Alexander Bezborodko
Prince Alexander Andreyevich Bezborodko (Russian: Александр Андреевич Безбородко; 25 March [O.S. 14 March] 1747 – 6 April 1799) was the chancellor of the Russian Empire from 1797 to 1799,[1] and the chief architect of Catherine the Great's foreign policy after the death of Nikita Panin.[2]
Early life
Аleksander Bezborodko was born in Glukhov,[3] Cossack Hetmanate, Russian Empire (now Hlukhiv, Ukraine) on 25 March [O.S. 14 March] 1747 into a family of Zaporozhian Cossack noble descent. His father, Andrey Bezborodko, was a general scribe (chancellor), while his mother, Eudokia, was a daughter of the general judge Mikhail Zabila.
He was educated at home and at
On the conclusion of the
His activity was prodigious, and Catherine called him her
Career under Catherine II
From this time he was inseparably associated with Catherine in all important diplomatic affairs, though officially he was the subordinate of the vice-chancellor, Count
The second
On his return from Jassy, however, he found his confidential post of secretary of petitions occupied by the empress's last favorite, Platon Zubov. He complained of this "diminution of his dignity" to the empress in a private memorial in the course of 1793. The empress reassured him by fresh honors and distinctions on the occasion of the solemn celebration of the peace of Jassy (2 September 1793), when she publicly presented him with a golden olive-branch encrusted with brilliants. Subsequently, Catherine reconciled him with Zubov, and he resumed the conduct of foreign affairs. He contributed more than any other man to bring about the downfall and the third partition of Poland, for which he was magnificently recompensed.[3]
Grand Chancellor of the Russian Empire
But diplomacy by no means exhausted Bezborodko's capacity for work. He had a large share in the internal administration also. He reformed the
Bezborodko was the only Russian minister who retained the favor of Paul to the last. During the last two years of his life, control of Russia's diplomacy was entirely in his hands. His programme at this period was peace with all the European powers,
He died in Saint Petersburg on 6 April 1799.[3]
Personal qualities
In private life, Bezborodko was a typical Catherinian, corrupt, licentious, conscienceless and self-seeking. But he was infinitely generous and affectionate, and spent his enormous fortune liberally. His banquets were magnificent, his collections of pictures and statues unique in Europe. He was the best friend of his innumerable poor relatives, and the
Residences
Bezborodko Palace in Saint Petersburg
The Bezborodko Palace is located at Pochtamtsky Pereulok in Saint Petersburg.
The palace was built in 1783–1795 to a design by Giacomo Quarenghi. There emerged a palace designed according to the principles of Russian Classicism. While the façade of the mansion looked fairly modest, its interiors were notable for their resplendence. The interior decoration has partly survived till today. The façade however has changed much since its erection. Only a portico of four granite columns survived from the original façade. After the count's death his heirs sold the palace to the Post-Office Department that adapted the building to its needs. In 1924 the building was given into the possession of the Museum of communications. During the siege it suffered badly from artillery bombardments and was closed for repair. The museum partly resumed its display only in 1950. In 1974 owing to a drastic state of the entire structure its major repair was started and the museum has returned to the building only thirty years later, in 2003.[4]
Bezborodko Dacha in Saint Petersburg
The dacha is located at Sverdlovskaya Naberezhnaya in Saint Petersburg.[4]
The dacha was built in 1783–1784 to a design by Giacomo Quarenghi. It is a central three-storey building with round turrets in the corners, joined with arched galleries to two symmetrical side wings. In the first half of the 19th century the side wings were linked by a chain railing held in the mouths of twenty-nine cast-iron lions. There used to be a large landscape park with pavilions.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4422-4437-5.
- ISBN 978-1-118-73002-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Bezborodko, Aleksander Andreevich". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 840. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ ISBN 978-5-93893-733-8.