Place of the Muscovy state in the expansion of the Europeans to the East in the XVI–XVII centuries (for the statement of the problem)

Abstract

The article attempts to pose the research problem of the place of the Russian state in the process of the expansion of Europeans to the East in the period of the XVIXVII centuries. The actual basis of the proposed topic consists of the numerous attempts by the representatives of the conditional West to use the specifics of the geographical location of the then Russia in order to establish and further develop the contacts with the particular Asian states. The experience of the complex, consistent and comprehensive coverage of this problem today is practically absent both in the domestic and the foreign historiography. The study of the place and role of the Muscovy empire in the process of penetration of the Western European powers, commercial and clerical corporations to the East is possible on the basis of an analysis of a wide range of written sources of Russian and foreign origins. This publication includes an approximate plan (a program) for the subsequent study of the stated issues. It seems appropriate to highlight the independent thematic aspects, among which the following should be named exclusively: the characteristics of the individual routes connecting the Russian lands with the East, the circumstances and consequences of the European travels to Asia in transit through the Russian territory, the participation of the Asian side (in particular, Persia) in the processes and events under consideration. One of the central places in the research program should be occupied by the little-studied question of the Muscovy empires own position on the problem of the European-Asian transit. In addition, the analysis of the historical experience of the intercontinental dialogue directly in the dominions of the Russian tsars is of considerable interest. The article concludes about the unconditional scientific value, prospects and novelty of the formulated problem.

Keywords

• the muscovy empire
• early modern history
• history of the russian-european relations
• history of the international relations
• diplomacy of the xvi–xvii centuries
• international trade of the xvi–xvii centuries
• expansion of the europeans to the east.