Some remarks on the “border period” of Florentine diplomacy in the Italian Wars and its significant episode: the mission of Niccolo Machiavelli to Caterina Sforza (July 1499)

The research examines the diplomacy of Florence in the initial stage of the Italian Wars of 1494-1559. The author substantiates the concept of analysing the events of 1498-1499 in Florentine diplomacy as a certain “border period”, when the Tuscan Republic needed to form a new understanding of its own goals in the context of the Italian armed conflict and the strategy for their implementation. The main focus in the context of analysis is on the figure of the secretary of Florentine diplomacy, Niccolo Machiavelli and his mission in July 1499 to the Countess of Forlì, Caterina Sforza. The final part of the study propose not only a generalizing conclusion but also an appendix – the author's own translation of a number of diplomatic documents of Machiavelli mission to Katerina Sforza from Italian into Russian, which contains some notes.