Patronage, Ceremonial, and Diplomatic Relations in the Russian Imperial Court

What is patronage? What was the ceremonial etiquette of the Russian Empire like? How did Russia build diplomatic relationships with other countries? This course will examine these and related questions, extending beyond the chronological frame of the Russian Empire (1721-1917) to discuss such topics as the ceremonial and political space of the courts of the Moscow tsars and changes in diplomatic ritual during the Soviet period. Special attention will be paid to the ceremonial of the Imperial court, but we will also discuss literature, art, and issues of gender and emigration. Course materials will include historiographical works, archival sources (including an analysis of complex obsolete vocabulary and related problems of interpretation), films, and online meetings with specialists in the field.