Fyodor Romodanovsky
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Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky (Russian: Фёдор Юрьевич Ромодановский; ca. 1640 – 1717) was one of Peter the Great's foremost assistants in the task of modernizing Russia. He served as the country's first head of secret police, operating the Preobrazhensky prikaz from 1686 to his death.
An influential
During Peter's frequent absences from the capital between 1695 and 1699 he entrusted Romodanovsky with governing the country. When the
Until his death, on 17 September 1717, Romodanovsky remained in charge of the secret police, the Siberian prikaz, and the Apothecary[citation needed]; basically he operated as the second-most powerful man (and the most feared man) in Russia until his death. Long after Romodanovsky's death, Klyuchevsky (1841-1911) described him as a "a monstrum by appearance, a vicious tyrant by character".
Most of Peter the Great's biographies tend to overlook the role of Romodanovsky, who served as an unconditional supporter of Peter and as his most-feared and very effective official. While other Peter's adherents built and fought, Romodanovsky ensured, with an iron hand, that there was no opposition.
Fyodor Romodanovsky's only son, Ivan Fyodorovich Romodanovsky (c. 1677–1730) succeeded him in office at the Preobrazhensky prikaz from 1717 to 1729.
See also
- Preobrazhensky Regiment
public domain: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906. {{cite encyclopedia}}
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