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: ...

Ivan Andreyevich Osterman (; 1725–1811) was a Russian statesman and the son of

Andrei Osterman Count 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 ...

. After Osterman's father fell into disgrace, Ivan Osterman was transferred from the Imperial Guards to the regular army and then sent abroad, where he continued his education. In 1757, Osterman was in the Russian service again. He held diplomatic posts in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

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 ...

, where he would exercise considerable influence on

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

. In 1774, Osterman was appointed a member of the

Governing Senate From 1711 to 1917, the Governing Senate was the highest legislative, judicial, and executive body subordinate to the Russian emperors. The senate was instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the R ...

. In 1783, Osterman was appointed

Minister of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, but would play only a secondary role in this post. His closest associates - Count Bezborodko, Prince Zubov,

Fyodor Rostopchin Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Rostopchin () ( – ) was a Russian statesman and General of the Infantry who served as the Governor-General of Moscow during the French invasion of Russia. He was disgraced shortly after the Congress of Vienna, t ...

- were the ones with real power, but they lacked the fluency in languages and oleaginous manner of address which Osterman was famed for. In 1796, Osterman was appointed the Chancellor of the Russian Empire, again as a puppet of real policy-makers. A year later, the new

Emperor Paul Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules that lasted ...

dismissed him from office. Ivan Osterman spent the last years of his life in

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 ...

. As he had no children of his own, his title and last name were inherited by a nephew, the celebrated General Tolstoy.

References

External links

Ostermanniana (website about Ostermann)
(In Russian). 1725 births 1811 deaths Nobility from the Russian Empire Foreign ministers of the Russian Empire Chancellors of the Russian Empire People from the Russian Empire of German descent 18th-century diplomats of the Russian Empire 18th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire Ethnic German people from the Russian Empire {{Russia-noble-stub