Foreigners in Muscovy: Western Immigrants in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Russia

Muscovy transformed from a homogenous Russian-speaking and Orthodox medieval principality to a multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire due to conquering Tatar Khanates and colonizing Siberia. It also changed its ethnic composition due to recruiting soldiers, officers, and specialists from various European countries and accommodating merchants and war prisoners. Foreign immigrants brought controversy and conflicts, leading to adaptations in Muscovite legal, fiscal, and economic systems and everyday life. This book combines migration, settlement, and integration of Western Europeans and Russian and European perceptions of the respective other.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 262 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Between the late fifteenth and early eighteenth centuries, the State of Muscovy underwent a remarkable transformation, evolving from a relatively homogenous Russian-speaking and Orthodox medieval principality to a multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. This transformation was driven by a series of factors, including the conquest of neighboring Tatar Khanates and the colonization of Siberia, which necessitated the integration of non-Christian populations into the Russian state. Additionally, Muscovite policies of recruiting soldiers, officers, and specialists from various European countries, as well as the accommodation of merchants and the resettlement of war prisoners and civilians from annexed territories, led to a significant change in the ethnic composition of the capital and other towns.

The presence of foreign immigrants in Muscovy sparked controversy and conflicts, requiring adaptations not only in the Muscovite legal, fiscal, and economic systems but also in the everyday lives of both native citizens and immigrants. This book combines two major research fields on international relations in the State of Muscovy: the migration, settlement, and integration of Western Europeans, and Russian and European perceptions of the respective other. Foreigners in Muscovy will appeal to researchers and students interested in the history and social makeup of Muscovy and in European–Russian relations during the early modern era.

Weight: 410g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032330914