Enterprising Empires

Commercial competition between Britain and Russia became entangled during the eighteenth century in Iran, the Middle East, and China, and disputes emerged over control of the North Pacific. Focusing on the British Russia Company, Matthew P. Romaniello charts the ways in which the company navigated these commercial and diplomatic frontiers. He reveals how geopolitical developmen...

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Commercial competition between Britain and Russia became entangled during the eighteenth century in Iran, the Middle East, and China, and disputes emerged over control of the North Pacific. Focusing on the British Russia Company, Matthew P. Romaniello charts the ways in which the company navigated these commercial and diplomatic frontiers. He reveals how geopolitical developments affected trade far more than commercial regulations while also challenging depictions of this period as a straightforward era of Russian economic decline. By looking at merchants' and diplomats' correspondence and the actions and experiences of men working in Eurasia for Russia and Britain, he demonstrates the importance of restoring human experiences in global processes and provides individual perspective on this game of empire. This approach reveals that economic fears, more than commodities exchanged, motivated actions across the geopolitical landscape of Europe during the Seven Years' War and the American and French Revolutions.

0 Introduction 1
Baltic Brokers 11
Eurasian Exchanges 15
1 Opening Opportunities 19
Ancient Privileges 21
Romanov Restrictions 29
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0 Introduction 1
Baltic Brokers 11
Eurasian Exchanges 15
1 Opening Opportunities 19
Ancient Privileges 21
Romanov Restrictions 29
English Encumbrances 37
Atlantic Anxiety 44
Conclusion 53
2 Managing Mercantilism 56
Crisis Management 58
Creating Ventures 64
Disobedient Diplomats 76
The Draft Commercial Treaty of 1716 86
Complicated Relations 97
Conclusion
3 Asian Aspirations 106
Textile Crisis 108
The Anglo-Russian Commercial Treaty of 1734 112
Russian Advances 124
Persian Prospects 132
Elton's Aftermath 147
Conclusion 158
4 Navigating Neutrality 162
French Affairs 164
The Anglo-Russian Commercial Treaty of 1766 174
Russian Adjustments 183
Shairp Merchants
Exploring Options
Conclusion
5 Continental Challenges
The Tariff Book of 1782
Asian Informants
Wartime Commerce
American Arrivals
Restoring Relations
Conclusion
Afterword
BiBliography
Index
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