When thinking about the exchange of diplomatic gifts in the early modern period, one rarely thinks of women as active senders and receivers of gifts, and even less of women sending gifts to each other. And yet, looking at the remarkable example of the correspondence between Elizabeth I and Safiye can tell us how gendered gifts, offered by and specifically aimed at women, facilitated diplomatic relationships at a time when the rest of Europe and the Ottoman Empire were at odds on a religious, cultural, and linguistic level.
New post : ‘Gifting the Harem: Gendered Gifts Between the Ottoman Sultana and the English Queen’ – Mathilde Alazraki – Gifting the East Blog
Publié le 9 avril 2021
