European travellers in nineteenth century Russia: An analysis of travel accounts on Russia under Tsar Nicholas

This thesis examines the manner in which six Europeans who travelled to Russia during the reign of Nicholas I (1825--55) viewed the Russian Empire. Travel writings provided a detailed and intimate glimpse of a foreign country and have become vital sources to understand how that country was perceived by others. The travel accounts by the Marquis de Custine, J. G Kohl, George Poulett Cameron, Richard Southwell Bourke, August von Haxthausen and Germain de Lagny are important because of the rich information they contain on nineteenth century Russia and the reception they received when published. The travellers were primarily interested in three topics: politics, culture and social developments. Within this framework, the six men provided their significant findings on Nicholas I, the autocratic government, Russia's threat to Europe, Russia's place in the world; the Orthodox religion and the lives of the Russian people. As a basis for understanding the accounts on Nicholaevan Russia, this paper examines Europe's changing views of Russia and its growing importance in world affairs from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.