IN Ancient Rus' orders were called the bodies of the central government controlled. They were also called chambers and courtyards, huts and palaces, thirds and quarters. It is assumed that the orders government agencies arose involuntarily, and the first mention of them in this role is found in 1512 in a letter sent to the Vladimir Assumption Monastery by the Grand Duke of All Rus' Vasily III.
A certain number of people were ordered to do some specific things - this is how the definition of "order" appeared. The newly established orders acted on behalf of the sovereign and were the highest government places. Complaints about their actions were considered only by the king or the royal duma. Orders are the initial stages of the current ministries.
Origin and purpose
The embassy order arose in 1549 under Ivan IV. It existed until 1720. The Code of Laws of 1550 Ivan the Terrible introduces management, which was designed to provide for state needs. For almost 200 years, the framework of this system was preserved and was replaced only under the Great Reformer Peter I. The duties of the newly created order included relations with other states, ransoms and the exchange of prisoners, and supervision of certain groups of "service people", for example, the Don Cossacks.
Main functions
The embassy order also dealt with the administration of some lands in the south and east of the state. His responsibility included sending Russian missions abroad and receiving foreign missions. Foreign merchants were subordinate to him, during the entire time of their stay on our territory.
The preparation of the texts of international negotiations was also imputed to the duties of the order. He exercised control over the diplomatic missions.
Organ structure
Initially, the Ambassadorial order consisted of a duma clerk, under whose command were his "comrade" (deputy), 15-17 clerks (the lowest administrative rank) and several interpreters (translators). At the head of the newly created institution was the Order Clerk, also known as the Ambassador Clerk. Deacons in those days were called civil servants (in addition to clergymen), in particular, heads of orders or junior ranks in
Structure is gaining weight
The first Ambassadorial order was headed by Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatov, who before this appointment had served as an ambassador, a duma clerk, and was a custodian state seal. He was at the head of the order until his death in 1570. With the growth of the international weight of Russia, the importance of the Ambassadorial Order also increased, its staff increased significantly - in 1689, 53 clerks instead of 17 and 22 translators plus 17 interpreters (interpreter) served in it.
Already towards the end XVII century The embassy order gained such strength that it became one of the most important constituent parts the central state apparatus of Russia. In this century, he has gone from the Office of Foreign Relations to state structure, which has considerable independence and the broadest powers.
Milestones
The entire period of the existence of the Ambassadorial Order can be conditionally decomposed in accordance with three epochal intervals of that time. This is the Time of Troubles, the restoration of the Russian monarchy under Mikhail Romanov, the first Russian tsar from this dynasty, and the heyday of statehood that came under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Outstanding Representatives
From 1621, Ivan Tarasevich Gramotin, the then head of the Ambassadorial Department, began to prepare systematic information for the tsar on the state of affairs in other countries. They were drawn from the periodicals of the countries, as well as from the observations and conclusions of the ambassadors. These Vestovye Letters were essentially the first Russian newspaper. It is necessary to say a few words separately about this eighth chapter of the Ambassadorial Order. He began his career as a clerk, and three times under different kings he held the highest post of the Ambassadorial Department. IN Troubled times he was one of the most prominent political figures.
Povytya
The structure of the order was divided into departments in charge of office work on territorial grounds (povytya). There were five in total. The functions of the Ambassadorial Order, according to these five administrative parts, were distributed as follows - the countries Western Europe- England and France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the Papal States. The second povity dealt with relations with Sweden, Poland and Wallachia (the south of modern Romania), Moldova, Turkey and the Crimea, Holland, Hamburg.
Relations with Denmark, Brandenburg and Courland were dealt with by the 3rd branch in the order, which was in charge of the office work of these countries. Persia, Armenia, India and the Kalmyk state were under the jurisdiction of the 4th povyt. The last fifth was in charge of relations with China, Bukhara, Khiva, the Zhungar state and Georgia.
The volume of work is growing
From the very moment when the Ambassadorial Order was established, he was charged with general management foreign policy countries. From the second half of XVII centuries, the following orders are directly subordinate to him - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Smolensk and Little Russia. The archive of the most important external and internal political documents accumulated over time was also stored here.
Heads of the order
With the growth of the international significance of Russia, the clerk of the Posolsky Prikaz is replaced by a representative of the highest feudal class of the country - the boyar, and since 1670 the institution itself has been called the "State Order of the Embassy Press".
During the entire existence of the Ambassadorial Order, 19 leaders have been replaced as its head. The last was the earl and the first chancellor Russian Empire, an associate of Peter the Great As a result, the Embassy Office was created, which in 1720 was replaced by
The role of the Byzantine heritage in the diplomacy of Medieval Rus'
The model for barbarian kingdoms was diplomatic service in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Having preserved the old Roman traditions, becoming more and more sophisticated in a new, complex and dangerous environment, when it was more often necessary to rely on cunning and intrigue than on force, Byzantine diplomacy had a huge impact on the entire diplomacy of the Middle Ages.
The principles and methods of Byzantine diplomacy in relations with the “barbarian” states included, first of all, the establishment of interstate contractual relations that introduced international politics into a legal channel, theoretically preventing unexpected raids, the destruction of cities, and the exertion of military pressure, which is confirmed by Byzantium’s treaties with Russia in 907 and 911.
It was with these treaties that diplomatic relations with Byzantium began. Since Rus' had just formed as a state, the ancient and strong Byzantium had a great influence on Rus', in particular on its diplomacy.
One of the most important factors distribution of its influence on the world Byzantium considered Christianity. Moreover, faith and the church were not only a factor of spiritual, cultural interaction, but also a measure of permission political conflicts. Together with Christianity, the first written laws came to Rus' - the Byzantine nomocanons - the helmsman's book. After the adoption of Christianity, the international prestige of Rus' increased, it became full member Christian Europe.
The determining influence of Byzantine norms was reflected in the use of Byzantine weight and monetary measures - a liter (in the text of the contract of 911), the system of chronology and the dating of the act (treaties of 911 and 944)
The use of the symbolism of the ritual and the great prestigious significance of the Byzantine titulary is also one of the methods of Byzantine diplomacy, reflected in Russian-Byzantine treaties. The most important borrowing from Byzantine symbolism was, of course, the borrowing of the coat of arms - the double-headed eagle.
Along with the symbolism of titles and diplomatic etiquette, a very important place in relations with foreigners was given to reception ceremonies, gala dinners, official and informal conversations. The ritual of such whole performances was strictly differentiated depending on the rank of the guest; An excellent example of such a monument, especially for the period under study, is the treatise "On the ceremonies of the Byzantine court" 0 ritualist, the authorship of which until recently was attributed to the emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. The book gives examples of the organization of receptions of various foreign ambassadors, it is thanks to this work that we know in such detail the circumstances of the embassy of Princess Olga. Attention was drawn to the aesthetic, emotional impact on the guests of what they saw in the Byzantine capital. For this purpose, imperial and church treasures, art monuments, and jewelry were displayed. The same purpose was served by rich gifts to visitors, the presentation of which was accompanied by a special ritual. Many of these rituals were adopted by Russian diplomats from the Byzantines and were widely used.
After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Russia began to consider itself its successor. The Moscow-Third Rome theory became very popular in Russia in the 16th century. The idea implied that, following Constantinople, Moscow would become the capital of Christianity in Europe and be the patroness of all Christians. Thus, the status of the Russian state would have risen.
Byzantine diplomacy had a strong influence on Russian diplomacy, and its influence can be traced in the diplomacy of Medieval Rus'.
Ambassadorial rite
In the XVI-XVII centuries, the so-called Ambassadorial rite was formed, i.e. diplomatic etiquette. Since Russian diplomats adopted a lot from their foreign colleagues, a rather complicated etiquette has developed in Moscow. The basis of the rite was Western, but it acquired a ossified character and was overgrown with Asian conventions. During the existence of the Ambassadorial Order, there have been many incidents related to Russian embassies in other countries. In the view of Moscow diplomats, all sovereigns were divided into ranks, i.e. not every sovereign, the Russian tsar could consider his brother. Ambassadors have always received instructions from the Ambassadorial Order, so to speak, job descriptions, what and how to do, how to behave, etc. They never had unlimited powers, therefore, under unforeseen circumstances, they sent messengers to Moscow. The orders strictly prescribed the ceremonial of the embassy. Before an audience with the king, ambassadors were forbidden to negotiate with the ministers or even visit them. It was impossible to introduce himself to the sovereign at the same time as the ambassadors of other countries. Important were the instructions on how to greet a foreign sovereign. Moscow etiquette did not welcome a humiliating display of respect, so the sovereign was greeted standing up, not sitting on his knees. Also, the Moscow government wanted the sovereign to personally accept the diploma from the ambassador. Upon their return, the ambassadors presented a detailed account of their trip in the form of a diary, where everything they said, heard and saw abroad was listed by day. No less complicated was the ritual of receiving foreign guests in the capital. At the border, the governors of the border town met the ambassadors. From the moment they entered Russian soil, the ambassadors received food in large quantities, but not of the best quality, on the basis of which misunderstandings always occurred. Ambassadors were greeted with honor, but they also were not supposed to see officials before an audience with the king. Ambassadors must be presented with hats. There were many conventions, and both sides equally followed each other in observing them. An important ritual was the signing of treaties. The contracts were approved under oath - "the kiss of the cross". The king took the oath in the presence of foreign ambassadors. Over time, the regimes of ambassadors softened.
Formation and formation of the Ambassadorial order
The embassy order, as the first foreign policy agency in Russia, which until then had been absent for 500 years and had no analogue, or even a prototype, a distant likeness, was not formed immediately, not on the basis of a willful decision of the tsar or the boyar Duma, but took shape and changed gradually, in dependence on specific needs throughout the entire time of its existence for more than 150 years, i.e. from 1549 to 1700 (actually) and 1717 (formally).
Although one of the main directions of the policy of each country is foreign policy, in Kievan Rus and before the beginning of the reign of Ivan III, there was no body responsible for this important aspect. All questions foreign policy were decided by the tsar and the Boyar Duma. Treasurers were responsible for receiving ambassadors, and the Greeks and Italians who were in the service of the king acted as ambassadors. They had a more agile, assertive character, were more cultured, and therefore seemed indispensable diplomats. But with the increasing role of the Russian state, it became necessary to create a special body. In the 16th century, an organ responsible for international relations appeared. It consisted of influential grand ducal clerks who specialized in negotiations with foreign ambassadors. In 1549, the “Ambassadorial Prikaz” was created and the clerk I.M. was appointed head. Viscous. This appointment laid the foundation for the "Ambassadorial order", as a special body.
Head of the Ambassadorial Department - Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin
Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin (1664 - January 28, 1705, Moscow) - boyar, head of the Ambassadorial Department, brother of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, uncle of Tsar Peter the Great.
Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin.
Unknown Russian artist of the second half of the 17th century. Armory School.
Natalya Kirillovna Romanova, nee Naryshkina, sister of Lev Kirillovich
He was born in 1664 and in 1682 he was already a steward when the well-known archery riot broke out. The brutal murder of the brothers and, in general, the hatred of the archers for the Naryshkin family threatened with death for Lev Kirillovich, since the archers demanded the extradition of him and many other Naryshkins.
Streltsy Uprising from the collection of the State Historical Museum
Shooter riot. 1682. Revolt of archers in Moscow. Engraving by N. Kislovsky. Late 1860s
Saved from death, however, at the insistence of the rebels, he was forced to go into exile. Returning to Moscow, Naryshkin began to play a prominent role, thanks to the influence he enjoyed with his sister, the queen. He and Prince Boris Golitsyn were the people closest to her.
Boris Alekseevich Golitsyn
Portrait fantasy of a contemporary artist
Around this time, Lev Kirillovich was granted a boyar. The ambitious plans of Sophia led in 1689 to a new streltsy conspiracy, directed mainly against Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and persons close to her, especially against her brother Lev Kirillovich. The plot was revealed and Naryshkin escaped from the danger that threatened him. Getting more and more powerful, he quarreled with Boris Golitsyn and armed Natalya Kirillovna against him, thanks to which Golitsyn soon completely lost all significance, and Lev Kirillovich took one of the first places among the persons who were at the head of the government.
Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin
In 1690 he was appointed head of the Ambassadorial Department, which he managed until 1702. In 1697, when Peter left on his first trip abroad, a Council of four boyars was established to govern the state, and its first member, after Prince. F. Yu. Romodanovsky, Lev Kirillovich was appointed.
Prince Fyodor Yurievich Romodanovsky
The clash over power with the Lopukhins, relatives of the young queen, ended quite favorably for Naryshkin, since the Lopukhins were completely removed from business. In 1699, when the boyar Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin was appointed admiral general, foreign affairs were also assigned to him, and Lev Kirillovich lost his primacy in public administration. During Golovin's absence, he managed the Posolsky Prikaz, but no longer enjoyed influence.
Fedor Alekseevich Golovin
One of the closest associates of Peter I, head of the Foreign Ministry (President of the Embassy Affairs), General Admiral (1699) and the first General Field Marshal in Russia (1700). IN different time He also managed the Naval Order, the Armory, the Gold and Silver Chambers, the Siberian Viceroyalty, the Yamsky Order and the Mint. The first holder of the highest state award - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (March 10, 1699).
Death and legacy
In his notes, Prince B. I. Kurakin characterizes Naryshkin as follows: “there was a man of a much average mind and intemperate to drink, also a proud man, and although not a villain, only not inclined and did good to many without reason, but according to bizaria (from fr bizarrerie - whim) of his humor. (from French humeur - mood) "
L.K. Naryshkin, in addition to a huge amount of land and, by the way, the famous Kuntsov, acquired by him from A.A. Matveev, owned the Tula iron factories, where iron parts were prepared for the ships of the Azov fleet, and in 1705 - cannonballs, bombs and etc.
Family
Lev Kirillovich was the only one of the brothers of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna who left offspring that existed until the beginning of the 20th century. He was married twice and had 9 children:
1 wife since September 3, 1684 Praskovya Feodorovna NN(d. 08/02/1701), was buried in the church of the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God of the Vysokopetrovsky monastery in Moscow.
Agrafena Lvovna (168. -1709), was the first wife of Chancellor Prince A. M. Cherkassky (1680-1741).
Prince Alexei Mikhailovich Cherkassky (September 28, 1680, Moscow - November 4, 1742, Moscow) - Russian statesman, under Peter I the Siberian governor (in 1719-1724). Under Anna Ioannovna, one of the three cabinet ministers. Since 1740 - Chancellor of the Russian Empire. The richest landowner in Russia in terms of the number of souls, the last in the senior line of the Cherkassky family. According to the characteristics of Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, “a silent, quiet man, whose mind never shone in great ranks, everywhere showed caution”
Artist Ivan Petrovich Argunov
Praskovya Lvovna (d. 1718), girl.
Alexandra Lvovna (169. -1730), was married to Cabinet Minister A.P. Volynsky, who was executed in 1740.
Artemy Petrovich Volynsky (1689 - June 27, 1740, St. Petersburg) - Russian statesman and diplomat. In 1719-1730 Astrakhan and Kazan governor. In 1722 he strengthened his position by marriage with a cousin of Peter the Great. Since 1738, the Cabinet Minister of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Opponent of "Bironism". At the head of a circle of nobles, he drafted state reorganization projects. Executed.
Historians do not know exactly when Ivan Viskovaty was born. The first mention of him refers to 1542, when this clerk wrote a letter of conciliation with the Kingdom of Poland. Viskovaty was quite thin, he belonged to a noble family that had little to no reputation. He built his career thanks to his own diligence, natural talents and the intercession of patrons. Contemporaries described him as an extremely eloquent person. The ability of a speaker was very important for a diplomat, so it is not surprising that over time, Ivan Viskovaty headed the Ambassadorial Order (the prototype of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). But despite his merits, he was among the victims of the terror of Ivan the Terrible.
Until the middle of the 16th century, the entire diplomatic system Russian state was built around the Grand Duke. He could delegate some powers individually, but no state institute didn't exist.
The state of affairs in the Moscow diplomacy of that time can be judged from the entries in the embassy books. They say that, starting in 1549, Ivan the Terrible, who had recently been crowned king, ordered Viskovaty to accept official letters brought by foreign delegations. At the same time, the official's first foreign trips began. In the same 1549, he went to the Nogais and the ruler of Astrakhan, Derbysh.
Compared with his colleagues, Ivan Viskovaty was also distinguished by his low rank. He was just a pick up. Ivan the Terrible, appreciating Viskovaty's abilities, equated him with other more eminent diplomats - Fyodor Mishurin and Menshik Putyanin. So the nobleman became a deacon. In the same 1549, Ivan Viskovaty was suddenly appointed head of the diplomatic department. He became the first official of this kind in national history.
From that moment on, Viskovaty began active work, which for the most part amounted to meetings with numerous foreign delegations. Ambassadors from the Nogai Horde, Lithuania, Poland, Kazan, Denmark, Germany, etc. came to the clerk. The unique status of Viskovaty was emphasized by the fact that he received high-ranking guests in person. For such meetings there was a special deacon's hut. Ivan the Terrible himself mentioned it in his letters.
In addition to meetings with ambassadors, Ivan Viskovaty was in charge of their correspondence with the tsar and the Boyar Duma. The clerk was present at all preliminary negotiations. In addition, he was involved in the organization of Russian embassies abroad.
During the meetings of the tsar with the delegations, Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich kept the minutes of the negotiations, and his notes were later included in the official annals. In addition, the sovereign entrusted him with the management of his own archive. This fount contained unique documents: all kinds of decrees of Moscow and other specific princes, genealogies, papers of a foreign policy nature, investigative materials, government office work.
The person who kept track of the tsarist archive had to have a huge responsibility. It was under Viskovat that this repository was reorganized into a separate institution. The head of the Posolsky Prikaz had to work a lot with papers from the archive, since without them it was impossible to make inquiries about relations with other states and organize meetings with foreign delegates.
In 1547, Moscow experienced a terrible fire, which contemporaries called "great". The archive was also damaged in the fire. Taking care of him and restoring valuable documents became Viskovaty's primary task from the very beginning of his tenure as head of the diplomatic department.
The prosperous bureaucratic fate of Ivan Viskovaty was successful not only thanks to his own zeal. Behind him were powerful patrons who took care of and helped their protégé. These were the Zakharyins, relatives of Ivan the Terrible's first wife, Anastasia. Their rapprochement was facilitated by the conflict that broke out in the Kremlin in 1553. The young king became seriously ill, and his entourage was seriously afraid for the life of the sovereign. Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich suggested that the crown bearer draw up a spiritual testament. According to this document, power in the event of the death of Ivan Vasilyevich was to pass to his six-month-old son Dmitry.
In a situation of uncertainty about the future, Grozny's relatives, the Staritskys (including his cousin Vladimir Andreevich, who claimed power), fearing the excessive strengthening of the enemy boyar clan, began to intrigue against the Zakharyins. As a result, half of the court did not swear allegiance to the young Dmitry. Until the last, even the closest adviser to the tsar, Alexei Adashev, hesitated. But Viskovaty remained on the side of Dmitry (that is, the Zakharyins), for which they were always grateful to him. After some time, the king recovered. On all the boyars who did not want to support the claims of Dmitry, there was a black mark.
In the middle of the 16th century, the east was the main direction of Russia's foreign policy. In 1552 Grozny annexed Kazan, and in 1556 Astrakhan. At court, Alexei Adashev was the main supporter of the advance to the east. Viskovaty, although he accompanied the tsar in his Kazan campaign, dealt with Western affairs with much greater zeal. It was he who stood at the origins of the emergence of diplomatic contacts between Russia and England. Muscovy (as it was called in Europe at that time) did not have access to the Baltic, so sea trade with the Old World was carried out through Arkhangelsk, which freezes in winter. In 1553, the English navigator Richard Chancellor arrived there.
In the future, the merchant visited Russia several more times. Each of his visits was accompanied by a traditional meeting with Ivan Viskovaty. The head of the Posolsky Prikaz met with Chancellor in the company of the most influential and wealthy Russian merchants. It was, of course, about trade. The British sought to become monopolists in the Russian market, full of goods unique to Europeans. Important negotiations, where these issues were discussed, were carried out by Ivan Viskovaty. In the history of relations between the two countries, their first trade agreement played a fundamentally important and long-term role.
Merchants from Foggy Albion received a preferential letter full of all sorts of privileges. They opened their own representative offices in several Russian cities. Moscow merchants also received the unique right to trade in Britain without duties.
Free entry into Russia was open to English craftsmen, artisans, artists and physicians. It was Ivan Viskovaty who made a huge contribution to the emergence of such beneficial relations between the two powers. The fate of his agreements with the British turned out to be extremely successful: they lasted until the second half of the 17th century.
The lack of own Baltic ports and the desire to enter Western European markets pushed Ivan the Terrible to start a war against the Livonian Order, located on the territory of modern Estonia and Latvia. By that time, the best era of the knights was left behind. Their military organization was in serious decline, and the Russian tsar, not without reason, believed that he would be able to conquer the important Baltic cities with relative ease: Riga, Derpt, Revel, Yuryev, Pernava. In addition, the knights themselves provoked the conflict by not letting European merchants, craftsmen and goods into Russia. The regular war began in 1558 and dragged on for as much as 25 years.
The Livonian question split the tsar's close associates into two parties. The first circle was headed by Adashev. His supporters believed that it was necessary first of all to increase their pressure on the southern Tatar khanates and Ottoman Empire. Ivan Viskovaty and other boyars took the opposite view. They advocated the continuation of the war in the Baltic States to a victorious end.
At the first stage of the conflict with the knights, everything went exactly as Ivan Viskovaty wanted. The biography of this diplomat is an example of a politician who made the right decisions every time. And now the head of the Ambassadorial order guessed right. The Livonian Order was quickly defeated. The castles of the knights surrendered one by one. It seemed that the Baltics were already in your pocket.
However, the successes of Russian weapons seriously alarmed neighboring Western states. Poland, Lithuania, Denmark and Sweden also claimed the Livonian inheritance and were not going to give the entire Baltic to Grozny. At first, the European powers tried to stop the war, which was unprofitable for them, through diplomacy. Embassies rushed to Moscow. Met them, as expected, Ivan Viskovaty. The photo of this diplomat has not been preserved, but even without knowing his appearance and habits, we can safely assume that he skillfully defended the interests of his sovereign. The head of the Posolsky Prikaz consistently refused Western crafty mediation in the conflict with the Livonian Order. Further victories of the Russian army in the Baltics led to the fact that the frightened Poland and Lithuania united into one state - the Commonwealth. A new player in the international arena openly opposed Russia. Soon, Sweden also declared war on Grozny. The Livonian war dragged on, and all the successes of Russian weapons were nullified. True, the second half of the conflict passed without the participation of Viskovaty. By this time, he had already become a victim of repression by his own king.
Grozny's conflict with the boyars began in 1560, when his first wife Anastasia suddenly died. Evil tongues spread rumors about her poisoning. Gradually, the king became suspicious, paranoid and fearful of betrayal seized him. These phobias intensified when Andrei Kurbsky, the closest adviser to the monarch, fled abroad. In Moscow, the first heads flew.
The boyars were imprisoned or executed on the most dubious denunciations and slanders. Ivan Viskovaty, who caused envy of many competitors, was also in the queue for reprisal. short biography diplomat, however, says that he managed to avoid the wrath of his sovereign for a relatively long time.
In 1570, against the backdrop of defeats in Livonia, Grozny and his guardsmen decided to go on a campaign against Novgorod, whose inhabitants they suspected of treason and sympathy for foreign enemies. After that bloodshed, the sad fate of Ivan Viskovaty was also decided. In short, the repressive machine could not stop on its own. Having begun terror against his own boyars, Grozny needed more and more traitors and traitors. And although no documents have been preserved to our time that would explain how the decision about Viskovaty was made, it can be assumed that he was slandered by the new favorites of the tsar: guardsmen Malyuta Skuratov and Vasily Gryaznoy.
Shortly before that, the nobleman was removed from the leadership of the Ambassadorial order. In addition, once Ivan Viskovaty openly tried to stand up for the terrorized boyars. In response to the exhortations of the diplomat, Grozny burst into an angry tirade. Viskovaty was executed on July 25, 1570. He was accused of treacherous ties with the Crimean Khan and the Polish king.
The Gospel of Luke says, "The lamp of the body is the eye." When an outstanding diplomat of the XVII century. Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin called the Posolsky Prikaz "the eye of all great Russia", he certainly had grounds for this. In essence, the Ambassadorial Order, which collected extensive information about the life of the peoples of other countries and about events in Russia itself, gave the Russians the opportunity to "see" the world around them.
By the end of the XV century. the young Muscovite state, having united the Russian principalities and freed itself from the Mongol-Tatar yoke, begins to play an independent role in international politics. The 16th century set new tasks for him: it was necessary to fight for the western and southwestern Russian lands that became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; get wide and reliable access to the Baltic Sea, overcoming the resistance of Poland, Lithuania and the Livonian Order; strengthen the southern and eastern borders of the state. A wide field of activity opened up for Russian diplomacy. Its increased activity (about 170 embassies were sent to Lithuania in the first half of the 16th century alone) required the creation of a special institution that would be in charge of foreign affairs and unite people who were in the diplomatic service.
The Posolsky Prikaz became such an institution. Its creation was facilitated by the fact that already at the end of the 15th century. there was a stable hierarchy of officials involved in foreign affairs (embassy clerks, their assistants - clerks), a special type of foreign policy documentation appeared ("ambassadorial books"); the rules of the embassy service, the embassy ceremonial, and a special diplomatic language were formed. Formation
Ambassadorial clerk.
The embassy order took place during the first half of the 16th century, when the system of state administration was taking shape, which received the name of the order (see the article “Administration system in the Moscow state. Orders”).
It is believed that the Ambassadorial Order was created in 1549, when the first of the heads of this department known to us, Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovaty, took office. Under him, the “embassy hut” was located in the Kremlin, on the square, not far from the place where the Ivan the Great Bell Tower was later built. She remained there until the 1970s. 17th century Then, for the Moscow orders, a new two-story building was erected, in which the Embassy Chamber stood out for its height and rich decorations on the facade. In addition, already in the XVI century. in Moscow there were special courtyards to accommodate the most frequently visiting ambassadors (Crimean, Nogai, Polish-Lithuanian and English), and at the beginning of the 17th century. The embassy court was built near the Kremlin, in Kitay-gorod.
