Count
Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (Russian: Михаи́л Илларио́нович Воронцо́в, 1714–1767) was a
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n statesman and
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, who laid foundations for the fortunes of the Vorontsov family.
At the age of fourteen, Vorontsov was appointed a
kammerjunkerValet de chambre, or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
at the court of the
tsesarevnaTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
Yelizaveta PetrovnaElizaveta Petrovna , also known as Yelisavet and Elizabeth, was the Empress of Russia who took the country into the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War...
, whom he materially assisted during the famous
coup d'etatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
of December 6, 1741, when she mounted the
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n throne on the shoulders of the Preobrazhensky Grenadiers.
Count
Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (Russian: Михаи́л Илларио́нович Воронцо́в, 1714–1767) was a
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n statesman and
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, who laid foundations for the fortunes of the Vorontsov family.
At the age of fourteen, Vorontsov was appointed a
kammerjunkerValet de chambre, or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
at the court of the
tsesarevnaTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
Yelizaveta PetrovnaElizaveta Petrovna , also known as Yelisavet and Elizabeth, was the Empress of Russia who took the country into the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War...
, whom he materially assisted during the famous
coup d'etatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
of December 6, 1741, when she mounted the
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n throne on the shoulders of the Preobrazhensky Grenadiers. On January 3, 1742, Vorontsov married Anna Skavronskaya, the empress's cousin, and in 1744 was created a
countA count is a nobleman in European countries; his wife is a countess. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The British equivalent is an earl...
and vice-
chancellorChancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
. His jealousy of
Aleksei Petrovich Bestuzhev-RyuminCount Alexey Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin , Grand Chancellor of Russia, was one of the most influential and successful European diplomats of the 18th century...
induced him to participate in Count Lestocq's
conspiracyIn a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
against that statesman. The empress's affection for him (she owed much to his skilful pen and still more to the liberality of his rich kinsfolk) saved him from the fate of his accomplices, but he lived in a state of semi-eclipse during the domination of Bestuzhev.
On the disgrace of Bestuzhev, Vorontsov was made imperial chancellor in his stead. Though well-meaning and perfectly honest, Vorontsov as a politician was singularly timorous and irresolute, and always took his cue from the court. Thus, under Yelizaveta Petrovna he was an avowed enemy of
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
and a warm friend of
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
; yet he made no effort to prevent
Peter IIIPeter III was Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762. According to most historians, he was mentally immature and very pro-Prussian, which made him an unpopular leader. He was supposedly assassinated as a result of a conspiracy led by his wife, who succeeded him to the throne as Catherine...
from reversing the policy of his predecessor. Yet, he did not lack personal courage, and endured torture after the revolution of July 9, 1762, rather than betray his late master. Having promoted his niece
ElizabethElizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova was a mistress of Emperor Peter III of Russia. During their affair, Peter was rumored to have intentions of divorcing his wife Catherine to marry Vorontsova....
as a favourite mistress of Peter III, he naturally greatly disliked his wife
CatherineCatherine II , also known as Catherine the Great, born . She was Empress of Russia from until . Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines...
, and at first refused to serve under her, though she reinstated him in the dignity of chancellor. When he found that the real control of foreign affairs was in the hands of
Nikita PaninCount Nikita Ivanovich Panin was an influential Russian statesman and political mentor to Catherine the Great for the first eighteen years of her reign. He advocated the Northern Alliance and closer ties with Frederick the Great of Prussia...
, he resigned his office in 1763.
Mikhail Voronzov may be said to have revived the fortunes of his ancient and illustrious family. His name is preserved in the
lavish St Petersburg palaceThe Vorontsov's Palace is a 18th century palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the centre of the city at the Garden Street. The buildings were built between 1749 to 1757 by the Russian-italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov.- See also :*...
he commissioned to the imperial architect
Bartolomeo RastrelliFrancesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
. He squandered most of his personal fortune upon that edifice but was subsequently constricted to sell it to the crown for the lack of funds required to complete its interior decoration. His niece Catherine was on intimate terms with her royal namesake, and his nephew Alexander Romanovich Vorontsov likewise attained the dignity of imperial chancellor in the early years of
Alexander IAlexander I of Russia , also known as Alexander the Blessed served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and Ruler of Poland from 1815 to 1825, as well as the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania.He was born in Saint Petersburg to Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, later...
's reign.
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