History of the First Embassy sent on a Mission upon the Initiative of King Boris Godunov to the Safavid State

Abstract

The primary objective of the present work is to highlight the embassy organized by the Muscovite State to Safavid Iran at the beginning of the 17^th century. The embassy, whose history is presented differently in the scientific literature, played a significant role in strengthening the diplomatic relations between these two states. This embassy, established between 1600 and 1603, was the first sent to the Shah of Iran on the initiative of the new King of the Muscovite State, Boris Godunov (1598-1605).

It should be noted that the Ottoman-Iranian War began in 1578 and ended in 1590 with the Treaty of Istanbul, resulting in significant discontent in both the Muscovite State and Western European countries. As a result, diplomatic relations between the Muscovite State and Safavid Iran were temporarily suspended.

In the 1590s, the issue of establishing a military-political alliance with Safavid Iran was again raised in the Muscovite State. That’s why the Muscovite State re-established the interrupted relations with Iran and attempted to form a military alliance with the Safavid State against their common enemy, the Ottoman Empire.

In 1600, at the initiative of King Boris Godunov, an embassy was sent to the Shah of Iran, headed by Alexander Fyodorovich Zhirovoy-Zasekin and Temir Vasilyevich Zasetsky. The primary objective of this embassy was to negotiate a bilateral treaty with Iran, which would entail broad cooperation in all areas, including military affairs. This political alliance was primarily aimed at the Ottoman Empire, which was attempting to make peace with Austria and subsequently intended to direct all its forces against Iran.

There are different opinions in the academic literature regarding the history of the embassy of A. F. Zhirovoy-Zasekin and T. V. Zasetsky. According to one version, this embassy did not achieve its goal because, for unknown reasons, it was returned from Astrakhan to Moscow. According to another version, this embassy reached Iran and held negotiations with the Shah of Iran.

After comparing the data of various historians, we believe that the embassy of Alexander Zhirovoy-Zasekin and Temir Zasetsky managed to reach Iran and hold negotiations with the Shah of Iran. We believe that the response to this Russian embassy was the fact that Shah Abbas immediately sent his embassy to Moscow, thereby informing King Boris Godunov that the Iranian side was starting a war against the Ottoman Empire. The embassy of Lachin Beg (1602-1604), along with the embassy of Zhirovoy-Zasekin, departed Iran for the Muscovite State in the fall of 1602. It arrived in Moscow on August 28, 1603, and in early September, it was presented to King Boris Godunov.