Ceremoniał przyjęcia poselstwa Stanisława Bieniewskiego na dworze moskiewskim w 1667 roku
Solemn reception of Stanisław Bieniewski’s embassy at the Moscow court in 1667

Summary/Abstract: The diplomatic contacts between the Republic of Poland and Russia over the centuries have always aroused great interest. New research is constantly deepening the historical, political, and archaeological understanding concerning the relations between these two countries. Looking more closely at these contacts in the 17th century, it can be seen that the meaning of the terms ‘diplomacy’, ‘diplomatic ceremony’ and, importantly, that of ‘envoy’ are different to what we hear and read today. Based on research concerning the dealings between the Moscow state and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th century, it is possible to observe dynamically changing relations, from friendship to hatred and contempt, leading to armed conflicts. References to the great legations of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the Moscow state can be found in Polish, as well as Russian, literature. The names of the envoys, dates, and accompanying events can also be found therein. However, a problem arises when it comes to the giving of diplomatic gifts and the setting for the royal audience during the legation. Both the issue of gifts, as well as that of the ceremony, have not yet been dealt with in any monograph, and there is no description of individual works, what the audience hall or the feast looked like, or what the guests and the tsar were wearing during the legation. This article is based on a doctoral dissertation which attempts to present the setting of diplomatic ceremonies during the visits of envoys from the Republic of Poland to the court of the Moscow state in 1667, as well as the gifts given by the envoys to the tsar.

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