Writing acknowledgements is probably the most satisfying part of working on a book. It also becomes the most challenging task when the research and writing process spans eight years, which transforms the author into a very different person. Embarking on the project as a postdoctoral fellow in Germany, I continued it as a university staff member in Russia and completed it as a political exile in Armenia. A refugee, even one fortunate in many aspects, feels a strong desire to express gratitude in professional and personal realms, yet a constant sense of awkwardness accompanies this endeavour. I fervently anticipate that all my acknowledgements will be received benevolently and that my book will find readers transcending all distances, borders and political tensions.
The completion of this book would not have been achievable without the generous support of numerous institutions. The short-term postdoctoral grants from the Sonderforschungsbereich “Dynamics of Security” at the Justus Liebig University of Giessen/ Philipps University of Marburg supported me during a particularly uncertain phase following the completion of my PhD and played a pivotal role in shaping the initial concept of this study. The German Historical Institutes in Moscow and Warsaw hosted me as a visiting scholar in the early stages of my research and supported my archival travels. The financial backing provided through the scholars-at-risk program of the University of Potsdam made it possible for me to maintain an academic career following my emigration and the loss of my previous academic position in Russia. Lastly, the research grant from the Russia Program conducted at George Washington University (Washington) was indispensable in bringing this manuscript to its completion.
The support, encouragement and inspiration I received from many colleagues, mentors and friends within the academic community made writing this book possible. I owe immense gratitude to Matthias Asche and Marco Kollenberg whose enduring faith in me, their practical assistance and emotional support helped me to navigate through the challenges of my first emigrant year. Marcus Koller consistently expressed a keen interest in my research project and offered excellent opportunities to present it within a welcoming circle of colleagues with diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Adam Storring exhibited remarkable patience in reviewing several drafts, some of which contributed to some chapters of this book, offering numerous thought-provoking insights and critical feedback. Horst Carl and Andrei Doronin supported me substantially during the most arduous stages of my academic journey. Michail Dmitriev and Igor Dubrovskii, each in their way, displayed a consistent interest in my studies, despite their occasional attempts to challenge my commitment to military
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to many excellent scholars who guided me and a former specialist in the early modern German lands as I embarked on the unknown territory of 17th-century Russian history. Foremost, I must express my most sincere thanks to Ingrid Maier for her invaluable feedback, insightful remarks and rigorous yet always benevolent critique from which I have striven to learn throughout all these years. Equally deserving of my thanks is Stepan Shamin, who, in the initial stages of my research, provided valuable comments and corrected some of my novice notions on 17th-century Russian culture. I also take pleasure in acknowledging Andrei Beliakov, Andrei Gus’kov, Maxim Khatskevich, Kirill Khudin, Alexei Lobin, Oleg Kurbatov, Alexander Malov, Oleg Nozdrin, Tatiana Oparina, Sergei Polskoi, Petr Prudovskii, Vladislav Rjéoutski, Olga Sapozhnikova, Steffan Schneck, Iskra Schwarcz, Adrian Selin for many conversations regarding Russian military history, translation cultures, foreigners in the tsar’s service and a bunch of other issues. With special gratitude and enduring grief, I remember Dmitry Fedosov, the best possible connoisseur of Scots in early modern Russia, excellent scholar and good friend, who passed away while this book was in the final stage of preparation. I also wish to express my appreciation to the staff of many libraries and archives who assisted me in collecting materials for this book, with particular mention to the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts in Moscow, the National Library of Russia and the Library of the Academy of Sciences, both in Saint Petersburg.
With particular feelings, I convey my heartfelt gratitude to my five friends and colleagues with whom I have embarked on an informal online seminar on military history and cultural history of violence. Elena, Kamil, Andrei, Alexander and Alexander have proved to be my most cherished intellectual companions over the past year. My sincere hope is that our joint endeavour will persist despite the distance that separates us.
I wish to mention here many personal friends across the world who supported me much during the research and writing process. My special thanks go to Maria in Paris, Ovanes in Paris and Evgeniy in Sevastopol. I could not fully convey my appreciation to Natasha, Kostya, Yasha and Danya in Yerevan as well as to Tanya, Slava, Nastya, Masha and Anya in Rehovot for their unlimited hospitality and all the routes and destinations we have done and, hopefully, will do together. Finally, I thank Anya for once loaning me a million Belorussian rubles and having been my most loyal friend and the best conversational companion over the past eight years.
I am deeply thankful to my parents, Vladimir and Olga, for loving and supporting me throughout all my life.
Gyumri – Yerevan, Armenia
2.04.2023