On January 2, 1656, Franz Lefort was born in Geneva - the future associate and personal assistant of Peter I, who inspired the monarch to carry out a number of reforms in Russia.
Although he did not occupy the highest positions in the official state hierarchy, he nevertheless played an important role in the history of Russia.
From merchants to the military
Franz Lefort came from a noble Scottish family, some of whose representatives settled in Northern Italy, and then moved to Geneva.
Franz Lefort's father Jacob was involved in trade and achieved great success in it.
In addition, the Leforts family was linked by kinship with the richest and most influential families in Geneva.
Jacob Lefort planned that his sons, including Franz, would continue his business.
After graduating from the Geneva Collegium, Lefort Jr. was sent to study trade with one of the Marseilles merchants.
But Franz was not attracted to the trade.
Instead of studying with his father's acquaintance, he entered the service in the fortress of Marseille for several months.
Dissatisfied with Franz's disobedience, his father called him home and forced him to do business.
However, soon the young man met the son of the Duke of Courland, Karl-Jacob, who was in Geneva on a business visit, and he invited Lefort Jr. to join him for military service in Holland.
Despite his father's displeasure, Franz left home and went to the Netherlands.
But while Lefort Jr. fought, his father died without leaving him an inheritance.
Franz Lefort could not find a stable job in Holland and responded to the call of Lieutenant Colonel Jacob von Frostin, who recruited volunteers for service in Russia.
While von Frost's detachment was getting to Moscow through Arkhangelsk, a new tsar came to power in Russia - Fedor Alekseevich.
He did not like the foreign military and refused to accept them into service.
In anticipation of new professional prospects, Lefort settled in the Nemetskaya Sloboda in Moscow.
There he met Western diplomats and foreign officers who were in the Russian service.
Soon Lefort married Elizabeth Suge - a relative of the influential officer and diplomat Patrick Gordon.
In 1678, after more than two years in Russia, Franz Lefort was admitted to military service with the rank of captain, and soon received the post of company commander in Kiev as part of the corps of Prince Vasily Golitsyn.
Patrick Gordon was appointed to command the troops of the Kiev garrison.
Coat of arms of Lefortov
© Wikimedia Commons
Lefort spent about two and a half years on the southern borders of Russia and proved himself well, repelling the raids of the units of the Crimean Khanate.
After the end of hostilities, he received a vacation and went to Geneva, where he was very warmly received by his family and friends.
The experienced officer now received offers of service in England, France, Germany and the Netherlands, but he announced that he would remain in Russia.
Already on the way to Moscow, he learned about the death of the Russian Tsar and doubted his future prospects, but his fears were in vain.
In Russia, the influence of Prince Vasily Golitsyn, who favored Lefort, grew up, the favorite of Princess Sophia, who was regent under the younger brothers Peter and Ivan.
Lefort immediately received diplomatic assignments and began to quickly advance in the service, in just a few months he rose from captain to lieutenant colonel.
Among the foreigners who lived in Russia, he began to enjoy considerable authority.
King's friend
Returning to Moscow, Lefort became close to Peter I. According to one version, Lefort was one of those who launched the process of the transfer of troops to the side of the future emperor during his conflict with Sophia.
According to another version, Peter drew attention to Lefort as one of the most authoritative residents of the German settlement, who was well versed in European orders.
“Lefort was a cheerful, glorious and kind person, one of the few people who could become a friend of Peter.
The tsar's desire to introduce European orders and customs in Russia is what Lefort supported in him, "Igor Kurukin, professor of the Russian State Humanitarian University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, said in an interview with RT.
According to historian Yevgeny Pchelov, Lefort was one of Peter's first foreign friends who lived in Moscow and supported his European activities.
“Peter got his first idea of Europe and its culture precisely thanks to the German Quarter and, in particular, thanks to Lefort.
When Peter became a full-fledged ruler, Lefort turned into his support in the matter of reforms, "Mikhail Myagkov, scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society, said in an interview with RT.
Peter I liked to be at Lefort's house together with representatives of his inner circle.
The king even gave him money so that he could attach a special hall to his house, luxuriously decorated and capable of accommodating up to 1.5 thousand people.
In Lefort's house, not only were the royal feasts and balls held, but also informal meetings and business meetings.
Historians called the Lefort's house the "small palace" of the tsar, in which Peter could feel free from various conventions.
With the help of Lefort, Peter I began an independent foreign policy activity.
In 1692-1693, the tsar entered into official correspondence with the authorities of Geneva, who thanked Peter for the "favor" shown to their compatriot.
Under Peter, Lefort received command of the first elite regiment and was promoted to major general, and later to full general.
After the appointment, Lefort turned to the tsar with a request to allocate a parade ground for his regiment and funds to create a settlement.
This area is still known in Moscow as Lefortovo.
Franz Lefort took an active part in the Azov campaigns of Peter I.
Despite the difficult conditions, he managed to keep all the guns and banners, as well as most of the personnel of his detachment.
In addition, he was able to capture one of the Turkish banners.
Romanticized portrait of Peter I Paul Delaroche, 1838
“Lefort was a brave and courageous man, and Peter appreciated that,” Mikhail Myagkov said.
In 1695, Peter appointed Lefort the admiral of the Russian fleet.
At the same time, historians note that he did not have any knowledge of maritime affairs, but Peter highly appreciated his diligence.
At the same time, according to Pavel Krotov, using Lefort's authority among Western diplomats, Peter's entourage often disseminated information beneficial to official Moscow through him.
At the same time, as experts note, in some cases Lefort was used "in the dark", passing through him information that did not correspond to reality.
In particular, during that period, Western politicians supported Turkey in order to prevent the strengthening of Russia in the Black Sea region.
And in order to calm Europe about Moscow's military preparations on the southern borders, the Russian command used Lefort's connections.
“Through Lefort, information was launched that the ships would be built for the Caspian Sea so that the West would not worry and take any hostile actions.
But in fact, the ships were against Turkey, ”said Pavel Krotov, professor of St. Petersburg State University, in a conversation with RT.
Portrait of F. Ya. Lefort
© Wikimedia
It is worth noting that during the Second Azov campaign, the fleet under the command of Lefort blocked the Azov fortress from the sea, which made a significant contribution to the subsequent victory of the Russian army.
However, during the Azov campaigns, Lefort seriously undermined his health.
After an unsuccessful fall from a horse, he was severely injured.
The wound on his body constantly ached and festered.
It was even difficult for the admiral to endure the return trip to Moscow.
He was carried first by ship and then by sleigh.
But Peter needed Lefort and therefore, having slightly recovered, he came to the Tsar, who presented him with expensive gifts and the title of Novgorod governor.
Later, in 1697, Lefort became the head of the Grand Embassy to Europe.
According to a number of historians, it was he who pushed Peter I to organize this diplomatic mission, in which the tsar took part incognito.
“However, in the Grand Embassy, in which Lefort himself was the first great ambassador, he played a representative role and did not conduct secret negotiations,” noted Pavel Krotov.
Peter I at Deptford in 1698
© Wikimedia Commons
According to Krotov, Lefort was used to spread information that Peter was supposedly preparing to create a broad anti-Turkish coalition, while in fact the king was already looking for allies to fight Sweden.
“Lefort was concerned with the international image of Russia, in modern terms.
He performed representative, representative functions, ”added Pchelov.
According to the expert, Lefort conducted official negotiations, corresponded with European diplomats, spent huge sums on official receptions and holidays.
And in a number of cases he acted as Peter's personal translator.
After returning to Russia, Lefort's health deteriorated sharply, and unexpectedly for everyone, on March 12, 1699, he died in Moscow from a fever, as his contemporaries wrote.
Peter was extremely saddened and declared: “Who can I rely on now?
He alone was faithful to me. "
The king ordered to bury Lefort with great honors, paid his debts and appointed a pension to his widow.
View of Lefortovsky and Slobodskoy palaces and Koroviy Brod street (current 2nd Baumanskaya) in Moscow
© Wikimedia Commons
According to Evgeny Pchelov, "all of Peter's European policy was initiated by people like Lefort."
In turn, Mikhail Myagkov noted that Lefort was not only the closest personal assistant of Peter I, but at the same time a friend.
He could keep the tsar company during a feast, introduce him to the right people.
“Lefort had good manners, knew how to dance and was gallant.
As a military specialist, he was quite competent, but due to a lack of knowledge, he could not be the leading locomotive of Peter's policy, as they sometimes try to imagine him.
However, Lefort became one of those important cogs that were integrated into the mechanism of reforms of Peter the Great, ”concluded Pavel Krotov.