Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov
Encyclopedia
Prince
Vasiliy Lukich Dolgorukov (Russian
: Василий Лукич Долгоруков) (1672 – November 8, 1739) was a Russian diplomat
and minister who was the most powerful man in the country in the later years of Peter II
's reign.
A male-line descendant of the legendary prince Rurik
, Dolgorukov was one of the first batch of young Russians whom Peter the Great
sent abroad to be educated. From 1687 to 1700 he resided in Paris
, where he learned thoroughly the principal Europe
an languages, acquired the superficial elegance of the court of Versailles
, and associated with the Jesuits, whose moral system he is said to have appropriated.
On his return home he entered the diplomatic service
. From 1706 to 1707 he represented Russia
in Poland
; and from 1707 to 1720 he was appointed minister in Copenhagen
. There, he succeeded in persuading King Frederick IV
to join the second coalition
against Charles XII
in the Treaty of Copenhagen (1709)
. At the end of 1720 he was transferred to Versailles, in order to seek the mediation
of France
in the projected negotiations with Sweden
and obtain the recognition of Peter's imperial title by the French
court. In 1724 he represented Russia in Warsaw
and in 1726 in Stockholm
, the object of the latter mission being to detach Sweden from the Hanoverian alliance, in which he did not succeed.
During the reign of Peter II
, Dolgorukov was appointed a member of the Supreme Privy Council
. Аfter procuring the banishment of Menshikov
he drew up a letter purporting to be the last will of the emperor, appointing Catherine Dolgorukova
his successor, but shortly afterwards abandoned the nefarious scheme as impracticable, and was one of the first to support the election of Anne of Courland
to the throne on condition that she first signed nine "articles of limitation", which left the supreme power in the hands of the Russian council.
Anne, who repudiated the "articles" on the first opportunity, never forgave Dolgorukov for this. He was deprived of all his offices and dignities on April 17, 1730, and banished first to his country seat and then to the Solovetsky Monastery
. Nine years later the charge of forging the will of Peter II was revived against him, and he was tortured and then beheaded in Novgorod on November 8, 1739.
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Vasiliy Lukich Dolgorukov (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Василий Лукич Долгоруков) (1672 – November 8, 1739) was a Russian diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. 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...
and minister who was the most powerful man in the country in the later years of Peter II
Peter II of Russia
Pyotr II Alekseyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son of Peter I of Russia by his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina, and Princess Charlotte, daughter of Duke Louis Rudolph of Brunswick-Lüneburg and sister-in-law of Charles VI,...
's reign.
A male-line descendant of the legendary prince Rurik
Rurik
Rurik, or Riurik , was a semilegendary 9th-century Varangian who founded the Rurik dynasty which ruled Kievan Rus and later some of its successor states, most notably the Tsardom of Russia, until 1598....
, Dolgorukov was one of the first batch of young Russians whom Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
sent abroad to be educated. From 1687 to 1700 he resided in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he learned thoroughly the principal Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an languages, acquired the superficial elegance of the court of Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, and associated with the Jesuits, whose moral system he is said to have appropriated.
On his return home he entered the diplomatic service
Diplomatic service
Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to other countries...
. From 1706 to 1707 he represented Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
; and from 1707 to 1720 he was appointed minister in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. There, he succeeded in persuading King Frederick IV
Frederick IV of Denmark
Frederick IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel .-Foreign affairs:...
to join the second coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
against Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
in the Treaty of Copenhagen (1709)
Treaty of Copenhagen (1709)
On 22 October 1709, during the Great Northern War, the alliance between the Russian Empire and Denmark-Norway was renewed in the Treaty of Copenhagen. Charles XII of Sweden had destroyed the previous alliance in Travendal . For Russia, Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov signed the treaty in...
. At the end of 1720 he was transferred to Versailles, in order to seek the mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the projected negotiations with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and obtain the recognition of Peter's imperial title by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
court. In 1724 he represented Russia in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and in 1726 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the object of the latter mission being to detach Sweden from the Hanoverian alliance, in which he did not succeed.
During the reign of Peter II
Peter II of Russia
Pyotr II Alekseyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son of Peter I of Russia by his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina, and Princess Charlotte, daughter of Duke Louis Rudolph of Brunswick-Lüneburg and sister-in-law of Charles VI,...
, Dolgorukov was appointed a member of the Supreme Privy Council
Supreme Privy Council
The Supreme Privy Council of Imperial Russia was founded on 8 February 1726 as a body of advisors to Catherine I.Originally, the council included six members — Alexander Menshikov, Fyodor Apraksin, Gavrila Golovkin, Andrey Osterman, Peter Tolstoy, and Dmitry Galitzine. Several months later,...
. Аfter procuring the banishment of Menshikov
Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov was a Russian statesman, whose official titles included Generalissimus, Prince of the Russian Empire and Duke of Izhora , Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Cosel. A highly appreciated associate and friend of Tsar Peter the Great, he was the de facto ruler of...
he drew up a letter purporting to be the last will of the emperor, appointing Catherine Dolgorukova
Ekaterina Alekseyevna Dolgorukova
Ekaterina Alekseyevna Dolgorukova was a Russian noble, enganged to tsar Peter II of Russia.Daughter of the Russian Prince Alexei Dolgorukov and niece to Prince Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov. She grew up with her brother Ivan in Warsaw in the house of her grandfather Gregory Fjodorovitj. Reportedly, she...
his successor, but shortly afterwards abandoned the nefarious scheme as impracticable, and was one of the first to support the election of Anne of Courland
Anna of Russia
Anna of Russia or Anna Ivanovna reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.-Accession to the throne:Anna was the daughter of Ivan V of Russia, as well as the niece of Peter the Great...
to the throne on condition that she first signed nine "articles of limitation", which left the supreme power in the hands of the Russian council.
Anne, who repudiated the "articles" on the first opportunity, never forgave Dolgorukov for this. He was deprived of all his offices and dignities on April 17, 1730, and banished first to his country seat and then to the Solovetsky Monastery
Solovetsky Monastery
Solovetsky Monastery was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp , which served as a prototype for the GULag system. Situated on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, the monastery braved many changes of fortune...
. Nine years later the charge of forging the will of Peter II was revived against him, and he was tortured and then beheaded in Novgorod on November 8, 1739.