Amici novi

Amici novi is a Latin phrase meaning "new friends". In Brunant, it refers to a period of new diplomatic relations in the late 1740s and 1750s. Modern historians call it a turning point in the history of Brunant.

History
Brunant entered the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740 on the Spanish side. Ever since the disastrous 1533 invasion of Rose Island and the Treaty of Madrid (1534), Brunant was allied to Spain. Other important allies in the first half of the 18th century were France and Prussia. In 1744, King Marten I died, and he was succeeded by his son Pieter. Upon his ascension to the throne, the new king had the pro-Spanish Chief Minister Julian Gonia removed from office, and expelled the French and Spanish. Pieter formally kept Brunant neutral in the latter stages of the war. Joseph Ritter was appointed the new Chief Minister and embarked on a neutral course.

In 1749, King Pieter repudiated the Treaty of Madrid and thus put an end to the Brunanter-Spanish alliance that lasted for more than two centuries. In 1755, Ritter died and he was replaced by Charles Elteman. He is considered the architect of the diplomatic relations of Brunant in the late 1750s.

In 1756, the so-called Diplomatic Revolution took place in Europe. This was the reversal of longstanding alliances; Austria went from an ally of Great Britain to an ally of France, while Prussia became an ally of Britain. Under Pieter's reign, the country sought ties with other anti-French powers, including Great Britain. The same year, the Seven Years' War broke out and France invaded Brunant. This would lead to three years of war, marked by long sieges. Brunant, who had links to Hesse-Kassel, immediately sought their help and that of Great Britain and Prussia. Brunant was ultimately able to prevail.

After the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763, Brunant became an ally of Great Britain and Prussia, but because of its location in the Mediterranean Sea, close to superpowers Spain and France, Brunant generally maintained a neutral attitude. Because of the economic decline after the Franco-Brunant War, Great Britain and Prussia supported Brunant financially. Nonetheless, the fear of war with France or Spain remained. After James Carrington's 1784 invasion, Brunant started a period of diplomatic neutrality.