The Duke of Richelieu in the Service of Tsar Alexander I and the Restoration: A Mediator between Russia and France

Abstract

This paper considers the political biography of the Duke of Richelieu, a prominent figure in Russian and French history. Starting his military career in Russia with participation in the Siege of Izmail, Richelieu returned to the shores of the Black Sea after being invited to Russia by Tsar Alexander I in August 1802. As a friend of Emperor Alexander I, he was appointed governor general of Novorossiya; he proved himself to be a good administrator and contributed to the commercial and cultural flourishing of Odessa which occurred during his rule. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, Richelieu was eager to go to war against the “usurper” but was instead fighting the plague epidemic that struck Odessa in the summer of 1812. After the restoration of the Bourbons, Richelieu left Odessa for France, where he went on to become head of the Council