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: ...
Andrey Ivanovich Ostermann (, ; 9 June 1686 31 May 1747) was a German-born Russian statesman who came to prominence under Tsar
Peter I of Russia () and served until the accession of the
Tsesarevna Elizabeth in 1741. He based his foreign policy on the Austrian alliance.
General Admiral (1740; dismissed 1741).
Early career
Born in
Bochum in
Westphalia, to a middle-class
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
pastor, his original name was Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann. He studied languages at the
University of Jena, learning
German,
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
French,
Dutch,
Italian, and
Russian.
Ostermann became secretary to Vice-Admiral
Cornelis Kruse, who had a standing commission from
Peter the Great
Peter I (, ;
– ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...
to pick up promising young men, and soon thereafter entered the
tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
's service. The young man's knowledge of the principal European languages made him the right hand of Vice-Chancellor
Shafirov, whom he materially assisted during the troublesome negotiations which terminated in the
peace of the Pruth (1711). Ostermann, together with General Bruce, represented Russia at the
Ã…land
Ã…land ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
peace congress of 1718. Shrewdly guessing that
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
was at exhaustion point, and that
Heinrich von Görtz, the Swedish plenipotentiary, was acting ''ultra vires'', he advised Peter to put additional pressure on Sweden to force a peace.
[ This cites:
* S. Shubinsky, "Count A. I. Osterman" (Rus.) in ''Syevernoye Siyanie'', vol. ii. (St Petersburg, 1863)
* D. Korsakov, ''From the Lives of Russian Statesmen of the XVIIIth Century'' (Rus.) (Kazan, 1891)
* A. N. Filippov, "Documents relating to the Cabinet Ministers of the Empress Anne" (Rus.) (St Petersburg, 1898) in the collections of the Russ. Hist. Soc. vol. 104
* A. A. Kochubinsky, ''Count A. I. Ostermann and the proposed Partition of Turkey'' (Rus.) (Odessa, 1889)
* Hon. C. Finch, ''Diplomatic Despatches from Russia'', 1740–1742 (St Petersburg, 1893–1894) in the collections of the Russ. Hist. Soc. vols. 85 and 91
* R. Nisbet Bain, ''The Pupils of Peter the Great'' (London, 1897)
* ''The Daughter of Peter the Great'' (London, 1899), chapters 1–3.]
Diplomacy
In 1721, Ostermann concluded the
Peace of Nystad with Sweden, and was created a baron for his services. In 1723, he was made vice-president of the ministry of foreign affairs for bringing about a very advantageous commercial treaty with
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. Peter also constantly consulted him in domestic affairs, and he introduced many administrative novelties, e.g. "the
Table of Ranks," and the reconstruction of the College of Foreign Affairs on more modern lines.
During the reign of
Catherine I of Russia (1725–1727) Osterman's authority still further increased. The conduct of foreign affairs was left entirely in his hands, and he held also the posts of minister of commerce and postmaster-general. On the accession of
Peter II of Russia Ostermann was appointed governor to the young emperor, and on his death (1730) he refused to participate in the attempt of
Demetrius Galitzne and the
Dolgorukovs to convert Russia into a limited
constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...
. He held aloof till the empress Anne was firmly established on the throne as
autocrat. Then he got his reward. His unique knowledge of foreign affairs made him indispensable to the empress and her counsellors, and even as to home affairs his advice was almost invariably followed. It was at his suggestion that the cabinet system was introduced into Russia.
All the useful reforms introduced between 1730 and 1740 are to be attributed to his initiative. He improved the state of trade, lowered taxation, encouraged industry and promoted education, ameliorated the judicature and materially raised the credit of Russia. As foreign minister he was cautious and circumspect, but when war was necessary he prosecuted it vigorously and left nothing to chance. The successful conclusions of the
War of the Polish Succession (1733–1735) and of the
Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739) were entirely due to his diplomacy.
Vice-chancellor of all Russia
During the brief regency of
Anna Leopoldovna (October 1740-December 1741) Ostermann stood at the height of his power, and the French ambassador,
Marquis de La Chetardie, reported to his court that "it is not too much to say that he is tsar of all Russia" Ostermann's foreign policy was based upon the Austrian alliance. He had, therefore, guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction with the deliberate intention of defending it. Hence the determination of France to remove him at any cost. Russia, as the natural ally of
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, was very obnoxious to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
; indeed it was only the accident of the Russian alliance which, in 1741, seemed to stand between
Maria Theresa of Austria and absolute ruin. The most obvious method of rendering the Russian alliance unserviceable to the queen of
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
was by implicating Russia in hostilities with her ancient rival, Sweden, and this was brought about, by French influence and French money, when in August 1741 the Swedish government, on the most frivolous pretexts, declared war against Russia. The dispositions previously made by Ostermann enabled him, however, to counter the blow, and all danger from Sweden was over when, early in September,
Field-Marshal Lacy routed the Swedish general von Wrangel under the walls of the frontier-fortress of
Willmanstrand, which was carried by assault.
Downfall
It now became evident to La Chetardie that only a revolution would overthrow Osterman, and this he proposed to promote by elevating to the throne the tsesarevna Elizabeth, who hated the vice-chancellor because, though he owed everything to her father, he had systematically neglected her. Ostermann was therefore the first and the most illustrious victim of the coup d'état of 6 December 1741. Accused, among other things, of contributing to the elevation of the empress Anne by his cabals and of suppressing a supposed will of Catherine I made in favour of her daughter
Elizabeth of Russia, he threw himself on the clemency of the new empress. He was condemned first to be
broken on the wheel and then beheaded; but, reprieved on the scaffold, his sentence was commuted to lifelong banishment, with his whole family, to
Beryozov in Siberia, where he died six years later, in 1747.
Ostermann's children returned to the court during the reign of
Catherine the Great. His elder son, count Feodor Andreevich (1723–1804), was the
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
and governor of
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
(1773). Another son,
Ivan Andreevich (1725–1811), was the Russian ambassador in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
and then, for 16 years, the
Chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(1781–97). After his death the Ostermann titles and estates passed to his nephew,
Alexander Ivanovich Tolstoy, chancellor of the Russian military orders.
Notes
External links
Ostermanniana (website about Ostermann)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osterman, Andrey
1686 births
1747 deaths
Foreign ministers of the Russian Empire
Counts of the Russian Empire
People from Bochum
Emigrants from the Holy Roman Empire
Immigrants to the Tsardom of Russia
18th-century politicians from the Russian Empire
Internal exiles from the Russian Empire
Diplomats of the Russian Empire
Members of the Supreme Privy Council
Cabinet ministers of the Russian Empire
Barons of the Russian Empire
Ethnic German people from the Russian Empire