Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev (russian: link=no, Пётр Бори́сович Шереме́тев) (1713–1788) was a Russian nobleman and courtier, the richest man in Russia aside from the tsar; he was the son of

Boris Sheremetev Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (russian: Граф Бори́с Петро́вич Шереме́тев, tr. ; – ) was an Imperial Russian diplomat and general field marshal during the Great Northern War. He became the first Russian count i ...

. When his father Boris died in 1719, tsar

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

promised to be "like a father" to Boris's children, and young Pyotr was brought up at court as a companion to the heir to the throne, who became tsar Peter II.

After a teenage career in the Guards, Sheremetev became a chamberlain to the Empress Anna, and then to the Empress Elizabeth. Under Catherine the Great, he became a senator and was the first elected Marshal of the Nobility. Unlike other court favourites, who rose and fell with the change of sovereign, Sheremetev remained in office for six consecutive reigns. ... He was one of Russia's first noblemen to be independent in the European sense.Orlando Figes, ''Natasha's Dance'' (Picador, 2002), p. 19.

He was a lover of art and theater, using his vast wealth to remodel the Sheremetev Palace (known as the "Fountain House") on the

Fontanka The Fontanka (russian: Фонтанка), a left branch of the river Neva, flows through the whole of Central Saint Petersburg, Russia – from the Summer Garden to . It is long, with a width up to , and a depth up to . The Moyka River for ...

Embankment and the family estate at

Kuskovo Kuskovo (russian: Куско́во) was the summer country house and estate of the Sheremetev family. Built in the mid-18th century, it was originally situated several miles to the east of Moscow but now is part of the East District of the ...

, where he collected a gallery of portraits, and to create a famous serf orchestra. He married Varvara Alekseevna Cherkasskaya, daughter of an important court official, who brought him an expensive dowry. Their son was Nikolai Sheremetev.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheremetev, Pyotr Borisovich 1713 births 1788 deaths Russian nobility Pyotr Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)

See also

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