diplomacy

Introduction
Nature and purpose
History of diplomacy
- The ancient world
  - China
  - India
  - Greece
  - Rome
- The Middle Ages
  - Islam
  - Byzantium
  - Diplomacy of the Roman Catholic Church
  - Venice
- The Renaissance to 1815
  - The development of Italian diplomacy
  - The spread of the Italian diplomatic system
  - The development of the foreign ministry and embassies
- The Concert of Europe to the outbreak of World War I
  - Balance of power and the Concert of Europe
  - Conference diplomacy and the impact of democratization
  - The spread of European diplomatic norms
- Diplomacy since World War I
  - The Soviet model
  - The League of Nations and the revival of conference diplomacy
  - Totalitarian regimes
  - Summit diplomacy
  - Decolonization and the beginnings of the Cold War
  - The United Nations and the changing world order
  - New styles of diplomacy
  - The role of women
  - The end of bipolarity
Modern diplomatic practice
- Diplomatic agents
- Rights and privileges
- Credentials
- Diplomatic tasks
- Diplomatic agreements
- Conference diplomacy
- Personnel

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Taking prisoners

Portrait of Niccolo Machiavelli by Santi di Tito shows Machiavelli in black and red robes, holding a document, against a plain background.

Thomas Cardinal Wolsey

Oil portrait of Hugo de Groot, also known as Hugo Grotius, by the workshop of Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt, showing him with a ruffled white collar and dark clothing.

Full-length portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne, showing him in red clerical robes holding a red book, standing beside a balustrade with a draped curtain behind.

Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh

David Lloyd George, Vittorio Orlando, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference

At a Glance

Franklin at the court of France

diplomacy summary

Related Questions

Taking prisoners — Taking prisoners A larger-than-life Ramses II towering over his prisoners and clutching them by the hair. Limestone bas-relief from Memphis, Egypt, 1290–24 bce; in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

diplomacy

international relations

Written by

Chas. W. FreemanAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 10, 2026 •History

diplomacy, the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other measures short of war or violence. Modern diplomatic practices are a product of the post-Renaissance European state system. Historically, diplomacy meant the conduct of official (usually bilateral) relations between sovereign states. By the 20th century, however, the diplomatic practices pioneered in Europe had been adopted throughout the world, and diplomacy had expanded to cover summit...

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