European Immigration to Muscovy in the Early Modern Era

In comparison to other European states in the early modern era, Muscovy is considered to have been one of the most secluded and isolated. Nonetheless, from the late fifteenth century, the destination of migrants from many parts of Europe was Muscovy. Much of this migration was actively supported by the Muscovite government. While the tsars and some members of the Muscovite nobility were eager to recruit foreign experts, their presence in Muscovy was accompanied by controversies and conflicts, between both immigrants and the native population, and among the immigrants themselves. The word inozemtsy is the term most commonly found in Muscovite sources and historical research. However, the term inozemtsy is also problematic, since it refers in general to any non-Orthodox person subject to Muscovite law, including Europeans and their descendants living in Muscovy, as well as other non-Orthodox inhabitants of Muscovite territories annexed over the centuries.