Everything about Alexander Kurakin totally explained
Prince (Kniaz) Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, sometimes spelled
Kourakine (
Russian:
Александр Борисович Куракин) (
January 18,
1752 -
June 24,
1818) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, a member of the
State Council (from 1810), ranked Actual Privy Counsellor 1st Class (see
Table of Ranks).
Born in
Moscow to a long line of Russian diplomats, he was the great grandson of the famous
Boris Kurakin. He moved into
St. Petersburg in 1764 following the death of his father,
Boris Alexandrovich Kurakin . There he became acquainted with Great Prince Pavel Petrovich, future Emperor
Paul I of Russia, and remained one of his most trusted friends. This friendship, though, didn't meet the approval of then reigning
Catherine II, and so Kurakin was forced to depart abroad.
After Catherine II's death Kurakin was allowed to return to St. Petersburg in 1796 and resumed his career, becoming Vice Chancellor in 1796. During the reign of
Alexander I Kourakin became the Ambassador of Russia in
Vienna in 1806 and in
Paris in 1808, taking an active part in the arrangement for the signing of the
Treaty of Tilsit.
In 1810 and after he issued numerous notes to Tsar Alexander, warning him of the imminent war. After the last futile attempt to reconcile Russian-French relationship on his meeting with
Napoleon on April, 15, 1812 and subsequent departure of Napoleon marking the start of the
invasion of Russia, Kurakin resigned as the Ambassador.
While in Paris, Kurakin was famously referred to as a "diamond prince", due to magnificence and richness of his costumes. Interestingly, it was one of such costumes that actually saved his life during a fire that happened on a ball given by
Schwarzenberg, the Austrian ambassador on
July 1,
1810. When escorting women out of the blazing hall, he fell aground and was trampled over by panicking crowd, but his richly decorated coat has protected him from the intense heat.
Nevertheless, he was badly burned and was confined to bed for several months.
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