Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

Mikhail Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin (Михаи́л Петро́вич Бесту́жев-Рю́мин; 1688 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

– 1760 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

) was a Russian diplomat. He was the son of

Pyotr Bestuzhev-Ryumin Count Pyotr Mikhailovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin (russian: Пётр Миха́йлович Бесту́жев-Рюмин, lv, Pēteris Bestuževs-Rjumins; 1664–1742) was a Russian statesman who effectively governed the Duchy of Courland in the name of ...

and elder brother of the more famous Aleksey Bestuzhev. Mikhail Bestuzhev was brought up with his brother in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. In 1705,

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 ...

commanded him to join the Russian embassy in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

. Fifteen years later, he became the Russian resident in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, which — despite an earlier obligation to the contrary — presently entered an alliance with Sweden. As the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...

between Russia and Sweden was still going on, Bestuzhev attempted to interfere but was ordered by the English government to leave the country. He then settled in the

Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, until the

Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...

concluded the war in 1721. Thereupon he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, a position which he filled with notable success. During his tenure, Sweden recognized Russia as an empire and concluded a defensive alliance with her for 12 years.

Catherine I of Russia Catherine I ( rus, Екатери́на I Алексе́евна Миха́йлова, Yekaterína I Alekséyevna Mikháylova; born , ; – ) was the second wife and empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress Regnant of Russia from 1725 u ...

, however, ordered him to move to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

in 1726, while

Empress Anna Anna Ioannovna (russian: Анна Иоанновна; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much ...

removed him to

before having him returned to Stockholm in 1732. Although the alliance with Sweden was prolonged, Bestuzhev was exposed to street violence more than once and was briefly taken into custody when the new Russo-Swedish War erupted in 1741. Upon his release, Bestuzhev proceeded to

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

to confer with

George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; german: link=no, Georg August; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-ele ...

. At this time, Empress Elizabeth usurped the throne and appointed Bestuzhev her agent in Warsaw. In 1743, he married Golovkin's daughter, Anna Bestuzheva, who was soon involved into the

Lopukhina Affair Natalia Fyodorovna Lopukhina (November 11 1699– March 11 1763) was a Russian noble, court official and alleged political conspirator. She was a daughter of Matryona Balk, who was sister of Anna Mons and Willem Mons. She is famous for the Lopu ...

, which resulted in her tongue being torn out. During the investigation of his wife's behaviour, Bestuzhev was held under house arrest. When he was finally allowed to go abroad, his powerful brother procured for him a series of lucrative appointments. He successively served as the Russian ambassador in Berlin, Warsaw,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and Paris, where he died.

References

;Attribution * *

External links

*
List of Russian diplomats to Austria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Mikhail Petrovich 1688 births 1760 deaths Diplomats from Moscow Nobility from Moscow Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Austria Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to France Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Prussia Ambassadors of Russia to Sweden 18th-century diplomats of the Russian Empire Ambassadors of the Russian Empire to Poland