EDN: https://elibrary.ru/etltoo
DOI: 10.21064/WinRS.2026.3.7
The article explores the phenomenon of salon and female diplomacy as the manifestation of soft power providing the example of the activities of Dorothea (Darya) Lieven. The international political realities of the 1810—830`s are analyzed on the basis of correspondence of D. Lieven’s with her brother Alexander Benckendorff and other statesmen of the Russian Empire. The article examines the princess's contribution to the formation of Russian foreign policy in the first half of the 19th century and comes to the conclusion that the information sent by D. Lieven from London was a unique source, thanks to which the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire had a detailed understanding of the Britain’s position on all items on the international agenda. The article emphasizes that women, not having the opportunity to become career diplomats, played a significant
role in diplomatic activities and had a considerable impact on the development of international political processes. The state, in its turn, using women's and salon diplomacy as a form of soft power, constructed the necessary socio-cultural image by attracting the attention of the foreign public.