Russian Consul in Turkey – a Diplomat or Sales Agent? (the End of 18-th – First Half of 19th Century)

The article represents an attempt to defi ne the status of Russian consular missions in the Ottoman Empire. Russia had the largest number of consular posts on the territory of Turkey – in the Balkans, North Africa and on the islands of the Greek Archipelago. Their activities were determined by the objectives of Russia’s foreign policy in each specifi c region. In the Balkans and the Middle East, consuls played the role of diplomatic representatives, while on the islands of the Levant, consuls and vice-consuls limited themselves to the tasks of trade agents who accommodated commercial ships and transmitted information about maritime traffi c in the region of their jurisdiction. This information was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, allowing them to develop the state’s trade policy. Despite the limitations of their activities as trade agents – compiling lists of arriving ships – one cannot fail to take into account, among other things, the political signifi cance of their work in hard-to-reach areas of the Mediterranean Sea.