Official Diplomacy and Informal Relations at the court of Catherine the Great: James Harris’s Embassy to Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of James Harris’s diplomatic mission to Russia (1778–1783). During almost the entirety of his diplomatic mission, Harris was accompanied by his sister Katherine Gertrude and his wife Harriet. Katherine Gertrude Harris depicted the events during her stay in Russia in a series of diaries, which is the main source of research. Although Katherine’s papers remain unpublished and are almost neglected in historiography, it seems that the diaries can shed light on many aspects of the diplomatic mission since she and her brother the ambassador, took part in both the ceremonies and behind-the-scenes life of the imperial court. Previously this diplomatic mission was mainly studied from the point of diplomatic negotiations that took place between ambassadors and official representatives. Thus, the diplomatic results of the mission were investigated more than the diplomatic process. The article aims to fill this gap and study the informal part of the embassy based on the use of social capital. James Harris as an experienced diplomat had complicated negotiation strategies, one of which was to form bonds with influential politicians to impact Russian decision-making mechanisms. The study presented in the article shows that interactions between the envoy and other private and quasi-private individuals, whose decisions could affect the course of diplomatic negotiations, played an important role in J. Harris’s mission. What is more, James Harris’s wife and sister, participating in court ceremonies and banquets, became the mission’s “shadow” actors. Katherine Gertrude noted facts and gossips about the Russian high society and developed friendships with those who were assumed to be capable of influencing the political sentiments of the court.