Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Hideyoshi and Henry IV of France; 2 Hürrem Sultan and Lady Zheng; 3 Afonso I of Kongo and Elizabeth I of England; 4 Pope Clement VII and Moctezuma II of Mexico; Conclusion: Toward the seventeenth century; Appendix: genealogical charts; Bibliography; Index