Abstract

After the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia in 1731, Great Britain began to fight vigorously for the trading privileges lost under Peter the Great. The Russian government was interested in building a defensive alliance with the English during the RussoTurkish War (1735-1739). To achieve these aims, British and Russian diplomats engaged in a complex and lengthy negotiation process that culminated in a trade treaty in 1734 and a treaty of alliance in 1741. While the history of the trade treaty has been covered in considerable detail in historical literature, the treaty of alliance so far has been studied superficially. On the basis of the analysis of diplomatic correspondence of British Ambassador to Russia Edward Finch and Secretary of State Lord Harrington, the author for the first time examines the diplomatic “kitchen” of the preparation and conclusion of the treaty of alliance, as well as strategy and tactics of British diplomacy during the negotiations. The preparation to the conclusion of the treaty took place in the context of prolonged and bitter disputes between the parties. The Russian side showed equanimity, restraint and ability to manoeuvre in difficult situations, although individual statesmen (E.I. Biron) defended the interests of the British rather than their own country. British diplomacy went to considerable lengths to ensure that the treaty was concluded with maximum advantage to Great Britain. The long duration of the negotiations concerning the RussianBritish Defence Treaty ended in 1741, but its implementation was delayed by the coup d’état in Russia that brought Elizabeth Petrovna to power. Although the English king had ratified the treaty of alliance, Russia refused to do so, as Great Britain had failed to fulfill one of its main conditions: England did not send a squadron of ships into the Baltic when Russia entered into war with Sweden in 1742. Thus, the treaty, a stumbling block in the parties’ diplomatic duel, was not implemented in practice, but survived only on paper.