15 June 1798
Born Alexander GorchakovThe last chancellor of the Russian Empire and one of the first graduates of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. A comrade of Pushkin, in his own words:
Pet of fashion, friend of the big world, A brilliant observer of customs
The young man was of noble blood: his father was a Russian prince, his mother a Baltic baroness. He had a knack for winning people over, displaying his wit and eloquence. He dreamed of a career as a diplomat. He was number one on the list of lyceum graduates.
My dear friend, we are entering a new world, But there the lot assigned to us is not equal, And we will leave our mark on life in different ways (Pushkin to Gorchakov)
From the age of 22, he went on business trips abroad - he accompanied the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count NesselrodeHe soon became secretary of the embassy in London, then in Rome.
In 1825, while on business in St. Petersburg, he tried to save his Lyceum friend, a Decembrist Ivan PushchinRisking his career, he came to him the day after the uprising and offered to quickly obtain a foreign passport. Pushchin refused to flee.
In 1838 he retired due to his love for the general's widow. Musin-Pushkin. 37-year-old Maria, a mother of five, was one of the leading beauties of Moscow and St. Petersburg. She was also the niece of Gorchakov's boss. Dmitry Tatishchev He was against marriage, considering it unequal. Gorchakov left the service and got married. His relatives helped him resume his career.
In 1841, he left for Stuttgart to prepare for the marriage of Grand Duchess Olga, daughter of Nicholas I, to the Crown Prince of Württemberg. He remained in Germany for 12 years. He became acquainted with Bismarck.
In 1856, he replaced Nesselrode as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Russia had just lost the Crimean War, and Gorchakov proposed Alexander II focus on domestic affairs.
Russia is not angry, Russia is concentrating
A moderate foreign policy bore fruit: in 1870, a strengthened Russia denounced the humiliating Treaty of Paris and returned its navy to the Black Sea. It was a triumph for Chancellor Gorchakov:
Yes, you kept your word, Without moving a gun, not a ruble, Enters the rights again Native Russian land (Tyutchev)
He retired from business in 1878, at the age of 80.
Died in 1883.
