Julia Leikin

Present status: PhD candidate

Working title of thesis: Prize law, maritime neutrality, and the law of nations in imperial Russia, 1768-1856

Research: A historian of imperial Russia and modern Europe, I work on imperial Russia’s understanding and practice of international law. My dissertation examines the Russian empire’s use of law to gain access to and maintain its presence on seas and oceans as well as to control its maritime borders. Looking at prize law — an aspect of the law of nations by which belligerent vessels capture enemy ships — I explore the legal, social, political and economic considerations that governed imperial Russia’s maritime politics.

My wider academic interests include history of international law and international relations; political economy; diplomacy; maritime legal culture; legal history; comparative early-modern and modern European history.