| Authorised form of name | Menshikov; Aleksandr Danilovich (1673 - 1729); Prince |
| Other forms of name | Alexander Danilovich |
| Prince Aleksandr |
| Other forms of surname | Menzicoff |
| Menshikov |
| Dates | 1673 - 1729 |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Place of birth | Moscow |
| Date of birth | 16 November 1673 [Old Style 6 November 1673] |
| Place of death | Beryozovo, Siberia, Russia |
| Date of death | 23 November 1729 [Old style 12 November 1729] |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Activity | Education:
Rumoured to be illiterate
Career:
Private, and later lieutenant, in the 1st Regiment of Guards; discovered a plot to assassinate Peter and put his sister Princess Sophia on the throne; Governor of Schusselburg and afterwards of the Province of Ingria; accompanied Peter on his travels to Holland and England (1697-1699); fought in the Azoff campaign (1695-1696), and at the Battle of Poltava (1709); Field Marshal (1709); Regent of Russia in the absence of Czar, his conduct provoked many complaints of injustice and corruption, but he was acquitted; First Minister of the Russian Empire; Generalissimo of the Russian Cavalry; after the death of Peter, used all his efforts to put Catherine on the throne of Russia and had absolute power over the Empire; after her death, staged a coup d'etat but was overthrown, exiled to Siberia with his wife and children and forced to surrender his enormous wealth (1727); died of a slow fever
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 29/07/1714 |
| Age at election | 40 |
| Relationships | Possibly the son of a servant of Peter the Great; his eldest daughter was betrothed to Czar Peter II before his attempted coup |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; La Harpe - de 'Memoirs of Prince Menzicoff, favourite of Peter the Great' (London: for Matthew Iley, 1819)
References:
John H Appleby, 'James Spilman, FRS (1680-1763), and Anglo-Russian Commerce' in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 17-29
J H Appleby, 'The founding of St Petersburg in the context of the Royal Society's relationship with Russia' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 273-284
Notes:
Soviet Encyclopaedia (1st edn) gives birth date as 1670, 2nd edition gives 1673. The text in the Citation field from his diploma as a Fellow of the Society, dated 21 Oct 1714 (see archive reference) |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/300140 |
| Royal Society code | NA8076 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| DM/5/56 | Draft of a diploma for Alexander Danilovich Menzicoff, marking his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society | 21 October 1714 |
| EL/W3/93 | Letter, from Richard Waller to Prince Alexander Menzicoff, dated at London | 21 October 1714 |