Shuvalov secret office. The minion of fate Shuvalov. Interesting facts from the life of the favorite of Elizabeth I. “Born without immeasurable pride, without a desire for wealth, honor and nobility”

Biography

With the accession of Elizabeth, he immediately occupied an influential position, showered, like his brother, with royal favors, awards and signs of goodwill: in 1741 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, in 1744 he became a lieutenant general, from 1746 - Adjutant General of the Empress, in the same year, like brother Pyotr Ivanovich, is elevated to the dignity of a count. The influence of the Shuvalovs has increased even more since 1749, when Alexander Ivanovich's cousin, Ivan Ivanovich, becomes Elizabeth's favorite. December 18 (29), 1753 receives the highest award Empire - Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

From 1742 he took part in the affairs of the Secret Chancellery, in 1746 he replaced the famous Ushakov as its head. He oversees the content of the Braunschweig family in exile, leads the investigation into the Lestok case, and later the investigation into the case of Apraksin and Bestuzhev.

In 1754 he was appointed court marshal at the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Peter III. The Shuvalovs attach particular importance to this, since they expect that such a rapprochement with the heir to the throne will allow them to strengthen their position at court. However, the future showed that, having staked on Peter III, they were deeply mistaken.

Last years Elizabethan reign and the short reign of Peter III become the pinnacle of power of the Shuvalov party: in 1758 A. I. Shuvalov became a senator, on December 28, 1761 (January 8, 1762) - Field Marshal General.

During the coup that brought Catherine to power, he tries to agitate the guardsmen to remain loyal to Peter, but, convinced of the complete futility of his attempts, he rushes to the feet of the empress, asking her for mercy. Having approved the petition, Catherine gives two thousand serfs to Shuvalov personally hated by her and dismisses him from all posts (1763, according to other sources, 1762). He spent the last years of his life with his family in the estate of Kositsa, Vereisky district, Moscow province, and was buried in the one he built.

Alexander was the palest figure of the Shuvalov party, according to contemporaries, he had neither the charisma nor the gifts of his brothers, without whose approval he did not dare to take a step. In the St. Petersburg Conference, an advisory body under the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, he played an inconspicuous role, being a conductor of other people's ideas. Catherine II, who could not stand Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, portrays him as a stupid, indecisive, cruel, petty, stingy, boring and vulgar person:

Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he occupied, was a thunderstorm for the entire court, the city and the entire Empire; he was the head of the Inquisition Court, which was then called the Secret Office. His occupation, it was said, produced in him a kind of convulsive movement, which took place on the whole right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was excited by joy, anger, fear, or dread.

Family

From his marriage to Ekaterina Ivanovna Kastyurina (1718-1790) he had an only daughter, Ekaterina (1733-1821), married in 1750 to Count Gavril Ivanovich Golovkin (d. 1787). Empress Catherine II, who did not love not only Shuvalov himself, but also his entire family, wrote about them:

I was in a carriage with the wife of Count Alexander Shuvalov, with the most boring wimp you can imagine ... We laughed at him, at his wife, daughter, son-in-law, almost in their presence; they gave rise to this, because it was impossible to imagine more disgusting and insignificant figures. Mrs. Shuvalova received from me the nickname "pillar of salt." She was thin, short and shy; her stinginess showed in her clothes; her skirts were always too narrow and had one less panel than was supposed to be and what other ladies used for their skirts; her daughter, Countess Golovkina, was dressed in the same way; they always had the most miserable headdresses and cuffs, in which there was always a desire to save a penny in something. Although they were very rich people and not constrained by means, they loved by nature everything petty and narrow, the true reflection of their soul.

Movie incarnations

• "Great" (, Russia; director - Igor Zaitsev), in the role of Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov - Roman Madyanov.

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Notes

Literature

• // Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. - St. Petersburg. -M., 1896-1918.
• Anisimov, Evgeny Viktorovich Russian torture. Political investigation in Russia XVIII century, St. Petersburg: 2004.
• Bantysh-Kamensky, D. N. 20th Field Marshal Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov // . - M .: Culture, 1991. - 620 p. - ISBN 5-7158-0002-1.
• Kolpakidi A., Sever A. Special services of the Russian Empire. - M .: Yauza Eksmo, 2010. - S. 58 - 61. - 768 p. - (Encyclopedia of special services). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-699-43615-6.

An excerpt characterizing Shuvalov, Alexander Ivanovich

Alexander Ivanovich (1710-1771) was at the court of Princess Elizabeth, he contributed to her ascension to the throne, so after the coup, awards rained down on him like from a cornucopia. 1741 - Alexander Shuvalov, real chamberlain, second lieutenant of the life company with the rank of major general, a year later two orders adorned his chest - St. Anna and St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1744, Shuvalov was already a lieutenant of the life company with the rank of lieutenant general, in 1746 he was a count of the Roman Empire. Then he becomes adjutant general, then general-general, and in 1753 he is awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the highest order of the empire.

Fairy tale career! He was never a lover of the empress, he was not on the battlefield, and yet, during the 12 years of Elizabeth's reign, he reached the first ranks in Russia. At the same time, he did not possess any out of the ordinary talents and inclinations, he was "a man without signs." The thing is that in addition to the formal command of the army division, Alexander Shuvalov headed the terrible Secret Chancellery. I cannot miss the opportunity to talk about this body in more detail. It is interesting, after all, what this “terrible and terrible” office was like in the time of Elizabeth.

I put these words in quotation marks, in no way ironic, a rack is always a rack, and if there are only two executioners for the entire capital, then it hurts the person under the whip no less if there were a whole regiment of executioners, but when I found out that in this guard of statehood, in this scarecrow of the people - the Secret Chancellery - there were only eleven people, then she opened her mouth in amazement. I grew up under the “triumph of humanism, in the most freedom-loving and just country”, that is, under Stalin, so that the earth rest in peace to him, I know what Lubyanka is (and every city had its own Lubyanka!), And here there are eleven people in small house, which was located in the Peter and Paul Fortress!

So that the reader does not accuse me of plagiarism, or, worse than that, in a lie, I will say right away that this knowledge was gleaned by me from reference books and memoirs, but mainly from the work of Vasily Ivanovich Veretennikov, published in Kharkov in 1911.

So, the first Secret Chancellery was founded by Peter the Great at the very beginning of his reign and was called Preobrazhensky Prikaz after the village of Preobrazhensky. The first guardians of the detective case filed a lawsuit against the scoundrels who acted "against the first two points." The first point is atrocities against the person of the sovereign, the second - against the state itself, that is, they staged a riot.

“Word and deed” is a cry invented by guardsmen. Any person could shout out "word and deed", pointing a finger at the criminal - true or invented. The investigative machine immediately went into action. In my time, such concepts as “enemy of the people” rumbled, and given that Stalin’s investigators never made mistakes, the Preobrazhensky order was fair in its own way. If the guilt of the person taken on the denunciation was not proven, then the denunciator himself was subjected to “interrogation with passion”, that is, torture. The Preobrazhensky order was abolished by Peter II in 1729, honor and praise to the boy-king! But strong power came in the person of Anna Ioannovna, and the detective office started working again, like a well-oiled mechanism. This happened in 1731; it was now called the "Office of Secret Investigative Affairs." An inconspicuous one-story mansion, eight windows along the facade; casemates and office premises were also in charge of the office. Andrey Ivanovich Ushakov, well-known throughout St. Petersburg, was in charge of this farm.

Ushakov began his career under Peter I as a secret fiscal, worked honestly, then became a senator, and then headed the aforementioned office. During the time of Anna Ioannovna (the heyday of detective affairs), thirteen people worked in the Secret. In fact, the secretary-registrar (deputy Ushakov) managed all the affairs, followed by the recorder, registrar and actuary, then secretaries, clerks, sub-clerks and copyists. Separately, there was a military detachment of ten people. The number of informants is unknown, but I think that there were, as always, many. For especially important cases, special commissions were established to help the Secret Chancellery. So it was during the trial of Biron, Osterman, Munnich and others, during the "Woman's Plot", etc. If necessary, the Secret Chancellery sent its agents to other cities. In Moscow there was a permanent branch of the Secret.

Ushakov worked in the field of detective work for sixteen years. The townsfolk were afraid of him in panic, they frightened children with his name: a terrible old man! And so it was: he began to manage the Secret Office at almost sixty years old. Bantysh-Kamensky wrote about him: “Managing the Secret Chancellery, he carried out the most severe tortures, but in society he was distinguished by charming manners and had a special gift for finding out the mindset of the interlocutor.” All this is true. Ushakov was not a sadist, his excessive cruelty was not caused by hatred for criminals. He just honestly did his job, he was conscientious and unemotional. The most disgusting kind of servant!

Age is age, Ushakov was thinking about a replacement. Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov became his successor, he did not immediately, of course, at first enter the case, studied during interrogations and near the rack, and then took the oath and "came into possession." Shuvalov took the oath in Ushakov's house church, as if the case for replacing the head of the Secret Chancellery was a family affair. It happened in 1746, Alexander Shuvalov was thirty-six years old.

It was Bestuzhev's idea - to combine two positions in one person - the head of the Secret Chancellery and the court marshal of the young court: Alexander Ivanovich, by rank, had to watch the young spouses, track every step of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Catherine hated him. Here is what she gives to Shuvalov in her Notes: “Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he held, was a thunderstorm for the entire court, city and the entire Empire; he was the head of the Inquisition Court, which was then called the Secret Office. His occupation caused, as they say, a kind of convulsive movement in him, which was made on the entire right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was excited by joy, anger, fear or fear. Catherine also calls him a man indecisive, petty, stingy, stupid, boring and vulgar.

The wife of Alexander Ivanovich - Ekaterina Ivanovna Shuvalova (nee Kyustyurina, noble family) - was also on the staff of the young court. A small, thin, shy woman, she, unlike many, was not at all afraid of her formidable husband. She had a strange habit of suddenly falling into deep thought, freezing in place. This could happen both at a masquerade and on a walk. The Grand Duchess teased Ekaterina Ivanovna and nicknamed her "Pillar of Salt". In general, she was a completely harmless lady. At court, again at the suggestion of Catherine, gossip was that Madame Privy Chancellery was too thrifty, she narrowed petticoats, spending one less piece of cloth on them, saved lace on cuffs and dressed terribly.

There were spouses without charisma, to be sure. In his opinions, Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov was very dependent on younger brother Peter Ivanovich. But, in charge of the terrible body - the Secret Office - he did not feel a zealous zeal for work, he was not the "first student", thanks to him for that. And a nervous tic appeared on the face from the eye to the chin, clearly informing the public that this man also had nerves. Under him, the Secret Chancellery seemed to “shrink”. Extracts from cases, reports, the questionnaires themselves have become smaller in volume and meaner in content, inspiration has gone into the sand. Elizabeth's oath "not to execute by death" was not written into the law, but was strictly observed. Ushakov ordered torture in the event that a clear picture of the crime was not drawn, and this was almost always the case. Shuvalov, on the other hand, refused to admit that he had reached a dead end and it was time to remember the rack, he was looking for new witnesses, arranged face-to-face confrontations, and reread the questionnaires again and again. For interrogation with passion, Shuvalov's personal order was required, and he gave it very reluctantly.

Naturally, there were very few cases related to such significant personalities as Lestok. Most often I had to deal with sheer small fry. The main thing was to decide whether this matter was “important” and whether it was worth doing it at all. For example, in the market, two merchants fought over an unsold goose, and one of the merchants wrote a denunciation. Here the clerk must decide whether this matter is important or not. If they just fought, even to the point of blood, even with self-mutilation, this is an “unimportant” matter, that is, not for the Secret Chancellery, but if one of the merchants “vomited speeches that vilified the empress or the Russian throne”, then this is “ours”, we take it and start it a business. Duels forbidden in the state were also considered by the Secret Office. A priest accused of magic was judged by the Synod, but if something “against the first two points” was found in his notebooks with potions and spells, then the work was to be done by Shuvalov’s department.

Catherine II talks about one of these cases in her Notes. In search of the empress's lost mantilla, the chamberfrau looked under the pillows in her bed. She did not find Mantilla, but under the mattress she found paper in which there were hair wound around some roots. Elizabeth was terrified of witchcraft. Everyone was terribly frightened, they began to discuss what had happened. Anna Domashevnaya, beloved by the Empress, the wife of Elizabeth's valet, was suspected of "enchantments". The entire Shuvalov clan disliked this woman because of the empress's too much confidence in her. The Secret Office took over the investigation. The culprit herself, her valet husband, and two sons from her first marriage were arrested. The case was led by Alexander Shuvalov himself. After the arrest, her husband cut his throat with a razor, Anna Domashovnaya, after many interrogations, confessed everything, only the reason for her act was different - she wanted to keep the Empress's love for herself and therefore resorted to charms. Both Anna herself and her sons were exiled.

Shuvalov was assigned to keep an eye on the young court, he often became an intermediary in relations between the Grand Duke and the Empress. In general, Pyotr Fedorovich maintained good relations with them, which cannot be said about Catherine. She allowed herself sometimes very bold antics, while openly laughing at the head of the Secret Chancellery. So, once a large company gathered in her bedroom, among the guests of Catherine was her beloved Poniatowski. Catherine was unwell and therefore received guests in bed. And suddenly, in the midst of fun, the servant announces the arrival of Alexander Shuvalov. The head of the Secret Chancellery came to the Grand Duchess on an innocent occasion - to discuss fireworks with her at the upcoming holiday, but neither Catherine nor her guests could know this. The youth had nowhere to go, and they hid in the dressing room adjacent to the bedroom, and Catherine received an unexpected guest. The conversation with Shuvalov turned out to be long, Ekaterina superbly played the role of a woman tired and exhausted by illness, and her guests “choked with laughter” in the next room. Agree that in the scene described there is no sense of horror in front of the head of the terrible office. Catherine was not afraid of Shuvalov, she did not love, she despised - yes, but she did not expect sophisticated deceit and cruelty from him.

Shuvalov was also entrusted with another extremely important task - the protection of the Braunschweig family. He dealt with it. Ivan Antonovich lived in Kholmogory, not suspecting that his mother had died, that his father, brothers and sisters were in the next house. In 1756, the Russian court received information that Manstein, who had once served in Russia and transferred to the service of Frederick II, was going to release Ivan with the help of the Old Believers. In the same year, the deposed emperor was taken from Kholmogory to the Shlisselburg fortress. Ivan Antonovich was 16 years old. Shuvalov’s order came from St. Petersburg: “The remaining prisoners should be kept as before, even more strictly and with an increase in guards, so as not to give the appearance of the removal of the prisoner, which you firmly confirm to your team, who will know about the removal of the prisoner, so as not to tell anyone.”

In Shlisselburg, Ivan Antonovich lived under a strong guard under the command of officer Ovtsyn. The task of the guard is not only to prevent the prisoner from escaping, but to prevent him from seeing unwanted people. Shuvalov's order of 1757: “... so that, although the general has arrived, do not let him in the fortress; it is also added, even though the field marshal and others like them, do not let anyone into the rooms, led his imperial majesty. Prince Pyotr Fedorovich, valet Karnovich, was not allowed into the fortress and announced to him that he was not ordered to be allowed in without a decree from the Secret Chancellery. The behavior of Ivan Antonovich was closely monitored, dispatches to St. Petersburg about a "famous person" were carefully written. In the reports, he was deliberately written about as a lunatic, but by secret order it was ordered to ask in more detail what the prisoner himself understood about himself. Ovtsyn asked the arrested person: who is he? Ivan said he great person, but one vile officer took it away from him and changed his name. In another conversation, he referred to himself as a prince. It is also known that Ivan was literate and read the Bible.

After the death of Elizabeth, Alexander Shuvalov was favored by Peter III, he is already a Field Marshal, but his service to this sovereign was short-lived. In the coup of 1761, Shuvalov "did not figure it out", did not believe him, and therefore, in the most stupid way, he began to persuade the guards to remain faithful to Emperor Peter. However, he came to his senses in time and threw himself at the feet of the newly-made empress. Catherine was not a vindictive person. She forgave him, moreover, she rewarded him with 2000 serf souls for his service, but she did not want to see a hated person next to her. On this, the service of Russia for Alexander Shuvalov ended, he was dismissed from all posts, for him the life of a private person began.

Shuvalov Alexander Ivanovich (1710-1771), count, field marshal general. He began serving at court as a page and chamber junker. In 1741 he received the rank of chamberlain, major general; in 1746 he was titled a count; in 1753 he became general-in-chief. With imp. Elizaveta Petrovna Shuvalov was in charge of the Office of Secret Investigative Affairs. Peter III elevated him to field marshal general, and Catherine II dismissed him.

Site materials used Big Encyclopedia Russian people - http://www.rusinst.ru

Shuvalov Alexander Ivanovich (1710-1771), count, field marshal general (1761). Member of the palace coup in 1741. He had significant influence at court and, supporting the plans of his younger brother Peter Ivanovich, was engaged in activities of a slightly different kind. In 1746-1762 he was the head of the Secret Investigation Office. Alexander Ivanovich, according to his contemporaries, was the best fit for his post. He, according to Catherine II, "brought terror and fear to the whole of Russia." The Shuvalovs' relationship with Catherine, then Grand Duchess, was far from cloudless. Catherine hated the Shuvalovs, especially Alexander Ivanovich. She felt for him a feeling of "involuntary disgust inspired by his personal qualities, his family and his position, which, of course, could not increase the pleasure of his company." Catherine believed that Shuvalov was trying to gain unlimited influence on her husband, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, for which the count constantly aggravated relations between the spouses, already tense. The death of Elizabeth Petrovna and the accession to the throne of Peter III practically did not change anything in Shuvalov's position. However, the coup of 1762 and the accession to the throne of Catherine II had an extremely negative impact on his career. Subsequently, Catherine II claimed in her notes that Shuvalov, who arrived in St. Petersburg during the coup, intended to kill her, but, seeing the hopelessness of his case, rushed to her feet and asked for mercy. Catherine II did not dare to apply any harsh measures to Shuvalov and even rewarded him upon his resignation.

Materials of the book are used: Sukhareva O.V. Who was who in Russia from Peter I to Paul I, Moscow, 2005

Alexander Shuvalov (1710-1774) - the elder brother of the famous favorite of Elizaveta Petrovna and the reformer of the Russian army Pyotr Shuvalov. Their father managed to arrange his sons as pages to the court. Subsequently, Alexander Shuvalov, like his brother, served as a chamber junker under the princess Elizabeth. He was among the young nobles who took the side of the princess on the decisive night for her on November 25, 1741, one of her most zealous and most devoted supporters. After the coup, the empress awarded him the rank of real chamberlain and the rank of second lieutenant of the Life Campanian company of the Preobrazhensky regiment, corresponding to the rank of major general, and the following year she awarded him the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Shuvalov received this award on the day of the coronation of the Empress, exactly one year after the coup, in which he took such an active part.

Throughout the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, Shuvalov was among the people closest to her and the first dignitaries of the state. His career developed rapidly. In 1744, Alexander Ivanovich became a lieutenant of the life campaign and a lieutenant general. On September 5, 1746, together with his brother Peter, he was elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire. Then Shuvalov received the rank of Adjutant General, the rank of General-in-Chief, and on December 18, 1753, the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

During the reign of Elizabeth, Shuvalov led the Secret Chancellery, continuing the bloody traditions of Prince Romodanovsky and Ushakov. Under him, severe persecution of schismatics was carried out, encouraged by the empress. Among his high-profile cases are the trial of Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin and the investigation of Field Marshal Apraksin, whom Shuvalov personally went to Narva to interrogate. He was also entrusted with the supervision of the exiled representatives of the Brunswick dynasty and of the deposed Emperor John Antonovich himself. His instruction on supervision of the imprisoned tsar said: “If the prisoner starts to make any troubles or disagrees with you, or if he starts to say obscene things, then put him on a chain until he pacifies, and if he doesn’t even listen, then beat him with a stick according to your consideration. or whip."

Emperor Peter III, who took the throne, promoted Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov on December 28, 1761 to field marshal general and granted him 2,000 serfs, but at the same time abolished the Secret Chancellery, which he had led for many years. Shuvalov had no military talent; however, he never commanded troops and did not participate in any of the wars. After the accession of Catherine II, he remained neutral to the new government, but was present at the coronation of the Empress in Moscow. In 1763, Count Shuvalov retired, after which he was granted another 2 thousand peasant souls, and spent the last years of his life as a private person.

Book materials used: Solovyov B.I. Field Marshals of Russia. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix" 2000

Shuvalovs- Russian noble and count family, whose history can be traced back to the 16th century.
The origin of the Shuvalov surname is not famous for the antiquity of the family: it advanced from the “petty noble class” in the transformative era of Peter the Great, and then was elevated to the top of honors, wealth and all kinds of distinctions by one of the palace coups, which are so rich in the St. Petersburg period of Russian history.

Coat of arms of the Count Shuvalov family

According to the surviving in-line records and acts, it can be seen that in the second half of the 16th century there was a landowner in the Kostroma district Dmitry Shuvalov. And now at least five generations of this family stretch from him until the days of Peter I, and the original representatives of this family are constantly among the noble landowners of the Kostroma region. Like all nobles, they are often in the service of the king: for example, one of them - Andrey Semenovich we meet under the walls of Smolensk, he was a governor (1616), another - Mikhail Ivanovich- in battles with the Crimean robbers;

1. Michael's older brother - Maksim- was killed in one of these battles, namely: in the ill-fated campaign of 1687 for the Russians.

One of Andrew's relatives, Danilo, was a Moscow archery centurion (1636) and was subsequently granted a boyar (1669). All this, however, were ordinary service people, the mass of which was the stronghold and strength of the then Russia.

1.1. But in the person of one of Maxim's sons, Ivan Maksimovich, the Shuvalovs begin to gradually emerge from obscurity. This Ivan Maksimovich Senior(died 1736), great-grandson of Andrei Semenovich, was a colonel and commandant in Vyborg under Peter the Great, and under Peter II he was a major general and had an Alexander ribbon, was engaged in compiling a map of sea and river banks, determined the border between Russia and Sweden and contributed to the conclusion of the Nystadt peace. Died governor in Arkhangelsk.

It is to his father, Ivan Maksimovich, that his two sons, the elder Alexander and the younger Peter, owe the beginning of the military court career. In the last years of the reign of Peter the Great, I.M. Shuvalov, then still the commandant of Vyborg, had the opportunity to appoint his sons as pages to the Highest Court. It was no secret that the education of the pages of that time was the service itself, participation in dinners and assemblies, "peace, court, travel, campaigns and balls", but not serious study.

Alexander and Peter were among the young nobles at the court of Princess Elizabeth Petrovna, and on the decisive night for her on November 25, 1741, they were among her most zealous and devoted supporters. Having reached the goal, having ascended the throne, the daughter of Peter the Great with the most generous hand showered her partisans with favors; Incidentally, on September 5, 1746, both Shuvalovs were elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire. At the same time, Alexander Ivanovich, in the reign of Elizabeth, reaches the rank of field marshal general and for many years is the head of a terrible secret office, and his brother Peter, a man much more capable of him and with extensive information, serves as field marshal general, president of the military collegium, and finally, field marshal .

The sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these two Shuvalovs are constantly at the highest levels of the official hierarchy, and many of them are among the people closest to the court. So, Count Andrei Petrovich, born. 1744, 1789 with the rank of actual Privy Councilor and Knight of St. Andrew and St. Vladimir 1st degree; his sons Peter and Pavel were adjutant generals: the first of Emperor Paul, the second of Alexander I. Then, in the past reign, the representatives of the family were: the president of the court office, chief marshal and cavalier of St. Andrew the First-Called Count Andrei Petrovich, married to Princess Fekla Ignatievna Zubova, nee Valentinovich; his son is chief III branch His Majesty's own Chancellery, Adjutant General, Lieutenant General Count Pyotr Andreevich; Chief of Staff of the St. Petersburg Military District, His Majesty's retinue, Major-General Count Pavel Andreevich, married to Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya; member of the council of the secretary of the interior. advice Pyotr Grigoryevich Shuvalov (55 years old in 1882), married to Princess M. S. Gagarina; Counts: Andrei Pavlovich (b. 1816, married to Count Sofya Mikh. Vorontsova) and Pyotr Pavlovich Shuvalov, b. 1819

1.2. his brother Ivan Maksimovich the Younger(died 1741), served as a captain of the guard and was seriously wounded during the assault on Ochakov.

The loudest and most well-deserved fame in recent national history his son uses Ivan Ivanovich- Founder and curator of the Moscow University, in 1797.

The clan of noblemen and counts Shuvalov was recorded in the VI and V parts of the genealogical books of the provinces of Simbirsk, St. Petersburg, Kostroma and Yaroslavl.

In the modern history of Russia, the surname "Shuvalov" is also widely represented. However, for the most part, its bearers do not belong to a noble family, but come from the townspeople and / or former serfs of their famous namesakes. In 2009, on the initiative of Sergei Evgenievich Shuvalov, the ALL-RUSSIAN COMMUNITY OF THE SHUVALOV FAMILY was founded

1.1.1. Graph Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov(1710 - 1771) - confidant of Elizabeth Petrovna and especially Peter III, chamberlain, head of the Office of Secret Investigation, Field Marshal, senator, member of the St. Petersburg Conference. Brother of Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov and cousin of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, favorite of Elizaveta Petrovna.

Thanks to the efforts of his father Ivan Maksimovich, the Vyborg commandant, he was assigned to the court of Princess Elizabeth, where he played an important role until 1741, managing the household. He took an active part in the revolution of 1741.

With the accession of Elizabeth, he immediately occupied an influential position, showered, like his brother, with royal favors, awards and signs of goodwill: in 1741 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, in 1744 he became a lieutenant general, from 1746 - adjutant general of the empress, in the same year, like brother Pyotr Ivanovich, is elevated to the dignity of a count. The influence of the Shuvalovs has increased even more since 1749, when Alexander Ivanovich's cousin, Ivan Ivanovich, becomes Elizabeth's favorite. December 18 (29), 1753 receives the highest award of the Empire - the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

From 1742 he took part in the affairs of the Secret Chancellery, in 1746 he replaced the famous Ushakov as its head. Supervises the content of the Braunschweig family in exile, leads the investigation into the Lestok case, and later the investigation into the case of Apraksin and Bestuzhev.

In 1754 he was appointed court marshal at the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Peter III. The Shuvalovs attach particular importance to this, since they hope that such a rapprochement with the heir to the throne will allow them to strengthen their position at court. However, the future showed that, having staked on Peter III, they were deeply mistaken.

The last years of the Elizabethan reign and the short reign of Peter III become the pinnacle of the power of the Shuvalov party: in 1758 A. I. Shuvalov became a senator, on December 28 (old style) 1761 - field marshal general.

During the coup that brought Catherine to power, he tries to agitate the guardsmen to remain loyal to Peter, but, convinced of the complete futility of his attempts, he rushes to the feet of the empress, asking her for mercy. Having approved the petition, Catherine gives two thousand serfs to Shuvalov personally hated by her and dismisses him from all posts (1763, according to other sources, 1762). He spent the last years of his life with his family in the estate of Kositsy, Vereisky district, Moscow province, and was buried in the Church of the Transfiguration he built.

Alexander was the palest figure of the Shuvalov party, according to contemporaries, he had neither the charisma nor the gifts of his brothers, without whose approval he did not dare to take a step. In the St. Petersburg Conference, an advisory body under the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, he played an inconspicuous role, being a conductor of other people's ideas. Catherine II, who could not stand Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, portrays him as a stupid, indecisive, cruel, petty, stingy, boring and vulgar person:

Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he occupied, was a thunderstorm for the entire court, the city and the entire Empire; he was the head of the Inquisition Court, which was then called the Secret Office. His occupation, it was said, produced in him a kind of convulsive movement, which took place on the whole right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was excited by joy, anger, fear, or dread.

From marriage to Ekaterina Ivanovna Kastyurina(1718-1790) had an only daughter

1.1.1.1. Catherine(1733-1821), married in 1750 to Count Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin(d. 1787), grandson and main heir of the Peter's chancellor. Countess Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Golovkina was a lady of state; there is a version that it was in her Moscow house that A. S. Pushkin was born. Its serf ballet actors formed the core of the Bolshoi Ballet Company. Married had four sons, all childless, and an unmarried daughter Elizabeth (1752—1820).

Valid. Chamberlain, Head of the Office of Secret Investigation Affairs, Lieutenant of the Life Campaign, Field Marshal General, Senator, Member of the Conference. Genus. 1710, died in 1771. By origin and upbringing, he belonged to the kind of statesmen who were put forward by the Peter's reform. Thanks to the efforts of his father, Ivan Maksimovich the Elder, he was added to the court of Tsarina Elizaveta Petrovna. This court, after the death of Peter the Great, was at a distance from the big one, but, losing in brilliance, it was distinguished by solidarity and friendship between the persons who made it up. Until 1741, A.I. played a significant role in it and was considered one of the three persons closest to Elizabeth Petrovna. In the rank of chamber junker, he was also in charge of some household affairs of the princess, for example, stables. At the same time, he must have shown his talent as an investigator. Among other close associates of Elizabeth Petrovna, AI took an active part in the coup on November 25, 1741, and after that began to rapidly rise in ranks and positions. On December 24, 1741, together with Alexei Razumovsky, Mikhail Vorontsov and Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov, A. I. was promoted from chamber junkers to full chamberlains and then appointed second lieutenant of the life campaign. Having immediately reached an influential position, no longer at the driven court of the semi-disgraced princess, but at the Imperial, A.I., according to the conditions of that time, had to join any political party: his relatives and friendships put him in opposition to Bestuzhev. He supported his brother Peter, younger, but more gifted and energetic, A.I. joined the party, which bore the name of Shuvalovskaya among his contemporaries. On the day of the coronation of the Empress, April 25, 1842, all participants in the coup on November 25, 1741 were showered with favors - A.I. was awarded the cavalry of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. As a connoisseur of horses, A.I. was entrusted with the management of a horse factory, which previously belonged to the Duke of Courland and was transferred in 1743 from Livonia to Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. However, this assignment was only one of the branches of many cases that A.I. dealt with. His actual significance at court was higher than the titles that he then and later wore: it especially intensified after his brother Pyotr Ivanovich married his beloved Empress Mavra Shepeleva. A series of fast-following rises shows the growth of its value. On July 15, 1744, A. I. was granted the rank of lieutenant general and was awarded the Laudon and Luban manors. In 1745, the Highest ordered to give him a salary on a par with army lieutenant generals. On November 25, 1745, with the appointment of Aleksey Razumovsky of the life campaign as captain-lieutenant, A. I. was appointed to the vacant lieutenant vacancy. The value of A. I. grew greatly. There were also duties that could only be entrusted to a very reliable person - the case of the Braunschweig family in Russia. In addition, even in the humane reign of Elizabeth, the Secret Office still continued to exist, which so darkened the memory of previous reigns. A. I. has already spoken on secret matters; in 1742 he arrested and imprisoned Prince Ludwig of Hesse-Hamburg. Already at the beginning of 1745, the name of A.I. is found in the case of the Life Campanian Grunstein. A. I. and the terrible Ushakov appeared as investigators and found Grunstein not only dangerous, but also guilty. In 1746, A.I. became the head of the office to replace Ushakov and investigated cases with the same perseverance and the same methods as his predecessor, "suggesting", according to the imp. Catherine II, "horror and fear throughout Russia." The government was especially concerned about the Braunschweig family and the movements that could take place in Russia for her release or restoration to the throne. It was the Secret Office's job to keep track of all this. On June 9, 1746, by personal decree, A.I. was granted the position of Adjutant General to the Empress. September 5, 1746 was followed by a new favor to Alexander and Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov with descending offspring: they were granted the count Russian Empire dignity, and on December 17, 1746, it was ordered to give them, in addition to what they received, the chamberlain's salary - 1,500 p. in year. In 1748, new evidence of Empress Elizabeth's great confidence: A. I. investigates the case of Lestocq. But ahead of the whole Shuvalov family was waiting for another promotion and strengthening. In 1749, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, a cousin of A.I., became the favorite, and this circumstance, having lowered the importance of A.P. Bestuzhev, strengthened the Shuvalovs hostile to him. Since 1750, A.I. appears from time to time in the Senate as the Adjutant General of the Empress and conveys the Highest Commands to the Senate.

From 1751, A. I. became one of the major owners of factories, following his brother Peter in this respect. By a decree on February 13, he was granted the Istitsky and Ugotsky iron factories in the Maloyaroslavetsky and Borovsky districts and at the same time the Vyshgorodsky volost palace in the Vereisky district. Its service value is also growing. On September 10, 1751, A. I. was appointed to the army to the divisions as chief commander, with the states appropriate for his rank, and his salary was increased accordingly. In April 1754, after the death of Choglokov and to replace him, A.I. was appointed chamberlain of the court of the Grand Duke. Pyotr Feodorovich. The Shuvalov Party attached to this appointment great importance, as she hoped to win over the young court and harm the hated Chancellor Bestuzhev. The latter was completely unaware of the appointment of a new chamberlain. However, for AI, his new position immediately turned out to be unpleasant. Money matters in book. were in a very bad state, his Holstein courtiers intrigued against the Russian chamberlain and, finally, the character in. book. was very quick-tempered: he argued not only with his wife, but also with the empress and assigned ticklish instructions to A.I., like the one he instructed him to convey to the empress about his intention to. book. Peter Feodorovich with his wife and son to leave Russia forever.

VK Ekaterina was very dissatisfied with the new chamberlain. She writes about him: “Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he occupied, was a thunderstorm for the entire court, the city and the entire Empire; he was the head of the inquisition court, which was then called the Secret Chancellery. it is a kind of convulsive movement that was made on the entire right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was excited by joy, anger, fear or fear. The Grand Duchess always saw him "with a feeling of involuntary disgust inspired by his personal qualities, his family and his position, which, of course, could not increase the pleasure of his company." She calls both A.I. and his wife "creatures so vulgar and so boring that she was always delighted when they were absent." According to Catherine, the Shuvalovs sought to finally quarrel with her husband and then take him into their own hands, and after the death of the empress, govern Russia under him as they did under Elizabeth. A. I. was only an instrument of this plan, since he did not dare to undertake even any trifle without consulting with the brothers Peter and Ivan. However, in the characterization given by Catherine II, a biased dislike for A.I. shines through. Many of the facts she herself reports prove that he often wanted to treat the Grand Duchess more cordially and gently than he was attributed to, but he could not always do it. . A. I. was a man of parties, and as chamberlain of the young court he had to carry out a well-known political system. It was a matter of succession to the throne in Russia, and the Shuvalovs occupied a rather definite position in this matter: they sought to keep the throne for Peter Sh. celebrations of one or another of its political parties: Bestuzhevskaya or Shuvalovskaya. The mistake made by Bestuzhev, counting on England, led to the triumph of Shuvalovskaya's party, and both parties had to agree to the formation of a council known as the Conference, which included all the most influential nobles, and among them A.I. Meetings of this council began as early as 1753, but were irregular and with a variable composition. From March 1756 they became regular and their composition was determined. The role of AI in the Conference was insignificant. He almost did not come up with independent proposals or reasoning, but more than once he was a conductor of other people's ideas. "Thus, Catherine II tried to convey through him the idea of ​​the need for Russia to keep East Prussia in the Seven Years' War in order to master the shores of the Baltic Sea and to reward some of these lands of Poland, which suffered from the passage of our troops. Of course, even more often, A. I. was support for brother Peter. Through A. I., V. K. Peter inquired about the course of affairs in the Conference, and A. I. also took him to sign and persuaded him to give one on the protocols, which otherwise, according to the conditions of the time, could not have force.This was the case, for example, with the protocol on Russia's accession to the Versailles agreement and on the arrival of the French ambassador to Russia.

As the empress's strength declined and she retired from business, the importance of the nobles, who made up the governmental circle of Russia, grew. The significance of the Shuvalovs was especially great; their only dangerous enemy, A.P. Bestuzhev, was noticeably weakening both from old age and from the unfavorable course that the war was taking. He still hoped only that after the death of Elizabeth, who more than once seemed very close since 1754, Catherine II, who was friendly to him, would take the Russian throne, at least as a regent for the young Pavel Petrovich. Shuvalov's party in this state of affairs could have suffered a complete defeat. The plans of Bestuzhev and Catherine II, who was aware of them, were supported by the English envoy Williams and a small group of courtiers, but they met with opposition in the Shuvalov circle. In 1758, relations between the commander-in-chief Apraksin, Bestuzhev and c. K. Ekaterina. The investigation of Apraksin and Bestuzhev was entrusted to a commission of three persons: Field Marshal Trubetskoy, A. Buturlin and A. I. This was the highest moment of the triumph of the Shuvalov party. Everyone who took a conscious part in the life of the country in Russia saw the true reason for the misadventures of the old great chancellor in the intrigues of the Shuvalovs. After 1758 they were all in the state and ruled it, almost without opposition. Even before February 20, 1758, AI, together with Buturlin, received a responsible assignment to equip "the rest of the main army of incomplete battalions and squadrons, as well as regiments located in Reval and Finland." The Senate ordered to give them every support in a difficult matter. By September 1759, the troops were replenished by them and placed in winter quarters. On August 16, 1760, A.I. was appointed senator. The death of the empress and the accession to the throne of Peter III (December 25, 1761) did not weaken the great importance that the Shuvalovs had. On December 26, 1761, A.I. was ordered to be present in the Senate only on especially important occasions, when the emperor would also be in the Senate. On December 28, A.I. was promoted to active field marshal general and colonel of the Izmailovsky regiment. In April of the following year, 1762, A.I. was relieved of the assignment that had burdened him for many years - to protect the Brunswick family and, in particular, John Antonovich. On June 9, 1762, the last favor received by A.I. from Peter III followed: he and his wife were awarded 2000 souls of peasants from the palace estates of their choice, the Shuvalovs.

On June 28, 1762, Catherine II came to the throne, so hostile to all the Shuvalovs, and especially to A.I. His role in the coup d'état of 1762 is not clear. Empress Catherine II in her notes says that Trubetskoy and A.I. arrived from Oranienbaum in St. Petersburg in order to reinforce the regiments, whose heads they were, in loyalty to Peter III and with the kill her, the empress; but having learned that strength was on her side, they rushed to the feet of the empress and asked for pardon, which was given to them.

With the accession to the throne of Catherine II, the value of AI was reduced to zero. True, according to Solovyov, Catherine showed him a generous favor and, upon her resignation in 1763, gave him another 2,000 souls of peasants, but this was the last sign of attention that the statesman who had finished his career received. There is no information about the further life of A.I.: he was then only 52 years old; he lived another 9 years and, of course, had his reign not changed, AI could still play a prominent role in it. However, one can hardly expect him to show himself from any other, new side after his many years of service in the reign of Elizabeth and Peter, when he was given a full opportunity to show his talents and energy. According to all reports, he was a man without initiative, without the gift of creativity, indecisive, stupid and cruel. Catherine II attributes to him, in addition to the above features, petty pickiness, stinginess and lack of pride. He owes his life and career success to his closeness to Elizabeth during her removal from the throne and the participation that he took in the coup on November 25, 1741. Then he was helped by kinship with Peter Ivanovich and Mavra Yegorovna and, finally, the lucky star of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov.

V. F-ko.

Solovyov. "History of Russia", book. V. - "Notes of the Empress Catherine the Second". SPb., 1907 - Shcherbatov, Prince. M "On the damage to morals in Russia". Works T. II. SPb. 1898 - Vorontsov archive. By pointer. - Baranov P. "Inventory of the Highest decrees and orders stored in the St. Petersburg Senate Archive for the 18th century." T. Sh. St. Petersburg. 1878 - Shchepkin E. "The Russian-Austrian Union during the Seven Years' War of 1746-1758". SPb. 1902. - Collections of the Imperial Russian Historical Society, Volumes VII, XVIII, XXVIII, XLII, XCI. - Longinov M. H. "The eighteenth century", book. Sh. (Several news about the first accomplices of Ekat. Vel.). - Miloradovich, Count. "Materials for history Corps of Pages 1711-1875". Kyiv. 1876 - Pypin A. "Russian Freemasonry. Novikov" ("Vestn. Evropy" 1868, Vol. III, No. 6"). "Russian portraits of the 18th and 19th centuries", vol. III.

(Polovtsov)

Shuvalov, Count Alexander Ivanovich

20th Field Marshal.

Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov was born in the reign of Peter the Great. His father, a poor nobleman, could not give his children a brilliant upbringing, but he had the opportunity to place them on pages to the Supreme Court, where they drew attention to themselves with their beauty and dexterity. Subsequently, Shuvalov served as chamber junker under Tsesarevna Elisaveta Petrovna and contributed to her accession to the parental throne. The grateful Monarchine awarded him (1741) the titles of real chamberlain and second lieutenant of the Life Company established by her from the Preobrazhensky company, the rank of major general, and the following year she awarded him the orders of St. Anna and St. Alexander Nevsky; then made a lieutenant of the Life Company, lieutenant general (1744), count of the Russian Empire (1746), adjutant general and, finally, general in chief, conferring on him, on December 18, 1753, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle First-Called. Thus, Count Alexander Ivanovich, from the rank of chamber junker, reached the first ranks within twelve years, together with his brother, and received, in addition, significant villages in Livonia (1744).

Commanding an army division in the reign of Elizabeth, Count Shuvalov controlled the terrible - according to Prince Shakhovsky - Secret Chancellery. Emperor Peter III promoted him to field marshal general on December 28, 1761 and granted him two thousand peasants, with a choice where he wishes; Empress Catherine II dismissed him (1762), at the request of the service. He died in 1769.

Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, proud, ambitious, led by his brother, Count Pyotr Ivanovich, intervening in all the affairs entrusted to him, enjoyed the special favor of the Empress Elisaveta Petrovna. Through him, the Heir to the Throne made various requests to the Empress; shortly before her death, Shuvalov petitioned for permission for the Grand Duke to return to Holstein. [Cm. The reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, op. G. Weidemeier, part 2, p. 111.] He was forced to resign under the Emperor Petre III the title of head of the Secret Chancellery, where incredible tortures were carried out in his time, and, being an enemy of Chancellor Count Bestuzhev-Ryumin, did not refuse to be present in the investigating Commission in 1758, which deprived this state dignitary of ranks, insignia, sentenced to death.