Abstract The independence and equality of sovereign states are today formally enshrined in international law as principles governing the conduct of international relations. Diplomatic protocol, by symbolizing the principles, harmoniously represents the political process. Even if conflicts arising from protocol during difficult negotiations still are not uncommon, seventeenth-century practice as presented in diplomatic dispatches appears to the modern mind to be a curious and never-ending argument about lavish ceremonies arranged for visiting dignitaries. In early modern European diplomacy, the relationship between the ceremonial symbols and the mechanisms of power was closer and carried more weight. Whereas protocol is asked today to anticipate conflicts over status, in early modern Europe it was expressly designed to signify the relative status of the honoured guest and the sovereign host.