Tolstoy Pyotr Andreevich, a brief biography of which will be presented later, was an outstanding Russian diplomat, statesman. He was one of the leaders of the secret service under the king, a real secret adviser.
Peter A. Tolstoy: biography
The future statesman was the son of nothing. His mother - Solomonida Miloslavskaya - was a distant relative of Queen Mary. Tolstoy Peter Andreevich (1645-1729) served at the court as a stolnik. In 1682, on May 15, during a streltsy revolt, he actively supported his uncle I.M. Miloslavsky, raising the rebels, loudly accusing the Naryshkins of the death of Tsarevich Ivan. After the overthrow from the throne of Sophia Tolstoy, Peter Andreevich goes over to the side of the Great Reformer. However, the king treated the defector rather coldly. Peter 1 did not trust Tolstoy. The tsar’s relations did not improve the military merits of the latter during the Azov campaign in 1696. In 1697, the emperor sent volunteers abroad to study. Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy also volunteered to go. The education of children at that time was predominantly home, because the institutions that existed at that time released clergy or civil servants. For two years in Italy, Tolstoy not only studied the maritime industry, but also became acquainted with Western European culture.
Work as a diplomat
At the end of 1701, Tolstoy Peter Andreevich was appointed ambassador to Constantinople. He became the first Russian diplomatic agent. The position was of great importance. The work was fraught with various dangers and problems. So, during the period of complications of 1710-1713. the ambassador was twice in the Seven-tower castle. In addition, the position removed the figure from the royal court. In 1714, Tolstoy Peter Andreevich returned to Russia. Here he disposes to himself A.D. Menshikov, who enjoyed the special trust of the tsar. After some time, Tolstoy was appointed senator. In the period from 1715 to 1719. The diplomat executed orders within the framework of relations with Prussia, Denmark and England.
The case of the son of Peter 1
In 1717, Tsarevich Aleksey was hiding in Naples with his mistress Euphrosyne. Peter sent Rumyantsev and Tolstoy in search of him. The ambassadors used all their diplomatic skills to return the prince to Russia. Tolstoy handed him a letter from Peter, in which the father spoke about the forgiveness of his son if he voluntarily returned to his homeland. However, the message could not convince the prince to go back. Then Tolstoy intervened. Pyotr Andreevich bribed one of the Austrian officials to say that the return of Alexei was already settled. As a result, the prince had to go to Russia.
Tolstoy also took an active part in the trial of Alexei. For this, he received as a reward the estates and the post of head of the Secret Chancellery, which at that time had a lot of work related to the unrest among the people about the fate of the prince. From that moment on, Tolstoy became one of the most trusted and closest people of Peter the Great. On the day of her coronation, May 18, 1724, by special decree of the king he was awarded the title of count.
Conflict with Menshikov
After the death of Peter, Catherine ascended the throne. Tolstoy, together with Menshikov, actively contributed to her accession. There was, meanwhile, another candidate for the throne. But Tolstoy understood that if the minor came to power then Pyotr Alekseevich (son of Tsarevich Alexei), his career as a statesman would immediately end. After all, it was he who took an active part in the search and return to Russia of his father. However, fate did not order as Tolstoy had suggested. Acting with Menshikov for a rather long time, he parted ways with the latter regarding the successor of the empress.
The plan for the accession of Peter Alekseevich was proposed by the Austrian envoy Rabutin. He intended to elevate him to the throne, marrying Menshikov’s daughter. Tolstoy, in turn, fearing for himself and his family, insisted on the transfer of power to the daughters of Peter 1. But Menshikov won this conflict. As a result, the 82-year-old diplomat was sentenced to death, replaced by his stay in the Solovetsky Monastery. By the personal decree of the emperor, Count Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy and his sons lost all their titles. Six months after being in a damp casemate, the diplomat died. Together with him in the Solovetsky monastery was his son Ivan. He died in 1728.
A family
P. A. Tolstoy was married to Solomonid Timofeevna Dubrovskaya. She was the granddaughter of the treasurer Bogdan Dubrovsky. Died in 1722. Sons were born in marriage:
- Ivan - was a real state adviser and was exiled with his father to the monastery. He was married to the granddaughter of Rtishchev - Praskovye.
- Peter is a colonel in the Nezhinsky regiment. After the exile, his father was removed to permanent residence "in the village." He died, like Ivan, in 1728. During his lifetime, he was married to the daughter of the hetman I. I. Skoropadsky.
Interesting Facts
In 1760, by the Highest Decree, the count's title of Tolstoy was returned to the family. In addition, the rights of the grandchildren of the diplomat were restored. They were Andrei, Vasily, state adviser Boris, Peter and Fedor Ivanovich, as well as Ivan and Alexander Petrovich. In the years 1697-1699. the diplomat, while traveling abroad, wrote a diary. In it, he described his thoughts, attitude, views, impressions of Western European life. Diary entries have been preserved in three lists. They are considered one of the most important historical sources describing Russia during the reign of Peter 1.
The first edition of 1888 was made in the archives of Prince Potemkin. However, it cannot be considered sufficiently authoritative. The records are most fully reflected in the publication prepared by S. N. Travnikov and L. A. Olshevskaya, released as part of the Literary Monuments in 1992. In 1706, Tolstoy also described the Black Sea in detail.
Conclusion
P. A. Tolstoy undoubtedly played a prominent role in the Russian history of the Petrine era. His life was long, fraught with various difficulties. For a long period he had to prove his loyalty to Peter 1. He played a special role during the search and then the trial of Tsarevich Alexei. His appointment as the head of the Secret Chancellery testifies to the trust that the king had in the leader. During his stay in Italy, Tolstoy was one of the first to adopt Western European manners. This had a significant impact on his subsequent diplomatic activities. According to some reports, he was one of the last people whom the son of Peter saw before his death. After the accession of Catherine, he did everything in his power to strengthen her power and prevent the transfer of the crown to the son of Alexei. However, he failed to protect himself and his son from exile and death. P. A. Tolstoy was buried at the Transfiguration Monastery Cathedral on the west side in 1729.