Statesman.
He was the chief foreign policy advisor of Catherine the Great in the first half of her reign. His idea of Northern Alliance against Austria did not, however, work out.
Background
Lived: 1718-1783.
Nikita Panin’s long and successful military career brought him close to Empress Elizabeth’s court. In order to get rid of Nikita Panin, the Empress’s favourite Ivan Shuvalov had him appointed as Russia’s minister to Denmark and Sweden.
Panin was a student of Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin and was greatly devoted to the ideas of Enlightenment. He was one of the most learned men of his time. Catherine II called him “her encycliopedia”.
Panin later served as the chief tutor of Catherine’s son Paul I, who greatly admired him till the end of his life.
Catherine the Great
Nikita Panin had supported Catherine against her husband, so she made him the Chief Member of the Foreign Affairs Collegium, that is a Foreign Minister.
Panin’s dream of “Northern Accord” of Russia, Prussia, Great Britain and Sweden against the Habsburgs of Austria-Hungary was, nevertheless, a failure due to different interests of the allies.
Panin’s opposition to the partition of Poland made Catherine get rid of him in 1781.
Nikita Panin
Statesman.
He was the chief foreign policy advisor of Catherine the Great in the first half of her reign. His idea of Northern Alliance against Austria did not, however, work out.
Background
Lived: 1718-1783.
Nikita Panin’s long and successful military career brought him close to Empress Elizabeth’s court. In order to get rid of Nikita Panin, the Empress’s favourite Ivan Shuvalov had him appointed as Russia’s minister to Denmark and Sweden.
Panin was a student of Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin and was greatly devoted to the ideas of Enlightenment. He was one of the most learned men of his time. Catherine II called him “her encycliopedia”.
Panin later served as the chief tutor of Catherine’s son Paul I, who greatly admired him till the end of his life.
Catherine the Great
Nikita Panin had supported Catherine against her husband, so she made him the Chief Member of the Foreign Affairs Collegium, that is a Foreign Minister.
Panin’s dream of “Northern Accord” of Russia, Prussia, Great Britain and Sweden against the Habsburgs of Austria-Hungary was, nevertheless, a failure due to different interests of the allies.
Panin’s opposition to the partition of Poland made Catherine get rid of him in 1781.
Grigory Orlov