After the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia in 1731, Great Britain began to fight vigorously for the trading privileges lost under Peter the Great. The Russian government was interested in building a defensive alliance with the English during the RussoTurkish War (1735-1739). To achieve these aims, British and Russian diplomats engaged in a complex and lengthy negotiation process that culminated in a trade treaty in 1734 and a treaty of alliance in 1741. While the history of the trade treaty has been covered in considerable detail in historical literature, the treaty of alliance so far has been studied superficially. On the basis of the analysis of diplomatic correspondence of British Ambassador to Russia Edward Finch and Secretary of State Lord Harrington, the author for the first time examines the diplomatic “kitchen” of the preparation and conclusion of the treaty of alliance, as well as strategy and tactics of British diplomacy during the negotiations. The preparation to the conclusion of the treaty took place in the context of prolonged and bitter disputes between the parties. The Russian side showed equanimity, restraint and ability to manoeuvre in difficult situations, although individual statesmen (E.I. Biron) defended the interests of the British rather than their own country. British diplomacy went to considerable lengths to ensure that the treaty was concluded with maximum advantage to Great Britain. The long duration of the negotiations concerning the RussianBritish Defence Treaty ended in 1741, but its implementation was delayed by the coup d’état in Russia that brought Elizabeth Petrovna to power. Although the English king had ratified the treaty of alliance, Russia refused to do so, as Great Britain had failed to fulfill one of its main conditions: England did not send a squadron of ships into the Baltic when Russia entered into war with Sweden in 1742. Thus, the treaty, a stumbling block in the parties’ diplomatic duel, was not implemented in practice, but survived only on paper.

The author analyses the diplomatic correspondence of the British ambassadors at the court of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna and examines, in addition to their professional activities, their living conditions and life at court (attending receptions, balls, masquerades in the imperial palace, participation in social life and various amusements at court was the responsibility of all ambassadors). This issue has not previously been the subject of special study, although it is relevant in the light of two recent trends in historical science — imagology (which explores intercultural communications between diff erent countries, and also individuals) and the history of everyday life. The article discusses the living conditions of the ambassadors, as well as their attitude to entertainment and participation in court life. One of the ambassadors’ wives expressed admiration at court balls and the guests’ outfits, but the diplomats themselves more oft en demonstrated a critical perception of entertainment events and practices at the court of the Empress. The ambassadors were indignant at the extravagance and luxury of the court, as well as at the expensive outfits that were necessary for the participation in the courtly pastimes for the courtiers, the Russian noblemen, and themselves as well. Diplomats were also dissatisfied with the high cost of living in the capital, which made them turn to their government for financial support. It can be concluded that, in general, the living conditions of the British ambassadors at the court of Anna Ioannovna were quite satisfactory. Nevertheless, residents most often spoke critically about their stay in Russia, as well as about Russian people, mainly about those who belonged to the upper strata of society. Researching the daily life of the ambassadors at the imperial court, on the basis of their correspondence with the Secretary of State, enriches our knowledge not only about foreign diplomats who worked in Russia, but also about the life and practices at the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna, and about her reign.

The article covers the important aspects of the Russian-Swedish war of 1741–1743, which has attracted little attention in Russian historiography. The war was waged over three campaigns, witnessed by two British ambassadors in Russia, Edward Finch and Cyril Wyche. Based on the diplomatic correspondence of the British ambassadors, previously unexplored in the Russian historical science, the author analyzes the information which they received from high-ranking Russian offi cials, including commanders of the troops, and then passed on to London. In particular, it concerned the state of the Russian armed forces on the eve of the war with Sweden. The diplomats noted and informed their superiors about the weaknesses of the Russian navy. Keeping track of the course of the war, the ambassadors briefed the Secretary of State about its causes, the main being the desire of the Swedes to abrogate the conditions of the Nishtad peace and regain the territories lost during the Northern War of 1700–1721. Both ambassadors acknowledged the courage and heroism shown by the Russian soldiers in battles with the enemy, as well as their humane treatment of the captured Swedes. At the same time, they drew attention to the manifestations of cruelty infl icted by irregular troops who participated in the raids in Finland. The dispatches of the ambassadors also reveal the stance taken by a number of countries towards the conflict between Russia and Sweden: hostile on the part of France and generally benevolent on the part of offi cial London, which did not want to spoil relations with the Russian court on the eve of the conclusion of the 1742 Treaty of Alliance. Other documents of indisputable interest are manifestos (included in the correspondence of diplomats) addressed by the Swedish king and the Russian empress to the population of the border territories and aimed at showing goodwill towards the enemy troops. The facts about the Russian-Swedish war presented by the British ambassadors and analyzed in the article fill the existing gap in one of the episodes of Russian-Swedish relations in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Turning to Anglo-Russian relations in the mid-eighteenth century, the author notes that the British crown, when dispatching envoys to the Russian Empire, required them to gather intelligence about their host country and, above all, to report on its ruler, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. An analysis of the ambassadors’ secret correspondence with the secretary of state between 1741 and 1761 makes it possible to reconstruct their attitudes toward Elizabeth and their assessments of her political conduct. Although this question — approached here within imagology, a well-established field in contemporary historical scholar ship — has been touched upon episodically by Russian historians, it has not previously been the subject of sustained investigation. The article emphasizes the contested character of British diplomatic claims that the empress was unwilling to attend to affairs of state. It identifies the traits most frequently attributed to Elizabeth in the dispatches — her fondness for entertainments, pronounced piety, deliberation in decision-making on matters of government, and, in moments of crisis, boldness and resolve. English envoys were especially responsive to the empress’s benevolent disposition toward King George II. They devoted particular attention to her participation in celebrations and diversions that they themselves attended, as required by diplomatic etiquette. Balls and masquerades, in particular, afforded opportunities for informal exchanges with ministers and courtiers and, at times, with the empress herself. Such occasions proved to be productive settings for the acquisition of confidential information, a central component of the work of foreign diplomats in Russia. The author concludes that English judgments of the empress’s character and actions, though not invariably sympathetic, were more often than not grounded in sober observation. The evidence of diplomatic correspondence thus illuminates both the practice of British diplomacy in Russia and the envoys’ relationship with Elizabeth Petrovna, thereby opening new perspectives on the history of Anglo-Russian relations in the mid-eighteenth century.