The contributions to this volume discharged from the perspective of different disciplines zoom overarching issues of life and work of the learned envoy Jacques Bongars (1554-1612), who was a Huguenot in the service of the Catholic King Henry IV.. Here is the scholar with his language studies and his philological edition activity to the same extent attention as the ambassador, who had been entrusted primarily with diplomatic missions at the German Protestant Estates. When evaluating Bongars' letters and notes, his pedigree, his Justin edition and its extensive collection of books shows how closely linked Gelehrtenrepublik and politics in those years were. Through comparative analysis of other Protestants in the service of the French crown, and with a view to the development of European external relations in the period of religious wars is clear that Jacques Bongars can be regarded as paradigmatic witness and representative member of his class. 

A systematic analysis of his legacy thus promises far-reaching insights into questions of diplomatic history, the sectarianism, the learned networks and the Early Modern Philology. Studies on the history of the collection bear in mind have that already scientists earlier epochs the source value of 'Bongarsiana' identified and these used for their respective time-specific research. Site Gerlinde Huber-Rebenich: Foreword -Philip Benedict: French Protestants in the service of the Crown, 1554 -1612 - Heinz Schilling:Protestant networks and political external relations in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries - Ruth Kohldorfer frieze: Entrepreneurship - Politics - scholarship. The Dutch entrepreneur Daniel van der Meulen and Jacques Bongars - Andreas Ammann: The Justin edition of Jacques Bongars. Edition philology and scholarly network in late humanism - Walther Ludwig: The aborted trip to the Orient by Jacques Bongars in light of new research - Joanna Weinberg: Jacques Bongars in the academy of Rabbi Loew, the Maharal of Prague - Alexa Renggli: footsteps of Jacques Bongars in two Reformation historic letter collections in Zurich , Communications networks and their tradition - Charles-Eloi Vial:Les manuscrits de Jacques Bongars à la Bibliothèque nationale de France