Dynasty and Diplomacy in the Court of Savoy

History has been unkind to the House of Savoy during the Thirty Years'' War viewing it as a powerless puppet of Richelieu and Olivares. By contrast this book examines the varied and powerful dynastic aspirations of Savoy through the career of its leading ambassador Alessandro Scaglia (1592-1641). Scaglia was a court clan member who used diplomatic service his expertise in the high arts and his cosmopolitan network of friends to further Savoy''s interests and those of his family.