Germanico Malaspina pápai nuncius erdélyi missziója 1599-ben
Papal Nuncio Germanico Malaspina’s Mission to Transylvania in 1599

Summary/Abstract: The new Pope, Clement VIII, who ascended the throne in 1592, gave the Principality of Transylvania a very important role as an ally of the Habsburg Empire and the Papacy in the war that erupted in 1593 against the Ottoman Empire. When the Transylvanian prince Sigismund Báthory abdicated his throne for the second time in 1598, the papal diplomacy sent a new nuncio, Germanico Malaspina, to support the new ruler of the country, Andrew Báthory. Malaspina’s task was to prevent the principality from leaving the war, to curb the increasing influence of Polish diplomacy on the principality – which [i.e. the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth] wanted to extend its power beyond Moldavia to Transylvania and Wallachia, and to prevent the armed intervention of the emperor’s army to dethrone Andrew Báthory. The cardinal was expected by Rome to keep his country in the anti-Turkish alliance and to strengthen the position of Transylvanian Catholicism; moreover, to even spread the faith further into the Orthodox lands with the help of the prince. Even though Malaspina’s diplomatic mission ended in failure, his actions are a clear testimony to the flexibility of papal diplomacy and his independent vision for the region.

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