-41bf633f6041