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François Jacques Le Fort also spelled Lefort (russian: Франц Яковлевич Лефорт, tr. ; January 2(12), 1656 – March 2(12), 1699) was a 
In 1687 and 1689 he took part in two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689, Crimean campaigns. Peter the Great became a frequent guest in Le Fort's house from 1690. Le Fort was one of the principal organizers and participators in Toy army of Peter I, Peter's military games, which would pave the way for his career advancement. In 1690 Le Fort was promoted to the rank of major general. He then became lieutenant general (1691) and general (1693). In 1692 Peter I of Russia, Peter I funded the construction of a large reception hall for 1,500 people, which formed an extension to Le Fort's house. This hall hosted administrative meetings and Peter's parties. Le Fort's partying soon became infamous, with noble guests such as Peter I of Russia in usual attendance. They together would form one of the first mock religions, The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters, which earned notable criticism from both the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the Roman Catholic Church for its routine mockery of their proceedings.
In 1691 Le Fort was put in charge of a regiment and assigned a training ground on the left bank of the Yauza River. Peter ordered the construction of a sloboda for this purpose, which would later be called Lefortovskaya sloboda (the Lefort quarter, present-day Lefortovo District, Lefortovo in Moscow's South-Eastern Administrative Okrug). In 1693–1694 Lefort accompanied Peter on his trip to Arkhangelsk. In 1694 he participated in Peter's "play" (a military game in the village of Kozhukhovo, between Moscow and Kolomenskoye).
During the Azov campaigns (1695–96) , Azov campaigns of 1695–1696 Le Fort was in charge of the Imperial Russian Navy. His return from the war was marked with a solemn parade through Moscow to his "native" Nemetskaya sloboda and subsequent festivities. Lefort was awarded a title of governor (''наместник'', or namestnik) of Novgorod and estate (land), estates in two uyezds.
In 1696 Le Fort together with Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin, Fedor Golovin and took official charge of Peter's Grand Embassy, a Russian diplomatic mission to Western Europe. Upon his return to Moscow in 1698 he took part in the trial of the Streltsy Uprising , Streltsy rebels. That same year he moved to a custom-built palace, later known as the , on the Yauza River. The palace would soon become a center of Russian political and royal life in 1698–1699. Peter the Great used to hold all his important meetings and numerous celebrations in Le Fort's palace.
François Le Fort died in Moscow in early March 1699. Upon hearing the news of his death, Tsar Peter lamented "Now I am alone without one trusty man. He alone was faithful to me. Whom can I confide in now?" On March 21 Peter held Lefort's state funeral, a ceremony second only to the funerals of Tsars or Patriarchs.
Le Fort lies buried in the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Lefortovo District, Lefortovo.
The Russian 84-gun ship-of-the-line Lefort (ship), ''Lefort'' (launched 1835, shipwrecked 1857) was named in honor of Lefort.
About Franz Jacob Lefort in ''Russische Günstlinge'' by Gustav Adolf Wilhelm von Helbig, 1809
(German)
About Franz Lefort in ''War, Religion and Service: Huguenot Soldiering, 1685-1713'' edited by Mathew Glozier and David Onnekink, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Fort, François 17th-century people from the Republic of Geneva Military personnel from the Republic of Geneva Imperial Russian Navy admirals Military personnel of the Russian Empire Russian nobility 1656 births 1699 deaths 17th-century military personnel
François Jacques Le Fort also spelled Lefort (russian: Франц Яковлевич Лефорт, tr. ; January 2(12), 1656 – March 2(12), 1699) was a Genevan
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
-born 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 ...
military figure of Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
origin, general admiral (1695), and close associate of Tsar Peter the Great.
François Le Fort, born in Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
, came from a merchant family. He began his military career in the 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 ...
army. In 1675 Le Fort arrived in Archangelsk in the company of the Prussian Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Jacob van Frosten
in order to find employment with the Russian army
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...
. In February 1676 he came to Moscow, but military officials turned him down. The Posolsky Prikaz
A prikaz (russian: прика́з, ''prikaz''; , plural: ) was an administrative, judicial, territorial, or executive office functioning on behalf of palace, civil, military, or church authorities in Muscovy and in Russia from the 15th to the 1 ...
listed him as a visiting foreigner. Le Fort settled in the so-called Nemetskaya sloboda in Moscow, where he would gain respect among other distinguished foreigners. In July 1678 he once again applied for service in the tsarist
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...
army. Accepted with the rank of Captain (land and air), captain, Le Fort then went to one of the fronts during the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681), Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681. In early 1679 he was ordered to join the Kiev garrison under the command of Prince House of Golitsyn, Vasily Golitsyn and General Patrick Gordon. Upon his return to Moscow from a short trip to Geneva in 1683, Le Fort carried out various diplomatic assignments until the fall of 1685.
Le Fort's house gradually turned into a main attraction of the Nemetskaya sloboda, attended not only by locals, but by Russian noblemen, such as the Golitsyn family , Golitsyns. It appears that Le Fort utilized his connections with the latter and received rapid promotion.
In 1687 and 1689 he took part in two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689, Crimean campaigns. Peter the Great became a frequent guest in Le Fort's house from 1690. Le Fort was one of the principal organizers and participators in Toy army of Peter I, Peter's military games, which would pave the way for his career advancement. In 1690 Le Fort was promoted to the rank of major general. He then became lieutenant general (1691) and general (1693). In 1692 Peter I of Russia, Peter I funded the construction of a large reception hall for 1,500 people, which formed an extension to Le Fort's house. This hall hosted administrative meetings and Peter's parties. Le Fort's partying soon became infamous, with noble guests such as Peter I of Russia in usual attendance. They together would form one of the first mock religions, The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters, which earned notable criticism from both the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the Roman Catholic Church for its routine mockery of their proceedings.
In 1691 Le Fort was put in charge of a regiment and assigned a training ground on the left bank of the Yauza River. Peter ordered the construction of a sloboda for this purpose, which would later be called Lefortovskaya sloboda (the Lefort quarter, present-day Lefortovo District, Lefortovo in Moscow's South-Eastern Administrative Okrug). In 1693–1694 Lefort accompanied Peter on his trip to Arkhangelsk. In 1694 he participated in Peter's "play" (a military game in the village of Kozhukhovo, between Moscow and Kolomenskoye).
During the Azov campaigns (1695–96) , Azov campaigns of 1695–1696 Le Fort was in charge of the Imperial Russian Navy. His return from the war was marked with a solemn parade through Moscow to his "native" Nemetskaya sloboda and subsequent festivities. Lefort was awarded a title of governor (''наместник'', or namestnik) of Novgorod and estate (land), estates in two uyezds.
In 1696 Le Fort together with Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin, Fedor Golovin and took official charge of Peter's Grand Embassy, a Russian diplomatic mission to Western Europe. Upon his return to Moscow in 1698 he took part in the trial of the Streltsy Uprising , Streltsy rebels. That same year he moved to a custom-built palace, later known as the , on the Yauza River. The palace would soon become a center of Russian political and royal life in 1698–1699. Peter the Great used to hold all his important meetings and numerous celebrations in Le Fort's palace.
François Le Fort died in Moscow in early March 1699. Upon hearing the news of his death, Tsar Peter lamented "Now I am alone without one trusty man. He alone was faithful to me. Whom can I confide in now?" On March 21 Peter held Lefort's state funeral, a ceremony second only to the funerals of Tsars or Patriarchs.
Le Fort lies buried in the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Lefortovo District, Lefortovo.
The Russian 84-gun ship-of-the-line Lefort (ship), ''Lefort'' (launched 1835, shipwrecked 1857) was named in honor of Lefort.
References
External links
About Franz Jacob Lefort in ''Russische Günstlinge'' by Gustav Adolf Wilhelm von Helbig, 1809
(German)
About Franz Lefort in ''War, Religion and Service: Huguenot Soldiering, 1685-1713'' edited by Mathew Glozier and David Onnekink, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Fort, François 17th-century people from the Republic of Geneva Military personnel from the Republic of Geneva Imperial Russian Navy admirals Military personnel of the Russian Empire Russian nobility 1656 births 1699 deaths 17th-century military personnel