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In some ancient diplomatic systems, a valuable person (for example, the heir to a throne) temporarily surrendered, to guarantee, or at least make it more likely, that a treaty would be honoured. This was an important institution in relations between different courts, and Kautilya wrote a whole chapter on the subject in the Arthashastra. In the Ottoman Empire, ambassadors permanently resident in Istanbul were themselves regarded as hostages for the good behaviour of their princes until at least the end of the eighteenth century. In the event of hostilities breaking out between the Turks and the sending state, the ambassador concerned was removed to the prison of the Seven Towers.
More recently, in the context of diplomacy, the term has come to signify a person seized by a terrorist group in an attempt to get something to trade in exchange for the gratification of its political demands. Diplomats are often involved in the consequent negotiations, and sometimes they have been victims of hostage taking. |
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