Welcome to a slap shot episode of the Russian rulers podcast. Today, Muscovite

Russia, the beginnings of self-criticism and the Western influence.

Again, this is part of a series.

I'm reading from the book A History of Russia,

the 8th edition by Nicholas V. Riazanovsky

and Dr Mark Steinberg, who gave me permission to do so I'd like to thank him and also as

always tell everybody if you're going to find a book on Russian history this is the one.

So let's go on with the thinking of what's going on in Russia

before Peter the Great takes over.

Even if we make full allowance for Muscovite Enlightenment, the fact remains that in a great many ways Muscovi lagged behind the West.

Russia experienced no Renaissance and no reformation and it took no part in the maritime discoveries and the scientific and technological advances of the early modern period. Deficiencies became most apparent in war and in such

practical matters as medicine and mining. They extended however into virtually every field.

It should be noticed that the Muscovite government showed a continuous and increasing interest

in the West and in many things that it had to offer.

Muscovite society too, in spite of all the parochialisms and prejudice,

began gradually to learn from the heretics. Diplomacy constituted an obvious contact

between the Muscovite state and other European countries. Although we trace

the highlights of Russian foreign relations in preceding chapters,

we should note here that these relations repeatedly included distant lands,

such as England and Holland, as well as neighbors like Poland and Sweden, and that they dealt with many matters.

For instance, an English merchant, Sir John Merrick, helped to negotiate the treaty of of Solubovo between Sweden and Russia.

Or less happily, after the execution of Charles I, Sara Lexis restricted English traders to archangel and he helped the king's son, later Charles

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