Great Britain and Russia on the Way to Restoring Diplomatic Relations (1720–1731)

The article deals with the process of restoring diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Russia in the first third of the 18th century. England was the first country with which Russia established diplomatic relations 465 years ago. During this time, the countries have passed a difficult and thorny path of interaction. Often there were open military conflicts between them, and sometimes it simply came to the severance of diplomatic relations. One of these events occurred in the reign of Peter I on 14 December in 1720 year. Although diplomatic relations were interrupted, trade between the states continued to develop. The trade volume was reduced due to political tensions, which caused significant damage to the economy of England. In this regard, the British began to take active steps to establish diplomatic relations. The analysis of the correspondence between two British diplomats, T. Ward and C. Rondeau, and the Secretary of State of Great Britain, first undertaken in historical science, the author concludes that it was England that initiated the restoration of diplomatic relations, primarily to strengthen the position of the English merchants in Russia. The analysis of the ambassadors' dispatches gives valuable insights as to the strategy and tactics of the British Foreign Office in relation to Russia during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, as well as the motives that guided the diplomats involved in the preparatory process of establishing relations between the countries. The correspondence of the diplomats provides an opportunity to get acquainted with both their official and “secret” intelligence activities, which allows the author identify the true intentions of British diplomacy: to comprehensively study a potential rival which the British imagined Russia to be. It is also of great interest to learn more about how their mission went, what impressions they got from their visit to our country, what assessments they made about the top officials in the administration of the Russian Empire, as well as about the Russian people in general.

Keywords

Great Britain, Russia, the first third of the 18th century, ambassadors, diplomats, trade, ethnic representations

Received

22.01.2021

Publication date

05.08.2021

Number of characters

36267

Cite

GOST	Labutina T. Great Britain and Russia on the Way to Restoring Diplomatic Relations (1720–1731) // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2021. – Issue 4 C. 59-70 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640016152-5-1 (circulation date: 20.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016152-5
MLA	Labutina, Tatiana "Great Britain and Russia on the Way to Restoring Diplomatic Relations (1720–1731)." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 4 (2021):59-70. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016152-5
APA	Labutina T. (2021). Great Britain and Russia on the Way to Restoring Diplomatic Relations (1720–1731). Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (4), pp.59-70 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016152-5

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 607

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Dеmkin A.V. Russko-britanskiye torgovyye otnosheniya v XVIII veke: sb. dok. [Russian-British trade relations in the 18th century: collection of documents]. Moskva, 1994. URL: http:/drevlit.ru. docs/england/XVIII/1720… pred8ae9.php (access date: 16.02.2021). (In Russ.)

2. Diplomaticheskaya perepiska angliyskikh poslov i poslannikov pri russkom dvore [Diplomatic correspondence of British ambassadors and envoys at the Russian court] // Sbornik imperatorskogo rossiyskogo istoricheskogo obshchestva [Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society] T. 66. Sankt-Peterburg, 1889. (In Russ.)

3. Zapiska o nekotorykh vel'mozhakh russkogo dvora v 1730 godu [A note about some noblemen of the Russian court in 1730] // Chteniya moskovskogo obshchestva istorii i drevnostey. Kn. II [Readings of the Moscow Society of History and Antiquities. Book II]. Sankt-Peterburg, 1861. S. 1–19. (In Russ.)

4. Pis'ma ledi Rondo (zheny angliyskogo rezidenta pri russkom dvore v tsarstvovanii Anny Ivanovny) [Letters from Lady Rondo (the wife of an English resident at the Russian court during the reign of Anna Ivanovna)] // Zapiski inostrantsev o Rossii v XVIII stoletii. T. 1 [Notes of foreigners about Russia in the 18th century. Vol. 1]. Sankt-Peterburg, 1874. (In Russ.)

5. Sokolov A.B. Navstrechu drug drugu. Rossiya i Angliya v XVI–XVIII vv. [Towards each other. Russia and England in the 16th–18th centuries]. Yaroslavl', 1992. (In Russ.)

6. Solov'yev S.M. Istoriya Rossii s drevneyshikh vremen. Kn. X. T. 19 [History of Russia since ancient times. Book X. Vol. 19]. Moskva, 1993. (In Russ.)

7. Anderson M.S, Britain’s Discovery of Russia.1553–1815. London, 1958.

8. Britain and Russia in the Age of Peter the Great. Historical Documents. London, 1998.

9. British Diplomatic Representatives 1689–1789 / ed. D.B Horn. London, 1932.

10. Horn D. Great Britain and Europe in the Eighteenth Century. Oxford, 1967.