This publication is an edition of all the major instructions that have come down to us from the pontificate of Paul V (1605-1621), i. e., the central documents pertaining to papal foreign policy in the period in question. It will form the basis for all future studies on the relations between the Holy See and the Catholic powers in Europe during the Borghese pontificate. The documents deal not only with political issues but also with questions of a religious and ecclesiastical nature. In addition, the detailed Introduction based on prosopographic studies provides insights on the functioning of the nunciatures and the papal department of state.
