Boris Kurakin

Prince Boris Ivanovich Kurakin (Борис Иванович Куракин in Russian) (30 July 1676, Moscow – 28 October 1727, Paris) was the third permanent Russian ambassador abroad, succeeding Andrey Matveyev in The Hague and one of the closest associates of Peter the Great. He was also the tsar's brother-in-law, being married to Xenia, daughter of Feodor Abramovich Lopukhin and sister of Eudoxia Lopukhina.

The Kurakins were one of the greatest Gedyminid families of Muscovy, whose members were promoted straight to the rank of okolnichy, skipping lower ranks like stolnik. In 1683, Boris Kurakin was appointed to young Peter's retinue and took part in all of his military games. In 1695-1696, he participated in the Azov campaigns. In 1697, he was sent to Italy to learn navigation.

His long and honourable diplomatic career began in 1707, when he was sent to Rome to induce the pope not to recognize Charles XII's candidate, Stanislaus Leszczynski, as king of Poland. In 1709, Boris Kurakin was appointed commander of the Semenovsky Regiment during the Battle of Poltava. From 1708 to 1712, he represented Russia at London, Hanover, and the Hague successively, and, in 1713, was the principal Russian plenipotentiary at the peace congress of Utrecht. From 1716 to 1722, he held the post of ambassador at Paris, and when, in 1722, Peter set forth on his Persian campaign, Kurakin was appointed the supervisor of all the Russian ambassadors accredited to the various European courts. In 1723, he attempted to arrange the marriage of Elizaveta Petrovna to Louis XV. Next year, he was sent to Paris as an ambassador, where he would eventually die.

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