Constitutional Diplomacy of the Russian Empire: a Historiographical Analysis of Legal Instruments of Influence on Europe in the 19th Century

The development of a national historiographic model of political and legal knowledge necessitates comprehensive research that influences the formation of international relations. In this context, a constitutional and legal analysis of the sociolegal phenomena that shape strategies for interaction between countries should be considered a crucial part of the research conducted in this area. Constitutional diplomacy can be considered one such tool; studying its constitutional and legal content will allow for the formulation of ideas relevant to research that determines the specific features of the political and legal development of states. Until now, the historical and political science aspects of constitutional diplomacy have been explored in the academic literature, but this institution has remained under researched as a subject of constitutional and legal analysis. The purpose of this work is to create, by examining sources reflecting Russian experience in constitutional drafting in the 19th century, a model of political and legal knowledge that, through the prism of constitutional diplomacy, can be used to trace the evolution of approaches to the strategy of Russia’s participation in international relations. The study utilized an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on fundamental research principles of the humanities, institutionalstructural and systemic analysis, and general scientific methods of cognition (dialectical, systemic analysis, analogy, synthesis, generalization, comparison), as well as legal methods (formal legal, legal modeling, and comparative law). The article examines the experience of Russian constitutional diplomacy, which has had a significant impact on the state and legal structure of many European countries. The relevance of this research topic is determined by the fact that the institutionalization of the doctrine of constitutionalism in modern Russia is driven by interdisciplinary constitutionallegal, historical, philosophical, political, and sociological research on issues affecting international relations, which are evolving amidst the transformation of paradigms of relations between countries. The analysis of a significant body of sources leads to the conclusion that domestic constitutional diplomacy in the 19th century strengthened Russia’s authority on the international stage. Various mechanisms were employed, ranging from the direct creation of protectorate states with the granting of constitutions to influencing national liberation movements through legal regulation. Its goal was to legitimize and strengthen Russian influence through the use of “soft power” instruments. Constitutional diplomacy allowed Russia to integrate new territories and entire countries into its orbit of interests, while simultaneously integrating into the increasingly complex system of international relations.