On 4 November 2025, the SMALLST research project had an open workshop at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Members of the project, along with colleagues from Athens, discussed their findings on the diplomatic practices of early modern small states. Gábor Kármán (SMALLST, PI) opened the event by introducing the SMALLST project and its current activities.
Marian Coman (SMALLST) took the participants on a cartographic exploration, focusing on Wallachia’s depiction and its status in early modern Western European geographic thought. Zsuzsanna Hámori Nagy (SMALLST) shared her latest findings on the diplomatic relation between France and the Principality of Transylvania. Lovro Kunčević (SMALLST) explained what being the city of “seven flags” meant in practice for Raguza, and how it helped the Republic survive and even flourish in the midst of great powers.
The following session explored the connections between the project’s and our host colleagues’ research. Konstantinos Poulios (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), the representative of the host institution, shared his research on the particularities of diplomatic mediation in southeastern Europe. Natalia Królikowska-Jedlińska (SMALLST) explored the Crimean Tatars’ obligations and opportunities that came with being mediators at the Ottoman Court. The workshop concluded with the final paper delivered by Gábor Kármán, touching upon the role of Transylvanian mediators in seventeenth-century Ottoman peace treaties.
Following the open workshop, SMALLST project members and colleagues from Athens continued with a closed workshop, where they discussed the current research and upcoming publications of the project.
