The Recognition of the Imperial Title of Russian Sovereigns by the Holy Roman Empire: The Problem and Its Solutions (first half of the 1740s)

Drawing upon unpublished documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, the author, for the first time in historical scholarship, examines various scenarios of recognition of the imperial titles of Ivan VI Antonovich and Elizaveta Petrovna by the Emperor and Estates of the Holy Roman Empire in the early years of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748).The recognition of the title, adopted by Peter the Great in 1721, signalled recognition of the equality of Russian sovereigns, particularly at the ceremonial level, not only with the heads of ruling houses, but also with the Holy Roman Emperor, who was considered first among equals in the hierarchy of sovereign rulers of Europe. After the death in 1740 of Emperor Charles VI, who had refused even to call Russian sovereigns “Majesty”, an informal discussion of the matter began among the Electors and their diplomatic representatives, who assembled at Frankfurt am Main in late 1741 to elect a new emperor. However, the matter came to a standstill as neither the government of Anna Leopoldovna nor, later, Elizaveta Petrovna could afford to plead their case before the Electors, still formally dependent on the Emperor. Following the election of Charles Albrecht, Elector of Bavaria, as Emperor in February 1742 under the name of Charles VII, the Russian court staked on direct negotiations with him, which lasted about two years. The author reconstructs in detail the course of the negotiations, analyses the arguments of the parties and the concessions they were or were not prepared to make. The Emperor, counting on Elizaveta Petrovna's assistance in the war against Austria, agreed to a compromise: he granted the Russian sovereign the coveted title in his own name, promising to further persuade all the Estates of the Holy Roman Empire to emulate his example. In return, Elisabeth confirmed to Charles VII with a special declaration that the recognition of the title would not entail any changes in the ceremonial interaction between the monarchs and their diplomatic representatives.

Keywords

Russian Empire, Holy Roman Empire, titles, diplomatic relations, ceremonial, Elisabeth Petrovna, Charles VII, College of Electors, JosephMaria von Neuhaus, War of the Austrian Succession

Received

15.07.2022

Publication date

19.12.2022

Number of characters

60921

Cite

GOST	Petrova M. The Recognition of the Imperial Title of Russian Sovereigns by the Holy Roman Empire: The Problem and Its Solutions (first half of the 1740s) // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2022. – Issue 6 C. 43-59 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640021150-3-1 (circulation date: 28.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640021151-4
MLA	Petrova, Maria "The Recognition of the Imperial Title of Russian Sovereigns by the Holy Roman Empire: The Problem and Its Solutions (first half of the 1740s)." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 6 (2022):43-59. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640021151-4
APA	Petrova M. (2022). The Recognition of the Imperial Title of Russian Sovereigns by the Holy Roman Empire: The Problem and Its Solutions (first half of the 1740s). Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (6), pp.43-59 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640021151-4

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