Activities of the Russian Mission in Brussels in 1853—1865 (Based on Documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire)

The article covers the initial period of diplomatic relations between Russia and Belgium from 1853 until the death of King Leopold I of Belgium in 1865. At that time, in the context of constant challenges associated with the formation of an anti-Russian coalition during the Crimean War, Russia’s isolation after it, the danger of external intervention during the Polish Uprising of 1863—1864, St. Petersburg viewed Brussels as a center for collecting information and broadcasting the Russian position on international issues. Historiography does not pay attention to this secondary area of Russia’s European policy, while the materials from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire allow us to study in detail the work of the Russian mission in Brussels and assess its significance for developing foreign policy. The analyzed array of diplomatic correspondence, which highlights several areas — Belgium’s foreign policy, the role of the Belgian monarch in the European arena, bilateral Russian-Belgian relations — allows us to significantly enrich the picture of aspects of international relations and Russia’s foreign policy in the second half of the 19th century, already known to researchers.