2025, vol. 13, no. 4. Filyushkin A.I.

2025, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 732-745

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-4.732-745

EDN: https://elibrary.ru/COGFPQ

   TERMS AND NOTIONS IN THE DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTATION
OF 16th-CENTURY MUSCOVY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
OF CRIMEAN AND TURKISH EMBASSY BOOKS

A.I. Filyushkin
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
a.filushkin@spbu.ru

Abstract. This paper, using materials from embassy books as a historical source, examines concepts that were used in the 16th century by Russian, Crimean, and Turkish diplomats in international dialogue. These are terms associated with the name of the monarch, the hierarchy of states, and the concept of power. The concept of “petition” (chelobitie) and its evolution in diplomatic relations is specifically examined. The author argues that by the 16th century, the concept of “petition” in international relations did not imply the different status of diplomatic partners, but a specific situation in which one party addresses the other with some initiative. The “petition” was acting as an ethical category, an element of political ritual. The article examines the problem of non-recognition of the Tsar’s title of Ivan the Terrible by the Crimean Khanate. The methods of legitimization of Russia’s power over the annexed territories and the problems of religious tolerance are considered separately. Different policies towards Muslim and Catholic countries, various methods of diplomatic argumentation, and explanatory strategies are noted. Mutual religious tolerance was linked to practical motives. The parties tried to reduce the factors that aggravated the prospects of reaching diplomatic agreements, and the refusal to exacerbate confrontation on religious grounds was one of the diplomatic instruments.

Keywords: Russian Tsardom, Crimean Khanate, Ottoman Empire, ambassadorial books, Tsar’s title, petition, Ivan the Terrible, historical concepts

For citation: Filyushkin A.I. Terms and Notions in the Diplomatic Documentation of 16th-century Muscovy: A Comparative Analysis of Crimean and Turkish Embassy Books. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2025, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 732–745. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-4.732-745 (In Russian)

Financial Support: The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation no. 24-28-00538: “Concepts and Categories in the Socio-Political Discourse of the States of Eastern Europe in the Early Modern Times”.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexander I. Filyushkin – Dr. Sci. (History), Professor, Head of the Department of Slavic and Balkan History, Saint Petersburg State University (Universitetskaya Nab., 7/9, Saint Petersburg 199036, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0003-2456-7514. E-mail: a.filushkin@spbu.ru

Received  29.09.2025
Revised  24.11.2025
Accepted  02.12.2025