Preparing for the Worst: The Russian Empire and Expectations of the Scandinavian Union (1855–1864)

Slavonic and East European Review. 2026. Vol. 104. No. 2. P. 305–330.

Egorov E.

Advocates of pan-Scandinavianism in the mid-19th century hoped to establish a union between Denmark and Sweden-Norway, strong enough to counter potential external aggression. By 1864, as the Second Schleswig War unfolded, the possibility of a Scandinavian union became a conceivable outcome of the conflict. The Russian Emperor Alexander II and his foreign minister Alexander Gorchakov chose not to intervene. They even recognized the possibility of a Scandinavian union emerging. This study argues that this tolerant stance was influenced by the expectations of the union as a federal, weak and market-related nuisance that posed no real threat to the Russian Empire.

Keywords: Скандинавия, Александр II, внешняя политика Российской империи, new diplomatic history, Alexander II, Foreign policy of the Russian Empire, Russian–Scandinavian contacts, новая дипломатическая история, Александр Горчаков

Publication based on the results of: History and typology of communication in social, political and visual culture: global trends and Russian experience (2025)