Chancellor of the Russian Empire (russian: канцлер Российской империи) was a civil position (class) in 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. ...

, according to 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 s ...

introduced by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

in 1722. Chancellor was a civil rank of the 1st class and equal to those of

Active Privy Councillor, 1st class Active Privy Councillor, 1st class (russian: действительный тайный советник первого класса, deystvitelnyi taynyi sovetnik pervogo klassa) was the civil position (class) in the Russian Empire, according to th ...

General Field Marshal ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

in the Army, and General Admiral in the Navy. The rank holder should be addressed as '' Your High Excellency'' (russian: Ваше Высокопревосходительство, Vashe Vysokoprevoskhoditelstvo).

Overview

Chancellors held the most senior positions in the Russian Empire. Usually, this title was assigned to the Foreign Ministers. If the Minister had the rank of the 2nd class, he could be called Vice-Chancellor. In the entire history of the Russian Empire, there were only 12 Chancellors, fewer than reigning monarchs. As a general rule, except for the period of the Napoleonic Wars, there could be only one Chancellor at any given time. It might take as long as 10 years to appoint a new Chancellor when the previous one died. Therefore, other officers of the 1st class were Active privy councillors, 1st class. After the appointment of

Alexander Gorchakov Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Горчако́в; 15 July 179811 March 1883) was a Russian diplomat and statesman from the Gorchakov princely family. He has an enduring reputation as ...

, no more Chancellors were appointed for the last 50 years of the Russian Empire, even though the rank was not officially canceled. For the last 35 years, since the death of Gorchakov, the Russian Empire still appointed no Chancellors. The rank was abolished in 1917 by the Soviet decree on estates and civil ranks.

Chancellors of the Russian Empire

*1667 – 1671 Count

Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin Afanasy Lavrentievich Ordin-Nashchokin (russian: Афанасий Лаврентьевич Ордин-Нащокин) (1605–1680) was a Russian statesman of the 17th century. He was the first junior noble to attain the '' boyar'' title and high ...

(1605-1680). *1671 – 1676 Count

Artamon Matveyev Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev (Артамон Сергеевич Матвеев in Russian) (1625–1682) was a Russian statesman, diplomat and reformer. Biography Because his father - Sergey Matveyev - was a notable diplomat, Artamon Matveyev ...

(1625-1682). *1676 – 1680 Count Larion Ivanov (?-1682). *1680 – 1681 Count Vasily Volynsky (?-1682). *1681 – 1682 Count Larion Ivanov (?-1682). *1682 – 1689 Prince

Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn (russian: Василий Васильевич Голицын, Romanization of Russian, tr. ; 1643–1714) was a Russian aristocrat and statesman of the 17th century. He belonged to the Golitsyn family, Golitsyn ...

(1643-1714). *1689 – 1699 Count

Yemelyan Ukraintsev Yemelyan Ignatievich Ukraintsev (; September 12 or 23, 1641–1708) was a Russian diplomat and statesman. Ukraintsev started his career in civil service in 1660 as a ''podyachy'' (; ''hypodiakonos'' from Greek means "assistant servant") in the ' ...

(1641-1708). *1697 – 1699 Count (1664-1705). *1699 – 1706 Count

Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin Count Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin (russian: Фёдор Алексеевич Головин; 1650 – ) was the last Russian boyar and the first Chancellor of the Russian Empire, he was also a field marshal, and general admiral (1700). He wa ...

(1650-1706). *1706 – 1734 Count

Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin Count Gavrila (Gavriil) Ivanovich Golovkin (russian: Гаври́ла (Гаврии́л) Ива́нович Голо́вкин) (1660 – 20 January 1734) was a Russian statesman who formally presided over foreign affairs of the Russian Empire from ...

(1660-1734). *1740 – 1742 Prince

Alexey Cherkassky Prince Alexey Mikhailovich Cherkassky or Tcherkassky (''Алексей Михайлович Черкасский'' in Russian, 1680–1742) was the Chancellor of the Russian Empire in the beginning of Empress Elizabeth's reign. Life Prin ...

(1680-1742). *1744 – 1758 Count

Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin Count Alexey Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin (russian: Алексе́й Петро́вич Бесту́жев-Рю́мин; 1 June 1693 – 21 April 1766) was a Russian diplomat and Chancellor (Russia), chancellor. He was one of the most influential and ...

(1693-1766), in 1758 deprived of the rank of Chancellor, in 1762 received the rank of Field Marshal. *1758 – 1765 Count

Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (russian: Михаи́л Илларио́нович Воронцо́в) (12 July 171415 February 1767) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, who laid foundations for the fortunes of the Vorontsov family. At ...

(1714-1767). *1796 – 1797 Count

Ivan Andreyevich Osterman Count Ivan Andreyevich Osterman (russian: Иван Андреевич Остерман; 1725–1811) was a Russian statesman and the son of Andrei Osterman. After Osterman's father fell into disgrace, Ivan Osterman was transferred from the Imperi ...

(1725-1811). *1797 – 1799 Prince

Alexander Bezborodko Prince Alexander Andreyevich Bezborodko (russian: Князь Алекса́ндр Андре́евич Безборо́дко; 6 April 1799) was the Grand Chancellor of Russian Empire and chief architect of Catherine the Great's foreign policy afte ...

(1747-1799). *1802 – 1805 Count

Alexander Vorontsov Count Alexander Romanovich Vorontsov (russian: Алекса́ндр Рома́нович Воронцо́в) (4 February 17412 December 1805) was the Chancellor of the Russian Empire during the early years of Alexander I's reign. He began his ca ...

(1741-1805). *1809 – 1826 Count

Nikolay Rumyantsev Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev (; 3 April 1754 – 3 January 1826), born in Saint Petersburg, was Russia's Foreign Minister and Chancellor of the Russian Empire in the run-up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia (1808–12). He was the son of ...

(1754-1826). *1834 – Prince

Viktor Kochubey Prince Viktor Pavlovich Kochubey (); ( – ) was a Russian statesman and close aide of Alexander I of Russia. Of Ukrainians, Ukrainian origin, he was a great-grandson of Vasily Kochubey. He took part in the Privy Committee that outlined Governmen ...

(1768-1834). *1844 – 1862 Count

Karl Nesselrode Karl Robert Reichsgraf von Nesselrode-Ehreshoven, also known as Charles de Nesselrode (Russian: Карл Васильевич Нессельроде, ''Karl Vasilyevich Nesselrode''; 14 December 1780 – 23 March 1862) was a Russian German diploma ...

(1780-1862). *1867 – 1883 Prince

(1798-1883).

References

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Active Privy Councillor Active Privy Councillor (russian: действительный тайный советник, deystvitelnyi taynyi sovetnik) was the civil rank (ru: чин / chin) in the Russian Empire, according to the Table of Ranks introduced by Peter the Great ...

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Chancellor , width="30%" align="center", Senior rank
— Titles in Russia Civil ranks of the Russian Empire

Overview

Chancellors of the Russian Empire

See also

References