Diplomatic activities in the Western and Eastern Roman Empires between the 4th and 6th centuries AD

In this study, diplomatic activities in the Western and Eastern Roman Empires between the 4th and 6th centuries AD have been examined. The political and military conditions that the empires were in, which varied over time, also influenced their political careers. Military successes or failures made diplomatic activities inevitable. During the mentioned period, the dangers created by Germanic tribes in the west, ongoing struggles with the Sassanids in the east, and fluctuating relations with the Armenian and Iberian kingdoms, along with the Avars posing a great threat in the Balkans, were the main concerns for the Roman state. For both the Western and Eastern Roman states, diplomatic relations and the negotiations conducted held utmost importance, considering war as a last resort. The Roman state practiced diplomacy by basing its negotiations with foreign and neighboring peoples or states on certain principles. These diplomatic activities took place with various groups, including the Sassanids, Germanic tribes (such as the Ostrogoths, Vandals, Visigoths, Suebi, Franks, Gepids, and Sarmatians), Huns, Avars, Göktürks, and some other communities. Additionally, the study also examines internal embassies that were numerous and took place within the imperial borders. The first section of the study provides an overview of the political situation of the Western and Eastern Roman states between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. The second section presents the definition of diplomacy, the characteristics of diplomacy in Ancient Greek city-states and Roman states, the units, and officials involved in diplomacy during the analyzed period. In this section, we also classified and evaluated the embassies we gathered from ancient sources, based on various features. The third section of the study focuses on embassies sent from the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, while the fourth section covers the embassies received by the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, where we have compiled a catalog. The interpretation section of the diplomatic activities we gathered from ancient sources provides political historical information to understand these embassies. Keywords: Roman State, Foreign Relations, Diplomacy, Embassy.