Proefschrift--Utrecht. / Includes bibliographical references.

Proefschrift--Utrecht. / Includes bibliographical references.

(EN) Ideological Intervention in the Early Modern Period. The Case of the Dutch Republic and the Estates of Cleves-Mark in the 1640s and 1650s 1648 is traditionally considered a major break in international relations. This thesis deals with the Dutch interventions in Cleves-Mark in the period before and after the Treaties of Westphalia and sets out to test some of these traditional assumptions. Rejecting the concept of the "Westphalian" sovereignty, it advocates a relational view based on mutual recognition. Accordingly, it focuses on the negotiations of the three subjects under scrutiny - the Dutch Republic as the intervening power, the Estates of Cleves-Mark as instigators and beneficiaries of the intervention, and the Elector of Brandenburg as the legitimate ruler - about their sovereignty, as they took shape in the arena of the "courtly public", especially in diplomacy. In the first part I argue that the Dutch Republic reacted very conservatively to the pressure to legitimize its role as a new member of the highly monarchical "courtly public". I also examined the impact of the domestic political system and diplomatic ceremonial on the external performance of the Dutch Republic, thereby uncovering the particular role of the Province of Gelderland. In three case studies of direct diplomatic...