Grand Embassy

delegation of Peter I

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June 17, 2026

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The Grand Embassy was a diplomatic mission undertaken by Peter I of Russia from 1697 to 1698. The delegation, comprising around 250 people, aimed to strengthen an anti-Turkish coalition and gather information on European economic and cultural life. Peter himself traveled incognito, working as a ship's carpenter in the Netherlands and studying shipbuilding in Great Britain. He also visited factories, schools, and Parliament.

While Peter sought alliances against Turkey, the Maritime Powers were preoccupied with the upcoming War of the Spanish Succession. A secondary goal of the Grand Embassy was to learn about advanced industrial techniques, which Peter deemed crucial for Russia's development and military strength, particularly for building a navy and supplying his war against Sweden.12

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Peter I
The Grand Embassy (1697–98) of Peter I
…1697, went with the so-called Grand Embassy to western Europe. The embassy comprised about 250 people, with the “grand ambassadors” Franz Lefort, Fyodor Alekseyevich Golovin, and Prokopy Voznitsyn at its head. Its chief purposes were to examine the international situation and to strengthen the anti-Turkish coalition, but it was also…
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…1697, went with the so-called Grand Embassy to western Europe. The embassy comprised about 250 people, with the “grand ambassadors” Franz Lefort, Fyodor Alekseyevich Golovin, and Prokopy Voznitsyn at its head. Its chief purposes were to examine the international situation and to strengthen the anti-Turkish coalition, but it was also…
Read More