Exotic Precious ‘Magic’ – Early Modern Bezoars and the Austrian Habsburg Court in the Second Half of the 16th Century
Exotic Precious ‘Magic’ – Early Modern Bezoars and the Austrian Habsburg Court in the Second Half of the 16th Century

Summary/Abstract: In Western Europe of the late 16th century bezoars were regarded as incredibly valuable possessions. Actually, consisting of mineral concretions occasionally found in the stomachs of wild goats, deer and ruminants in general, they were believed to possess certain magical or mystical powers to ward off spells and crucial medicinal value. They were considered to be effective remedies against almost any kind of poison and unfailing components of longevity potions. Their popularity came hand in hand with the practices of criminal poisoning among early modern European elites. The article explores the two main channels for acquiring bezoar stones, used by the Imperial Habsburg court in Vienna / Prague in the second half of the 16th century – i.e., from the New world through Spain and from the East through the Ottoman empire. The focus is put on a case study from the late 1570s, which reveals the practices and mechanisms implied by the Habsburg resident diplomats in Istanbul in their effort to provide the Viennese court with the desired valuables. The study further puts the particular case in the broader context of the Habsburg-Ottoman diplomatic relations. It delves not only into the intriguing details about the purchase of the bezoars but also sheds light upon their use for the delivery of secret correspondence and the ‘contribution’ of such minor assignments to the worsening of the diplomats’ financial struggles.

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