Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Andrey Ivanovich Osterman (''Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann''; russian: Андрей Иванович Остерман) (9 June 1686 31 May 1747) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
-born
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n statesman who came to prominence under Tsar
Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great, ) and served until the accession of the
Tsesarevna Elizabeth in 1741. He based his foreign policy on the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n alliance.
General Admiral (1740; dismissed 1741).
Early career
Born in
Bochum in
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
, to a middle-class
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
pastor, his original name was Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann. He studied languages at the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
, learning
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
French,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, and
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
.
Ostermann became secretary to Vice-Admiral
Cornelis Kruse
Cornelius Cruys ( no, Niels Creutz, i=no, russian: Корнелий Крюйс, i=no; 14 June 1655 – 14 June 1727) was a Norwegian–Dutch admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy, and the first commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet.
Early ...
, who had a standing commission from
Peter the Great to pick up promising young men, and soon thereafter entered the
tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
's service. The young man's knowledge of the principal European languages made him the right hand of Vice-Chancellor
Shafirov
Baron Peter Pavlovich Shafirov (russian: Пётр Павлович Шафиров; 1670–1739) was a Russian statesman and a prominent coadjutor of Peter the Great.
Early life and career
Shafirov was born into a Polish Jewish family. His father ...
, whom he materially assisted during the troublesome negotiations which terminated in the
peace of the Pruth
The Treaty of the Pruth was signed on the banks of the river Prut between the Ottoman Empire and the Tsardom of Russia on 23 July 1711 ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1710–1711. The treaty was a political victory for the Ottoman Empire.
The ...
(1711). Osterman, together with General Bruce, represented Russia at the
Åland
Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populat ...
peace congress of 1718. Shrewdly guessing that
Sweden was at exhaustion point, and that
Heinrich von Görtz, the Swedish plenipotentiary, was acting ''ultra vires'', he advised Peter to put additional pressure on Sweden to force a peace.
[ This cites:
* S. Shubinsky, "Count A. I. Osterman" (Rus.) in ''Syevernoye Siyanie'', vol. ii. (St Petersburg, 1863)
* D. Korsakov, ''From the Lives of Russian Statesmen of the XVIIIth Century'' (Rus.) (Kazan, 1891)
* A. N. Filippov, "Documents relating to the Cabinet Ministers of the Empress Anne" (Rus.) (St Petersburg, 1898) in the collections of the Russ. Hist. Soc. vol. 104
* A. A. Kochubinsky, ''Count A. I. Osterman and the proposed Partition of Turkey'' (Rus.) (Odessa, 1889)
* Hon. C. Finch, ''Diplomatic Despatches from Russia'', 1740–1742 (St Petersburg, 1893–1894) in the collections of the Russ. Hist. Soc. vols. 85 and 91
* R. Nisbet Bain, ''The Pupils of Peter the Great'' (London, 1897)
* ''The Daughter of Peter the Great'' (London, 1899), chapters 1–3.]
Diplomacy
In 1721, Osterman concluded the
Peace of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom ...
with Sweden, and was created a baron for his services. In 1723, he was made vice-president of the ministry of foreign affairs for bringing about a very advantageous commercial treaty with
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Peter also constantly consulted him in domestic affairs, and he introduced many administrative novelties, e.g. "the
Table of Ranks
The Table of Ranks (russian: Табель о рангах, Tabel' o rangakh) was a formal list of positions and ranks in the military, government, and court of Imperial Russia. Peter the Great introduced the system in 1722 while engaged in a ...
," and the reconstruction of the College of Foreign Affairs on more modern lines.
During the reign of
Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I ( rus, Екатери́на I Алексе́евна Миха́йлова, Yekaterína I Alekséyevna Mikháylova; born , ; – ) was the second wife and empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress Regnant of Russia from 1725 u ...
(1725–1727) Osterman's authority still further increased. The conduct of foreign affairs was left entirely in his hands, and he held also the posts of minister of commerce and postmaster-general. On the accession of
Peter II of Russia
Peter II Alexeyevich (russian: Пётр II, Пётр Алексеевич, ''Pyotr Vtoroy'', ''Pyotr Alekseyevich'', – ) reigned as Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his untimely death at the age of 14. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei ...
Osterman was appointed governor to the young emperor, and on his death (1730) he refused to participate in the attempt of
Demetrius Galitzne and the
Dolgorukov
The House of Dolgorukov () is a princely Russian family of Rurikid stock. They are a cadet branch of the Obolenskiy family (until 1494 the rulers of Obolensk, one of the Upper Oka Principalities) and as such claiming patrilineal descent from ...
s to convert Russia into a limited
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
. He held aloof till the empress Anne was firmly established on the throne as
autocrat. Then he got his reward. His unique knowledge of foreign affairs made him indispensable to the empress and her counsellors, and even as to home affairs his advice was almost invariably followed. It was at his suggestion that the cabinet system was introduced into Russia.
All the useful reforms introduced between 1730 and 1740 are to be attributed to his initiative. He improved the state of trade, lowered taxation, encouraged industry and promoted education, ameliorated the judicature and materially raised the credit of Russia. As foreign minister he was cautious and circumspect, but when war was necessary he prosecuted it vigorously and left nothing to chance. The successful conclusions of the
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of thei ...
(1733–1735) and of the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
(1735–1739) were entirely due to his diplomacy.
Vice-chancellor of all Russia
During the brief regency of
Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna (russian: А́нна Леопо́льдовна; 18 December 1718 – 19 March 1746), born Elisabeth Katharina Christine von Mecklenburg-Schwerin and also known as Anna Carlovna (А́нна Ка́рловна), was regent of R ...
(October 1740-December 1741) Osterman stood at the height of his power, and the French ambassador,
Marquis de La Chetardie, reported to his court that "it is not too much to say that he is tsar of all Russia" Osterman's foreign policy was based upon the Austrian alliance. He had, therefore, guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction with the deliberate intention of defending it. Hence the determination of France to remove him at any cost. Russia, as the natural ally of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, was very obnoxious to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
; indeed it was only the accident of the Russian alliance which, in 1741, seemed to stand between
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
and absolute ruin. The most obvious method of rendering the Russian alliance unserviceable to the queen of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
was by implicating Russia in hostilities with her ancient rival, Sweden, and this was brought about, by French influence and French money, when in August 1741 the Swedish government, on the most frivolous pretexts, declared war against Russia. The dispositions previously made by Osterman enabled him, however, to counter the blow, and all danger from Sweden was over when, early in September,
Field-Marshal Lacy routed the Swedish general von Wrangel under the walls of the frontier-fortress of
Willmanstrand, which was carried by assault.
Downfall
It now became evident to La Chetardie that only a revolution would overthrow Osterman, and this he proposed to promote by elevating to the throne the tsesarevna Elizabeth, who hated the vice-chancellor because, though he owed everything to her father, he had systematically neglected her. Osterman was therefore the first and the most illustrious victim of the coup d'état of 6 December 1741. Accused, among other things, of contributing to the elevation of the empress Anne by his cabals and of suppressing a supposed will of Catherine I made in favour of her daughter
Elizabeth of Russia
Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular List of ...
, he threw himself on the clemency of the new empress. He was condemned first to be
broken on the wheel and then beheaded; but, reprieved on the scaffold, his sentence was commuted to lifelong banishment, with his whole family, to
Berezov in Siberia, where he died six years later, in 1747.
Osterman's children returned to the court during the reign of
Catherine the Great. His elder son, count Feodor Andreevich (1723–1804), was the
senator and governor of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
(1773). Another son,
Ivan Andreevich (1725–1811), was the Russian ambassador in
Stockholm and then, for 16 years, the
Chancellor of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(1781–97). After his death the Osterman titles and estates passed to his nephew,
Alexander Ivanovich Tolstoy, chancellor of the Russian military orders.
Notes
External links
Ostermanniana (website about Ostermann)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osterman, Andrey
1686 births
1747 deaths
Foreign ministers of the Russian Empire
Counts of the Russian Empire
People from Bochum
Emigrants from the Holy Roman Empire to the Tsardom of Russia
18th-century politicians from the Russian Empire
Internal exiles from the Russian Empire
Diplomats of the Russian Empire
Members of the Supreme Privy Council
Cabinet ministers of the Russian Empire
Barons of the Russian Empire