ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH TSARIST RUSSIA DURING THE RENEWAL OF SERBIAN STATEHOOD IN THE 19TH CENTURY

The wide-ranging changes in Europe, the unrest Tsarist Russia endured, and Serbia's transition from a rebellious province of the Ottoman Empire to an independent and sovereign state provide the overall framework for comprehending and interpreting this period of Russo-Serbian relations. The complex, layered, and delicate political circumstances on the Balkan Peninsula crucially influenced the establishment and development of these relations. The first half of the 19th century saw increased Russian diplomatic and political activity in pursuit of plans pertaining to the region of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, coupled with a confrontation with the dominant Central European power, the Habsburg Monarchy (Austria-Hungary). According to the logic of international relations, Serbian political visions could only partially influence the dynamics of Russo-Serbian relations. For most of this period, Serbia had to adjust its visions, more or less successfully, to the direction of Russian politics and its growing diplomatic activities.