Osterman biography. “The Gray Cardinal” Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman. Fall and exile

On May 4, 1703, in Germany, in the city of Jena, in the tavern “At Rose’s,” drunken students fought, and one of them, pulling out a sword, killed a friend. So, sixteen-year-old student, future First Minister of Russia Heinrich Osterman began his independent life with a murder in a drunken tavern fight...

The demon inside

Such a beginning seems unimaginably strange for a person whose whole life and activity is rationalism itself, foresight itself, as well as careful calculation, subtle, thoughtful intrigue. But before this fight, everything was going as well as possible at the Rose’s tavern.

Heinrich is a handsome, short young man, the obedient son of a pastor from the small Westphalian town of Bochum. He was born in 1686, studied well at school, and easily entered the University of Jena. His father hoped that his son would become a pastor, a theologian, maybe even a professor.

And such a terrible incident! They say that the poor father fainted from shame and grief when he had to read out from the pulpit of his native church a wanted notice for his own son, who did not obediently surrender into the hands of the police, but fled from Jena to God knows where...

And yet, knowing a lot about Osterman’s long and difficult life, I cannot say that the event in the Rose’s tavern was an accident, unexpected and illogical. There is a secret in Osterman's character and personality. Peaceful and quiet, he sometimes exploded with an evil act suddenly and unexpectedly for those around him.

Behind his external composure, cunning, and rationality hid a volcano of ambition, pride, vanity and even adventurism. And then this smartest analyst could not cope with his passions and made absurd mistakes, finding himself, as in Jena, in an extremely difficult situation.

Escape to Russia

Fearing justice, Osterman fled to Holland, to Amsterdam... The runaway student, penniless and without a future, took refuge in the cramped and noisy pre-port streets of this trading Mecca of Europe.

It should be said that the events at the Rose's tavern took place in the May days of 1703. Just at this time, Peter I founded St. Petersburg, walked with a yardstick in his hands along Hare Island, where a fortress was being built, celebrated his first victory at sea, when at the head of a boarding team he took two Swedish ships.

Russia noisily came to the shores of the Baltic. And she was in dire need of specialists. Therefore, Peter sent his recently hired admiral Cornelius Cruys to Amsterdam, who was recruiting people to work in Muscovy. And here the paths of Osterman and Kruys crossed, and this became the second turning point in the life of our hero.

However, Osterman did not choose Russia by chance - he knew that his older brother Johann was a teacher in Moscow, under the Russian princesses - the daughters of the late Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, brother of Peter 1.

We do not know when Osterman arrived in St. Petersburg. He first emerged from the shadows of obscurity in 1705, when his name was mentioned among the diligent parishioners of the first Lutheran church of St. Peter (which is now on Nevsky). Apparently, Osterman zealously atone for his sin. That's when his career began.

In the 1730s, the caustic, tongue-in-cheek princess Praskovya Yusupova (she suffered for her tongue) told how Osterman interrogated her:

« And what Osterman was asking me about, I didn’t understand, because Osterman didn’t speak as eloquently as the Russians say: “You’re here, you’ll play with us, then children play, but you’re not called here to play, but “Whatever we ask you about, answer it.”

But the accent is a mere trifle. Half of Peter's companions spoke with an accent. The main thing is that Osterman was in business, Peter’s Russia needed him. Without connections, friends, money, or patrons, he began his career as a simple clerk and translator in the Embassy Chancellery, which later became the College of Foreign Affairs, and then achieved brilliant results. Peter himself noticed him and began to involve him in serious diplomatic work.

A flexible mind, diligence, German pedantry and precision - everything was to the tsar’s liking. And further. Osterman had one quality that amazed everyone in Russia. He was distinguished by his fantastic performance. According to contemporaries, he always worked: day and night, on weekdays and holidays, which no self-respecting Russian minister, of course, could afford.

Negotiator from God

Over the years, Osterman's importance as a diplomat grew. Not a single major foreign policy event in which Russian diplomacy took part could take place without him. The pinnacle of Osterman's professional success can be considered the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystadt with Sweden in the fall of 1721, according to which Russia received the Baltic territories.

And although Osterman’s name is second on the list of plenipotentiary ambassadors in Nystadt after Count Jacob Bruce, it was he, Osterman, who was the brains of the Russian delegation, the true father of the most beneficial treaty for Russia. And Tsar Peter understood this.

On the day of the celebration of the Peace of Nystadt, Osterman becomes a nobleman and a baron - could a modest pastor’s son from Bochum, for whom the noose on the Jena gallows cried for a long time, dream of this? In 1723, Osterman became vice-chancellor of Russia - an almost exorbitant position for any official. Send shoals of orders, awards, lands...

Count Heinrich Johann Friedrich Osterman, in Russia - Andrei Ivanovich - one of the associates of Peter I, a native of Westphalia, who actually led the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in the 1720s and 1730s. He served as vice-chancellor and first cabinet minister. In 1740 he was promoted to the rank of admiral general.

What was Osterman's strength as a diplomat? The surviving documents demonstrate his iron logic, acumen, and common sense. The Vice-Chancellor built Russian foreign policy on consistent observance of Russian interests, sober calculation, intention and ability to establish allied relations only with those powers that could be useful to Russia.

Osterman carefully, pedantically, “accounting-style” analyzed and compared the relationship between Russia’s “general interests” and the “benefits” or “dangers” stemming from its possible partners and allies.

« Our system,” Osterman wrote in 1728, “should be to escape from everything, if it could lead us into any space.” That is, to maintain freedom of action, not to allow yourself to be drawn into a dubious adventure or an unprofitable alliance. This was not a sign of cowardly politics, but a call to act wisely in everything.

In 1726, Osterman initiated the conclusion of an alliance with Austria, whose “general interests” in Poland and the Black Sea region then coincided exactly with the Russians. And this calculation of the vice-chancellor turned out to be accurate for a century - almost the entire 18th and early 19th centuries, Russia and Austria were together. The white uniforms of the Austrians appeared next to the green uniforms of the Russians in all wars with Prussia, Turkey, during the partitions of Poland, and in campaigns against Napoleon.

But it is impossible to be a diplomat and not be a politician, especially in a royal court that lived in a world of intrigue. It was difficult to stay in the saddle through the sharp turns of history! Many times Osterman hung over the abyss, but safely climbed to the top.

Anna Ioannovna - Russian empress from the Romanov dynasty

During the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730–1740) he came closest to the pinnacle of power. He became a cabinet minister, an influential dignitary, and was no longer limited only to foreign policy, but also led internal affairs.

With his colossal efficiency and intelligence, he clearly suppressed his other colleagues. He also collaborated with General Andrei Ushakov, the head of the Secret Chancellery. Together they conducted secret investigations and interrogated criminals together. Let us remember Princess Yusupova - from the above quote it is clear that the minister was not talking with the girl in the salon...

Imaginary patient

In the position of cabinet minister, Osterman remained what nature created him and was shaped by everyday experience: an intelligent, cunning, secretive, selfish person, an unprincipled politician who knew his own worth well.

« King, our sovereign,- wrote the Spanish envoy Duke de Liria, - Let him not think that Osterman is a perfect person: he is deceitful, he is ready to do anything to achieve his goal, he has no religion because he has already changed it three times, and is extremely insidious, but this is the kind of person we need and without whom we cannot we'll do nothing.»

Here it is important to especially note that he was one of those rare figures in Russia in the 18th century who did not soil himself with bribes and theft. His life was completely absorbed in work and intrigue. Everything else seemed secondary and unimportant to him.

Andrei Ivanovich (that’s what the Russians called him), having lived in Russia for almost half a century, never made any friends or acquaintances. He was always alone. Yes, this is understandable - communication with Osterman was extremely unpleasant. His secrecy and hypocrisy were the talk of the town, and his not particularly skillful pretense was anecdotal.

Count Osterman Andrey Ivanovich

At the most crucial or sensitive moments of his political career, he suddenly fell ill. He developed either gout on his right hand (so as not to sign dangerous papers), or rheumatism (so as not to go to the palace), or chiragra or migraine (so as not to answer sensitive questions).

He lay in bed for a long time, and there was no way to get him out of there - he moaned so loudly that the unfortunate patient could be heard from the street.

Often during diplomatic negotiations, when the vice-chancellor wanted to interrupt an uncomfortable conversation, he suddenly began to vomit. The English envoy Finch wrote that in this case you need to calmly sit and wait:

« Those who know him leave him to continue his crappy game, sometimes taken to extremes, and continue their speech; the count, seeing that it is not possible to expel his interlocutor, immediately recovers as if nothing had happened».

Rootless and obedient

Indeed, in his pretense, Osterman knew the limit: the courtier’s keen sense of smell always told him when to lie flat, barely raising his eyelids, and when, moaning and groaning, often on a stretcher, he should still go to the palace.

Empress Anna Ioannovna, a simple and dark woman, highly valued her minister for his solidity, learning and thoroughness. She couldn't do without Osterman's advice - she just had to be patient and, ignoring all his numerous reservations, digressions and vague hints, wait for practical advice on what to do.

Osterman was good for Anna as a person completely dependent on her favors. He never managed to become one of the Russians. Although he married a girl, Marfa, from the old boyar family of the Streshnevs, he remained a stranger to the Russian nobility, a “German,” which, as we know, was not the best characteristic of a person in Russia. That is why he clung so tightly to the strongest.

Countess Marfa Ivanovna Osterman, née Streshneva - lady of state of Catherine I, wife of Vice-Chancellor Andrei Osterman

Osterman always did this without fail. At first, such a person for Andrei Ivanovich was his boss, Vice-Chancellor P. P. Shafirov. But when Shafirov fell into disgrace in 1723, Osterman, who took his place, did his best to prevent his former patron from “surfacing” to the surface.

Then A.D. Menshikov became Andrei Ivanovich’s idol. And Osterman betrayed him for the sake of Peter II and the Dolgoruky princes. Under Anna Ioannovna, he first flirted with Field Marshal Minikh, and then for a long time sought Biron’s favor, eventually becoming an indispensable assistant and consultant for the temporary worker.

In this trait of Osterman the politician there is no special maliciousness of character: “cosi” fan tutte” - “everyone does this” (Italian).

This is not your role, director!

But Biron himself was a seasoned, smart guy and didn’t particularly trust Osterman. The temporary worker understood that Osterman’s special strength as a politician lay in his phenomenal ability to act secretly, from behind the scenes. But at some point, Biron missed a blow from another of his associates, Field Marshal Minich, and was overthrown.

However, soon Minikh himself fell from the top against his own will. It so happened that by the beginning of 1741 the political scene was suddenly cleared of strong figures. The weak and narrow-minded ruler Anna Leopoldovna was in power. It was then that Osterman decided that his time had come!

Osterman in order robes

That hidden ambitious energy that had been bubbling inside him since his youth burst out. He became the first minister under the ruler, the de facto leader of the state. It was an hour of triumph, victory...

In 1741, Osterman first came out from behind the scenes to the forefront of politics. Accustomed to acting in the political darkness, able to rake in the heat with someone else's hands, he turned out to be untenable in the light as a public politician and leader.

He did not have the qualities necessary for this role - will, determination, authority, what is called charisma. And he had many enemies. One of them was just waiting for the moment to grab hold of Osterman...

Wrath of the lovely fury

This was the beautiful princess Elizaveta Petrovna, who knew about Osterman’s many intrigues against her. She remembered well how he wanted to marry her to some seedy German prince, how he ordered her every move to be monitored, how, finally, in 1740, he did not allow the Persian envoy to present her with luxurious gifts on behalf of Shah Nadir.

No, this was impossible to forget! Therefore, it is not surprising that the coup on November 25, 1741, which brought Elizaveta Petrovna to power, swept Osterman into oblivion. The new empress, knowing the resourcefulness and cunning of the first minister, sentenced him to death.

Elizabeth I Petrovna is a Russian empress from the Romanov dynasty, the youngest daughter of Peter I and Catherine I, born two years before their marriage.

He was taken to the place of execution near the building of the Twelve Colleges on a sleigh - he was sick with gout, or maybe chiragra, or maybe he really was sick. But they didn’t believe him, moaning and groaning. They dragged him onto the scaffold by force, tore the wig off his head, stripped his neck, and laid his head on the block.

The executioner raised the ax, but at that moment the secretary stopped the executioner’s hand and read the decree on replacing the death penalty with exile to Siberia, to Berezov, that is, to the very place where he had previously sent Menshikov along with the Dolgorukys.

Inflamed by the vodka and the general attention of the crowd, the executioner, as if annoyed that the victim had been taken away from him, kicked the first minister off the scaffold - after all, there is no sweeter pleasure than mocking the fallen ruler.

The old fox has been caught!

It was clear that Osterman lost heart. When Prince Yakov Shakhovskoy, carrying out the will of the Empress, read him an order in the Peter and Paul Fortress to immediately send him into exile, the former first minister, lying on the straw, only groaned.

The old, wise fox realized that he could no longer escape, that the trap had closed forever and he, the ever-present traitor, had been betrayed by everyone. No, not all! Marfa, wrapped in a fur coat, stood at the prison door, shifting in the cold. She, like the wife of Minikh, Osterman’s accomplice, was waiting for her husband to be taken into exile, so that she could sit in a sleigh with him and share his fate...

"View of the city of Berezov from the south."

The spouses were brought to Berezov. From St. Petersburg, the guards were strictly instructed not to take their eyes off the cunning man - they did not believe his illnesses. Did the officials in St. Petersburg really think that he was dangerous, that he could escape? And where? Not to Bochum! However, the authorities in these cases always seek to play it safe.

Thus, one chained prisoner, who became famous as a sorcerer, was not allowed to drink in prison. More precisely, they gave me a wet rag to suck on, but a mug or ladle of water - no, no! It turns out that they were afraid that he, folding his hands like a boat, would dive into the water and escape the sovereign’s wrath!

Hey Marfa!

Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Osterman was sorely missed - for fifteen years, Russian foreign policy was made with his hands, and it turned out quite well. It took a long time to connect the threads of the diplomatic web, broken by the sudden overthrow of the Vice-Chancellor. But, as we know, there are no irreplaceable people in Russia, and Osterman was quickly forgotten.

He died in 1747, before reaching sixty years of age. We don’t know what he was thinking about during the long winter nights of Berezov. Did he remember his native green Bochum, that terrible night of May 4, 1703, when in the tavern “At Rose’s” (damn her, that Rose!) he killed his comrade and crippled his own life?

Or maybe he didn’t cripple him at all? If he had not arranged this fight, he would have graduated from the university, become a pastor, a professor, would have strangled his ambitions and dreams, would have died unknown, and would not have gone down in history as an outstanding diplomat. Dying, he bequeathed to his wife to bury him in European Russia.

At the beginning of September, the same year 1747, Osterman’s wife had to go from Berezov on a ship to Tobolsk, and from there to Russia. She spent the entire last night at her husband’s grave, in tears and prayers.

Osterman's grave in Berezovo. Engraving by L. Seryakov based on fig. M. Znamensky. 1862

After she left Berezov, a rumor spread among the residents that on the last night, with the help of the courtyard people who were with her, she dug her husband’s body out of the ground and, putting it in a large box, covered it with wax, took it with her to Russia.

Martha buried her priceless cargo somewhere. Maybe in Suzdal - there she settled in one of the monasteries (possibly in Pokrovsky, famous for its prisoners).

We learned about this from the denunciation of a local priest, who on some patronal holiday impudently climbed into her cell for refreshments once, twice, until Ostermanikha kicked him out into the yard. Then the priest, out of spite, wrote an empty, worthless denunciation against the old woman... Otherwise, we would not have known about the fate of faithful Martha...

Evgeniy Anisimov

1725 - 1741 Monarch: Catherine I, Peter II, Anna Ioannovna, Ivan VI Birth: the 9th of June ( 1687-06-09 )
Bochum Death: May 31 ( 1747-05-31 ) (59 years old)
Berezov Buried: Berezovsky Pogost Spouse: Marfa Ivanovna Osterman Children: Peter, Fedor, Anna, Ivan Education: Jena University Awards:

In the political struggle of 1725-1730

Appointed vice-chancellor, Andrei Ivanovich became the ideological inspirer and author of the union with Austria. Defining policy goals for rapprochement with Vienna, Osterman wrote: “The Caesar is able, almost, to restrain all other powers from attacking Russia... And in addition to the general benefit described above, Russia will also have this particularization that the Caesar, as the guarantor of the Peace of Travendal, will assist His Royal Highness the Duke of Holstein in the return of Schleswig, and as the supreme judge imperial - in the affairs of the Duke of Mecklenburg. There are few dangers from such an alliance, since there will be no war from France for such an alliance, but even more so, seeing Russia in good agreement with the Tsar, he will seek Russian friendship even more. England, in a long or short time, from its close obligations with France, has natural interests to return to the Caesar of Rome. The King of Prussia will only be forced to maintain Russian friendship. Sweden itself desires this alliance with the Caesar. Poland will not only be kept from any opposition, but will also be brought to the nearest agreement.”. The future showed the correctness of the vice-chancellor's calculations, and the Russian-Austrian alliance was concluded in Vienna on August 6, 1726 by the Russian envoy Ludwig Lanchinsky and Prince Eugene of Savoy.

For all this he was sentenced to ride on the wheel.

The day of execution was set for January 18, 1742. A number of simple peasant sleighs with state criminals pulled from the fortress towards the scaffold erected on Vasilievsky Island, in front of the building of the twelve colleges (on the site of the current exchange square). Osterman was carried first, in a fur coat, a warm dressing gown and a cap; behind him is Minich, who, for some melodramatic effect, dressed in a red military cloak, in which he made campaigns to Danzig and to Ochakov. Six thousand guards soldiers and masses of people surrounded the scaffold. They carried Osterman onto him on a stretcher and sat him on a chair, then they took off the old man’s cap and wig. With tufts of gray hair flying, wincing from the pain in his legs, but completely calmly, the count listened to the reading of the verdict. Biographers are surprised at his composure, but the reason for this was, of course, his firm confidence in the mercy of the empress, who, on the very night of her accession to the throne, before the icon of the Savior, swore an oath not to put anyone to death. This oath, no doubt, was not unknown to Osterman. With the same calm, he, removed from the chair and lowered to his knees on the platform, laid his head on the block. The executioner straightened the collar of his shirt, raised the ax and instantly took it to the side and lowered it onto the platform at the word: forgiveness. The Empress replaced the death penalty with lifelong exile for all those convicted.

The Empress replaced the execution with eternal imprisonment in Berezovo, where Osterman and his wife lived for five years, not going anywhere and not receiving anyone except the pastor, and constantly suffering from gout. He died in exile, was buried in the Berezovsky churchyard, the grave has survived to this day.

Character traits

Restrained, consistent and hardworking, Osterman had nothing to do with Russia and looked at it as an arena for his ambition, but was not self-interested and did not stain himself with embezzlement. Although stingy, he was distinguished by extreme incorruptibility. Two-faced and deceitful, he did not betray the one he served: contemporaries found it difficult to name a power to whose interests Osterman would consciously and for selfish reasons sacrifice the interests of Russia. Concerned about his personal career, Osterman successfully intrigued against his rivals; but his guiding motives, along with considerations of a personal nature, were sometimes a fundamental disagreement on issues of foreign policy. He looked down on the Russian people and, as a noble man, despised high-born people, using them for his own purposes.

In his external management activities, Osterman strictly followed Peter's instructions. In view of his “policy” of acting through others and behind the backs of others, A.P. Volynsky considered him a person “producing himself through devilish channels and not explaining anything directly, but expressing everything through dark sides”. Frederick II in his “Notes” characterizes him as follows: “a skilled helmsman, in the era of the most turbulent revolutions, he steered the helm of the empire with a faithful hand, being careful and courageous, depending on the circumstances, and knew Russia as Verney knew the human body”.

Family

Wife - Osterman, Marfa Ivanovna. Their children:

Peter(21 March 1722 – 1 May 1723)
Osterman, Fedor Andreevich(April 11, 1723 - November 10 (21), 1804)
Anna(April 22, 1724 - 1769), married Tolstaya, grandmother of Count Alexander Ivanovich Osterman-Tolstoy.
Osterman, Ivan Andreevich(25 April 1725 - 18 April 1811)

Notes

Literature

Wagner I. F. Osterman is a German at the court of the Russian emperors. A picture of life and the search for traces.
Shubinsky S. Gr. A. I. Osterman (biographical sketch). // “Northern Lights”, 1863, vol. II.
Korsakov. Accession of Anna Ioannovna.
Karatygin P. Osterman's family relations. // “Historical Bulletin”, 1884, No. 9.
"Ancient and New Russia" (1876, vol. I, no. 3)
Petition and appearance petition of Osterman (1711);
“Collection of the Russian Department. language and words. Imp. Academician Sciences", vol. IX (translation from a note by Count A. I. Osterman on negotiations conducted with Count M. Golovin and other persons on the approval of the succession to the Russian throne in the descendants of Princess Anna Leopoldovna of Brunswick-Lüneburg)
Al. Sk. Admiral General A. I. Osterman // “Sea collection”, 1857, part XXX
Gelbig G. Russian chosen ones and random people in the 18th century. // “Russian Antiquity”, 1886, No. 4
Markina L. A. Count A.I. Osterman: touches to iconography // In the collection: Germans in Russia: St. Petersburg Germans. Sat. articles. - St. Petersburg, 1999. - P. 169-181.
Harm Klueting, Edeltraud Kluetin: Heinrich Graf Ostermann. Von Bochum nach St. Petersburg 1687 to 1747, 1976. - ISBN 3-921543-38-X

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A. I. Osterman

Andrei Ivanovich Osterman was born on May 30, 1686 in the family of a pastor in the town of Bokum, in Westphalia (West Germany). He studied at the university in Jena, but because of participation in a duel he fled to Amsterdam. In 1703, Osterman agreed to enter the Russian service as a valet for Vice Admiral K. I. Kruys. His older brother was already in the Russian service at that time. He was involved in raising the daughters of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, the late brother of Peter I. In October 1704, A. I. Osterman came to Russia with Kruys. Knowledge of German, Dutch, French, Italian and Latin allowed him to take the place of translator in the Ambassadorial Prikaz in 1707. Soon Osterman mastered the Russian language perfectly. He was one of the few contemporaries of Peter I who wrote most correctly in stylistic and grammatical terms. In 1710, Osterman was appointed to the post of secretary of the Ambassadorial Prikaz.

In 1711, Andrei Ivanovich Osterman took part in the Prut campaign of Peter I. Together with P.P. Shafirov, he conducted peace negotiations with the Grand Vizier, showing extraordinary diplomatic abilities, which attracted the attention of Peter I. The success of these negotiations contributed greatly Osterman's career. In 1713–1715 he carried out diplomatic assignments for Peter I in Prussia and Holland. In 1718–1719 Osterman, together with J. V. Bruce, was tasked with negotiating with the Swedes at the Åland Congress. In a special instruction addressed only to Osterman, Peter I gave instructions to recruit the chief representative of the Swedes at the congress, the king’s favorite and first minister Hertz. Andrei Ivanovich launched active reconnaissance work and achieved good results. Hertz informed the Russian government about the situation in Sweden and the intrigues around the king. In addition to Hertz, Osterman recruited the secretary of the Swedish delegation, Stamken, who covered the work of the Swedish delegates. Things were clearly moving toward peace at the Åland Congress when a stray bullet from the walls of the besieged Danish fortress of Friedrichsgal (in Norway) pierced the Swedish king's temple. The king's sister and heir Ulrika Eleonora interrupted the negotiations in the summer of 1719 and, having secured the support of England, decided to continue the fight against Russia.

Upon returning to Russia, Osterman in February 1720 was appointed “secret chancellery adviser” at the College of Foreign Affairs. His responsibility included drafting the most important diplomatic papers. In 1721, Osterman, together with J. V. Bruce, participated in the conclusion of the Nystadt Peace Treaty with Sweden, which ended the Northern War. Under the terms of the peace, Russia received the Baltic coast from Vyborg to Riga, part of Karelia, the islands of Ezel, Dago and Men. In gratitude for this, in August 1721, Peter I elevated Osterman to baronial dignity. He was granted the rank of Privy Councilor, as well as money and villages.

In September 1723, Osterman concluded an important peace treaty with Persia for Russia, which legally assigned to Russia the western coast of the Caspian Sea, which had been conquered from Persia during the Caspian Campaign. However, this treaty was not ratified by the Persian Shah Tahmasp II.

In 1724, Peter I instructed A.I. Osterman to “give the most decent education to the College of Foreign Affairs.” An experienced diplomat, Osterman drafted a new staff of the office and regulations of the board entitled: “Towards the composition and determination of the office of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs proposals.” These proposals are considered one of the best documents Osterman has written. However, Andrei Ivanovich’s “proposals” were not approved due to the death of Peter I. Nevertheless, they were studied and used in compiling the staff of the college throughout the 18th century.

After the death of Peter I, Catherine I granted Osterman the title of vice-chancellor and the rank of actual privy councilor. At the same time, he was appointed chief of the post offices and headed the “Commission on Commerce.” Thus, Osterman's influence increased in the field of domestic politics. In 1727, Andrei Ivanovich was awarded the highest Russian Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called and was appointed chief chamberlain (educator) of the grandson of Peter I, Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich. Osterman compiled an “Outline of Teachings” for his pupil. In addition, he presented Empress Catherine I with a project for the marriage of Peter Alekseevich with his aunt, Princess Elizabeth Petrovna. Osterman was not embarrassed by either the close degree of relationship or the difference in age of the future spouses.

At the beginning of February 1726, Catherine I established the Supreme Privy Council, which limited the independence and importance of the College of Foreign Affairs. The council consisted of 6 members: A. D. Menshikov, F. M. Apraksin, P. A. Tolstoy, D. M. Golitsyn, G. I. Golovkin and A. I. Osterman. Most of the meetings of the Supreme Privy Council were devoted to foreign policy issues. The Council, thus, seemed to replace the activities of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, turning it into a kind of executive office. However, later Vice-Chancellor Osterman and member of the College of Foreign Affairs V.V. Stepanov received the right to report directly to the Empress “on such cases of the Collegium that did not require discussion” in the Supreme Privy Council. It was decided to approve draft rescripts for Russian representatives abroad not in the Council, but in the Collegium. Only “important matters” began to be referred to the council.

The situation in Europe at the end of the reign of Peter I changed significantly. Sweden has ceased to be Russia's most dangerous adversary. In 1724, Russia concluded the defensive Stockholm Alliance with Sweden. Under the terms of the treaty, Sweden made an important promise to provide military assistance to its ally in the event of an attack on it by any “Christian” European power, as well as to secure its rear in the event of a Turkish attack. Thus, Russian diplomacy was left with two unresolved problems: Polish and Turkish.

After Peter I, his successors, right up to Elizaveta Petrovna, did not have an independent foreign policy program. The government of Catherine I at the beginning of 1725 declared its loyalty to the general foreign policy course determined by Peter the Great, as well as to the international obligations previously accepted by Russia. In Europe at this time, active preparations were underway for the creation of the Vienna and Hanoverian Unions. Catherine I was initially inclined towards an alliance with France and England. One of the reasons for this choice was the position of the Austrian Emperor Charles IV on the issue of Russian succession to the throne. The Emperor advocated declaring Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich, his great-nephew and grandson of Peter I, heir to the throne, which caused serious dissatisfaction with Catherine I and interfered with Russian-Austrian rapprochement.

Osterman, together with Chancellor Golovkin, spoke in the Supreme Privy Council for Russia's accession to the Vienna Union of Austria and Spain. He rightly believed that the Hanoverian League “against the Caesar, but more directly committed against us.” Comprehensive information was received from Russian residents in Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and The Hague about the goals of the Hanoverian allies, as well as about the negotiations between English and French diplomats that began in the summer of 1725 with the goal of Sweden and Denmark joining them. An important source of information was a very influential group of Russian-friendly officials in the Swedish government. They not only informed the Russian envoy N.F. Golovin about the diplomatic actions of the Hanoverian allies, but also took countermeasures, trying to convince the ruling circles of Sweden that joining the Hanoverian League was unprofitable.

The government of Catherine I tried to counter the anti-Russian policy of Anglo-French diplomacy. In order to strengthen Russian positions and achieve a closer Russian-Swedish union, in April 1726 the Supreme Privy Council decided to send a special embassy to Stockholm headed by V. L. Dolgoruky. He was given the task of concluding a new alliance treaty with Sweden in order to disrupt its negotiations with the Hanoverian allies and prevent it from joining this bloc. Considering the state of affairs in Sweden and the “current delicate circumstances,” it was decided to allocate up to 100 thousand rubles to bribe Swedish government officials. But due to various reasons, Dolgorukov’s embassy arrived in Stockholm only at the beginning of November, and time was lost. Immediately upon arrival, Dolgoruky noted the weakening of the position of the “well-wishers” and the strengthening of the influence of their opponents. In December 1726, Dolgorukov met with the Swedish king and head of government, Count Arvid Horn, which ended without result. The ambassador's promise to double or even triple the bribe did not help either. “It’s easier to introduce a mufti into Christian law than to keep the Swedes from joining the Hanoverian League”, - Dolgoruky admitted bitterly.

In the current situation, the rapprochement between Russia and Austria was a serious blow to the Hanoverian League. G. I. Golovkin, A. I. Osterman, V. L. Dolgoruky, acting against A. D. Menshikov, F. M. Apraksin and D. M. Golitsyn, defended the conclusion of an alliance with Austria. On July 26 (August 6), 1726, a Russian-Austrian defensive and offensive alliance treaty was signed in Vienna. Russia and Austria acted together in two of the most important wars of the 1730s: the War of the Polish Succession and the Turkish War of 1735–1739.

After the death of Catherine I and the accession of Peter II in May 1727, Osterman, using his influence on the young emperor, largely contributed to the fall of his rival Prince A.D. Menshikov in September 1727. Resourcefulness and caution helped Osterman maintain his high position even after death of Peter II in January 1730

Andrei Ivanovich, saying he was ill, did not take part in the meeting of the Supreme Privy Council, which elected the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna as the successor of the late emperor and adopted the “conditions” on limiting autocracy. Anna Ioannovna, who meekly signed the “conditions” in Mitau, arrived in Moscow and discovered that the “venture” of the supreme leaders did not enjoy the support of either the majority of the nobles or the guards. She publicly tore the sheet of paper with the “conditions” signed by her. With this, the Duchess of Courland proclaimed herself an autocratic empress. Among those who supported Anna Ioannovna was Osterman. In gratitude, the Empress appointed Andrei Ivanovich as a senator in March 1730. In April 1730, Osterman was elevated, with his descendants, to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire and received lands in Livonia.

Lazy and poorly educated, Anna Ioannovna did not show any interest in government affairs. Instead of the abolished Supreme Privy Council, an institution of approximately the same competence was organized under her, but under a new name - the Cabinet of Ministers. In November 1731, Osterman, with the rank of second cabinet minister, joined the Cabinet. From 1733 he chaired the Naval Commission “to review and bring into good and reliable order the fleet, the admiralty and everything that belongs to it.” Knowing nothing about maritime affairs, Osterman rose to the rank of admiral general in Russia.

In 1734, after the death of G.I. Golovkin, Andrei Ivanovich received the title of first cabinet minister and headed Russian diplomacy. Possessing a subtle mind and extensive diplomatic experience, Osterman was well versed in the complex intricacies of European politics. Extremely cautious in decision-making, he nevertheless well mastered the basic elements of the foreign policy course of Peter I. Following this course, Osterman sought to avoid a fight on two fronts, while in order to solve the most vital problems, he did not hesitate to make significant sacrifices. Thus, Andrei Ivanovich subordinated the question of relations with Persia to the more important and complex Turkish problem. He did not believe in the possibility of holding Gilan and other conquered regions during the Caspian campaign of Peter I and was ready to return them in order to acquire an ally in Persia against Turkey. At the beginning of 1732, following the instructions of A.I. Osterman, P.P. Shafirov signed the Treaty of Rasht with Persia, which contained a clause on the return of the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Astrabad to it. In 1735, with the participation of Andrei Ivanovich, Russia and Persia concluded the Ganja Treaty on a defensive alliance. Under this agreement, Russia regained Baku and Derbent.

In 1735, Russia entered into a war with Turkey. In this situation, the Russian government was especially interested in Sweden's position. An important success of Russian diplomacy was the restoration of the military-political alliance with Sweden in August 1735. Austria was Russia's ally in the Russian-Turkish war. However, Vienna delayed negotiations on military assistance to Russia, and only in January 1737 a convention on joint military actions against Turkey was signed. In the middle of the same year, on the initiative of Turkey, an attempt was made to peacefully resolve the Russian-Turkish conflict. From August 16 to November 11, a congress of Russian, Turkish and Austrian representatives took place in the Ukrainian town of Nemirovo. The Russian delegation was headed by P. P. Shafirov, A. P. Volynsky and I. I. Neplyuev. The work of the delegation was led by A. I. Osterman. Guided by Osterman's instructions, the Russian delegation presented its demands. These were not so much the wishes of Russia in the present, but rather the program of its Eastern policy in the future.

Russia's demands not only met with sharp objections from the Turks, but also alarmed the Austrians, who laid claims to parts of Moldavia and Wallachia, Serbia and Bosnia. Austro-Russian contradictions strengthened the position of Turkey, which was preparing to launch an offensive in the Balkans. As a result, the Nemirov Congress was closed. The war continued for another two years. After Austria left the war in 1739, a Russian-Turkish peace treaty was concluded in Belgrade. Faced with the threat of a Swedish attack, Osterman decided to conclude a peace treaty, which was far from corresponding to the efforts expended by Russia. However, the treaty gave Russia a free hand to prevent a Swedish attack on St. Petersburg, which was delayed by two years.

Since 1736, Osterman did not leave his home due to illness, however, not a single major state matter was completed without his participation. In October 1740, Osterman was brought in a chair to the palace to the bed of the dying Empress Anna Ioannovna. Andrei Ivanovich convinced her to appoint E.I. Biron as regent under the future infant emperor Ivan Antonovich.

In November 1740, after Biron’s arrest, the organizer of the coup, B. X. Minich, proclaimed the mother of the infant emperor, Anna Leopoldovna, regent. For some time, Field Marshal Minich became the most influential person in the state. Overly ambitious, he dreamed either of receiving the title of generalissimo of the Russian army, or of the position of first minister. But through the intrigues of the clever Osterman, who competed with the Field Marshal in the struggle for power, Minikh received neither one nor the other and resigned. In 1740, ruler Anna Leopoldovna promoted Andrei Ivanovich Osterman to admiral general. Towards the end of her reign he played a key role in state affairs. Through his spies, Osterman knew about the conspiracy of supporters of Tsarevna Elizabeth Petrovna, but his warnings were ignored by the ruler.

During the next coup, carried out on November 25, 1741 in favor of the daughter of Peter I Elizabeth, Osterman was arrested. He was put on trial on charges of treason and sentenced to death. On the day of execution, January 18, 1742, Osterman was elevated to the scaffold, but here he was told that his execution would be replaced by eternal exile to Berezov. He and his wife lived in Berezovo for 5 years, never leaving the house, not receiving anyone except the pastor. Constantly suffering from gout, Andrei Ivanovich Osterman died in Berezovo in 1747 at the age of 61.

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In fact, he led the domestic and foreign policy of Russia under Anna Ioannovna, retained key positions in government during the reign of four crowned persons, the fifth sentenced him to death. Under him, a number of important foreign policy agreements were concluded, he established regular postal services in Russia, on his initiative, shipbuilding was actively carried out and the domestic market was practically formed.

The childhood and youth of Andrei Ivanovich Osterman are covered in a veil of uncertainty. Not much is known about his origin either - the father of the statesman was a Lutheran shepherd.

According to some reports, Osterman studied at the University of Jena, from where he was forced to flee accused of murder. He lived for some time in Eisenach and then in Amsterdam. It was here in 1703 that Osterman was accepted into Russian service. The 17-year-old boy did not have any special education, but he spoke German, French, Dutch, Italian and Latin, and subsequently mastered the Russian language perfectly. It was the knowledge of foreign languages that became the key to his successful career. In 1708, he became a translator of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, serving in the Campaign Office of Peter I.

Osterman's personal qualities became the key to his rapid and vibrant career as an executive official, distinguished by a clear mind, clarity of thinking, and the ability to make independent decisions. In communicating with others, Osterman showed amazing flexibility; later, flexibility in communication turned into the flexibility of a political and court careerist. For many years, Osterman knew how to maintain power, each time going into the shadows (often calling in sick) at the most critical moments. As a diplomat, he knew how to negotiate for hours with foreign representatives, without saying “yes” or “no” and without directly answering any question posed.

Osterman's political views were imbued with pragmatism. He was concerned about the ideological content of specific events, but he was a faithful disciple of Peter I, and in his practical activities he always put the interests of the state first. Contemporaries disliked Osterman for his cunning, resourcefulness, and duplicity.

The first diplomatic assignments were given to Osterman by Tsar Peter I already in 1710, when he was sent first to the Polish King Augustus II, and then to Prussia and Denmark.

In 1711, during the Prutsky War, he, together with P.P. Shafirov participated in negotiations with the Turks, and in 1713-1715 he went on diplomatic missions to Berlin and Amsterdam. In 1717, Osterman was instructed to accompany Ya.V. Bruce to the Åland Congress, where Andrei Ivanovich played a leading role.

Already in 1720, he was appointed Privy Councilor of the College of Foreign Affairs, and in 1721 he signed the Treaty of Nystadt with the Swedes on behalf of Russia, after which Peter I granted him the title of baron and the rank of Privy Councilor. Osterman is also considered the main author of Peter's Table of Ranks.

Osterman's career flourished after the death of Peter I. In 1725, Catherine I appointed him vice-chancellor and actual privy councilor. In 1726, Osterman became a member of the Supreme Privy Council. At the same time, for the first time, he was in charge of not only foreign policy, but also matters of internal administration: the post offices and the Commerce Commission were under his command. In many ways, Osterman’s personal merit can be considered the establishment of regular postal services between the most important cities of the country, as well as the establishment of trade.

On the initiative of the Commission on Commerce under the management of Osterman, the Arkhangelsk port was opened for foreign trade, trade relations with Khiva and Bukhara were restored, the first bill of exchange charter in Russia was introduced in 1729, and a new customs tariff was introduced in 1734.

At the same time, under Catherine I, Osterman practically implemented his foreign policy doctrine, the most important place in which was occupied by the alliance treaty concluded in 1726 with Austria, which for a long time determined the direction of Russian foreign policy. In 1727, Osterman was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and appointed chief chamberlain of Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich (future Emperor Peter II). After the death of Catherine I, Osterman became the head of a conspiracy against the once all-powerful A.D. Menshikov. However, Osterman’s successes in the struggle for the favor of the young Emperor Peter II were insignificant.

Osterman's non-participation in the project of the Supreme Privy Council to limit imperial power in 1730 ensured that he retained his power during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Already after her accession to the throne, he was elevated to count, appointed senator, and from 1731 he was a cabinet minister, and from 1734, after the death of G.I. Golovkin, became the first cabinet minister. Throughout the reign of Anna Ioannovna, Osterman managed to successfully balance between the favorite of the Empress E.I. Biron and other members of the cabinet, actually leading not only foreign policy, but also participating in the adoption of major political decisions. So, from 1733 he became the head of the naval commission and did a lot to streamline shipbuilding. During Anna Ioannovna's dying illness and Biron's appointment as regent, Osterman managed to remain in the shadows, but then supported the coup led by B.K. Minich. After this, he received the rank of admiral general and remained Anna Leopoldovna's chief adviser throughout her reign. Osterman was aware of a new conspiracy being prepared against her and unsuccessfully tried to convince the ruler to take preventive measures. Tsesarevna Elizabeth, dissatisfied with Osterman, as the heir of Peter the Great, bypassed in 1727, aroused suspicions in him. This attitude of Osterman towards Elizabeth explains, first of all, the harsh fate that befell him when she occupied the Russian throne.

With the accession of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in November 1741, Osterman was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. The patient was carried on a stretcher to the scaffold, where the death penalty was performed, and then the empress’s decree on exile to Siberia was read out. Sent to the city of Berezov, Osterman lived there for several more years.