Documents of the Austrian State Archives about the History of Habsburg Diplomatic Relations with Russia: Research Potential

Abstract

This article considers the formation of archival funds about Austro-Russian relations in the late seventeenth century in one of the four departments of the Austrian State Archives (the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv of the Habsburgs). The analysis demonstrates that the archival funds formed alongside the development of the archive’s structure. The sources referred to include documents dedicated to the foreign policy contacts of the Habsburg dynasty with Russia in the late seventeenth century. The authors focus on the period when, because of the Ottoman threat, interactions between Vienna and Moscow intensified, which manifested itself in the active exchange of embassies and correspondence. The authors reveal the main type of structure of the archival funds mentioned. The collection contains several types of historical sources, among which the authors single out official letters (der Brief), instructions (die Instruktion) for Viennese representatives sent to Moscow, authentications (die Beglaubigung), decrees, minutes of audiences, envoy accounts (der Gesandtenbericht), and reports (der Bericht) of the Viennese envoys in Moscow. The characterisation of archival documents by fund and type demonstrates the deep research potential of the sources. The authors reveal that despite the long development and numerous military conflicts that influenced the preservation of the funds, the Haus-, Hof-, und Staatsarchiv are an institution of supranational importance, accumulating the historical heritage of Austria and Russia. The archive department contains a large array of documents shedding light on various aspects of diplomatic relations between Vienna and Moscow in the second half of the seventeenth century, making possible a comprehensive study of Habsburg contacts with Russia. This makes it necessary to consider introducing the source base into scholarly circulation.