Diplomatic Correspondence of Ivan the Terrible (1533 - 1584). Volume 1. Book 2. The Holy Roman Empire and European Countries

The diplomatic correspondence of Ivan the Terrible is the most complete edition of letters to the highest authorities of European and Asian countries and in the opposite direction in the languages of the originals. The body of correspondence is the... first publication of its kind in the history of Russian diplomacy during the era of Ivan IV and, in general, the Russian state up to the reign of Peter I. The embassy documents identified in manuscript collections and publications reflect one of the richest periods of diplomatic exchange in the history of Russia. Volume I contains messages from the diplomatic correspondence of the Russian state with the Holy Roman Empire, Livonia, the Papal throne, Venice, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, England, and France. Among the documents are both official messages exchanged by the Russian sovereign with the monarchs of Europe, as well as semi-official and secret letters, individual letters of credence, and military-diplomatic "letters". The publication includes a complete apparatus that opens access for a broad audience to the world of Russian diplomacy in the 16th century, the history of the Russian state during its turbulent growth, transformation into an empire, and the revision of a number of foreign policy directions.