The Dispatches of Spanish Ambassador as a Source of Interregnum’s Political Culture

Authors

  • Mikhail Sergeevich Belousov St. Petersburg State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu02.2020.202

Abstract

This article analyzes a set of dispatches related to the business correspondence of the Spanish Ambassador, Juan Miguel Paes de la Cadena, in St. Petersburg. In the introductory part, the article gives an archaeographic description of the historical source of research into the problems of the history of the revolt of 1825. Futher shows the peculiarity of the life of the metropolitan information field immediately after the death of Emperor Alexander I. This approach to studying the main plots of the history of the interregnum allows to highlight the main problems that concern Russian society and key attention is paid to the Polish question in this case. An analysis of the messages of the second half of December — early January demonstrates, on the one hand, the prevalence of mythological myths in the Russian ruling circles about the all-European conspiracy of secret societies, and on the other, the nature of transformation in the midst of a deep political crisis in the Russian Empire. It is shown how and what elements of this concept acquire a new sound and are reflected in the rhetoric of the young emperor, his entourage, and above all K. V. Nesselrode. We are talking about such a problem as the a priori definition of the key organizers of the rebellion. In this role in the renewed discourse are Poles and representatives of the titled aristocracy. It was they, relying on the Spanish experience, who intended to involve soldiers by deceit, commit violent acts against the tsar’s family and sow anarchy and disorder.

Keywords:

Decembrists, Paez de la Cadena, St. Petersburg uprising, interregnum, Polish question, conspiracy

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
 

Author Biography

Mikhail Sergeevich Belousov, St. Petersburg State University

PhD in History, associate professor

References

Литература

Alekseev M. P. Essay on the history of Russian-Spanish literary relations. Alekseev M. P. Russkaia kul’tura i romanskii mir. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1985, pp. 5–272. (In Russian)

Andreeva T. V. Secret Societies in Russia in the First Third of the 19th Century: Government Policy and Public Opinion. St. Petersburg, Liki Rossii Publ., 2009, 653 p. (In Russian)

Andreeva T. V., Il’in P. V., Belousov M. S., Ivanova T. A., Kuznetsova S. D., Parshina A. V., Smirnov A. O. Russian Historical Memory and the Decembrists. 1825–2015. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Ser. 2. History, 2016, no. 2, pp. 168–181. (In Russian)

Belousov M. S., Belousov A. S. The Beginning of Congress Poland in the Discourse of the French Press. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 2019, vol. 64, iss. 4, pp. 1195–1212.

Goncharova T. N. Between Paris and St. Petersburg. Embassy of France in Russia (1814–1848). St. Petersburg, Izdatel’stvo RKhGA Publ., 2017, 318 p. (In Russian)

Gordin Ya. A. Rebel Rebellion: December 14, 1825. Leningrad, Lenizdat Publ., 1989, 400 p. (In Russian)

Fedorov V. A. “We are proud of our fate…”: The investigation and trial of the Decembrists. Moscow, Mysl’ Publ., 1988, 298 p. (In Russian)

Fernandes-Sanches Kh. Spanish acquaintance of Pushkin. Vremennik Pushkinskoi komissii. Iss. 24. St. Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 1991, pp. 128–129. (In Russian)

Iskiul’ S. N. December 14, 1825 and the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Filosofskii vek. Rossiia v nikolaevskoe vremia: nauka, politika, prosveshchenie. Iss. 6. St. Petersburg, IIET RAN Publ., 1998, pp. 251–260. (In Russian)

Kagane L. L. Cabinet of paintings by Juan Miguel Paez de la Cadena, Spanish envoy in St. Petersburg. Iz istorii mirovogo iskusstva i kul’tury. St. Petersburg, Sad iskusstv Publ., 2003, pp. 495–553. (In Russian)

Korf M. A. The accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I. St. Petersburg, Publ. II-go Otdeleniia Sobstvennoi Ego Imp. Vel. Kantseliarii, 1857, 250 p. (In Russian)

Kudriashov K. V. Folk rumors about the December events of 1825. Bunt dekabristov. Iubileinyi sbornik 1825–1925. Eds by Yu. G. Oksman, P. E. Shchegolev. Leningrad, Byloe Publ., 1926, pp. 311–323. (In Russian)

Marion S., Miller A. “Liberal International”? Perspectives on Comparative Approaches to the Revolutions in Spain, Italy, and Greece in the 1820s. Mediterranean Studies. Vol. 2: Greece & The Mediterranean. 1990, pp. 61–67.

Mazour A. G. First Russian revolution 1825. The Decembrist movement. Its origins, development and significance. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1937, 342 p.

Nechkina M. V. Revolution like the Spanish (On the tactics of the Southern Society of the Decembrists).Katorga i ssylka. Moscow, 1931, no. 10, pp. 3–40. (In Russian)

Nevelev G. Decembrist context. Documents and descriptions. St. Petersburg, Mir Publ., 2012, 768 p. (In Russian)

Nikolai Mikhailovich, vel. kn. Emperor Alexander I: The Experience of Historical Research. In 2 vol. Vol. 2. St. Petersburg, Entsiklopediia zagotovleniia gosudarstvennykh bumag Publ., 1912, 745 p. (In Russian)

Okun’ S. B. History of the USSR. 1796–1825. Leningrad, Publishing House of Leningrad State University, 1947, 492 p. (In Russian)

Odesskii M. P., Fel’dman D. M. The poetics of power. Fight against tyrant. Revolution. Terror. Moscow, ROSSPEN Publ., 2012, 263 p. (In Russian)

Parsamov V. S. Decembrists and French liberalism. Moscow, Polimed Publ., 2001, 240 p. (In Russian)

Potapova N. D. Speaking from their Cells: Discourse and Political Strategies of the Decemberists. St. Petersburg, European University at St. Petersburg Press, 2017, 416 p. (In Russian)

Rakhshmir P. Yu. Prince Metternich: Man and Politician. Perm’, Kommersant Publ., 2005. 405 p. (In Russian)

Roberts J. M. The Mythology of Secret Societies. New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1972, 370 p.

Safonov M. M. Decembrists trial as an indicator of consolidation of the Russian elite. Peterburgskii istoricheskii zhurnal: issledovaniia po rossiiskoi i vseobshchei istorii, 2017, no. 1 (13), pp. 106–125. (In Russian)

Skrynnikov R. G. Duel of Pushkin. St. Petersburg, Rus.-Balt. inform. tsentr BLITs Publ., 1999, 493 p. (In Russian)

Shil’der N. K. Emperor Nicholas the First: his life and reign. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg, Tipografiia A. S. Suvorina, 1903, 902 p. (In Russian)

Yurchik E. E. Decembrists and the Spanish Revolution of 1820. Ispaniia i Rossiia: diplomatiia i dialog kul’tur. Tri stoletiia otnoshenii = España y Rusia: diplomacia y diálogo de culturas. Tres siglos de relaciones. Ed. by O. V. Volosiuk. Moscow, Indrik Publ., 2018, pp. 160–162. (In Russian)

Yurchik E. E. Witness to the Decembrist uprising: Spanish envoy Juan Miguel Paez de la Cadena. Ispaniia i Rossiia: diplomatiia i dialog kul’tur. Tri stoletiia otnoshenii = España y Rusia: diplomacia y diálogo de culturas. Tres siglos de relaciones. Ed. by O. V. Volosiuk. Moscow, Indrik Publ., 2018, pp. 169–174. (In Russian)

Vyskochkov L. V. Weekdays and holidays of the Imperial Court. St. Petersburg, Piter Publ., 2012, 496 p. (In Russian)

Downloads

Published

2023-12-28

How to Cite

Belousov, M. S. (2023). The Dispatches of Spanish Ambassador as a Source of Interregnum’s Political Culture. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 65(2), 357–374. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu02.2020.202

Issue

Vol. 65 No. 2 (2020)

Section

History of Russia

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.