State eye. Secret diplomacy and intelligence in the service of Russia

GOLOVIN FYODOR ALEKSEEVICH - Count of the Holy Roman Empire (1702; awarded the second from the Russians after A.D. Men-shi-ko-va), Russian statesman and military leader, diplomat; boya-rin (since 1691), admiral general (1699), field marshal general (1700).

From the genus Go-lo-vi-nyh. He got home-made about-ra-zo-va-nie, mastered several foreign languages ​​​​(including la-you-new and eng- li-skim). Stol-nickname (since 1676), roundabout (since 1685/1686). In 1686-1691, he headed the Great Salt-Station, on the right of the Far East. In the course of osu-sche-st-v-le-niya in-salt-st-va, fak-ti-che-ski became-she-half-but-mass-headquarters ex-pe-di- qi-her, managed to os-ta-no-wit the ex-pan-siyu of China, ug-ro-zhav-she-go far-not-in-the-sewage ru-be-zham of Russia. Golovin ru-ko-vo-dil us-foot ob-ro-noy Se-len-gin-ska from mon-go-lov and Ner-chin-ska from man-chu-ditch, sta-bi-li- zi-ro-vav ob-sta-nov-ku in re-gio-not. Closed the Ner-chin-sky do-go-thief of 1689, op-re-de-liv-shiy Russian-Chinese border-ni-tsu and ure-gu-li-ro-vav-shiy big-shin -st-in disputable questions-about-owls. From the mid-1690s, for-no-small, the position of general-ko-mis-sa-ra, from-ve-tea for ma-te-ri-al-noe obes-pe-che-nie army. Student of the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696, in the second of them com-man-do-val es-kad-roy ha-ler. Ru-ko-vo-dil Oru-zhey-noy, Zo-lo-toy and Ser-reb-rya-noy pa-la-ta-mi (since 1697) and Yamsky pri-ka-zom (since 1698 of the year). In the rank of na-me-st-ni-ka Sibir-sko-go co-sto-yal the second “ve-li-kim in scrap” in “Ve-li-com in salt-st -ve "of 1697-1698, fak-ti-che-ski obes-pe-chi-vaya all the practical work of the mission: diplomatic and fi-nan-co-vuyu support, hiring specialists, buying sleep, etc.; one of the first changed the Russian national clothes to the European costume. Upon returning from abroad, he became one of the closest associates of Tsar Peter I. In 1698-1706, for-ve- do-shaft by the Vo-in-sky maritime order (the central body of the naval administration), active-but teaching-st-in-shaft in the creation of the Russian re-gulyar-noy army, as well as the fleet on the Azov and Baltic seas. In addition to that, in the under-chi-not-nii of Golovin, on-ho-di-lis Mo-no-ny yard, and since 1701 - School-la ma-te-ma-ti-che-sky and on-vi-gats-kih na-uk in Mo-sk-ve. He stood at the sources of the first Russian printed newspaper Ve-do-mo-sti (1702).

Golovin in-mo-gal to Peter I in the op-re-de-le-nii of the external non-political course of Russia, heading the Po-sol-sky order ( 1699-1700; together with the Ma-lo-Russian-siy-sky pri-ka-z, the pri-ka-z of the principality of Smolensk and four), but after his re-or-ga-ni-za-tsii - In the salt-kan-tse-la-riyu (1700-1706). The ability to increase the number of one hundred Russian representations abroad. He was a side-ron-no-one of the for-mi-ro-va-nia of the an-ti-Swedish coal-li-tion, led, together with Peter I, secret pe- re-go-in-ry with Sak-so-ni-she and Da-ni-she (1699), co-de-st-in-shaft for-key-che-ny Kon-stan-ti-no-pol -th world-ra of 1700 with the Os-man-sky im-pe-ri-her. In the course of the Northern War of 1700-1721, he took part in the sieges of Nar-va (1700) and Ni-en-shan-ts (1703). He played an important role in concluding the do-go-vo-ra between Peter I and Av-gu-st II (1701; Stock exchange in Courland ). In June 1703, he signed a Russian-Lithuanian letter, and in August 1704, a Russian-Polish document about the fight against Sweden. He led a re-go-in-ry about an alliance with the Prussian-si-her, someone did not complete it in connection with an out-of-the-end end-chi-noy.

The author of the scientific trak-ta-ta “Glo-bus is not-devil”, from dan-no-go in Am-ster-da-me (1715).

Po-ho-ro-nen 22.2 (5.3.) 1707 in the Us-pen-sky so-bo-re of the Si-mo-no-va monastery in Mo-sk-ve.

The first ka-va-ler or-de-on of St. An-d-rei First-in-the-rank-no-go (1699).

Fedor Alekseevich Golovin. Painter Peter Schenck, copper engraving 1706

The era of Peter I is remarkable for the transformations of a grandiose scale that affected almost all branches of the state and public life of the Russian state - from the construction of warships and casting cannons to shaving beards and using tobacco. The young king possessed not only vigorous energy and great capacity for work, but also demanded this from others. Throughout his reign, Peter was surrounded by the same outstanding associates. Many of them were active participants in the children's and youthful amusements of the future ruler, others became his associates later. Of course, the figure of the tsar's favorite, Alexander Menshikov, with his size and significance, overshadowed many young daredevils, in equally masterfully owning swords and goblets. Fearless brave men and revelers, Peter's companions at reckless feasts and comrades-in-arms on the merciless fields of numerous battles. The sovereign was young and impetuous, like his entourage.

Fedor Alekseevich Golovin, by the time Peter Alekseevich began his sole reign, was already a significant figure, although he did not belong to his “youth club”. In another place and at another time, the most accurate definition for Golovin would be "senior comrade." The role of the first Russian field marshal and the first holder of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called in Russia is difficult to overestimate.

early years

By the beginning of the reign of Peter I, Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin was already a mature, experienced man who had seen a lot. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but with a high degree of probability it is about 1650, the very dawn of the far from quiet reign of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quietest. He came from the ancient and noble family of Khovrin-Golovin, whose origins date back to the small Orthodox Crimean principality of Theodore or Crimean Gothia. This state formation was located in the south-west of Crimea from the 13th to the 15th centuries and ceased to exist after the death of the Byzantine Empire.

The Russian chronicles mention Stepan Vasilyevich Khovra and his son Grigory, who left the peninsula at the end of the 14th century and arrived in Moscow, where they were worthily received by Prince Dmitry Donskoy and his son Vasily. The new arrivals, who were distantly related to the imperial dynasty of Komnenos, were granted a courtyard in the Kremlin, and soon the Khovrins became a significant boyar family - it was the representatives of this family who were the hereditary treasurers of the Moscow principality. In addition, the Khovrins are the founders of the Simonov Monastery. In the 16th century, the family split into two branches: the Tretyakovs and the Golovins. One of the great-grandchildren of the Greek-Crimean family, Ivan Vasilyevich Khovrin, was respectfully called the Head for his outstanding mental abilities. Since then, his descendants have already become Golovins. In 1565, under Ivan IV, the Golovin family, like many other boyar families, fell into disgrace and disgrace. Subsequently, the situation improved, but until the reign of Peter I, the family did not have its former influence on state affairs.

The father of the future first Russian field marshal was Alexei Petrovich Golovin, who occupied important, but not key positions during his service. Of the significant milestones in his career, it is worth mentioning the management of the Yamsky order, the governorship in Astrakhan in 1682–1683, as well as the service as governor in Tobolsk, it was under him that the first delimitation of Siberia took place. Alexei Petrovich was a serviceable servant who enjoyed the location of the king, which allowed his son to be near the throne. The Golovin family owned one of the largest land holdings in Russia and had sufficient financial resources.

The son of Alexei Petrovich, Fedor Alekseevich Golovin, received a very good education for those times and was familiar with the works of ancient authors. Like many young representatives of noble boyar families, with early years he was at court, where, by virtue of his abilities, he managed to attract attention. According to some reports, it was he, along with Naryshkin and Prozorovsky, who was instructed by the dying Alexei Mikhailovich to protect the young Tsarevich Peter, like the apple of his eye. But then Fedor Golovin was not yet thirty years old.

The reign of the heir to Tsar Feodor III was rather short. The new ruler was well educated, had an impressive library of more than two hundred volumes for those times, and was known as a connoisseur of the arts and sciences. Fedor III hatched extensive reformist plans, seeking to streamline and make the entire state apparatus work effectively, to put the army and finances in order. He treated his younger brother by father, Tsarevich Peter, very well, who, unlike other male children of Alexei Mikhailovich, had excellent health and a lively temperament. There is an assumption that it was Tsar Fedor who instilled in the future emperor a love and interest in military affairs, teaching him to shoot from a bow and giving him a toy and ammunition.

However, all these undoubted advantages were blocked by the extremely poor health and sickness of the ruler. The transformations he started were never completed - on April 27, 1682, Fedor III Alekseevich died childless, without leaving a will of succession to the throne. A state crisis began - the powerful boyar clans of the Miloslavskys and Naryshkins, relatives of various wives of Alexei Mikhailovich, who promoted various applicants, entered the struggle for the throne. Since the eldest of the living sons, Tsarevich Ivan, suffered not only physical, but also mental disabilities, the Boyar Duma and representatives of the church decided to finally decide in favor of the younger, but healthy Peter. However, the political weight of the well-born Miloslavskys significantly surpassed their competitors, the less noble Naryshkins. In this situation, the leaders of the Miloslavskys decided to push back the competitors, using the troops of the archers as a striking force for this. By the second half of the 17th century, these once elite units performed more police work than military function losing its former importance. The general financial crisis of the state and the abuse of power by the commanders led to a large arrears in paying salaries to the archers, which the Miloslavskys immediately took advantage of.

On May 15, 1682, the ripening discontent, flavored with systematic agitation, brought its explosive fruits - the archers rebelled. The emissaries of the Miloslavskys skillfully directed all the energy of their speech against the competitors of the Naryshkins, starting a rumor that they, they say, had strangled Tsarevich Ivan Alekseevich. Streltsy quickly occupied the Kremlin, crushing the guards. In vain did Tsarina Maria Kirillovna come out before the raging crowd with Tsarevich Ivan and Peter, alive and unharmed. The blood had already been spilled, and the depth of its flow only increased. The reprisals against the Naryshkin clan began. The life of the young Peter was under serious threat, since it was he who was their protégé. In the current crisis situation Fyodor Golovin recommended that the tsarevich and his inner circle take refuge in the Trinity Monastery. The Streltsy rebellion and the unrest that accompanied it had some influence on state affairs: at the end of June, at the insistence of the rebels, two princes, Ivan and Peter, were anointed to the kingdom at the same time. By the autumn of the same year, the protest moods were gradually reduced to nothing. The Mstislavskys managed to achieve some of their goals, the Naryshkins were neutralized, the intelligent and powerful princess Sofya Alekseevna was now the regent for both princes. Her reign lasted nearly seven years.

On the eastern borders

Despite the unrest and rebellion in the capital, the need to conduct state affairs, both internal and external, has not gone away. In 1684, Fyodor Golovin was sent as governor to Bryansk. He developed a difficult relationship with Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, Sophia's favorite, a man who felt himself near the throne as in his own chambers. Tsarevich Ivan was not distinguished by sufficient mental abilities, and Peter was still too young. Most of the time, Peter Alekseevich spent with his mother and faithful associates in the village of Preobrazhensky, since there were serious reasons to fear the Miloslavskys, all-powerful at that time. Vasily Golitsyn was dissatisfied with the intense contacts of the intelligent Fyodor Golovin, who was respected by the court and foreign ambassadors, with Peter, for whom the tsarevich had obvious sympathy.

Soon there was a weighty pretext to remove the person who was inconvenient for the favorite away. Golovin, who had already risen from stolnik to okolniki, was instructed to conclude an agreement with China. On January 26, 1686, the embassy, ​​headed by Golovin, together with the Nerchinsk governor Ivan Vlasov and the deacon Semyon Kornitsky accompanying him, left Moscow on fifty carts and headed for Tobolsk. As an armed escort, he was given five hundred archers, and in Siberia another 1,400 soldiers of the local garrison troops joined. On March 24, the embassy arrived in Tobolsk and then went by water, up to Rybny Ostrog. The way to the East was long and difficult - having reached this place, the embassy had to linger, having spent the winter of 1686-1687. in dugouts and huts built right there. From Rybny Ostrog along the Tunguska River, Golovin continued on his way to Bratsk Ostrog. In the summer of 1687, the embassy reached Irkutsk on carts.

Having reached Selenginsk in the autumn of the same year, the embassy sent envoys to the Chinese border authorities with a proposal for a meeting. Russian-Chinese relations then were very difficult. Russia has been active foreign policy constantly in need of funds. One of the most profitable trades of that time was the fur trade, which was mined in large quantities in Siberia. Fur hunters moved further and further east, towards the Pacific coast. The Russians actively developed the Amur region, where they discovered territories well adapted for agriculture. In the middle of the 17th century, Russia's interests began to intersect with the needs of Qin China, which had its own plans for the Amur region, imposing tribute on the local population and having a good income from this. The contradiction consisted in the fact that the detachments of the Cossacks began to lay yasak around the local tribes of the Daurs, and the Chinese authorities did not like this at all.

The Russian-Chinese confrontation in the Amur region resulted in a series of military conflicts and clashes, in the center of which at the end of the 17th century the fortified village of Albazin began to flicker more and more often. By the time Golovin appeared with his embassy mission in the region, another border aggravation was taking place. In the context of very problematic relations with the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, the Russian government did not want to spend resources on a peripheral conflict in a remote region, which, moreover, was one of the sources of replenishment of the treasury.

While the Chinese authorities were thinking about the further scenario of their actions and whether to notify the highest authorities about the initiative of the opposing side, Fedor Golovin wasted no time. His initial diplomatic mission flowed into a formal military expedition, as the local tribes made their presence known in a less than hospitable way. China at that time was going through the hard times of the Manchu conquest, and yet, although the war itself did not stop, the new Manchu rulers continued to keep the situation on the Amur under control. To strengthen the border territories, in anticipation of a reaction to his letters, Golovin built a small fortress called Udinsk. In January and February 1688, he had to defend Selenginsk with limited forces from the Mongol army allied with the Qing authorities. The steadfastness of the garrison, to which reinforcements moved from other fortresses, and the limited number of firearms of the attackers forced the Mongols to lift the siege and leave with nothing.

The Chinese side did not signal its desire to negotiate, and Golovin almost whole year spent more in combat operations than in diplomatic negotiations. He persuaded some local princelings to Russian citizenship, fought with others by armed force. He fought off raids and responded to them with sorties. Fyodor Golovin's colleague in all this activity was none other than the former hetman Demyan Mnogohrishny, who is in exile in these places.

In early June 1688, the Chinese authorities finally deigned to notify Golovin that they agreed to negotiate and chose Selenginsk for this purpose. However, by this time, a special messenger arrived from Moscow, Ivan Loginov, clerk of the Ambassadorial Order, with new instructions, according to which the village of Albazin should become the meeting place with the Chinese. Having received such proposals from the Russian side, the representatives of the Celestial Empire became stubborn, complained about the crisis situation of the Albazin fortress, held by the Russians after a long siege, and announced their desire to postpone the negotiations until next summer.

In January 1689, Golovin sent Loginov to Beijing with new proposals and, at the same time, to rush the obviously in no hurry Chinese. In the capital, the Russian envoy was deigned to be informed that the place of negotiations would be considered not Albazin or Selenginsk, but the city of Nerchinsk. It was especially emphasized that the ambassadors would be accompanied by a small detachment of a thousand soldiers. The Russian side was asked not to take care of provisions, since the emperor Kan-Khi graciously takes care of the food of the high contracting parties. No sooner had Loginov returned from Beijing than Golovin received information that a Chinese delegation was near Nerchinsk. The ambassadors were accompanied by a “modest” retinue, which was estimated at no less than 15 thousand foot and horse soldiers. An additional comfortable atmosphere for the Chinese negotiators was to be provided by the 50 guns attached to this army. Two Spanish Jesuits arrived along with the Chinese as interpreters.

Negotiations from the very beginning were not easy - to all the requests of the Russian side to withdraw the numerous "retinue" from Nerchinsk, the Chinese answered with uncomprehending smiles. The appetites of the representatives of Beijing were striking in their scope: they asked to cede to them all the Amur region and territories up to Lake Baikal. Golovin insisted that the border between the two states should run along the Amur. To give their arguments more weight, the Chinese army surrounded Nerchinsk from all sides. The tribes living in the vicinity of the city, which formally consisted of Russian citizenship, began to refuse it and in every possible way showed loyalty to the Chinese. For the defense of Nerchinsk, Golovin had no more than 2 thousand soldiers, so some other ways were needed to convey his point of view.

The weak link of the Chinese contracting party turned out to be the natives of distant Spain. Confidential conversations were held with them, flavored with gifts and offerings. Inspired by the attention paid to their modest persons, the Jesuits gratefully conveyed to Golovin everything that was said in the Chinese camp. The negotiations were very difficult, and the guns aimed at Nerchinsk did not contribute to reaching a compromise. Nevertheless, Golovin managed to significantly soften the demands of the representatives of the Celestial Empire, who felt very confident, arguing that Russian army can come here not earlier than in two years, and their army is already here.

The whole of August 1689 passed in grueling diplomatic battles, until it finally ended with the signing of the Nerchinsk Treaty on August 27. According to him, the border between Russia and China ran along the Argun River and further along the Stanovoy Range to the banks Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The Russian kingdom gave away the Albazin fortress, thereby losing the already mastered Amur region. Separate articles allowed trade between subjects of the two countries, and stipulated a ban on the reception of defectors. After exchanging copies of the document, Golovin and the Chinese Ambassador Songgotu said goodbye to each other, and the delegation of the Celestial Empire, together with its many thousands of "retinue" went home. Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin returned home only in January 1691, taking care of strengthening Nerchinsk and settling all local affairs. His Far Eastern mission lasted almost five years.

Into a new era

During the absence of Fyodor Golovin, significant changes took place in the Russian kingdom. In 1689, Peter turned 17 years old, and by the standards of that time he was already considered an adult. The confrontation between Preobrazhensky, where Peter and his entourage were stationed, along with the amusing army that was gaining strength, and the Kremlin, where Sophia continued to command, grew. Ivan abstracted from any state affairs and did not actually participate in politics. The power of the regent gradually weakened, more and more supporters concentrated around the youngest of the royal brothers. The crisis ended in the fall of 1689, when Sophia, who remained almost alone, was removed from business and sent to a monastery. Now no one prevented Ivan and Peter from governing the state, but in fact all the power was concentrated in the latter.

Arriving from Siberia, Golovin was elevated to the boyar rank, and was simultaneously appointed as the Siberian governor. He was blamed for the concession to the Chinese of Albazin, but this did not spoil their relationship with Peter. The tsar listened for a long time to the stories of the boyar about Siberia, its wealth and strategic importance for Russia. This strengthens the determination of Peter in the need for its further development. Of the tsar's friends, Golovin became closest to Lefort, approving of Peter's numerous innovations. It is believed that he was the first of the boyars to shave off the traditional beard and ceased to wear it henceforth. However, changes in the Russian state were brewing not only in the subtleties of appearance.

The new sovereign was fascinated by the acquisition of the country's outlets to the seas, which were reliably guarded by the Ottoman Empire in the south and Sweden in the north. The first military campaign of Peter was the Azov campaign in order to recapture the fortress of the same name from the Turks. The first expedition, which had serious shortcomings in preparation and organization, deprived of the support of a fleet that had not yet been built, ended in failure. Storm supported by the Ottoman military maritime forces Azov could not be taken. But Peter, who showed that he knew how to take a hit, began to prepare a new campaign with great zeal and his inherent energy.

By special decree, Golovin was the first in the history of the Russian army to be appointed commissar general, whose functions included supply, clothing and monetary allowances for the troops. In February 1696, Tsar Peter arrived in Voronezh to organize the construction of a fleet there. A galley bought in 1694 was chosen as a model for the construction. From Holland, it was delivered to Arkhangelsk in disassembled form on merchant ships. Then transported different ways through Vologda and Moscow to the shipyard in Preobrazhenskoye. The ships built there were transported to Voronezh and there they were already completed afloat. The scale of the preparations was impressive - Peter planned to strike at the Turks for sure. Golovin had to work hard to ensure construction works and the army formed for the campaign. By the way, he himself took part in the second Azov campaign, commanding the vanguard of the galleys. The general leadership of the naval forces of the expedition was entrusted to Lefort, who was awarded the rank of admiral.

Azov fleet

In May, the Azov Fleet left Voronezh. With his arrival in mid-June, under the walls of the Turkish fortress, Azov was completely blocked both from land and from the sea. The Russian fleet entered the Sea of ​​Azov in order to prevent the delivery of reinforcements and supplies by the enemy. The approaching Turkish flotilla did not dare to join the battle. Golovin himself was at the head of a detachment of galleys, searching for the enemy and ensuring the blockade of the fortress. The situation for the garrison of Azov, continuously fired upon by siege artillery, gradually deteriorated. The attempt of the Crimean Tatars, whose army was on the distant approaches to Azov, to attack the Russian camp was unsuccessful.

The position of the besieged became hopeless, and the Turks began negotiations for surrender. The conditions for the Turks were quite acceptable: the garrison left the fortress with weapons, and the population with property. The Turkish side undertook to extradite the defectors. On July 19, Azov surrendered. Among other things, 92 guns and 4 mortars were taken as trophies. Leaving a strong garrison in the fortress, Peter returned to the capital. On September 30, a solemn entry of the winners into Moscow took place. Fyodor Golovin participated in the procession, being in a carriage drawn by six horses. For participation in the campaign and activities to ensure it, he was awarded a gold medal, a goblet, a brocade caftan on sables. He was also granted the village of Molodovskoe Settlement with 57 households.

Despite the underlined splendor of the ceremony of the first victory of the young sovereign, Peter himself had no illusions on this score. Ottoman Empire It was a painful but not fatal blow. The Azov victory was a local, tactical victory and did not completely solve the problem of Russia's access to the sea. The further implementation of strategic plans required the Russian state to create a military navy and the army - and no longer amusing. On October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma, in addition to the issue of settling Azov, decided "to have sea vessels."

For the rapid development of shipbuilding in Russia, not only impressive resources were needed, but also qualified personnel, knowledge, and technology. All this could be found, according to Peter and his entourage, in Europe. In the spring of 1697, the Grand Embassy went there, formally headed by Admiral General Lefort. The second person in this enterprise was the commissar general and the Siberian governor Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin. Peter himself rode incognito, under the name of the constable of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Peter Mikhailov. The embassy was primarily entrusted with a large-scale diplomatic mission to seek support in the war against the Ottoman Empire and to probe the soil in order to find allies in a promising war with the Kingdom of Sweden. For the recruitment of the necessary specialists and various purchases, the embassy had impressive financial resources.

The Grand Embassy had to pass whole line states. Through Swedish Estland and Livonia, where the Russians were met rather coldly, it reached Prussia and, having visited Berlin, in August 1697 arrived in Amsterdam. Here police officer Pyotr Mikhailov and the persons accompanying him stayed for several months. Holland at that time, along with England, was one of the world's shipbuilding centers and concentration advanced technologies. Tsar Peter, whose identity had long been an open secret, visited factories and shipyards, studying shipbuilding and other sciences.

Entrance of the Russian embassy to Amsterdam. Engraving after a drawing by Ysac de Moucheron

At the beginning of 1698, at the invitation of the English king William III, who was also the ruler of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, the king, together with a small retinue, visited England. The Russian delegation, which included Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin, stayed there for about three months. Most of the time the king spent in London, where he paid great attention to visiting the royal shipyard in Deptford. Fyodor Golovin, meanwhile, worked on a diplomatic line: he met with Lord Carmarthen, concluding, through his mediation, an agreement on the free import of tobacco into Russia. Lord Carmarthen, being a great expert on navigation, recommended that the king hire a number of valuable specialists - engineer John Perry and mathematician Fergeson.

Having said goodbye to King William III, Peter and his companions returned to Holland on the yacht donated by him. The negotiations there, however, came to nothing. The Dutch did not want to get involved in a war with Turkey and limited themselves to standard courtesy: Russian ambassadors were presented with gold chains with the coat of arms of Holland, and the chain donated to Golovin weighed eight pounds. Fed up with the hospitality of the United Provinces, the embassy went to try his luck in Vienna, since the Habsburgs were old and consistent enemies of the Ottoman Empire. In the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, they were greeted kindly by Emperor Leopold I. Fyodor Golovin had long conversations with him on international themes and managed to win the favor of the monarch. Peter was also going to visit Italy, but alarming news came from Russia about another streltsy revolt, and, having dined at parting with Leopold, Peter hastily went to his homeland, taking with him the closest people: Lefort, Menshikov and Golovin.

More will be demanded

During his stay in Europe, Peter's disposition towards Fedor Golovin increased even more. By order of the king, a silver medal was embossed in his honor with the profile of a dignitary on one side and with the family coat of arms on the other. On March 8, 1699, the highest Russian order of St. Andrew the First-Called was established, and Fyodor Golovin became its first cavalier. After Lefort's death on April 21, 1699, Golovin was elevated to the rank of Admiral General. With new honors, the workload also grew: in 1700, in addition to existing duties (near boyar, admiral general, head of the Armory and viceroy of the Siberian), the post of President of Embassy Affairs, head of the Mint and Little Russian, Smolensk, Novgorod and several other orders was added . During the leadership of the Mint, Golovin increased the minting of silver coins - silver deposits were discovered by him in the Nerchinsk region.

With the outbreak of the Northern War, Golovin was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and appointed to command a newly recruited 45,000-strong army intended for operations against Narva. During the siege, Peter, having received information about the approach of the army Charles XII, decided to reinforce the troops besieging the city with reinforcements formed in Novgorod, and headed there, taking Golovin with him. The command of the army was entrusted to the Duke de Croix, who had good recommendations from the Holy Roman Emperor. In January 1701, after the defeat at Narva, Golovin managed to conclude in Moscow an agreement beneficial for Russia with Denmark on assistance in the war with Sweden. At the end of February of the same year, a similar agreement was signed by the King of Poland, Augustus II the Strong. In 1702, Golovin accompanied Peter I on his trip to Arkhangelsk, watched the delivery of troops and cannons along the sovereign road, which took part in the siege of Noteburg (Oreshek fortress), participated in the siege of Shlisselburg.

The first of the Russian dignitaries, Golovin was elevated to the title of count by decree of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1703, on May 10, as the chief cavalier, he conferred the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on Peter I, who was then in the rank of a bombardier captain and on Lieutenant Menshikov, who showed courage in battle when capturing the Swedish ships of the boat "Gedan" and shnyava "Astrild" at the mouth of the Neva. Golovin was also in charge of the famous Navigation School, a forge of personnel for navy Russia. In 1704, Golovin signed a new agreement with the Polish side, promising Russia's support in the fight against the Swedish protege, elected king, Stanislav Leshchinsky. Peter pledged to put up about 12 thousand infantry and artillery to expel the Swedes from Poland.

In June 1706, Peter I went to Kyiv and ordered Fyodor Golovin to follow there to hold important meetings. Field Marshal General, who at that moment was engaged in the conclusion of an important agreement between Russia and Prussia, set off. However, he fell ill on the road and died on July 30, 1706 in Glukhov. Only after 7 months his remains were delivered to the family tomb in the Simonov Monastery. Throughout his life, the sovereign highly valued his comrade-in-arms, calling him a friend. Golovin did a lot to turn the Russian state into the Russian Empire, laying the foundations of strength in many of its institutions.

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First Cavalier of the First Russian Order (F.A. Golovin)

Among the associates of Peter I, a special place belongs to Fedor Alekseevich Golovin.

Fedor Alekseevich Golovin

As a senior comrade, mentor, he tried to save the young tsar from the blows of fate and help in the creation of a new Russia. According to legend, Stepan Vasilievich Khovra, who came from the Crimean Greeks, in 1393. left with his son Grigory to the court of the Grand Duke of Moscow. The grandson of Gregory, nicknamed the Head, was the ancestor of the Golovins. The son of the Head became the court treasurer, and his descendants held this post in the 15th and 16th centuries almost hereditarily. From the Golovins came 6 boyars and 8 roundabouts. Father F.A. Golovin, being the governor of Tobolsk, fortified the city with an earthen rampart and made the first delimitation of Siberia.

city ​​of Tobolsk

To his son, who was born in 1650, the governor gave a good education. Obviously, only an educated person could have influence on Tsar Peter, who always aspired to knowledge and surrounded himself with literate people.

Like other noble nobles, F.A. Golovin began service at the court of Alexei Mikhailovich. During the reign of Sophia, a 35-year-old steward, noticed by V.V. Golitsyn, was granted a chivalry and appointed as a great and plenipotentiary ambassador (with the title of Bryansk governor) to conclude an agreement with China.
On January 26, 1686, the embassy set out from the capital; twenty-one months later it reached Selenginsk. On November 19, 1687, Golovin sent an inquiry to the Chinese authorities about the proposed meeting place for the diplomats. The military detachment accompanying the ambassador built the Udinsk fortress, and in January - February 1688. withstood the attacks of the Mongol princes on Seleginsk. Golovin defeated the Mongols and brought some of the taishas into Russian citizenship. However, these hostilities delayed the preparations for negotiations. Only in the summer of 1689 did the ambassadors meet in Nerchinsk, where they signed the first Russian-Chinese treaty.

The border of Russia with the Far Eastern neighbor ran along the Gorbitsa River, the Stanovoy Range, the Argun River; Albazin - an outpost of Russian colonization in the southeast - was subject to demolition.

These conditions can hardly be called favorable for Russia. But Golovin's fault is apparently not there. Firstly, contrary to the preliminary agreement, Nerchinsk was surrounded during the negotiations by the Manchurian army, which outnumbered the small forces of the ambassador's detachment. Secondly, Golovin was bound by the order of the government of Sophia to cede Albazin in the name of signing the treaty.

January 10, 1690 Golovin returned to Moscow and introduced himself to Tsars Ivan and Peter. For the work of the ambassador, he was promoted to boyar and appointed governor of Siberia. Peter I, who gained power after the removal of Sophia, listened with great interest to Golovin's stories about Siberia, about military operations against the Manchus and Mongols. From that time on, the boyar, who was appointed commissar general, became a member of Peter's company. Fedor Alekseevich was friends with F. Lefort; he was the first of the boyars to shave off his beard, which strengthened the tsar's confidence in himself.
In the summer of 1696 Golovin takes part in the second Azov campaign. Commanding the vanguard of the galleys, he searched for enemy ships at sea, and did not let the Turks into the fortress.

assault on Azov

After the capture of Azov and the solemn entry of the victorious troops into Moscow, Golovin was awarded a gold medal, a goblet, a brocade caftan on sables and 57 courtyards in the Kromsky district.
In 1697, Fedor Alekseevich became the head of the Armory, and then one of the main participants in the Great Embassy. The second ambassador (the first was F. Lefort), the Siberian governor and commissar general Golovin, carried out the main diplomatic work. At the same time, he was also engaged in maritime affairs - he hired sailors and shipwrights, purchased equipment and supplies necessary for the fleet. Golovin managed to recruit an experienced sailor Cornelius Kruys. Fyodor Alekseevich wrote to the tsar that "without such a person, our fleet will not be in good condition." Vice Admiral K. Kruys and Schautbenacht (Rear Admiral) von Res (Reiss), other specialists hired at that time became instructors for future naval commanders.

Golovin managed the finances of the embassy, ​​assigned young stewards to study. Summoned by the tsar from Amsterdam to London, he signs a profitable agreement with Lord Carmarthen on the supply of tobacco to Russia. The advance received for the tobacco monopoly granted to the British made it possible to pay off debts and pay for the cost of purchasing equipment. F. Golovin, as senior assistant and adviser to the tsar on the diplomatic side, persistently urges him to complete the program of his stay in England and urgently go to Vienna, from where alarming rumors about the collapse of the anti-Turkish coalition came. The ambassador visited the Hague with the king; the trip to Venice did not take place, because the news of the Streltsy revolt came and Peter I with his closest people (Lefort, Golovin and Menshikov) urgently returned to Russia.
Peter's attachment to Fedor Alekseevich increased, as evidenced by the numerous awards of the boyar. The tsar ordered to knock out a medal, on one side of which a portrait of Golovin was minted, on the other - a family coat of arms with the inscription "Et consilio et robore" ("Both advice and courage"). March 1699. Peter established the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Golovin became his first gentleman.

The range of duties of the royal entourage also expanded. Unknown to most Russians, the navy was a thing. Previously, if necessary, only fleets of light ships were created for the campaign, and at the end of the campaign, the entire armada dispersed. Accordingly, there was no profession of a sailor (excluding helmsmen-pomors). Peter had to choose the highest commanders from among his close associates. Amusing flotilla on Lake Pereyaslav in 1692 was headed by Prince Yu.F. Romananovskiy. On the voyage 1694 on the White Sea, he, as the first Russian admiral, raised the flag on the frigate "St. Prophecy". Vice Admiral in this voyage was I.I. Buturlin, Shautbenacht P.I. Gordon.

Starting the hasty construction of ships for the second Azov campaign, Peter could not help wondering who would lead them. He himself, passing stage after stage of military service, was still very far from the admiral's rank. The tsar considered Franz Lefort the most suitable candidate for naval commanders. The Swiss officer became the first Russian Admiral General to command the nascent Azov Fleet. After the death of Lefort, Peter promoted F.A. Golovin (April 1699)

Franz Yakovlevich Lefort

Golovin was one of the few who knew about the tsar's intention to fight Sweden and seize Narva. To start a war in the north, it was necessary to neutralize the threat from the south - from Turkey. In the summer of 1699, the clerk of the Ambassadorial order E.I. Ukrainians received an order to go as an ambassador to Constantinople. To do this, he was provided with a linear 46-gun ship "Fortress"; the entire fleet was supposed to accompany the embassy ship to Kerch. The tsar appointed Admiral Golovin to command the squadron ("naval military caravan"), but in fact the fleet was controlled by Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys. Many Russian soldiers and officers in this campaign began to master a new business. Peter himself was on the squadron with his entourage. The squadron set out from Taganrog on August 14 and reached the Kerch Strait on the morning of August 18.

On the very first day, Golovin exchanged greetings with Turkish Admiral Gasan Pasha and visited the ships of his squadron. The Turks tried to dissuade the ambassador from intending to go to Constantinople by sea, which they had long considered their lake. But Ukrainians was firm, following the instructions prepared by Golovin and the tsar. August 28 "Fortress" entered the Black Sea. The Azov fleet set off on the return journey earlier and safely reached Taganrog, having completed the task. The unexpected appearance of a formidable squadron near Kerch and the salute of the embassy ship near the walls of the Sultan's palace demonstrated that Russia was capable of creating a fleet in a short time that was not inferior in number to the Turkish one. The demonstration of force had an effect: Turkey signed a peace treaty, according to which Azov and its environs ceded to Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia was preparing to fight for the Baltic. In October 1699, participating in negotiations with the Swedish embassy seeking confirmation of the Cardis peace, Golovin justified the tsar's refusal to kiss the cross, which was important before the start of the war to revise the borders established by the treaty. Leaving for Golovin the title of a close boyar, admiral and governor of Siberia, Peter I appointed him in 1700 President of Embassy Affairs and head of several orders - Ambassadorial, Military Naval Affairs, Yamsky and the Armory (which merged with the Chambers of Gold, Silver Affairs and the Barrel Order ).
In connection with the preparations for the war, Golovin also headed the commission for the recruitment and training (which took place in the village of Preobrazhensky) of the regular army. By the spring of 1700, 27 infantry and 2 dragoon regiments had already been assembled and trained. When a message was received in Moscow about peace with Turkey, the trained troops set in motion. On August 19, Peter I made Golovin the first field marshal general and put him at the head of the 45,000-strong army that marched to Narva. The siege of the fortress dragged on. But Golovin did not have to experience the humiliation of defeat: on November 19, the tsar left the location of the troops, leaving the Duke de Croa in command, and took Golovin with him.
On January 12, 1701, Golovin signed a treaty of alliance with the Danish envoy Gaines; in February and March, he participated in Peter's negotiations with Augustus II on a plan for joint military operations. With the founding of a school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow, the tsar appointed Golovin also its head.
In the summer of 1702, the northern squadron, led by the admiral, made a trip from Arkhangelsk to the Solovetsky Islands, and then to the village of Nyukhche, from where the Sovereign's Road began. Along this road, the troops dragged 2 ships to Lake Onega, which were used in the capture of the Noteburg fortress.

"Royal Road"

Golovin, as a participant in this battle, was elevated to the dignity of a count (he became a count of the Roman Empire).

When the Baltic Fleet was founded, the admiral's duty was to "look at him like a supreme ruler." Golovin's correspondence has been preserved, from which it follows that the admiral general followed the construction of ships at Syasi and the Olonets shipyard. On May 3, 1704, he proudly informed the tsar that "already this year, in a short time, the fleet, consisting of 20 ships and frigates, is combined with 7 great galleys and 10 brigantines (of which 50 people and 5 cannons are acquired on each), in the Baltic Sea it can take out, from which the fleet already has several ships near the island of Rycherta (Kotlin), 6 miles from Petersburg, and the rest will briefly follow there, in which the island on the very passage and the ship's course is a fortress with many guns, in the sea itself, how cold it was in winter, it was built of wood and stone, and it is built, and it is already armed with cannons, and now enemy ships cannot approach here from so many miles.

At the end of June 1706, Peter left for Kyiv and ordered Golovin, who was negotiating with Prussia, to come to him. The admiral went to Kyiv, but on the way he fell ill and died in Glukhov. Probably, his body could not withstand the ever-increasing stress.
Obviously, the summer heat and military efforts did not allow the admiral-general to be buried with dignity and solemnity: only in winter his body was delivered to Moscow. On February 5, 1707, the tsar informed F.M. Apraksin, appointed successor to the deceased: "It is written about the burial of the Admiral, and that his body worthy of his rank should be buried with cannon fire every minute and in other things, without waiting for us."
On the occasion of the admiral's death, a "mournful" ceremony took place in the Navy. F.A. was buried. Golovin on February 22, 1707. He rested in the Smolny Monastery, where the family burial vault of Counts Golovins was. The inscription on the monument read: "Summers from the creation of the world 7214, and from R.Kh. 1706, July 30 days ... His Highly Graphic Excellency Fedor Alekseevich Golovin, Count of the Roman State, Imperial Majesty the State Grand Chancellor and embassy affairs supreme President, close boyar, Admiral of the Navy, Viceroy of the Siberian and Cavalier of ranks: St. Apostle Andrew, Belago Orel ... and so on. " Golovin's grave has not been preserved: the cemetery at the monastery was destroyed during the construction of the ZIL Palace of Culture.
The Admiral General left a daughter (the second died before him) and three sons. Ivan was a steward and an engineer. Alexander - captain-lieutenant of the fleet; they died before reaching old age. The longest and most remarkable life of Count Nikolai Fedorovich (1695-1745), who, like his father, occupied the highest post in the Navy: he became president of the Admiralty College.
F. Golovin did not happen to be seen in the brilliance of victories new Russia. But today we should remember one of those to whom Russia owes the first state successes of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Bust of F.A. Golovin at St. Andrew's Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Bust of F.A. Golovin

Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin lived at the junction of medieval and new history Russia. He did not stand out on the battlefields, in naval battles; his talents as an organizer and diplomat were largely overshadowed by the gigantic figure of the tsar himself, by the military victories of Russia, or hidden from the eyes of his contemporaries by professional secrets.

To a large extent, therefore, the biography of F.A. Golovin is less than other associates of Peter the Great, provided with research, published sources, testimonies of memoirists. For all that, F.A. Golovin was one of the most significant figures in the political Olympus of the country in the first half of Peter's reign. In 1714 - 1715. Brunswick-Luneburg resident F.Kh. Weber saw a portrait of F.A. Golovin with a Latin inscription: “Whoever fulfills his position with all his soul, with zeal and skill, is only capable of great and extraordinary deeds.” This statement of Cicero was the vital credo of the Admiral General, the actual head of the Posolsky and seven other Peter's orders.

Compiled in 1687 to record the genealogies of the most noble families, the Velvet Book and the genealogies themselves tell about the origin of the boyar and noble families of the Golovins, Gryazny, Tretyakov, Khovrins from the descendants of the “Prince of Gothia” Stefan Vasilyevich, who “left” together with his son Grigory to the court of the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy from his Crimean estates in Surozh (Sudak), Cafe (on the site of Feodosia), Balaklava and Mankup. According to family tradition, Stefan was a descendant of the Byzantine imperial family of Komnenos (distorted: Khovrins), although researchers consider this version legendary: Stefan's son Grigory received the nickname Khovra (clumsy, rotosey, untidy) already in Russia. In general, S.B. Veselovsky believed that only the Greek origin of Stephen was unconditional, and the historian questioned his princely title and the presence of such large estates.

The son of Gregory - Vladimir in the Yermolinsky chronicle is named as "a guest and boyar of the Grand Duke" Vasily the Dark, and in the Ustyug vault he is called the treasurer. He was one of the richest people Russia in the second half of the 15th century, had estates in the Moscow and Dmitrovsky districts. In 1449 - 1450. in Moscow, in his yard, he built a stone Church of the Exaltation of the Exaltation, “on Simonov he built a brick church of the Transfiguration ... and within the cathedral of Archangel Michael ... and a brick fence near the monastery ...”

Vladimir Grigorievich had five sons. The elder Ivan (d. 1509) became the ancestor of the Golovins. According to family tradition, he received the nickname Head, as if for being the godson and especially confidant of the Grand Duke Ivan III Vasilyevich. He was distinguished by energy and service zeal. In 1473, Ivan Golova, together with his father, oversaw the progress of work on the construction of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, and in 1485 he built brick chambers for his family near the Chudov Monastery. Ivan Golova had two sons: Ivan, nicknamed Skryaba, who died early, and Peter (d. 1524/1525), who was the first to be written in documents as Golovin. In 1512/1513 Peter became treasurer. Six of his sons were devious. One of them, Peter, was a confidant of the Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich and even attended the compilation of his spiritual. In 1519 he was mentioned as treasurer. The offspring of Peter Ivanovich gave six branches of the Golovins - Khovrins. From the representative of the younger branch, the grandson of the okolnichy Pyotr Petrovich (d. 1645), the count family of Golovins originates. According to A.M. Kurbsky in February 1565, at the very beginning of the oprichnina, a participant in the capture of Kazan in 1562 was executed. and then his brother Mikhail Petrovich. For their eternal remembrance, relatives made a great contribution to the Simonov Monastery.

Golovins - Khovrins became boyars at a time when it was extremely difficult for "new people" to penetrate this class. No less than wealth, this was facilitated by the efficiency, organizational and administrative abilities characteristic of the representatives of the genus. Concern for the preservation and increase of the sovereign's treasury becomes their family affair. In the XV - XVI centuries. The Golovins almost hereditarily held the position of treasurer. It required knowledge of finance, trading skills, so merchants and usurers were often appointed to it. Under Ivan III and Vasily II, the Golovins were involved in the execution of diplomatic missions. Educated people, they were aware of the socio-political problems of the then Russian society. This is clearly evidenced, in particular, by their correspondence with Joseph Volotsky. Through the daughters of Golovin - Khovrin, they were related to the most prominent Russian boyar and princely families of the Patrikeevs, Kholmskys, Pronskys, Obolenskys and even the grand ducal house.

The heavenly patron of the Golovin-Khovrin family was St. Alexei, Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1522, in the family estate, the village of Alekseevsky (Bolshaya Golovinshchina), in the Ryazan region, a temple was built in his honor, in which a part of the relics of the saint was kept. For three centuries, the Golovins-Khovrins maintained close ties with the settlement based on their lands at the end of the 14th century. Simonov Monastery: they made significant financial contributions, subsidized construction work, buried their relatives, and were tonsured monks. At the beginning of the XV century. they laid the foundation for stone monastery construction, which at that time was extremely expensive and exceptional in Moscow: “Grigory Khovra and his wife Agripina started the Simonov monastery, and they erected a large stone church and many cells. And they are commemorated in daily lithium lists and in eternal synodikes...”

The grandfather of our hero, the steward of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, Pyotr Petrovich, was sent to Siberia in 1638. There he subjugated the tribes of the Tungus and Yakuts and settled the yasak collection from them. In search of lands suitable for arable farming, the stolnik sent reconnaissance expeditions to study the area of ​​​​Lake Baikal, the basins of the Ilim, Indigirka, and Yanga rivers. P.P. Golovin returned to Moscow only in 1644. In 1652 he was granted a okolnichy and two years later he was appointed governor of Kashira. In 1654 P.P. Golovin was among the persons through whom Bogdan Khmelnitsky submitted a petition for the adoption of Little Russia into Russian citizenship.

Father - okolnichiy Alexei Petrovich - since 1677 he served in the Yamsky order and the Order of cash collections. In 1681 he was sent as governor to Astrakhan, then to Simbirsk (since 1684). As Tobolsk voivode (1686 - 1689) he organized the first delimitation of Siberian lands, fortified the city with an earthen rampart. One of the uncles of F.A. Golovina - Vasily Petrovich - during the voivodeship in Toropets and Belgorod, he took part in repelling the raids of the Crimeans. The other is the stolnik, boyar (since 1682) Mikhail Petrovich, according to the decision of the Duma, he commanded over Moscow during the Streltsy revolt of 1688.

About childhood and youth F.A. Golovin, extremely little news has been preserved. He was born in 1650 and received his early education in his father's house. The boy turned out to be extremely inquisitive, receptive to knowledge, which he constantly improved throughout his subsequent hectic life. His Russian written language was flawless. The young man was taught Latin by the translator of the Discharge Order, Andrei Belobotsky, a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology of Krakow University. Subsequently, F.A. Golovin read the Latin classics fluently and corresponded in this language. During his diplomatic career, F.A. Golovin independently studied Mongolian and English languages. D.N. Bantysh-Kamensky wrote that in 1676, on his deathbed, Alexei Mikhailovich bequeathed F.A. Golovin, G.I. Golovkin, K.P. Naryshkin, P.I. Prozorovsky to keep the young Tsarevich Peter as the apple of his eye. In 1681, the attorney F.A. Golovin was with his father in Astrakhan. Having proven himself well, he received the rank of steward.

Nomination F.A. Golovin's rise to the top of the career ladder began with his performance of an important diplomatic mission in the eastern outskirts of the country.

From the middle of the XVII century. Russian “hunting” people began to actively develop the lands of the Amur region (Dauria) in the basins of the Shilka, Argun, and Amur rivers. The native tribes of the Achans, Buryats, Daurs, Duchers, Nanais, Evenks were brought into obedience and paid annual yasak of 40-50 forty sables in the amount of 7-9 thousand rubles. In addition to furs, the Amur and its tributaries turned out to be rich in pearls, and the land is suitable for agriculture. The Russian administration promoted peasant colonization to create a food base for all of Eastern Siberia here. The stronghold of Russian influence in the East was built in 1654 on the site of a fortified Daurian town, Albazinsky prison. In connection with the indignation of the Mongol tribes, the town turned into the main gate of Russian trade with China. Realizing the economic and military-political significance of Dauria, the government in 1682 created an independent Albazin voivodeship.

The lack of military forces forced the Russian government to avoid conflicts with China, which claimed this fertile land. To settle relations in Beijing in 1655, an embassy of F.I. Ba (o) ykova, in 1675 - N. Sappharia. However, Russian diplomatic missions then ended in failure. The Qing government relied on the strength and incitement of anti-Russian sentiments of the native and neighboring Mongol tribes. In 1684, the Manchus besieged Albazin for several months to no avail. The next year, the 5000-strong garrison could not withstand the onslaught of the many times superior forces of the Manchus and left the prison. The enemy destroyed the fortifications, but after the departure of the Chinese, the prison was rebuilt in its original place. In July 1686, Albazin was again besieged and for ten months held back the onslaught of the enemy. Of the 826 people, only 70 survived.

In the context of ongoing wars with the Crimean Tatars and Turkey, the government was not able to provide effective assistance to the Russian population of Dauria, therefore, taking advantage of the formal appeal of Emperor Kang-si in 1685 to the tsar about the need to demarcate the borders, he decided to achieve the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Celestial Empire. On December 25, 1685, the thirty-five-year-old F.A. Golovin was appointed great and plenipotentiary ambassador to China with the title of governor of Bryansk; at the same time he was transferred from the junior stolniks to the neighbors. The Nerchinsk governor, steward and governor of Elatom I.A. was approved as the second ambassador. Vlasov, the third - the clerk Semyon Koritsky. I.A. Vlasov and S. Koritsky had previously served in Siberia for many years and were well versed in the situation there. A small retinue of five young nobles and three clerks was assigned to the embassy. The translator from Latin, apparently at the insistence of the ambassador, was his longtime home teacher A. Belobotsky. Upon learning of such a "mercy", the foreign serviceman fled from his yard, and the bailiffs of the Ambassadorial order searched for him in Moscow for four days. 506 archers were assigned to guard the embassy.

D.N. Bantysh-Kamensky interpreted the appointment of F.A. Golovin as a kind of disgrace on the part of the head of the Ambassadorial order V.V. Golitsyn, caused by commitment to Tsar Peter. However, most likely, when determining the state of the embassy, ​​the favorite of Princess Sophia was guided primarily business qualities rather than personal favor. The customs and norms of Chinese diplomacy in Moscow were not known; this required great organizational skills, resourcefulness and initiative from the ambassador. In view of the complexity of the situation at the border, F.A. Golovin was endowed not only with diplomatic, but also with extremely broad administrative functions. The credentials ordered to establish a border along the Amur to its tributaries Bureya and Zeya, to achieve the inclusion in the agreement of an article on mutual and unhindered trade. As a last resort, in order to achieve peace, the ambassador had to agree to the border along Albazin, i.e. make territorial concessions to China. In the event of a failure to sign a peace treaty, F.A. Golovin was instructed to take care of repulsing the enemy invasion. The ambassador was supposed to pacify the rebellious native tribes and restore peaceful relations with the Mongol khans (taishas).

On January 26, 1686, following the instructions to “hurry without any delay”, the embassy left Moscow on 270 sledges on the rolled snow. On March 24, having passed Pereyaslavl, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Veliky Ustyug, Solvychegodsk, Kaigorod, Solikamsk, Verkhoturye, Tyumen and, having overcome 3,735 versts, the ambassadors arrived in the capital of Siberia - Tobolsk. Here, with the support of Father F.A. Golovin “made up” a regiment of foot Cossacks of 1,400 people from plowed peasants, political and criminal exiles to possibly repel an attack by the Qing troops.

At the end of May, on 23 boards, the embassy moved down the Irtysh, further along the tributary of the Ob Keti to Makovsky prison, then by land - to Yeniseisk. In Rybny ostrog on the Angara, the embassy was forced to stop for the winter due to damage to gear. On May 15, 1687, “with great gravity” they set out along the Angara. Even archers were planted at the oars. On June 8, the travelers reached the Bratsk prison, and on July 17 they arrived in Irkutsk on carts. Even under favorable circumstances, in off-road conditions, in the wilderness of the vast expanses of Siberia, such travels were fraught with enormous difficulties, hardships and sacrifices. On the Tatar Sea (Baikal), together with four planks, 800 pounds of cargo went under water. On September 11, the embassy arrived in Udinsk, and on October 25, 1687, it reached Selenginsk. The journey to the destination took 21 months.

Meanwhile, the Manchus provoked the performance of the Mongol (Mungal) khans against Russia and, under the pretext of ensuring the safety of their ambassadors, postponed the negotiations to 1689. his allegiance to the Baikal yasak people, besieged Selenginsk and Udinsk. In September, the two thousandth detachment of F.A. Golovin drove the Mongols away from Udinsk and defeated the army of taishas on the Khilok River, securing the Russian rear from Transbaikalia. 200 Mongols were killed and 1,200 yurts were brought under citizenship.

Having strengthened Udinsk, in the spring of 1689 F.A. Golovin moved to Nerchinsk. New instructions were delivered there from the Ambassadorial Order, indicating that the government was finally beginning to realistically assess the entire complexity of the situation that had arisen on the border with China. The last step of concessions to which F.A. Golovin, this is the destruction of Albazin, but with the preservation of Russian "crafts" in Dauria.

At the insistence of the Chinese side, Nerchinsk was chosen as the place for negotiations. On July 20, 1689, the Qing ambassadors arrived at the city in 76 large ships armed with cannons. Simultaneously with the fleet, the land army also approached. Total population Chinese troops reached 15 thousand people, while subordinate to F.A. Golovin in Dauria was only 2.5 - 3 thousand. The Qing dynasty was interested in a peace treaty to ensure its rear in the expected war with Mongolia. Failure to act against the small Russian garrisons threatened to prolong the conflict, which would worsen the already unenviable financial position of the government. The importance of the upcoming negotiations determined both Kang-hsi's consent to hold them outside the territory of the empire, and high composition delegations. The first ambassador was the head of the guard, Prince Songgotu, the second was the uncle of the emperor, Prince Tung-gue-gan (Kiu-Kisu), the third was the nobleman Lantan (Lamt), who led the military operations against Albazin in 1685 - 1687. The embassy consisted of two Jesuit translators: the Spaniard Thomas Pereira and the Frenchman Jean Francois Gerbillon.

On August 9, F.A. arrived in Nerchinsk. Golovin, and on the 12th the first meeting of the ambassadors took place. Outwardly, everything looked very picturesque. Two tents for meetings were pitched near the city. The Russian tent was covered with expensive Turkish carpets. A clock and a golden inkpot stood on a table with chairs drawn up to it. In a Chinese tent, a bench covered with expensive fabrics was installed, on which, as usual, with legs tucked under them, ambassadors were supposed to sit. Early in the morning, to the sounds of a military march, accompanied by three hundred foot archers and two hundred mounted nobles and service people, the Russian embassy set out from the city. The ambassadors were dressed in coats of gold brocade and cloaks embroidered with gold. The Chinese who came out to meet them showed off in bright silk dresses; them straw hats adorned with rich pearls.

Heated disputes immediately flared up around the definition of ownership of the Daurian lands. Both sides saw them as their ancestral possessions. In response to F.A. Golovin, “to be the border to the Amur River to the sea”, the Chinese delegation insisted on the concession of all Dauria by Russia. The Russian proposal to include articles on free trade in the text of the treaty did not find support either. At the second congress of ambassadors held on August 13, the Manchus, under the threat of the outbreak of hostilities, demanded the territory of the Amur region and a significant part of Transbaikalia. In response to the threats of F.A. Golovin expressed Russia's readiness to defend its lands. According to the memoirs of J. Gerbillon, the first ambassador, despite the extreme tension, ready at any moment to develop into fighting, "knew how to keep his rank without underlining, very naturally and simply."

Negotiations were interrupted for two weeks. At this time, the Qing troops, who had more than a tenfold superiority, laid siege to Nerchinsk, unprepared for a long siege. On August 18, at the head of the archery regiments and the Cossack cavalry with unfolded banners, F.A. Golovin left the city with the intention of giving battle. However, the Qing governors did not dare to attack and resumed negotiations through messengers. At the same time, their troops moved closer to the walls. From the side of the Nercha River, the city was blocked by the Qing fleet. Under these conditions, F.A. Golovin was forced to make extreme territorial concessions to China.

On August 27, at the third congress, the texts of the treaty were read out in Russian, Latin, and Manchurian. The parties exchanged diplomas and gifts. F. Golovin gave the Chinese a rich meal accompanied by music and drumming. On August 30, the Qing embassy left Nerchinsk. A little later, F.A. Golovin, having given the order to ruin Albazin, left for Irkutsk on carts.

The articles of the treaty established the border between the two states along the Gorbitsa River, Stanovoy Ridge (Stone Mountains) and further to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Russia undertook to destroy the military fortifications in the Albazinsky Voivodeship and withdraw its subjects from there. Relying on military superiority in this region, the Qing government managed to temporarily suspend Russian colonization of the Far East. At the same time, F.A. Golovin defended Russia's rights to the lands of Transbaikalia and the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The exact border with China was established only along the middle reaches of the Amur, which provided Russia with certain loopholes for the subsequent development of Primorsky Krai. Muscovy was the first European country to agree on free trade with China. The corresponding article was included in the text of the treaty under the insistent demand of Russian diplomats. On the whole, the long-term peace with China was an important political event for Russia. Separate articles of the Nerchinsk Treaty remained in force until the ratification of the Aigun Treaty of 1858.

Under the supervision of F.A. Golovin, Nerchinsk was fortified and a wooden fortress was built in Udinsk. Under the leadership of the first ambassador, the incursions of the Mongols robber detachments into the territories controlled by Russia were repelled, and tribute payments were restored from the fraternal, Onkot, Tabunut, Tunguz "foreigners". In Irkutsk, Bratsk, the ambassador collected yasak in sables and foxes for 21,568 rubles, and in Nerchinsk, customs duties in “damask and atlases” for 2,509 rubles. During the sent F.A. Golovin in 1689 expedition in the upper reaches of the Argun River discovered deposits of silver ore.

AT historical literature there are polar points of view on the meaning of the prisoner F.A. Golovin of the contract. Some authors believe that, despite the territorial losses, peace with China met the Russian national interests, their opponents see the Nerchinsk Treaty as yet another failure of V.V. Golitsyn, due to a large extent to the weakness of the Russian presence in the Far East. Probably N.I. is right. Pavlenko, who argued that the contract is not subject to an unambiguous assessment and that both disputing parties are right in their own way. The seven articles of the Nerchinsk Treaty, of course, could not resolve the entire complex of problems that had accumulated between the countries. Some of its provisions were not clearly formulated, which subsequently caused a lot of misunderstandings in matters of delimitation of territories, refugees, and trade. To settle them, five years after the return of F.A. Golovin, an embassy of I. Ides was sent to Beijing.

F. Golovin, after a five-year absence, arrived in Moscow on January 10, 1691. By this time, Princess Sophia was already imprisoned in the Novodevichy Convent, and V.V. Golitsyn is in disgrace. Even on the way, the roundabout I. Skripitsyn delivered the royal favor to the ambassador, backed up by several gold and silver medals. On February 2, the ambassador had an audience with Tsars John and Peter. The latter, chiding Albazin's concession, on the whole highly appreciated the results of the work and listened with interest to the stories of F.A. Golovin about Siberia and the peoples inhabiting it. "For service and zeal" F.A. Golovin was elevated to boyar dignity and received the title of governor of the Siberian.

In the scientific literature, the question of the participation of F.A. Golovin in the first Azov campaign is still controversial. To some extent, it is clarified by M.V. Solovyov bit record: "In the past 203 (1695) were in the Azov campaign, and in the current 204 (1696) they will be the same: Avtomon Mikhailovich Golovin, Fedor Alekseevich Golovin, Ivan Mikhailovich son Golovin." In any case, it remains unclear whether F.A. Golovin was directly involved in the battles or was in the second line.

F. Golovin played a significant role in procuring provisions and ammunition for the army, ensuring a favorable opinion of European courts about Russia's goals in the second Azov campaign. On May 3, 1696, Peter I wrote to the Duma deacon A.A. Vinius: “... A letter from Fyodor Alekseevich through this mail, if it reaches you, if you please, send it overseas and to other places. You can guess what it is and what it is for.

On May 3, 1696, a squadron of eight galleys under the command of the “sea caravan of Commissar General” F.A. Golovina left Voronezh and headed for Azov. According to M.M. Bogoslovsky, the Admiral-General "was only a parade figure, behind which Peter himself was hiding." Together with the king, they went on the Principium galley "by sail and rowing." P. Gordon wrote about a meeting with the tsar near Novogeorgievsk: “I went with him to the fort and then to my boat, where there was a meeting with the boyar F.A. Golovin and with the Don ataman about His Majesty's plan to attack two ships below Azov in the roadstead. After reconnaissance, it turned out that 13 Turkish galleys and 24 small ships were in the roadstead of the city. The operation was postponed. On May 20, in the evening, the Cossacks of Ataman F. Minyaev attacked the Turkish fleet in boats. The enemy squadron was partially burned, partially dispersed. The Cossacks captured rich trophies. On July 19, the Azov garrison capitulated. The festivities on this occasion continued for two days. On August 21, Tsar Peter left Cherkassk by land for Moscow. How did he get to the capital of F.A. Golovin is unknown.

Participation in siege works F.A. Golovin did not accept, as a member of the military councils he was also hardly noticeable, however, on September 30, during the solemn entry of troops into the capital, he was given a place of honor. At nine o'clock in the morning, the troops moved from the Simonov Monastery through the Serpukhov Gates, Zamoskvorechye to the Stone Bridge, at the entrance to which the Triumphal Gates were built. F. Golovin, together with the steward K.A. Naryshkin, in a carriage drawn by six horses, followed the equestrian detachment that opened the procession and the teacher of the young tsar N.M. Zotov. Then F. Lefort, who suffered from wounds, followed in a Russian sleigh, followed by Peter I in front of the "sea caravan". December 26, 1696 for participation in the campaign against the Turks F.A. Golovin was awarded a gold medal of five and a half chervonets, a goblet, and a sable brocade robe; fifty-seven households in the village of Molodovskoe gorodishche, Kromsky district, also passed into his possession.

Soon after returning from Azov, F.A. Golovin was again in demand in the diplomatic field.

After the tonsure of Princess Sophia and exile in 1689, V.V. Golitsyn, the government and the Ambassadorial Order were formally headed by the tsar's uncle L.K. Naryshkin. A sybarite and a drunkard, he did little business. In fact, everything was run by the Duma clerk E.I. Ukrainians. Therefore, it is no coincidence that on December 6, 1696, it was he who announced in the Ambassadorial Order the tsar’s decree on equipping the mission to European courts “to maintain ancient friendship and love, for common deeds to all Christianity, to weaken the enemies of the Holy Cross, the Saltan of Tours, the Crimean Khan and all Busurman hordes. It was, firstly, about consolidating the efforts of the European powers in the fight against Turkish aggression and, secondly, about providing financial and military-technical assistance to Russia from the Christian states.

The first ambassador was the Novgorod governor, Admiral General F. Lefort, the second - "general, military commissar, Siberian governor" F.A. Golovin; third - Duma clerk P.B. Voznitsyn. In addition to "different stocks", the ambassadors received "help" in the amount of 3,920, 3,000, 1,650 rubles, respectively. Suite F.A. Golovin was assigned ten people. In it, he included his son Ivan and brother Alexei Grigorievich.

Judging by the documents, all matters related to the preparation and organization of the embassy were concentrated in the hands of F.A. Golovin, who had a much more solid diplomatic practice than F. Lefort. In order to prepare believers, letters of authority, instructions to the embassy, ​​they requested copies from the archives of the Ambassadorial order from the article lists of previous years. “... Lead, my sovereign, the affairs that we were ordered to let go, in order to look around me everything that will be necessary, although the beginning ...” - he wrote to E.I. Ukraintsev. F. Golovin formed a retinue of ambassadors, a staff of translators and servants; he was entrusted with the task of providing the mission with food, carts, and stationery. Under the supervision of F.A. Golovin, at the embassy, ​​a detachment of volunteers of thirty people was staffed, who, at the expense of the treasury, were to improve in navigational science. Among them: the tsar himself under the name of foreman P. Mikhailov, A.D. Menshikov, A.B. Golitsyn, Ivan Mikhailovich and Ivan Aleksandrovich Golovin. In addition to performing diplomatic duties proper, the second ambassador was entrusted with the recruitment of civilian and military specialists for service in Russia, the purchase of ammunition and equipment “as needed” for the army and navy.

On March 10, 1697, the embassy left the village of Nikolsky near Moscow, and on May 18 arrived in Koenigsberg. The lover of magnificent ceremonies, Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg did everything to please the Muscovites. Armed citizens were lined up along the streets along which the embassy passed; the court is dressed in new liveries. On May 21, the elector gave an audience and a feast. Each toast was accompanied by a triple cannon shot. In early June, F.A. Golovin twice arranged a "luxurious and beautifully served table" for the elector and his retinue in his rented apartment. However, when it came to concrete steps towards the military rapprochement of the two states, Frederick III, in response to the proposal of F.A. Golovin on the conclusion of a defensive alliance against Sweden with the provision of Brandenburg guarantees for Prussia limited himself to a verbal, non-binding promise to help Russia in the fight against enemies.

On August 16, the embassy arrived in Amsterdam, the political, trade and economic center of the then world. The Dutch government allocated an astronomical sum of 100,000 guilders for the maintenance of the Russian delegation. Accompanied by fireworks, fireworks, sea fun, balls, dinners, banquet parties followed an endless series. Negotiations with the Commission of the States General did not produce tangible results. The Dutch government politely declined to provide military-technical and financial assistance to Russia.

In connection with the failure of the negotiations, "Peter Mikhailov" visited England at the unofficial invitation of King William III of Orange. On March 27, 1698, he requested a second ambassador to draw up contracts with naval officers recruited by the tsar for service. April 2 F.A. Golovin, together with the Russian monarch, examined the parliament, on April 18 they paid a farewell visit to the king. Having assured Peter I of friendship, William of Orange refused any specific obligations. In England, F.A. Golovin, as head of the Armory, concluded an agreement with the Marquis of Carmarthen for his right to the exclusive trade in tobacco in Russia. On April 28, the ambassador returned to Amsterdam.

On June 16, 1698, the Russian embassy arrived in Vienna. At that time, the Austrian government, through the mediation of England, was conducting separate negotiations with Turkey on the conclusion of peace, and by arranging magnificent receptions and balls, they tried to lull the vigilance of Russian diplomacy. Austria shielded Russia from participating in peace negotiations. Private meetings with the emperor, empress, chancellor Kinsky did not allow the tsar and F.A. Golovin to find out the true intentions of Austria towards Turkey.

In general, from the point of view of solving the tasks set, the Great Embassy ended in failure. The naive hope for the Christian solidarity of Europe in the fight against the Muslims turned into many disappointments. Despite this, the activities of diplomats contributed to overcoming Russia's foreign policy isolation and its inclusion in global European politics and trade. Under the supervision of F.A. Golovin, about eight hundred officers, doctors, engineers were recruited into the Russian service, several tens of thousands of guns with bayonets unprecedented in Russia, etc. were purchased. Golovin's participation in the embassy was a school of direct acquaintance with European diplomatic practice. He learned to "give visits with all respect", to wear European dress in an informal setting and, according to an eyewitness, at the table he was repeatedly "satiated with oysters."

Among other ambassadors, F.A. Golovin was presented by the States General with a gold chain with the coat of arms of Holland in eight pounds; in Mitau he received a diamond ring from the Duke of Courland; the elector of Brandenburg presented his portrait in a case strewn with diamonds, a silver tub, a washstand and a mug. In Vienna, F.A. Golovin acquired the emperor's blessing and gifts worth two pounds of silver - "a great vessel that they wash glass vessels or glasses during the table, two water-carrying jugs, a tub, six wall candlesticks."

A.F. Golovin became the second (after A.D. Menshikov) Russian subjects, erected on November 16, 1702 to the dignity of a count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. This title, issued through the Vice-Chancellor of Austria von D. Kaunitz, apparently cost a lot to its bearer. “And you also want to be a count,” F.A. Golovin, his colleague P.B. Voznitsyn, “I’ll apply zeal here later, but you can’t do it for nothing, you have to pay.”

Having received on July 15, 1698 from F.Yu. Romodanovsky news of the rebellion of archers, Peter I with F. Lefort, F.A. Golovin and A.D. Menshikov urgently returned to Russia. On August 25, the cortege arrived in Moscow. The king helpfully took his companions home, and the next day he began to shave his beards, which became for him a symbol of rejection of innovations. Boyar A.S. was the first to be executed. Shein and Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky. F. While still in Vienna, Golovin changed into a European dress, shaved off his beard, leaving only a mustache. The secretary of the British embassy in Moscow, I. Korb, in his diary reproduced F.Yu. Romodanovsky about this event: "I do not believe such stupidity and folly of Golovin, so that he could neglect the clothes of his native people."

In August - September we often see F.A. Golovin in the company of the tsar and his closest favorite F. Lefort. On September 18, the ambassador gave a feast in his house. “... There was a large society, they drank a lot and danced ... To increase the gaiety, large military weapons were put into action,” I. Korb noted. The same author narrated about the solemn entry of the Grand Embassy to Moscow on October 20: “Two plenipotentiaries of His Majesty, who quite recently ruled the embassy at the Caesar's court, General Lefort and the boyar Golovin, entered Moscow in the same order as they brought them to Vienna; many carriages drawn by sixes, as many as they could get, increased the magnificence of the retinue, and the king did not consider it below his dignity to join the number of mourners.

Peter I appreciated the role of the second ambassador. Upon returning from abroad, for the first time in Russia, nominal silver and copper medals were stamped, on the obverse of which the profile of F.A. Golovin, on the reverse - a lion with a raised sword, on top of which the motto of the family coat of arms is minted: "Et consilio et robore" ("And with advice and courage"). September 9, 1698 F.A. Golovin was granted a boyar. On March 10, 1699 (the day before the funeral of F. Lefort), the tsar entrusted F.A. Golovin, the first badge of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and on April 21 he was appointed chief commander of the fleet with the rank of admiral general. Along with A.M. Golovin, T.N. Streshnev, A.A. Vinius, "the most jesting patriarch" N.M. Zotov, A.D. Menshikov, F.A. Golovin became one of the closest employees and most trusted persons of Peter I. F.A. Golovin was a member of the royal "noises" (revels), however, his relationship with the crowned bearer was exclusively businesslike.

At the turn of the XVII - XVIII centuries. F. Golovin became one of the largest Russian administrators. He commanded the Little Russian, Novgorod, Smolensk, Ustyug, Yamsky orders, the Galician quarter, the Mint (Money) Court (from May 7, 1699), the Armory, the Chamber of Gold and Silver Affairs (the last two from February 16, 1697). This testified both to the unlimited trust on the part of the autocrat, and to the undoubted organizational talents, extraordinary efficiency and responsibility of F.A. Golovin. The functions of the departments under his control often did not even overlap. However, the main focus of the dignitary, as before, was focused on diplomacy and the logistics of the armed forces. February 19, 1699 F.A. Golovin was appointed administrator of the Posolsky Prikaz; February 18, 1700 - "of the embassy's office by the initial president." On December 11, 1698, he headed the newly established Military Naval Order. The admiral-general, who had neither knowledge nor experience in naval affairs, did not interfere in the specific management of the fleet. He was in charge of no less complex issues related to the recruitment of personnel for the army and navy, control over the production and purchase of weapons, transportation, etc.

Upon his return from the Great Embassy, ​​Peter I finally established himself in the idea of ​​the need to reorient the country's foreign policy towards Western Europe. The unwillingness of the European powers to provide effective assistance to Russia in the war against Turkey and the desire to leave it face to face in the confrontation with its southern neighbor that was draining the country's material and human resources, expressed during recent negotiations, were additional incentives for this step. Entering the European political arena was impossible without the return of the Baltic coast to Russia, which predetermined the inevitability of a conflict with Sweden. Under these conditions, the priority tasks of the state were the creation of a regular army and navy. Diplomacy, from an independent tool for solving foreign policy problems, for many years actually turned into a servant of war, designed to provide the most favorable conditions for the preparation and conduct of military operations. In this regard, the main efforts of the Ambassadorial Order were aimed at the speedy conclusion of peace with Turkey, the formation of an anti-Swedish coalition, the recruitment of volunteers and the purchase of weapons in Europe.

At the turn of the XVII - XVIII centuries. Moscow lived a tense diplomatic life. Ambassadors and envoys of Austria, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Brandenburg came here in anticipation of major foreign policy actions of Russia. A permanent diplomatic corps was actually formed in Moscow.

In the autumn of 1698, the Danish envoy P. Gaines arrived in the capital with the initiative to create an anti-Swedish alliance. Peter I, bypassing the head of the Ambassadorial order L.K. Naryshkin, secretly met with him. F. Golovin was among an extremely narrow circle of dignitaries, initiated into the innermost foreign policy plans of the tsar. “This is a boyar with great merits,” P. Gaines noted, “everyone in this country considers him so; the tsar trusts him most of all ... "Before leaving for Voronezh on February 18, 1700, the monarch recommended that the Danish ambassador contact F.A. Golovin as to himself, and in March, to participate in secret negotiations, he summoned the Admiral General there. Diplomats “considered article by article” of the draft treaty, and when on April 21 it turned to secret applications, P. Gaines “proposed, with the approval of the king, to the first separate article another separate article regarding peace with the Turks. The tsar told me that he had already thought about it, and the boyar Golovin took out of his pocket the paper that he had drawn up for this end ... ”On the same day, an agreement with Denmark on an“ offensive attack ”on Sweden, which included secret articles , was signed by the tsar, and on November 23, 1699 in the Preobrazhensky Palace A.D. Menshikov was ratified. For the first time, Russia's foreign policy tasks for the return of the Izhora land and Karelia were formulated in it.

Immediately after the conclusion of the Russian-Danish agreement, E.I. was summoned to Voronezh for consultations. Ukrainians, April 2, 1699 appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to Istanbul. F. Golovin took a direct part in the preparation of believers, plenipotentiaries, instructions and question points to the ambassador. Taking into account that Russia does not have enough resources to wage a war on two fronts, E.I. Ukrainians were instructed to make maximum concessions to Turkey for the sake of the speedy conclusion of a peace treaty.

On April 27, a squadron headed by F.A. departed from Voronezh down the Don. Golovin. The admiral raised his standard on the 62-gun Scorpion. On May 24, the fortress artillery of Azov saluted the Russian fleet. On June 18, E.I. arrived in Azov. Ukrainians, and, having waited for a fair wind, on August 14, the ships entered the Kerch Strait. From one of their formidable appearance, the Turkish authorities were horrified. The show of force subsequently contributed greatly to the success of the negotiations.

Carrying out a 46-gun battleship"Fortress" with the embassy of E.I. Ukraintseva on board, the fleet left for the winter in Azov. Tsar and F.A. On September 23, 1699, Golovin returned to Moscow via Voronezh, where the Swedish embassy was waiting for them. On the occasion of the accession to the throne of Charles XII, the Swedes insisted on the confirmation by Russia of the Cardisi eternal peace treaty of 1661, the Plus border agreement of 1666, the Moscow Decree of 1684, which secured the Baltic coast for the Scandinavians. In order to hide their true intentions and evade the rite of the cross-kissing, the embassy was greeted with extreme pomp and courtesy. F. Golovin managed to reduce the negotiations to the "grievances" of Sweden to Russia and procedural issues. He deliberately spread rumors about the failure of the mission of E.I. Ukrainians to Turkey. The negotiations ended with the confirmation of an eternal peace treaty with assurances of unshakable friendship. The issue of swearing an oath to previously concluded agreements was postponed until a return embassy to Sweden, which was a diplomatic success for Russia. December 2, 1699 F.A. Golovin gave a dinner in honor of the departing ambassadors in his new palace.

In secret from the official Polish and Swedish ambassadors A.F. Golovin was in parallel negotiating with the envoy of Augustus II, the Saxon Major-General Karlovich. On November 11, 1699, a secret Russian-Polish treaty was concluded and ratified in Preobrazhensky "to have a common war against the Sveian crown for many of their untruths." In response to the promise of Augustus II to divert Swedish forces in the Baltics, Russia pledged not to extend its zone of influence to this region.

Before the start of the war with Sweden, it was important to make sure of the firmness of the pro-Russian position of the Hetman of Ukraine I.S. Mazepa. In February 1700, F.A. Golovin held a number of meetings with him. The hetman's unconditional agreement with the Russian proposals was the reason for rewarding him, at the request of F.A. Golovin, signs of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Subsequently, a number of historians, with sufficient reason, reproached the tsar and F.A. Golovin in excessive gullibility to I.S. Mazepa.

However, the anti-Swedish coalition created by such efforts turned out to be fragile and short-lived. In the winter of 1700, the Saxon troops advanced to Riga, but for a ransom of 1.5 million thalers, Augustus II ordered the siege to be lifted. In August 1700, Denmark left the coalition, defeated by the troops of Charles XII. Referring to her sad experience, the Elector of Brandenburg in the summer of 1700 refused to join the union. On the whole, one can say that Russia's diplomatic preparations for war in Europe have failed.

On August 8, a messenger arrived in Moscow from E.I. Ukraintsev with the long-awaited news of the conclusion of a 30-year truce with Turkey. Azov and the mouth of the Don passed to Russia. The payment of a degrading tribute to the Crimean Khan was stopped. The next day, Peter I declared war on Sweden, the active preparation of which began in the spring of 1700. F.A. also played an important role in it. Golovin, who, like no one else, by virtue of his professional duties, was aware of the diplomatic and military plans of the tsar.

On March 10, 1699, Peter I left for Voronezh and hastily requested F.A. Golovina: "If you please, come truly to the Great Four." He was entrusted with the work of equipping and arming ships under construction, supplying shipyards labor force and provisions. The fact is that as early as October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma adopted, at the suggestion of the tsar, a resolution on the establishment of merchants for the construction of 52 ships by the autumn of 1698, at the rate of one ship from 8 to 10 thousand households. F. Golovin, who at that time had 473 households, three of his relatives, Generalissimo A.S. Shein entered the kumppanstvo of the uncle of the tsar boyar T.N. Streshnev. The cost of work and materials for the construction and equipment of the 44-gun barcalon reached 7,164 rubles. In 1708, the kumpanstvo paid only 5,243 rubles. The construction of the fleet proceeded slowly, with delays and was accompanied by numerous abuses. The chief manager of the work of the kumpanstvo, okolnichiy A.P. Protasyev informed F.A. Golovin about conflicts with foreign masters, delays in financing, etc. The admiral wrote to Peter I about the existing difficulties even before leaving for Voronezh: until the very evening, and having managed, I will immediately go. F. Golovin accompanied Peter I during the inspection of the readiness of the Kumpan courts and was among the few dignitaries for whom the tsar ordered to build a special room in Voronezh for "state studies".

Spring - summer 1700 F.A. Golovin was torn between Voronezh and Moscow. In the capital, his main headache was the worries of manning the land army, providing it with weapons, food, transport and monetary allowances. At the same time, he was in active correspondence with the Pskov and Novgorod governors about the proposed deployment of troops, their provision during the march, the organization of intelligence in the Baltic states and directly in the combat area.

On August 19, 1700, F.A. Golovin became the first Russian Field Marshal. He was instructed to lead the newly recruited 45 thousand army to Narva. On August 22, the regiments began to move from Moscow and moved to Novgorod through Klin, Tver, Torzhok. Peter I demanded "haste". The infantry sometimes traveled 30 miles or more a day. F. Golovin was forced to stay in Moscow. He informed Peter I about the reasons for his delay: “We will certainly set out on a campaign on August 29; lingered behind Buzheninov's vacation [with artillery. - Auth.]. There are more than 10,000 carts under the shelves and the treasury. However, there was a catastrophic lack of transport: “... I was forced to give as much as I had from my carts. I order you to collect as much as possible from boyar houses. The army was forced to leave some of the cannons so necessary for conducting siege work on the way. September 19 F.A. Golovin, in desperation, informed the monarch from Novgorod: “The regiments have all gathered, but there is nothing to rise. I testify to God that I have lost my mind. Probably, Peter I understood the complexity of the position of the Field Marshal and imposed a brief resolution on one of his letters of repentance: “God will forgive ...” On September 23, parts of Generals A. Veide and A.M. Golovin arrived at Narva and began the siege. The commander-in-chief himself arrived at the walls of the Swedish fortress only on October 14th. On the night of November 18, having transferred command of the troops to Field Marshal von K. Krui, F.A. Golovin, together with the tsar and sergeant A.D. Menshikov left the camp of the Russian army and hastily left for Novgorod. "Journal 1700" dispassionately recorded: “Against 6 pm, i.e. from Sunday to Monday, four hours before the light, the general-felt-marshal and the Captain went from here. The tsar arrived in Novgorod after the defeat of the Russian army. After living there for about two weeks, Peter I "in a small retinue" went to Moscow.

The defeat near Narva led to a sharp drop in the already low prestige of Russia in Western Europe. England and France, who were at war with each other, prevented the creation of an anti-Swedish coalition, because. wanted to see Charles XII as their ally in the struggle for Spanish inheritance. These powers pushed Turkey to continue the war with Russia. Ambassador A.A. Matveev reported from The Hague about Holland's support for Sweden out of fear of a drop in income from trade with Russia if it went to the sea shores. Austria took an openly pro-Swedish position and categorically rejected the requests of Peter I for assistance in the war. In February 1701, Ambassador P.A. Golitsyn informed bitterly from Vienna: "They ... are laughing at us." He was echoed by P.A. Tolstoy from Tsargrad in September 1702: “My arrival aroused suspicion; I'm not welcome; my life here is more harmful than useful. I have been living for four weeks, but I have not seen the Saltan and the Vizier. Under these conditions, only the successes of Russian weapons could raise the country's foreign policy prestige. Domestic diplomacy was also focused on maximum assistance to the needs of the war.

In the winter of 1701, Peter I and F.A. Golovin had a number of meetings with Polish king August II in the Courland town of Birzhi. As a result, on February 26, a Russian-Polish treaty was concluded. Russia, for Poland's promise to continue the war with Sweden, renounced territorial claims in the Baltic states, sent 15-25 thousand corps to help, provided a loan of 100 thousand rubles for two years with Efimka and chervonets. An agreement similar in content was signed with Lithuania on June 28, 1703 in Schlotburg. In the summer of 1704, together with Tsar F.A. Golovin participated in negotiations with the Polish Ambassador Extraordinary Dzyalynsky near Narva. According to the agreement concluded on August 19 to depose the Swedish protege to the Polish throne Stanislav Leshchinsky and intensify military operations in the Baltic states, Russia, in addition to guaranteeing the return of all territories occupied by the Swedes, undertook to send 12,000 corps to Poland to support it and provide 200,000 troops until the end of the war. rub. loan annually. Despite Russian help, Poland, torn by internal contradictions, acted ineffectively against Sweden. However, in the end, thanks to huge human and financial costs, Peter I managed to achieve the main thing - to detain Charles XII in Poland, to gain time to restore the Russian army defeated near Narva.

The complication of foreign policy tasks dictated the need to restructure the work of the diplomatic service as a whole. At the beginning of the XVIII century. Russia had permanent missions in Austria, Holland, Poland, Turkey, the beginning of the formation of a corps of diplomats, who did not differ from their Western colleagues either in the level of professional knowledge or skills of intrigue, was laid. The first successes were not slow to follow. P.A. Tolstoy, with the help of bribes, prevented the invasion of the Crimeans. On December 24, 1702, he informed his boss: “Porta decided: not to break the world, but Crimean Khan who demanded war, exile in conclusion. In 1703 - 1704. A.A. Matveev effectively contributed to changing the Dutch view of the Russo-Swedish war.

Of course, all major diplomatic actions were led by Peter I himself. F. Golovin was originally assigned the role of a guide to the life of his ideas. N.N. Molchanov noted that F.A. Golovin cannot be put on a par with such prominent European diplomats as D. Mazarin, A. Richelieu, but the fact of his significant influence on Russian foreign policy cannot be denied. At the same time, it must be taken into account that the Ambassadorial order acted in an extremely adverse conditions Narva defeat, resistance to the rise of Russia from all over Europe. Foreigners spoke about F.A. Golovin as a secular sociable person, with "mature deliberation in decisions" (I. Korb). The British Ambassador C. Whitworth noted that he "enjoys a reputation as the most reasonable and most experienced of statesmen." Unlike L.K. Naryshkina, F.A. Golovin always negotiated in amiable tones, without irritating the ambassadors, but at the same time never belittling either the honor of the country or his own dignity.

May 30, 1702 F.A. Golovin, together with the tsar, arrived in Arkhangelsk. From there, on August 6, the Russian squadron, led by the admiral, headed for the Solovetsky Monastery. In November 1702 we see F.A. Golovin during the siege of Noteburg (later renamed Shlisselburg). After the capture of the fortress by Russian troops, F.A. Golovin supervised the construction of one of the bastions, named after him. In the same year, F.A. Golovin supervised the construction of six frigates on the Syas River in the Novgorod district, and in 1704-1705. observed the work of the Olonets shipyard. Among others, a ship was being built here, on which the tsar intended to meet the Polish embassy. Upon inspection of the works in September 1704, usually extremely hot-tempered and demanding, Peter I made a rather mild reprimand to F.A. Golovin: “I also blame your grace that you don’t deign to warn of everything that is due, for the ship that was prepared for the Polish ambassador and has until now stood at the mouth of the Volokhov is forgotten.” F.A. brought a lot of trouble. Golovin acquisition officers, sailor crews, technical equipment ships of the Baltic Fleet.

Circumstances required the indispensable presence of F.A. Golovin near the theater of operations. Therefore, when in the summer of 1705 the sad news about deadly disease mother, he only asked the king through A.D. Menshikov let at least his son go to Moscow. Peter I, in a letter dated September 10, 1705, consoled him as best he could: “I hear that you are very sad about the death of your mother. For God's sake, please judge, since she was an old man and very long sick.

The war exhausted the financial resources of the country, so when A.A. Kurbatov in 1699 sent to the name of F.A. Golovin proposed the introduction of stamped paper, the tsar immediately set about implementing it. The production and distribution of stamped paper to the places were again entrusted to F.A. Golovin. As the head of the Mint, he supervised the re-minting of efimki into Russian coins. By reducing the silver content in it, a short-term stabilization of the financial system was achieved. Half of the profits from the defacement of the coin went to the salaries of foreign officers. The beginning of the development of the Nerchinsk mines made it possible to increase the minting of silver coins from 200 - 500 thousand rubles. in the late 1690s up to 4.5 million in 1702. In 1704, the Mint began minting a silver coin with a bust of the king.

In 1705 - 1706 F.A. Golovin coordinated the actions of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev against the rebel archers in Astrakhan. The quick liquidation of the "mutiny" made it possible to release significant forces for the army in the field. This explains the jubilation of the king upon receiving the news of the suppression of the uprising. On April 23, 1706, he wrote to F.A. Golovin: “Mr. Admiral! I accepted your letter together with the field marshal and Shchepotiev, and for such God's mercy they thanked God very joyfully and fired cannons from the city and the fleet three times, which is great and I congratulate your mercy with this joy, so we expect you to come here immediately and with Mr. Admiralty.

F. Golovin left a mark in history domestic education. On January 14, 1701, by decree of the king, he was placed at the head of the school of “mathematical and navigational sciences”, in which about two hundred “hunters of all ranks of people” were trained in “nautical cunning arts of learning”. Initially, the school was located in the former courtyard of the Kadashevsky linen workshops beyond the Moscow River. By decree of June 25, 1701, at the request of her teachers, she was transferred to the “Sretenskaya tower in the earthen city, on which there is a fighting clock”. Mathematics in this educational institution taught by the famous Leonty Magnitsky - the author of the first Russian textbook on the subject.

By order of the autocrat, the admiral was in charge of publishing educational and scientific literature, calendars, participated in editing the first Russian newspaper Vedomosti. Apparently, in gratitude for the support of I.F. Kopievsky placed the coat of arms of F.A. Golovin and dedication to him. F.A. himself Golovin was the author of the work "Heavenly Globe" published in 1715 in Amsterdam. The court theater was also under the jurisdiction of the Ambassadorial Order.

Such a tense rhythm of life could only be endured by a young and physically strong person, what can we say about F.A. Golovin. In the spring of 1706, Peter I was in Ukraine, where the Swedes were expected to invade. "For some meetings" he requested F.A. Golovin. In May, the diplomat informed B.P. Sheremeteva: “Today I am leaving Moscow by decree to Kyiv, and from there to the army or where the great sovereign will be found ...” However, urgent matters delayed him. Only at the end of June did the admiral leave Moscow. June 24 in Nizhyn F.A. Golovin suddenly fell ill and died on July 30 in Glukhovo. “Sorrowful Peter,” informed F.M. Apraksina: "... This week, Mr. Admiral and our friend from this world is cut by death ..." A funeral ceremony was performed in the Navy on the occasion of the admiral's death.

The summer heat and hostilities prevented the body from being sent to Moscow. In January 1707, Peter I reminded F.M. Apraksin and F.Yu. Romodanovsky: “For the burial of the admiral, if you please, make preparations, and when everything is done, then immediately a decree on the burial will be sent to you.” The last instructions were received by F.M. Apraksin in a letter dated February 5, 1707: “Minger! It is written about the burial of the admiral, and that his body should be given to a worthy according to his rank to be buried ... however, without waiting for us.

Funeral F.A. Golovin took place on February 22, 1707. From the engraving, made on the personal order of the tsar, it is clear that they were distinguished by splendor and were organized as a theatrical performance.

At the head of the procession on a richly decorated horse rode a knight in armor with a drawn sword. This marked a military prowess, testified to the high social status and closeness of the deceased to the monarch. The patriarchal choristers and monks with lit candles followed the knight. Numerous assistants carried orders, a sword, and personal belongings of the admiral. The hearse was driven by six horses in mourning blankets. Behind the coffin were the highest ranks of the clergy, "near relatives ... and princes, and boyars, stewards and clerks and other other gentlemen." Regiments of cavalry and infantry lined up at the Simonov Monastery. Cannon volleys were heard at intervals of one minute. The following entry was engraved on a stone tombstone in the Assumption Cathedral: On July 30, 1706, in memory of the saints, the Apostle of Strength and Siluan, His Highly Graphic Excellency Fedor Alekseevich Golovin, Count of the Roman State, Supreme President of the Tsar's Majesty, State Chancellor and Ambassadorial Affairs, Supreme President, close boyar, Admiral of the Sea Fleet, Viceroy of the Siberian and Cavalier of the ranks of St. . Apostle Andrew, the White Eagle and Generosites, etc.

Fedor Alekseevich had two brothers: Alexei and Ivan. The younger Alexei was at the Great Embassy. In 1709, foreman A.A. Golovin, in full view of the Swedes, having changed his soldiers into enemy uniforms, brought reinforcements to the besieged Poltava. During one of the sorties from the besieged city, he was captured and released only after the end of the battle. For the courage shown by A.A. Golovin was promoted to major general. He died in 1718, "mad in mind."

The eldest daughter of F.A. Golovina - Praskovya (1687 - 1730) was married off to Prince S.B. Golitsyna, and the "smaller", whose name has not been established, died after her father. The Petrine diplomat had three sons: Ivan, Alexander, Nikolai. Ivan was married to the daughter of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev - Anna (1673 - 1732).

Nicholas (1695 - 1745), like his father, was a gentleman the highest award empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In 1706, he studied at the Navigation School, and then was sent to Western Europe to improve in naval affairs. Nicholas traveled a lot, visited India, Egypt. Left without funds, the young man in 1714 ended up in an English debtor's prison. In 1715 N.F. Golovin returned to Russia. As an officer of the fleet, he participated in the battles of the Northern War, for which in 1721, on the occasion of the conclusion of the Nishtad Peace, he was promoted to captain of the 3rd rank out of turn. In 1725 N.F. Golovin was sent as an envoy to Sweden. Upon his return in 1732, with the rank of vice-admiral, he was appointed inspector of the fleet. In 1733 Admiral N.F. Golovin became president of the Admiralty College. In 1742, during the war with Sweden, he commanded Baltic Fleet. Despite the numerical superiority, the admiral could not achieve any significant results, which caused the displeasure of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Upon retirement, N.F. Golovin went to Hamburg, where he died.

From a clearly embellished engraving by P. Schenk, a heavy (if not fat) man with an ugly face, a big nose, a second chin and ... an intelligent, piercing look looks at the viewer. Richly gifted by nature, energetic and active - F.A. Golovin made a great contribution to the realization of Peter's plans, which quite rightly earned the respect of his contemporaries and descendants.

Golovin Fedor Alekseevich- (1650 1706), count, associate of Peter I, admiral (1699) and general field marshal (1700). Signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689, a member of the Great Embassy in 1697 98, from 1700 he headed the Ambassadorial order. Created a system of permanent Russian representations... encyclopedic Dictionary

Golovin, Fedor Alekseevich- GOLOV / N Fedor Alekseevich (1650 1706) Russian naval and statesman, count, general admiral (1699), general field marshal (1700). He was involved in naval affairs in 1696 during the 2nd Azov campaign of Peter I. Since 1697, ... ...

GOLOVIN, Fedor Alekseevich- (1650 1706), Count Russian statesman and diplomat. In 1686 G. was sent to settle the issue of the border with China. In 1689, he concluded the Nerchinsk Treaty with the Chinese (see). G. became one of the closest employees of Peter I. In 1697 ... ... Diplomatic Dictionary

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Fedor Alekseevich Golovin- Silver medal with the profile of F. A. Golovin, which Peter I awarded him in 1698. Commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia dedicated to F. A. Golovin Fedor Alekseevich Golovin (1650 July 30 (August 10), 1706) Russian diplomat and statesman, ... ... Wikipedia