Count Hermann Karl von Keyserling (1697–1764) was a Russian diplomat from the

Keyserlingk The Keyserlingk family was a noble family from Westphalia. It was first mentioned with ''Hermann Keselinch'' on 16 November 1300. The direct line began with ''Albert Keserlink'' (mentioned 1443–1467), mayor at Herford. In 1492 his son ''Herma ...

family of

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

nobility based in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.

Life

In 1733, the nobility of Courland sent Keyserling to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in order to inform

Ernst Johann von Biron Ernst Johann von Biron (german: Ernst Johann von Biron; russian: link=no, Эрнст Иоганн Бирон; (german: link=no, Bühren); ) was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1737–1740 and 1763–1769) and briefly regent of the Russian E ...

that he had been elected Duke of Courland. Biron was so pleased with the news that he had Keyserlingk appointed President of the

Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

. A year later, Keyserling was appointed Ambassador 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. ...

at the court of

August III Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augu ...

in Dresden and Warsaw. He kept this position until his death. As the Russian ambassador to the imperial court in Vienna he was made an imperial count in 1744.

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

was said by his first biographer,

Johann Nikolaus Forkel Johann Nikolaus Forkel (22 February 1749 – 20 March 1818) was a German musicologist and music theorist, generally regarded as among the founders of modern musicology. His publications include '' Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work ...

, to have composed the

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'', BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also hav ...

for Count Keyserling as a sleep aid. The work takes its name from

Johann Gottlieb Goldberg Johann Gottlieb Goldberg (; baptized 14 March 1727 – 13 April 1756) was a German virtuoso harpsichordist, organist, and composer of the late Baroque and early Classical period. He is best known for lending his name, as the probable original pe ...

, a musician in the service of Count Keyserling. His son Heinrich Christian von Keyserling was the wealthiest aristocrat of

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

, whose palace was frequented by the likes of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

and Johann Gottfried Herder. His marriage to

Caroline von Keyserling Countess Caroline von Keyserling (1727-1791) was an Honorary Member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. She was the daughter of Carl Ludwig from the princely House of Waldburg and Countess Sophie Charlotte of Wylich and Lottum. In 1744, s ...

was childless. Hermann Karl's daughter Anna von Medem was the great-grandmother of geologist

Alexander Keyserling Alexander Friedrich Michael Lebrecht Nikolaus Arthur Graf von Keyserling (15 August 1815 – 8 May 1891) was a Baltic German geologist and paleontologist from the Keyserlingk family of Baltic German nobility. Career Alexander von Keyse ...

. 1697 births 1764 deaths People from the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia Baltic-German people Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Austria Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Prussia Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences 18th-century German historians Politicians of the Russian Empire 18th-century diplomats German male non-fiction writers Active Privy Councillor (Russian Empire) Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Poland {{Russia-diplomat-stub