- Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin
Count Gavrila Ivanovich Golovkin ("Гаврила Иванович Головкин" in Russian) (1660 -January 20 ,1734 ) was a Russianstatesman who formally presided over foreign affairs of theRussian Empire from 1706 until his death. The real control over Russian diplomacy during his lengthy term in office was exercised byBoris Kurakin until 1727 and byAndrey Osterman after his death.In 1677, while still a young man, Gavrila Golovkin was attached to the court of the
tsarevich Peter, with whose mother Nataliya he was connected, and vigilantly guarded him during the disquieting period of the regency of Sophia. He accompanied the youngtsar abroad on his first foreign tour, and worked by his side in thedockyard s ofZaandam . In 1706, he succeeded Golovin in the direction offoreign affairs , and was created the first Russian grand-chancellor on the field of Poltava (1709). Golovkin held this office for twenty-five years. In the reign ofCatherine I , he became a member of theSupreme Privy Council , which had the chief conduct of affairs during this and the succeeding reigns. Theempress also entrusted him with her last will whereby she appointed the young Peter II her successor and Golovkin one of his guardians. On the death of Peter II in 1730, he declared openly in favour of Anna,duchess ofCourland , in opposition to thearistocratic Dolgorukovs andGalitzine s, and his determined attitude on behalf ofautocracy was the chief cause of the failure of the proposedconstitution , which would have converted Russia into alimited monarchy . Under Anna, he was a member of the firstcabinet formed in Russia, but had less influence in affairs than Osterman and Munnich.In 1707, Golovkin was created a count of the
Holy Roman Empire , and in 1710 a count of theRussian Empire . He was one of the wealthiest, and at the same time one of the stingiest, magnates of his day. His ignorance of any language but his own made his intercourse with foreign ministers very inconvenient. For the ultimate disgrace of his relatives, see theLopukhina Affair .----
1911
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.