Russians as Seen by Spanyards: Two Embassies of Piotr Potiomkin to Spain (1667—1668 and 1681)

Abstract

The article deals with one of the aspects of the history of first Russian embassies to Spain, in 1667—1668 and 1681, headed by Piotr Potiomkin, — with the perception of Russia and Russians by Spanish politicians who negotiated with diplomats from Muscovy. This perception is examined in a broad context of the history of both embassies based on an analysis of published and unpublished Spanish sources. The matter of what knowledge and ideas about Russia the Spanish diplomats could rely on when they made decisions on organizing the reception of the embassy, the ceremonial of the royal audience, etc. is being investigated. In this regard, narrative and cartographic sources about Russia available in the Seventeenth Century Spain are examined. It can be traced how the lack of interest in Russian proposals influenced the attitude towards Potemkin and his companions. Some information is provided about the conflicts that arose. Visual sources on the history of the embassy of 1681 are also analyzed.