Dmitry Konstantinovich Popov,
Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Ceremonial Reception of Khalkha and Dzungarian Envoys in Irkutsk at the End of the 17th Century
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-1-17
The article, based on the analysis of the office documentation of the reporting type, represented by the article lists of negotiations, analyzes the diplomatic ceremonial used by representatives of the Russian authorities in Irkutsk during communication with the Mongol-speaking nomads of the north of Central Asia at the end of the 17th century. It is established that the Irkutsk administrators, whose powers included the right to conduct negotiations with the Central Asian nomads, having learned in advance about the arrival of a foreign delegation, sent bailiffs (pristavy) to meet them. In some cases, bailiffs (pristavy) even conducted preliminary negotiations. On the appointed day (or on the day of arrival), the embassy, at the invitation of the authorities, proceeded to the place where the audience was held − the “embassy hut” (posol’skaya izba). Along the route, the Irkutsk authorities could station servicemen (sluzhilye lyudi), tradesmen (posadskie lyudi), and other people who were in Irkutsk at the time of the delegation’s arrival. Weapons (artillery, guns), banners and drums were used as decorations. During negotiations, rituals of “welcoming” the Russian monarch, the counterparty, and the Irkutsk authorities could be used; gifts were given; etiquette questions aimed at honoring the envoy could be asked. Sometimes the envoys could be treated to alcoholic drinks. It is established that diplomatic ceremonial, firstly, performed representative functions, visually providing an image of the power and might of the tsarist power, secondly, created the effect of the presence of “sovereign power” on the outskirts of the Russian state, and, thirdly, demonstrated the benevolent attitude of representatives of the Russian government towards the counterparty. The ceremony was intended to have a psychological impact on the envoys and, thus, speed up the negotiation process. The situational use of diplomatic ceremonial norms indicates that the authorities took a pragmatic approach to dialogue with Mongol-speaking nomads and tried, above all, to achieve a concrete result, rather than to observe all the formalities.
Publishing: 28/02/2026
The article has been received by the editor on 27/12/2025
How to cite: Popov D.K. The Ceremonial Reception of Khalkha and Dzungarian Envoys in Irkutsk at the End of the 17th Century // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 1 (45), pp. 209−220. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-1-17.pdf]
The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “Features of the Formation of Intercultural Communications in Siberia − From the Stone Age to the Early Modern Period (Based on Archaeological and Written Sources)” (FSUS 2025-0009).
Links: Issue 1 2026
Keywords: diplomatic ceremony; reception of embassies; Central Asian nomads; Irkutsk; the Russian state