“In terra et in mare”: The Holy League in 1684 and Papal Diplomacy

In the aftermath of the Liberation of Vienna by the army commanded by Jan III Sobieski, international diplomacy was activated immediately to extend the Polish-Imperial League and continue the war against the Turkish. The diplo­macy of the Holy See, planned by Innocent XI, was particularly active: Franc­esco Buonvisi, ordinary nuncio in Vienna, and Opizio Pallavicini, nuncio in Warsaw, worked hard to encourage the adhesion of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. With the signing of the treaty on March 6, 1684 between Warsaw, Vienna, and Venice-solemnly celebrated in Rome on the following May 24- Innocent XI could count on joint action against the infidels by land and sea, with the armies of Poland, of the Empire, and the naval fleet of the Serenis­sima. The article intends to retrace the diplomatic phases-not always an easy task-which led to the signing of the League, paying attention to the decisive role played by the diplomacy of the Holy See.