Obreskov, Aleksei

Obreskov, Aleksei Mikhailovich 

Born in 1718; died in 1787. Russian diplomat. Nobleman.

Obreskov graduated from a School for the Nobility in 1740. For nearly 30 years he served in the embassy in Constantinople, first as a charge d’affaires and later, from 1752, as envoy. His efforts were directed toward resolving the Black Sea problem and strengthening Russia’s friendly relations with the Slavic and other peoples ruled by the Ottoman empire. In the fall of 1768, when the Ottoman empire declared war on Russia, he was arrested and was not released until May 1771. During the peace negotiations between Russia and Turkey in 1772–73, he obtained the Ottoman empire’s agreement to a number of Russian conditions, such as the incorporation of Kabarda within Russia and the rebuilding of the Azov fortress. He added several important points to the peace proposal worked out in St. Petersburg. Subsequently included in the 1774 Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji, these points (nos. 7, 12, 13, 14) broadened the rights of the peoples oppressed by the Ottoman empire, created more favorable conditions for the development of Russian foreign trade, and raised Russia’s international prestige.

REFERENCE

Druzhinina, E. I. “Russkii diplomat A. M. Obreskov.” In the collection Istoricheskie zapiski, vol. 40. Moscow, 1952.