Nikolai Khitrovo (1779–1826) was a Russian diplomat and orientalist known for his contributions to Russo-Persian relations in the 19th century.

Biography

He was the second son of Zakhar Alexeïevitch Khitrovo (1734–1798) and his wife Alexandra Nikolaïevna Maslova (1754–1829). In 1786, he was one of the sergeants of the Izmaïlovski guards' regiment. He became an adjutant to

Paul I of Russia 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 Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...

in 1801 and fought in the campaigns from 1805 to 1811 but was discharged as unfit before the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

due to wounds received at the siege of Brailov in 1809. He, therefore, spent a year in Viatka before retiring to his lands in Kalouga district under police surveillance. He was only freed from there thanks to the intervention of his father-in-law

Mikhail Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (; – ) was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul ...

- Khitrovo's wife was Anna Mikhaïlovna, a friend of

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

. The couple had four sons and a daughter. The Khitrovka quarter is named after him in memory of a market he had established there near his townhouse.

References

* 1779 births 1826 deaths Imperial Russian Army generals {{Russia-mil-bio-stub