The Preparations for Peter the Great’s Trip to France

This article studies an episode of the France-Russia relations dating back to the early 18th century when there were no permanent diplomatic contacts between Russia and France. Referring to archival sources, the author describes the events behind the appointment of the first Consul of France in St Petersburg, Henri Lavie, as well as the political and economic circumstances that led to the establishment of trade relations between the two countries. The author analyses various offers as regards the development of French-Russian trade that were being employed by French merchants and the French authorities at the beginning of the 18th century. Additionally, the author describes both the objective (commercial and diplomatic) and subjective reasons that impeded the realisation of these offers. Despite the desire of the French authorities and Peter I himself to develop trade between the two countries, the first bilateral agreement was only concluded on the eve of the French Revolution. The article is supplemented by two letters that are part of Henri Lavie’s correspondence with the Navy Minister Count de Pontchartrain kept in the National Archive of France. In a concise form, they reflect the plans of the French government regarding Russia, whose geopolitical influence and share in European trade were getting more and more significant at the time. The letters concern a number of general issues related to the bilateral relations in the context of Russia’s war with Sweden, and discuss the issues connected with the establishment of permanent trade relations

Economic history · Geopolitics · Navy · Political science · Politics · Realisation · Arctic and Russian Policy Studies · History · Law