DOCUMENTS OF THE MESSENGER K. IEVLEV’S MISSION TO IRAN AS A SOURCE ON THE HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN-IRANIAN CONFLICT OF 1651–1653

Kopaneva Dina Dmitrievna, Belova Anna Borisovna, Belov Nikita Vasil’evich

The mission to Iran in 1653 of the messenger K. Ievlev became the first step towards the settlement of the Russian-Iranian military conflict of 1651–1653. The materials of Ievlev's mission have not been published. They are based on the order, report and letters from Tsar Alexei and Shah Abbas II, which the monarchs exchanged on the eve of the arrival in Iran of the ‘great’ embassy of Prince I. Lobanov-Rostovsky. An analysis of the embassy documents shows the importance of Ievlev's mission, as it prepared the ground for the subsequent negotiations between the two powers. Ievlev's report is a valuable source not only on the history of Russian-Iranian relations in the first half of the 1650s, but also on the socio-political and military history and culture of Safavid Iran. It contains information about important events of the spring and autumn of 1653: the capture of the fortress of Sunzha by the Iranian army, the defence of Kandahar by the Iranians against the Mughal troops, and the visit of Jesuit F. Rigordi to Shah Abbas II.

Keywords:Russian-Iranian relations of the 17th century, the Ambassadorial Office, Safavid Iran, Shah Abbas II, Klementy Ievlev.