Andrew Vinius

Andrew Vinius (Russian: Андре́й Андре́евич Ви́ниус, Andrey Andreyevich Vinius) (1641–1717) was a Russian statesman and a friend of Peter the Great. He was a member of Peter's close-knit group of friends who organized themselves into the Jolly Company and The All-Joking, All-Drunken Synod of Fools and Jesters.

Vinius was the son of a Dutch merchant Andries Winius, who in 1627 associated with Isaac Massa and went to Moscovia as a grain trader. In 1628 he married Geertruid van Rijn. In 1632, during the time of Michael of Russia, he settled in Russia to found a water-powered ironworks in Tula, Russia, and in Serpukhov. Then he seems to have forced his wife to become either Greek Orthodox, or Russian Orthodox. Their son Andrew was raised to speak besides Dutch, also Russian and German; he knew French, Polish and Latin too, which he later taught to Peter the Great. Around 1664 Vinius married an aristocratic Russian woman. He became the translator of his second cousin Nicolaas Witsen in 1665, visiting the country in the company of Jacob Boreel. Witsen became his long life friend with their common interesting in cartography.

Vinius, who lived in the German Suburb with the most of the other foreigners of Moscow, served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 1672 and 1674 he travelled as a diplomat to London, Paris and Madrid. He then headed, together with his brother, the Post Office, becoming the first Russian Postmaster in 1675. So he was able to send secretly maps and all kind of antique objects to Witsen.

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