Recently we revisited Blickling Hall in Norfolk and were reminded that one of the rooms there displays a huge tapestry of Peter the Great at the battle of Poltava. The tapestry was a gift from Catherine the Great to John Hobart, the second Earl of Buckinghamshire (1723 -1793), whose portrait by Thomas Gainsborough (before 1784) […]
Category: Russian Diplomacy
A modest proposal
Ivan the Terrible showing his treasure to the English Ambassador. (Alexander Litovchenko 1875) The Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg. Did Ivan the Terrible propose to Elizabeth the First of England? I have been researching my Royal Connections talk that I will be giving to several historical societies later this year. Relations between the Russian and English […]
Horse Diplomacy
Given her enthusiasm for all things English, it is not surprising that it was Catherine the Great who introduced Horse Racing in the English Style to Russia in the 1780’s, and it was only a matter of time before the sport became a vehicle for diplomatic exchange. On at least two occasions in the 19th […]