The Best Diplomat of Peter the Great

The career of Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov seems utterly incredible. A baptized Jew finds his way to the court of Peter I, becomes a diplomat, heads the postal service, mining and metallurgy, oversees foreign trade, saves the tsar and tsarina from Turkish captivity, becomes one of the richest and most powerful men in the empire, and then one fine day loses everything. However, in reality, Shafirov’s entire life was governed by unwritten laws that shaped the fate of any Russian official both before and after Peter the Great.

First, his completely non-aristocratic origin. Pyotr Shafirov’s father, the baptized Jew Pavel Shafirov, was a literate man who knew several languages, which probably helped him get a job in the household of Boyar Bogdan Khitrov. It was there in 1669 that his son Pyotr was born, destined for a great future. After Boyar Khitrov’s death, Pavel Shafirov became a translator in the Ambassadorial Office and sent his son to work in the shop of a relative — the merchant Yevreinov. But soon the son also ended up in the Ambassadorial Office. According to legend — quite by accident — the young tsar Peter was walking around Moscow and wandered into the shop where Pyotr Shafirov worked. Talking with the young clerk, the sovereign learned that he spoke German, Polish, and French. After this meeting, Peter I supposedly ordered Shafirov to appear, "for you are needed by me," and assigned him to service. This story is not supported by documents or contemporary testimonies, so most likely his entry into the Ambassadorial Office was due to Shafirov senior. It was also not surprising that the baptized Shafirov later got a chance to make a career. After all, his father had secured nobility for himself, and the younger Shafirov confidently called himself the son of a nobleman.

Shafirov found himself in the right nomenklatura clan, which was on the rise. In 1697, "the sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Pyotr Mikhailov" traveled to Europe with the ambassadors of the Russian state. The Great Embassy included the young translator Shafirov. Foreigners’ testimonies have been preserved stating that he was already close to the tsar at that time: "Peter is surrounded by very common people; among them is a baptized Jew and a shipwright, who eat at the same table with him." However, Shafirov was not a close friend of Peter like Lefort and Menshikov and never became one. Shafirov’s patron was the plenipotentiary ambassador, governor of Siberia Fyodor Golovin, who was responsible for hiring foreign specialists to work in Russia and also handled procurement of everything necessary for building the fleet. By the nature of his work, Golovin communicated a lot with foreigners, so he simply needed a translator. Golovin appreciated Shafirov’s abilities and helped him climb the career ladder in the following years. Thus, when in 1699 Golovin entered negotiations with Denmark and Poland, trying to persuade these powers to form an alliance against Sweden, Shafirov was part of the Russian delegation. Probably Golovin was very pleased with his protégé’s success because in 1701 Shafirov was entrusted to conduct negotiations with Poland independently. The young diplomat was successful, and in 1703 Golovin appointed him his secretary for the Ambassadorial Office, effectively the head of this institution. Golovin was in favor with the tsar at that time and could afford to promote his people to the top, which happened with Shafirov. Two years earlier, Shafirov had headed the postal department, also not without Golovin’s patronage.

At first glance, it may seem strange and surprising that an ordinary translator suddenly became a diplomat, then the chief postmaster of the country, and soon after — the head of the Ambassadorial Office. Later, Golovin helped Shafirov make the next career leap. The tsar’s decree stated: "The great sovereign ordered: the Vilna and Arkhangelsk posts, which were managed by stolnik Matvey Vinius, shall now be managed by the state Ambassadorial Office translator Pyotr Shafirov, and Matvey shall no longer manage these posts." Austrian diplomat Otto Pleier reported to his emperor: "Chancellor Vinius... was pardoned and not hanged, but was whipped and sentenced to pay 7,000 rubles. Here it is customary that first a person is allowed to accumulate a lot, and then some accusation is brought against him — and under torture all the accumulated is taken away."

Peter I did whatever came to his mind with the country. Any whim of his was fulfilled, whether shaving beards or building a capital on a swamp. Peter surrounded himself with officials chosen on the principle of personal loyalty. The closest circle included people the sovereign had known since childhood — Menshikov, the former tutor of the tsar Nikita Zotov, who headed Peter’s personal chancellery, and some others. A bit further out were those whom the sovereign met during his turbulent youth, and Shafirov was one of them. It is well known that in Russia, the greatest success is achieved by officials who even in small things imitate their superiors, adopting their interests and habits. Shafirov, like Peter I, was a hot-tempered, cruel, and intolerant man. Once, for example, he quarreled with his superior — Chancellor Golovkin, after which, venting his anger, he mercilessly beat his subordinate — the secretary of the ambassadorial college Ivan Gubin. Moreover, like Peter I, he drank a lot and often got drunk. It is known that Peter I liked to ply foreign ambassadors with drinks, and Shafirov, imitating his sovereign, widely used alcohol for diplomatic purposes.

In 1708, Peter I granted him three hundred peasant households, with the tsar’s charter stating "that he is rewarded in this way for his faithful and diligent services to the Sovereign; especially during His Majesty’s stay in foreign lands; also for his constant presence in military campaigns from the very beginning of the Swedish war, as well as for his tireless labors and advice in the State Ambassadorial secret affairs." In 1709, after the Battle of Poltava, when generals and officials present at "this glorious victory" were showered with favors and awards, his merits were once again duly recognized. Peter I appointed Shafirov vice-chancellor, or deputy chancellor as it was then called, and even bestowed upon him the title of baron, which, however, Shafirov had secured for himself with the help of his subordinates. The Russian ambassador in Vienna, Baron Urbich, begged the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I to make Shafirov a baron. He agreed, and Urbich was able to please his superior with the good news.

In 1711, Peter I suffered a crushing defeat by the combined army of Turks and Crimean Tatars. The Russian army was surrounded and pressed against the Prut River, with the sovereign himself and his future wife Catherine trapped. Shafirov also found himself surrounded and was sent to the vizier Baltadji Mehmed Pasha to conduct negotiations. The Russians’ situation was desperate, so the terms on which Peter I was preparing to conclude peace were truly harsh for Russia. Shafirov had the authority to hand over Azov and all previously seized lands to the Turks, and to return all territories taken over many years of the Northern War, except for the lands around Saint Petersburg, for which Pskov was to be offered instead. Additionally, Russia was ready to agree that the king of Poland would be the Swedish protégé Stanisław Leszczyński. Such terms would mean Russia’s defeat not only in the Turkish war but also in the Northern War, yet there were fears that the Turks would not agree to them, so 150,000 rubles were allocated to bribe the vizier, as well as money to bribe other commanders and officials of the enemy army. After distributing bribes, Shafirov managed to negotiate significantly milder peace terms, under which Russia lost Azov but retained everything it had won from the Swedes. There was, however, one more condition: Shafirov himself and the son of Russian Field Marshal Sheremetev became amanats, i.e., hostages whose lives guaranteed Russia’s fulfillment of the treaty.

Shafirov and Major General Mikhail Sheremetev went to Istanbul, and despite his hostage status, Shafirov received ambassadorial powers. The diplomat’s main task was to prevent the Russo-Turkish war from resuming, since the lenient terms of the treaty signed by Mehmed Pasha caused great displeasure to the sultan, and the vizier himself paid for the bribe received from Shafirov with his head. As Field Marshal Sheremetev wrote, "the former vizier who made the treaty was disgracefully dismissed. A chain was put around his neck, and he was led barefoot and on foot through the streets of Istanbul by a mounted Turk, and then strangled." Shafirov’s main diplomatic opponent was Karl XII himself, who after fleeing from Poltava lived in Constantinople. The Swedish king, as well as Crimean Khan Devlet Giray II, pushed Turkey toward war. At the same time, the ambassadors of England and Holland tried to prevent this, as they did not want a Swedish victory, which was supported by their hostile France. But Shafirov’s main diplomatic weapon remained money. For example, 120,000 reichsthalers were spent to bribe the Crimean khan. Shafirov handed out bribes left and right and even managed to bribe the sultan’s mother, who thereafter became a convinced supporter of Russo-Turkish friendship.

In letters to St. Petersburg, Shafirov repeatedly described his misadventures. To Count Sheremetev he wrote:

"The sultan put us in prison in November, where we still remain with your son Mikhail Borisovich, living in great need, having light only from above through the bars, and enduring great hardship from the crampedness and stench. If the war continues, then in this our miserable captivity we will be forced to die."

And yet Shafirov’s mission was successful. In 1714, a final peace treaty was concluded, which practically did not differ from the one signed on the banks of the Prut, and the plenipotentiary hostages were able to return to Russia. Mikhail Sheremetev never made it home, dying in Kiev, while Shafirov was received with great honor. The sovereign showered his diplomat with favors, and soon Vice-Chancellor Shafirov became one of the most influential officials of the empire.

Despite the awards received upon his return, Shafirov desperately stole. And there was nothing surprising about this — in the tsar’s circle, everyone stole without exception. Moreover, he understood nothing about mining, commerce, or postal transport, although he headed the Berg College, Commerce College, and postal department. But this was also unsurprising, since none of the "nestlings of Peter’s nest" understood what they managed. Prussian diplomat Johann Fokkerodt recalled:

"The senators had neither the ability nor the activity required by such extensive administration, and most of them were utterly selfish people from whom you could buy anything for money, no matter how harmful it was to the public good. Moreover, Peter I’s favorites took many things right before the Senate’s eyes."

Nothing could be done about this, since Peter I could not afford to distance himself from his thieving childhood friends, youth companions, and other drinking buddies, as without them he would lose his support.

Shafirov himself poorly understood postal affairs, but his subordinates knew their service excellently and therefore stole with particular success. Shafirov protected such employees, taking his cut from their affairs. The Prussian king personally complained to Peter I about postal swindlers.

In other fields besides diplomacy, Shafirov acted roughly the same way. The Ural affairs, handled by the Berg College, were practically handed over to the merchant dynasty of the Demidovs, with whom Shafirov had mutually beneficial relations.

Shafirov’s fall was as inevitable as his rise. He began to overreach and quickly made powerful enemies. His biggest mistake was quarreling with the all-powerful Menshikov. The Hanoverian ambassador in St. Petersburg, Christian Weber, later recalled:

"Upon returning from Turkey, Baron Shafirov was received with great honor at court. His happiness aroused new hatred among his numerous envious rivals, especially Prince Menshikov. I remember once, while they were on a ship, they had a big argument, and Shafirov told Menshikov that if his inherent envy turned into a fever, all persons close to the Sovereign would die from it, and that he, sparing not even his benefactors, resembled worms gnawing trees, which they feed on and live by. Moreover, he reproached him that Prince Menshikov in many battles watched from afar through a spyglass, like Neptune from the Thracian mountains at the battle of Troy with the Greeks, or like Xerxes, who was at the Battle of Salamis at such a distance that he could not be hit by an arrow. This quarrel later caused Baron Shafirov’s downfall."

In the struggle with Menshikov, Shafirov made another major mistake — he quarreled with the Ober-Procurator, and quarreling with the prosecution in Russia is dangerous. Shafirov reported to the sovereign that Menshikov had encroached on lands around the town of Pochep. This town was gifted to Menshikov after the Poltava victory, but the prince began to annex neighboring plots, and Cossacks who opposed this were imprisoned. Menshikov lost the seized lands, and Colonel Bogdan Skornyakov-Pisarev, who helped him with the surveying, was put on trial. The trouble was that the convicted colonel had a brother — Ober-Procurator of the Senate Grigory Skornyakov-Pisarev. As a result, Shafirov did not destroy Menshikov but made a new powerful enemy for himself.

Soon constant clashes and even drunken fights began between Shafirov and Skornyakov-Pisarev. A war of kompromat erupted between the two officials, and Shafirov’s position was unenviable since his only possible ally — Peter I — was then at the Caspian Sea fighting Persia. Skornyakov-Pisarev easily proved that Shafirov helped his brother Mikhail embezzle state funds and reminded senators of the vice-chancellor’s Jewish origin: "Mikhail Shafirov is not a foreigner but of Jewish nature, a boyar’s serf, nicknamed Shayushka, son, and his father Shayushkin was a schoolboy’s shafor in Orsha, whose relative is still in Orsha, the Jew Zelman..." The vice-chancellor, in turn, claimed that the Ober-Procurator’s father "had no peasants, plowed himself, and taught him from youth, which is evidenced by his and his current rude behavior," and that the Skornyakov-Pisarevs descended from skinners and clerks. However, there was no evidence for this.

Soon Skornyakov-Pisarev uncovered Shafirov’s postal frauds and appointed an investigation in the Senate. A commission was formed that confirmed all the accusations against Shafirov. As a result, in 1723 Shafirov was sentenced to death and deprived of all ranks and property. At the last moment, the execution was replaced by exile to Siberia, but he was exiled only to Novgorod.

After Peter I’s death, Empress Catherine I called Shafirov back to St. Petersburg and even returned his confiscated property. The Hanoverian ambassador in St. Petersburg, Christian Weber, later recalled:

"The Empress summoned Baron Shafirov and expressed very gracious words, asking him to attribute the misfortune he suffered to his enemies, not to the late Emperor, who even before his death always thought well of him, opposed his exile to Siberia, and even intended to restore his former favor." Catherine I ordered Shafirov’s confiscated sword to be returned. Since the very sword could not be found, the empress gave the former vice-chancellor the sword of Peter the Great himself.

Apparently, Catherine retained gratitude to the man who saved her from Turkish captivity. Shafirov’s miraculous return was as inevitable as his entire life path, since in Russia with the change of supreme ruler yesterday’s disgraced become favorites and vice versa. He could no longer rise above president of the Commerce College, but unlike Menshikov, he ended his days in 1739 with honor and wealth. Perhaps the greatest miracle in Shafirov’s extraordinary biography was that he was returned what had been taken from him.

In St. Petersburg, Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov was the first owner of the plot at house No. 20 on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. His first Petersburg house stood on Berezovy (Petersburg) Island next to Peter I’s little house. Shafirov received the plot in the Morskaya Sloboda in the early 1720s.

Sources:

Kirill Novikov, The Jew of Peter the Great

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shafirov,_Pyotr_Pavlovich

http://deduhova.ru/statesman/pyotr-pavlovich-shafirov/