Escribano Páez, José Miguel2024-02-092024-02-092020Escribano-Páez, J. M. (2020). Diplomatic Gifts, Tributes and Frontier Violence: Circulation of Contentious Presents in the Moluccas (1575-1606). Diplomatica, 2(2), 248–269. https://doi.org/10.1163/25891774-0202000410.1163/25891774-02020004https://hdl.handle.net/10433/20030Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Individual Fellowship from the European Commission, grant agreement H2020 MSCA IF-2016 GA 748592 (On the Frontiers of Peace: Cross-Cultural Peacebuilding on the Frontiers of the Iberian Empires 1500–80)A crucial asset for cross-cultural communication during the early modern period, diplomatic gifts have been traditionally associated with courtly diplomacy and peaceful encounters. However, recent scholarship on this topic has emphasized how gifts can reveal bitter political rivalries and asymmetries of power. Building on this line of inquiry, this article explores the complex roles of gifts in the dynamics of cross-cultural violence on the frontiers of the Iberian empires in Southeast Asia. Through the examination of a wide array of sources, I aim to show how gift-giving turned into one of the multiple factors fueling the violent conflict between Moluccan sultans and Iberian authorities in the region between 1575 and 1606.application/pdfenAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Gift-givingCross-cultural diplomacyMalukuPhilippinesIberian empiresSixteenth centuryjournal articleopen access