This doctoral dissertation examines the Moscow court’s unsuccessful dynastic marriage projects from the late fifteenth to the early seventeenth century as instruments of foreign policy. It argues that marriage negotiations were not merely ceremonial acts but key arenas in which claims to dynastic legitimacy, rank, and international recognition were formulated and contested. By focusing on unrealized or politically ineffective projects, the study highlights instances in which Muscovy’s ambitions to forge alliances and elevate its status were thwarted by confessional, political, and cultural constraints.

The doctoral dissertation analyzes marriage diplomacy as a structured repertoire of practices that included the selection of spouses, diplomatic correspondence, embassy negotiations, and the strategic use of royal women in international politics. It is based on Muscovite diplomatic documents preserved in the ambassadorial books and on foreign accounts that reflect how Muscovy’s dynastic rhetoric was perceived and reinterpreted abroad. Methodologically, the study applies frame analysis to reconstruct how arguments were formulated and adapted to specific audiences.

By highlighting failed negotiations, the project offers a new perspective on Muscovite foreign policy as a communicative and negotiated process. It demonstrates that even unsuccessful marriage proposals shaped diplomatic relations by testing political boundaries and exposing the limits of dynastic strategy in early modern Europe.