Vladimir Lamsdorf
Nicholas II | |
---|---|
Preceded by | Mikhail Muravyov |
Succeeded by | Alexander Izvolsky |
Personal details | |
Born | St. Petersburg, Russia | January 6, 1845
Died | March 19, 1907 San Remo, Italy | (aged 62)
Alma mater | Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum Page Corps |
Occupation | Diplomat, Foreign Minister of Russia |
Awards | see awards |
Count Vladimir Nikolayevich Lamsdorf (
Early career
Lamsdorf was the son of a career officer in the
Gorchakov's successor,
Foreign Minister
Lamsdorf's main concerns revolved around the
Lamsdorf did not share the Tsar's position that Russia was destined to rule East Asia, and cooperated with Finance Minister Sergei Witte and War Minister Aleksey Kuropatkin to curtail the influence of the Bezobrazov Circle over the Tsar.[3] He proposed to relinquish Russia's commercial and industrial enterprises in Korea to obtain an agreement with Japan, in order to safeguard her interests in the Chinese Eastern Railway and avoid complications with Great Britain. However, he was steadily sidelined by the jingoist hard-liners from the military, especially after the appointment of Admiral Yevgeni Ivanovich Alekseyev as Viceroy of the Far East and events continued their downward spiral towards war, with Lamsdorf seemingly resigned to its inevitability.
The main event of Lamsdorf's tenure in office was the
Lamsdorf was instrumental in Russia's support of France in the Moroccan Crisis of 1906 against Germany, which was a step towards the creation of the Triple Entente.[3]
When eventually relieved of his duties in 1906, Lamsdorf prided himself on having maintained a position equidistant from both Berlin and London. He compared Russia's standing in Europe to "that of a rich bride which none wanted to see fall into the arms of another".[6] Lamsdorf's decidedly cool attitude to both British and German empires was demonstrated by his handling of the Dogger Bank incident and the Treaty of Björkö.
Personality
Lamsdorf was described by his contemporaries as a "leisurely, well-bred man of good society... with a very high forehead and a soft affable manner".
Honours and decorations
- Order of St Vladimir, 2nd class
- Order of St. Stanislaus1st degree
- Order of St. Anne1st degree
- Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
- Order of the White Eagle
Foreign decorations
- Kingdom of Prussia: Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown - September 1901 - on the occasion of the visit to Germany of Tsar Nikolai II for Fleet maneuvers.[8]
- Kingdom of Hungary: Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen - December 1902 - during a visit to Vienna.[9]
References
- Kowner, Rotem (2006). Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4927-5.
Notes
- ^ Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
- ^ Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
- ^ a b c Kowner, Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War, p. 200-201.
- ISBN 0-7658-0407-7. Page 116.
- ^ Quoted from: Mombauer, Annika; Deist, Wilhelm. The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II's Role in Imperial Germany. Cambridge University Press, 2003. Page 119.
- ^ a b Quoted from: White, John Albert. Transition to Global Rivalry: Alliance Diplomacy and the Quadruple Entente, 1895-1907. Cambridge University Press, 1995. Page 84.
- ISBN 0-19-816596-X. Page 5.
- ^ "The Tsar and the Kaiser". The Times. No. 36559. London. 13 September 1901. p. 3.
- ^ "Latest intelligence - Count Lamsdorff". The Times. No. 36965. London. 31 December 1902. p. 3.