A Medici Agent's Newsletters to Florence during the Leghorn Crisis of 1653

In this essay I examine the newsletters that a Medici agent in London sent back to the grand ducal court in Florence during the months preceding and subsequent to the Battle of Leghorn in March 1653.Through a close reading of the letters, which are kept in the Mediceo del Principato at the Archivio di Stato in Florence, we gain invaluable insight into the language and structure this Medici agent considered appropriate for newsletters. The role of translation in diplomatic correspondence is also examined.