Diplomatic Mission of the Lithuanian General Confederation to the Russian Tsar in 1716

Abstract

Abstract. This article investigates the organization and dispatch of the legation appointed by the General Confederation of Vilnius in 1716 to the Russian Tsar Peter I, which has hitherto received little attention from scholarship. The starosta of Merecz Antoni Kazimierz Sapieha was appointed as the envoy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The mission demonstrated that the Lithuanian noble society despite the paralysis of the central government, could take the
initiative, if necessary, not only in domestic politics, but also in international relations. However, the case analysis of the mission indicates that one-time diplomatic missions did not effectively represent the state’s interests compared to permanent diplomatic missions.