On Some Specifics in the Work of Russian Diplomatic Missions in the States of the German Confederation in the Middle of the 19th Century

Abstract

The article is devoted to the work of the diplomatic missions of the Russian Empire in the secondary German states that were part of the German Confederation. In historiography, these missions are paid relatively less attention than Russia’s diplomatic relations with Austria and Prussia, as a result — the whole direction of Russian foreign policy towards the German Confederation and its members is beyond the scope of research interest. At the same time, the materials of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AVPRI) make it possible to study the work of these missions and their significance for Russian foreign policy in general. The first part of the article discusses some features of organizational structure of Russian diplomatic service and mission staff in the German states: the unification of several missions under the control of one envoy, the need to have a separate representative at the Bundestag and the significant role of mission secretaries. The second part of the article is devoted to a brief review of the tasks and methods of work, as well as the level of independence of Russian diplomats during the German and European crises of the mid-19th century. These and other features of the activities of Russian missions in the secondary German states make it possible not only to add significant details to the image of foreign policy questions already known to researchers, but also to reveal new aspects of Russia's foreign policy in the middle of the 19th century.