Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuyev (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Неплю́ев; 15 November 1693 – 22 November 1773) was a Russian diplomat and administrator prominent in the service of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. His memoirs were published posthumously and his statue may be seen in Orenburg, the city he founded. Neplyuev was born into an impoverished noble family in Poddubye near Novgorod. He enrolled at the local mathematical school in 1714, transferred to the Petersburg Naval Academy and then furthered his education in the naval service of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He returned to Russia in 1720, winning accolades from Peter I for his learning and wit. As a reward, he was asked to supervise the wharves of

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 1721, the Tsar dispatched Neplyuev as a secret envoy to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, where he would remain until 1734. He took part in the abortive Congress of

Nemirov Nemyriv ( uk, Немирів, russian: Немирoв, pl, Niemirów) is a historic town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) in Ukraine, located in the historical region of Podolia. It was the administrative center of former Nemyriv Raion (district). ...

in 1737 and in the negotiations leading to the Belgrade Peace Treaty (1739). After

Elizaveta Petrovna 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 Russian ...

ascended the throne, Neplyuev was accused of irregularities and fell into disgrace, as many other dignitaries of the previous reign did. In 1742 Neplyuev gained pardon and was sent to govern the Orenburg

krai A krai or kray (; russian: край, , ''kraya'') is one of the types of federal subjects of modern Russia, and was a type of geographical administrative division in the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. Etymologically, the word is relat ...

. During sixteen years of his governance, the city of Orenburg was moved to its present location and some 70 forts were built along the

Samara River The Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə) is a river in Russia and a left-bank tributary of the Volga. It flows into the larger river at the city of Samara. Its largest tributary is the Bolshoy Kinel. It is long, and its drainage basin ...

Tobol River The Tobol (russian: Тобол, kk, Тобыл ''Tobyl'') is a river in Western Siberia (in Kazakhstan and Russia) and the main (left) tributary of the Irtysh. Its length is , and the area of its drainage basin is . History The Tobol River wa ...

and other waterways. He founded 13 iron founderies and 28 copper plants and subdued a Bashkir uprising, led by Batarma Aleyev. In 1760, Neplyuev was recalled to St. Petersburg and appointed a senator. Catherine II prized his experience and competence and left the capital to his administration during her visits to other parts of the country. He remained in charge of the

Saint Petersburg Governorate Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...

for two years, before settling into retirement in Poddubye.

References

External links

Neplyuev's Memoirs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neplyuyev, Ivan 1693 births 1773 deaths People from Luzhsky District Russian nobility Diplomats of the Russian Empire Politicians of the Russian Empire Russian city founders Memoirists from the Russian Empire 18th-century diplomats of the Russian Empire Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire Collegium of Little Russia (1722–1727)