Russia and the Netherlands in the First Half of the 18th Century: the Main Stages of the Development of Bilateral Relations

Abstract

The study of Russian-Dutch relations in the first half of the 18th century is of interest in terms of studying the process of Russia's entry into the all-European system. This article examines in the context of all-European relations the main features and peculiarities of the development of Russian-Dutch mutual relations during four main stages: the period of the Northern War; 1725–1730; the 30s associated with the War of the Polish succession; the 40s of the 18th century - the period of the War of the Austrian succession. It turns out that during the Northern War, Russian-Dutch relations changed depending on the international conjuncture and the specifics of the trade policy pursued by Russia. In the first years after the death of Peter I, in 1725–1730, Russian-Dutch diplomatic relations changed due to general changes in Russia's domestic and foreign policy. The revival of 1725–1726 was replaced by the recession of 1727–1730. In the 30s of the 18th century, political, diplomatic and trade relations between Russia and the Netherlands continued to develop, and this happening more often in the context of all-European relations. The latter trend intensified as Russia entered the European system, which found its expression at the next stage of the development of Russian-Dutch relations – during the War of the Austrian Succession. Summing up, we can highlight the following important trend: traditionally focused on trade relations, Russian-Dutch relations are increasingly becoming dependent on the peculiarities of the international situation in Europe, on the balance of power on the international arena.