Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev (; 3 April 1754 – 3 January 1826), born in
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 ...
, was
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
's Foreign Minister and
Chancellor of the Russian Empire in the run-up to
Napoleon's invasion of Russia (1808–12). He was the son of Field Marshal
Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky from the
Rumyantsev comital family.
Background
Rumyantsev and his brother were provided with basic education at home. Their mentor was
Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm. In 1774 they went to
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...
where they studied history, law and language.
Official career
Rumyantsev was the first envoy of Russia to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
after Russia became a
guarantor of the imperial constitution through the
Treaty of Teschen (1779). He arrived in 1782 accredited as ambassador to the
Electoral Rhenish Circle,
Upper Rhenish Circle,
Swabian Circle,
Franconian Circle,
Electorate of Mainz,
Electorate of Cologne,
Palatine Zweibrücken,
Duchy of Württemberg
The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...
,
Margraviate of Baden and
Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. Although he acted as the representative of Russia as guarantor of the peace, he was considered by Germans to be a partisan 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 ...
.
[ Karl Otmar Freiherr von Aretin, "Russia as a Guarantor Power of the Imperial Constitution under Catherine II", ''Journal of Modern History'' 58, Supplement (1986): S141–S160.]
During the first years of the 19th century, Rumyantsev was very influential with
Alexander I and his mother
Maria Fyodorovna, serving as Minister of Commerce (1802–1811) and President of the
State Council (1810–1812).
As Foreign Minister (appointed 1808), he advocated a closer alliance with France. Represented Russia at the
Treaty of Fredrikshamn. On receiving the news of
Napoleon's invasion of Russia (1812), he suffered a stroke and lost his hearing. When Napoleon entered Moscow, he advised the Emperor to dismiss
Kutuzov and to seek peace at any cost. Eventually Alexander lost all confidence in Nikolay Petrovich, who retired in 1814 just before the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
.
Nicholas Rumyantsev died on 3 January 1826 in his
neo-Palladian palace on
English Quay in St Petersburg. His statue stands in front of the
Gomel Palace in
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
.
Scholarly pursuits
During the years of his foreign service, Nikolay Petrovich amassed a huge collection of historical documents, rare coins, maps, manuscripts, and
incunabula which formed a nucleus of the
Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow (subsequently transformed into the
State Russian Library). Showing a keen interest in Russian history, Rumyantsev produced the first printed publications of several old Russian chronicles and ancient literary monuments of the
Eastern Slavs. He presided over a circle of young antiquaries (such as
Pavel Stroev and
Ivan Snegirev) that later drifted into the
Slavophile camp.
Rumyantsev also became a notable patron of the Russian voyages of exploration. He sponsored the
first Russian circumnavigation of the globe. He also funded the
Rurik expedition led by
Otto von Kotzebue. As a result, his name came to be attached to such exotic things as:
* ''
Spiranthes romanzoffiana'', a North American orchid
* ''
Papilio rumanzovia'', a large butterfly from the Philippines
* ''
Syagrus romanzoffiana'', the Queen or Coco Palm tree of South America
* ''
Romanzoffia'', a genus of flowering plants in the waterleaf family from North America
*
Romanzovite, another name for ''grossular'', a type of garnet stone
* between 1812 and 1842 the Russian name (залив Румянцева) for present day
Bodega Bay, California
* the
Romanzof Mountains in Alaska and Yukon territory
*
Cape Romanzof in Alaska, itself giving its name to
Cape Romanzof LRRS Airport
*
Romanzov Island, now called
Tikei
*
Romanzoff Bay, in
La Pérouse Strait
In 1811 he commissioned sculptor
Canova to create a
statue of peace in recognition of the peacemaking efforts of his family.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumyantsev, Nikolay
1754 births
1826 deaths
Politicians from Saint Petersburg
People from Saint Petersburg Governorate
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Heads of government of the Russian Empire
Foreign ministers of the Russian Empire
Chancellors of the Russian Empire
Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)
Russian book and manuscript collectors
Holy Roman Empire–Russia relations