ABSTRACT:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-281) and index.
Terra incognita: the earliest European descriptions of Muscovy -- Legatus ad Moscoviam: European ambassadors and the origin of "Russian tyranny" -- Necessarium malum: European residents and the origin of "Russian tyranny" -- Rerum Moscoviticarum: Herberstein and the origin of "Russian tyranny" -- Tyrannis sine tyranno: political categories and the origin of "Russian tyranny" -- Simplex dominatus: Russian government in European political science -- Was Muscovy a despotism?.