Так называемая русофобия иностранных путешественников по Московии = The So-Called Russophobia of Foreign Travelers to Muscovy

Radnóti, Klára (2023) Так называемая русофобия иностранных путешественников по Московии = The So-Called Russophobia of Foreign Travelers to Muscovy. RUSSIANSTUDIES.HU, 5 (2). pp. 169-181. ISSN 2677-0660

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Abstract

When Muscovy appeared on the European political scene, she was greeted with general benevolence. Muscovy was considered a stronghold of Christianity, a natural ally not only against the Turkish menace, but also against the Protestant forces of Europe. It is true that travelers also mentioned national weak points such as drunkenness, but they did not attach much importance to it, considering it just an interesting feature. This has changed radically since the Livonian Wars. Since that time, the defender of the true faith turned into a heretic, Muscovy turned into a kingdom of barbarism and cruelty. The hostility of neighboring countries is well reflected in the pamphlets published in large numbers and informed Europe of an aggressive, cruel enemy. These pamphlets provided immediate information about the wars, but didn’t care much aboutthe authenticity of the news. The title of the Grand Duke of Moscow was mixed up with the title of Turkish sultan, in illustrations Russians were depicted as Turks and soon. Stereotypes used to describe Turks were also used against Russians. The harsh generalizations and platitudes in the pamphlets were widely distributed, while the competent, scholarly works were only accessible to a narrow circle, thus having a significantly smaller effect than leaflets displayed in large quantities. It was all in vain that some educated diplomat-authors wrote objectively and provided a more detailed picture of Muscovy closer to reality, the loud press suppressed their voices.

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