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Anglo-Russian Relations during the First English Revolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Inna Lubimenko
Affiliation:
Paris
D. Ès Lres
Affiliation:
Paris

Extract

At a time when Anglo-Russian relations show a great difficulty in being re-established after the Russian revolution of 1917, it may be of special interest to look back to a very far past in English history, when England, after having fought for freedom under the leadership of Parliament against the Stuart despotism, had created by a bloody act a republic, which was taken by Protector Cromwell into his strong hands and existed for years, until death removed his grip. Then another Charles Stuart was restored to the throne which his father had left for the scaffold.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1928

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References

page 39 note 1 See Lubimenko, Inna, Les marchands anglais en Russie au XVIe siècle, “Rev. Hist.,” 1912, t. CIXGoogle Scholar, and Les marchands anglais en Russie au XVII siècle, Ib., t. CXLI. Also Gerson, The Organization and Early History of the Muscovy Company, in Studies in the History of Engl. Commerce in the Tudor Period, University of Pennsylvania, 1912Google Scholar; and Page, William, , The Russia Company from 1553 to 1660. London, 1913Google Scholar. See also the paper on the “Muscovy Company” of MissWretts-Smith, Mildred in “Roy. Hist. Soc. Trans.,” Ser. 4, Vol. III, 1920Google Scholar.

page 39 note 2 Lubimenko, Inna, The Correspondence of Q. Elizabeth with the Russian Czars, “Americ. Hist. Rev.,” 1914, 04Google Scholar. Also Trois lettres inédites d' Elisabeth d' Angleterre à la cour de Russie, “Mélanges Bémont,” Paris, 1913Google Scholar; and A Suggestion for the Publication of the Correspondence of Q. Elizabeth with the Russian Czars, “R. Hist. Soc. Trans.,” Ser. 3, Vol. IX, 1916Google Scholar. For the seventeenth century see Lubimenko, Inna, Letters illustrating the Relations of England and Russia in the Seventeenth Century, “Engl. Hist. Rev.,” Vol. XXXII, N 129, 12, 1917Google Scholar; and The Correspondence of the first Stuarts with the first Romanovs, “Roy. Hist. Soc. Trans.,” Ser. 4, Vol. I, 1918Google Scholar.

page 40 note 1 Lubimenko, Inna, Les relations diplomatiques de l' Angleterre avec la Russie au XVIe siècle, “Rev. Hist.,” t. CXXI, 1916Google Scholar, and Les relations dipl, de l' Angl. avec la Russie au XVII e siècle, Ib., t. CLIII, 1926, pp. 1–39.

page 40 note 2 Lubimenko, Inna, Les projets d'alliance anglo-russe au XVI e et au XVII e siècles, “Rev. d'hist. diplom.,” an. 38, N 1, 1924Google Scholar.

page 40 note 3 The documents concerning the relations of Moscovy with England had been kept before the Russian revolution in the archives of the Board of Foreign Affaires in Moscow. Now all these papers have been transferred, in complete order, to the Historical Archives of Moscow, where the author has already had an opportunity of consulting them. The description of the visit of Dokhtourov to England will be found in the English Files (Angliyskija Dela), 1645, 9 08, N 2Google Scholar.

page 42 note 1 Cal. State Pap. Dom, 1653–4, p. 340, an. 1653.

page 43 note 1 English Files, 1645, December, “The expedition (interrupted by the disorders in England) of Russian ambassadours to England (whose names have not been decided)….”

page 43 note 2 Collection of the Archeographical Mission (in Russian), Vol. Ill, N 13.

page 43 note 3 Cal. State Pap. Dom., t. 1653–4, P. 340, an. 1653. See also a complaint of the English agent, Bretton, Spencer, English Files, 1676, N 2Google Scholar.

page 44 note 1 Lubimenko, Inna, Les marchands anglais en Russie au XVIIe siècle, “Rev. Hist.,” t. CXLI, an. 1922Google Scholar.

page 44 note 2 Id., The Struggle of the Dutch with the English for the Russian Market in the Seventeenth Century, “Roy. Hist. Soc. Trans.,” Ser. 4, Vol. VII.

page 44 note 3 We do not find his name in Dict, of Nat. Biog.

page 45 note 1 English Charters, N 79, written 7 December, 1646, from York.

page 45 note 2 “And because Our saidc servant finding by reason of his former travells and employments in those parts, that the cloth of this Kingdome is a vendible and acceptable commoditie with the natives of yours, Wee are content upon agreement and contract with your merchants that hee deliver unto them in payment for the said corne such a valuable quantitie of English cloth, as upon view of the severall patterns by him to be made good, they shall thinke fit to accept of.”

page 45 note 3 The summary of this letter is to be found in English Charters, N 81.

page 46 note 1 English Charters, N 80. This document has been unhappily damaged in Russia, the upper part of its ornaments having been cut off, but from the part that remains we have every reason to suppose that it was one of the beautiful specimens of the Stuarts' letters to Russia.

page 46 note 2 English Files at Moscow, 1648, N 1, 1210Google Scholar.

page 46 note 3 Ib., 1648, N 2, 31 January–July. I have not been able to identify him, as he is not mentioned in the Dict, of Nat. Biog.

page 46 note 4 English Charters, N 81. Written 1 June in the Isle of Wight. For the second arrival of Nightingale, see English Files, 1648, N 4, 6 July–March.

page 47 note 1 English Charters, N 82.

page 47 note 2 State Papers, Russia III, 15 March 1651/2.

page 48 note 1 Pamiatniki severo-zapadnye (Documents of the North-West), I, 9, and Sobranie gosoudartsvennikh gramot i dogovorov (Collection of State Charters and Treaties), III, N 138. See also Soloviev, Vol. X, p. 1520, and Kilburger, ed. Kourts, , Kiev, , 1915, p. 152Google Scholar.

page 48 note 2 Alexis, wrote in 1649, “As you have dared to behead treacherously your King, an action so vile that it would be impossible to find a viler one in all the world, I do not desire to have any more relations with you.”Google Scholar

page 48 note 3 Kapoustine, , Diplomatitcheskija snoshenija Rossii (Diplomalical Relations of Russia), pp. 42–3Google Scholar.

page 48 note 4 Collection of Khilkov, N 82.

page 49 note 1 Cal. State Pap., Vol. XVI, 16491650, an. 1649, p. 451Google Scholar, 2 Dec, Council of State, Day's Proceedings, §5, “A letter to be prepared to the Emperor of Russia, concerning refusing English merchants to trade in Russia as formerly; the merchants to give in the matter of it.” 1650, Jan. 4, “The draft of the letter to the Emperor of Russia to be reported to the House of Sir Jos. Harrington.” 1650, 21 Jan., “To write the Revenue Committee to furnish the merchants trading to Russia with money necessary for sending the letter from the Parliament of England to the Emperor.” Feb. 20, “To send to the Governor of the Russia Company for an account of what they did with the letter from Parliament to the Emperor of Russia.” See also Alexandrenko, , op cit., p. 278Google Scholar. The person to be sent was Colonel W. Hawley.

page 49 note 2 Cal. State Papers Dom., Vol. 1652, 28 05, p. 266Google Scholar.

page 49 note 3 Ib., t. 1651–2, p. 266.

page 50 note 1 Cal. State Papers Dom., t. 1652, 24 June, p. 301.

page 50 note 2 English Files, 1650, N 4, August, 1653.

page 50 note 3 See a curious letter of the Swedish ambassador Rhodes; his Report, N 2, pp. 15 and 95, and Papers of Arseniev (Russian), II.

page 50 note 4 The letter of the Prince to the Czar was written from Saint-Germain, the 16 September, 1649, English Charters, N 83. The decoration of this document denotes a very different style from those that were written in England. Unhappily the best part of it has been cut off in Russia. Kulpepper is not mentioned in Dict, of Nat. Biog.

page 51 note 1 English Files, 1650, 20 March–28 June, N 2. All the letters and the receipt of the ambassador are to be found Ib., 1650, N 3, May–June.

page 51 note 2 It seems that the Czar was not so very rich in corn at that time, as in March of the same year he had allowed the Danes to buy only 10,000 quarters, complaining of scarcity and numerous demands from all countries; Tcherbatchev, Acts, N 148. It is also possible that he was awaiting higher prices.

page 51 note 3 Texts for Students, N 17. Weiner, A., Select passages, illustrating commercial and diplomatic relations between England and Russia, N VII, pp. 24–7Google Scholar. The choice of this document is not very happy, since it certainly shows, as we shall see later, the Anglo-Russian relations in a false light.

page 51 note 4 Cal. State Papers Dom., Vol. 1654, pp. 202–3, 8 June.

page 52 note 1 His name is spelled in that manner in the documents; in Dict. of Nat. Biog. we find only the spelling “Prideaux,” but no William.

page 52 note 2 English Files, 1654, N 2, September–July, 1655.

page 52 note 3 Cal. State Pap. Dom., t. 1655, p. 316.

page 53 note 1 Two receptions of Prideaux by the Czar took place on February 29 and March 11.

page 53 note 2 A copy of it is to be found in Engl. Files, 1654, N 2, dated 7 March.

page 53 note 3 Dated 10 April, 1657. See the letter of Bradshaw, in Engl. Charters, N 88, 19 09, 1657Google Scholar; also Engl. Files, 1657, N 2, 30 May–27 November.

page 53 note 4 Tcherbatchev, , Acts (Russian), N 158, an. 1658Google Scholar.

page 53 note 5 Soloviev, Russian History, t. X.

page 54 note 1 Cal. State Pap. Dom., Vol. 1656–7, p. 345, 18/28 April, 1657.

page 54 note 2 English Files, 1658, 18, 30 March. He had proposed to assemble a congress in Kurland, where he would be ready to help in the conclusion of peace.

page 54 note 3 Richard Bradshaw, diplomatist and merchant of Chester, was probably the nephew of John Bradshaw, President of the Commission which had judged the King, and had been censured by crowds of pamphleteers for his overbearing and brutal behaviour towards the King at his trial. Richard had served during the Civil War as Quartermaster-General of the Horse on the side of Parliament, under the command of Sir William Brereton. He had been appointed Resident at Hamburg in 1650; sent to Denmark in 1652. His unsuccessful deputation to Russia was in 1657.

page 54 note 4 The letter of credence of Bradshaw is to be found in Engl. Chart., under N 87. It is the only original document, addressed by Cromwell to the Czar, which is to be found in Moscow. On the appointment of Bradshaw, , see also Cal. St. Pap. Dom., v. 1656–7, pp. 300, 304, 310Google Scholar. Bradshaw, had received at Hamburg £1,000 for his journey and £200 for his quarter's allowance. Cal. State Pap. Dom., v. 1656–7, pp. 301 and 594Google Scholar.

page 54 note 5 Engl. Files, 18, 1657, N 1, 10 May. A Russian ambassador had been sent to France in 1654 and had been presented to Louis XIV and his mother.

page 55 note 1 For Hebdon, John and his rôle, see the Russian book of Gourland, John Hebdon Commissarius and Resident, Yaroslavl, 1903Google Scholar.

page 55 note 2 Royal Letters, 49.

page 55 note 3 The letter brought from the Czar was dated 3rd May. See also Cal. State Pap. Dom., Vol. 1661–2, p. 489; Cal. Treas. Books, Vol. III, pp. 1 and 199.

page 55 note 4 See the receipt signed by one of them, Prozorovsky, , 3 06, 1663, in Royal Letters, 49Google Scholar.

page 55 note 5 The letter it brought from Charles, II was dated 27 05, 1663, English Charters, N 91Google Scholar. For the description of this embassy, see “Rev. Hist.,” t. CLIII, pp. 32–4. Charles Howard, first Earl of Carlisle, was summoned in 1657 to the House of Lords of Cromwell, and on the fall of Richard Cromwell was imprisoned, but was set free afterwards, and became a Privy Councillor at the Restoration and Lord-Lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmorland.

page 55 note 6 Inna Lubimenko, Les relations diplomatiques de VA ngleterre avec la Russie au XVII e siècle, “ Rev. Hist.,” t. CLIII.

page 56 note 1 For example, in a letter of 2 May, 1663: “Nor shall Wee be wanting in any thing (by the help of God) to demonstrate and evidance unto all the world, what a singular value and high esteem Wee set upon Y. I. M.'s friendship, which Wee shall evermore cordially embrace and endeavour to encrease and deserve the same….” Engl. Charters, N 90; or, “…Haveing so unchangeable an inclination and resolution to maintaine a perpetuall Brotherly Love and close Alliance with Y. I. Mtie that, whosoever shall infringe or endanger the same, cannot appeare otherwise to Us, then guilty of an unpardonable offence.” Engl. Charters, N 95, 20 March, 1665.

page 56 note 2 See Lubimenko, Inna, Les projels d' alliance anglo-russe an XVI et XVII siècles, “Revue d'hist. diplom.,” an. 38 (1924), N IGoogle Scholar.

page 58 note 1 See Lubimenko, Inna, The Struggle of the Dutch with the English for the Russian Market in the Seventeenth Century, “Roy. Hist. Soc. Trans.,” Ser. 4, Vol. VII, pp. 2751Google Scholar.

page 58 note 2 Dillen, J. G. Van, Amsterdam marché mondial des méaux pricieux au XVII e et au XVIII e siècles, “Rev, hist.,” t. CLII, 1926Google Scholar; Juillet-Août, pp. 194–201.