Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuyev (; 15 November 1693 – 22 November 1773) was a Russian diplomat and administrator prominent in the service of

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 ...

and

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. His memoirs were published posthumously and his statue may be seen in

Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...

, the city he founded.

Life

Neplyuev was born into an impoverished noble family in Poddubye near

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

. 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 ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In 1721, the Tsar dispatched Neplyuev as a secret envoy to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, where he would remain until 1734. He took part in the abortive Congress of Nemirov in 1737 and in the negotiations leading to the Belgrade Peace Treaty (1739). After Elizaveta Petrovna 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

krai A krai or kray (; , , ''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 related to the verb "" ...

. 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,

Tobol River The Tobol (, ) 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 was one of the four important rivers of the ...

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 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 ...

. 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 was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Saint Petersburg. The governorate was composed of of area and 2,112,033 inhabitants. It was bordered by Governorate of Estonia, Estonian and G ...

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 17th-century Russian nobility 18th-century nobility from the Russian Empire 18th-century politicians from the Russian Empire City founders from the Russian Empire 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) Governors-general of Saint Petersburg