La diplomatie dans les Mémoires de Commynes

The Memoires by Philippe de Commynes, a mixture of war stories and transactions, are a way, among others, of looking at diplomatic negotiation as it was conceived and practiced in the 15th century. The art of negotiation, which Commynes observed and practiced over a long period, is described throughout his Memoires as lessons intended for his readers, most importantly princes. In fact, the latter should learn, through diplomacy, to know their friends and enemies better; and, to accomplish this, they should be able to rely on able and faithful ambassadors, whom they should therefore choose with care. From this perspective, the Memoires become a manual for using diplomacy well; but a manual intended, as far as the author was concerned, for the French.