GORTCHAKOFF 119 28, 1805, died July 14, 1852. After the death of his father he edited the HistoriscJi-politiscJie Blatter, but is chiefly known hy his poems, legendary writings, and juvenile books. Among these are : Die Jungfrau von Orleans (1834) ; Schon Roslein (1838) ; Testkalender in Bildern und Liedern (3 vols., 1835-' 9); Marienlieder (1842) ; Der Jiurnene Siegfried und sein Katnpf init dem Drachen, illustrated by Kaul- bach (1843) ; Die Gottesfahrt nach Trier und des Teufels Landsturm (1844); and Die arme Pilgerin zum heilige Itocke (1846). GORTCHAKOFF, a Russian princely family, de- scended from the royal house of Rurik, seve- ral members of which have distinguished them- selves. I. Petr, commander of Smolensk, is celebrated for his defence of that place against the army of Sigismund III., king of Poland, from 1609 to 1611, when it was taken by as- sault. II. Dimitri, born in 1756, won a place among the poets of Russia by his odes, satires, and epistles, and died in 1824. III. Alexander, born in 1764, served under Suvaroff against the Turks, the Poles under Kosciuszko, and the French in the campaign of Switzerland, and subsequently with great distinction under Ben- ningsen in the campaign of 1807, when he de- feated Lannes at Heilsberg and fought at Fried- land, acted as chief of the war ministry in 1812, was appointed general of infantry, and died in 1825. IV. Andrei served as major gen- eral under Suvaroff in 1799, and commanded a division during the French invasion in 1812, when he distinguished himself in the battle of Borodino ; he left the army in 1828, and died in 1855. V. Alexander, a statesman, born July 16, 1798. He acquired experience in diploma- cy under Nesselrode in various employments, and in 1824 he was appointed secretary of legation in London ; in 1830 charge d'affaires in Florence; and in 1832 councillor of the embassy at Vienna, where he often acted as ambassador during the illness or absence of his chief. In 1841 he was sent to Stuttgart, and having negotiated the marriage between the crown prince (now king) of Wtirtemberg and the Russian grand duchess Olga, he was in 1846 made privy councillor. In ] 850 he was appointed plenipotentiary to the German diet at Frankfort, and in 1854 he succeeded Mey- endorff as ambassador in Vienna. He dis- played consummate tact and ability during the Crimean war, and it was mainly through his influence that the treaty of Paris was signed by Russia (March, 1856); after which he suc- ceeded Nesselrode as minister of foreign af- fairs. In 1857 he attended the emperor Al- exander during his interview with Napoleon III. in Stuttgart. As the policy of France became hostile to Austria on the Italian ques- tion, he increased in friendliness toward the former. Ambitious above all to restore the prestige of Russia after the calamities of the Crimean war, he addressed in 1860 a circular despatch to the European powers appealing to the same principle of nationalities in the Two Sicilies which Russia had always upheld in regard to the Christians of the East, and re- monstrated against any foreign interference in Neapolitan affairs ; at the same time disclaim- ing any idea of revenge for past defeats. He favored the French expedition of 1861 to Syria for the protection of the Christian population against renewed massacres ; but preserving en- tire independence in his foreign policy, he re- fused to associate himself with France and Great Britain in their unfriendly attitude to- ward the United States after the outbreak of the civil war. During the Polish insurrection of 1863 he availed himself of the opportunity presented by the interference of foreign powers in behalf of the Poles, to vindicate the aversion of Russia to foreign dictation, and her deter- mination to settle her internal affairs in accord- ance with the interests and the integrity of the empire, and without regard to the views of other nations. This course increased his pop- ularity at home and his prestige abroad, and the emperor, who had assigned to him the title of vice chancellor in 1862, now (July, 1863) promoted him to the office of chancellor. In 1866 he succeeded in securing the complete separation of the Roman Catholic clergy of Poland from the holy see. His most brilliant achievement was begun in October, 1870, when, after an understanding with Bismarck on the subject, he availed himself of the Franco-Ger- man war to undo the injury done to Russian influence in the East by the treaty of Paris, by securing at the London conference of January, 1871, the revision of that treaty, and the for- mation of another (March 13) putting an end to the neutralization of the Black sea ; for this the emperor conferred upon him the dignity of serene highness. In the central Asia ques- tion (1873-'4) he exhibited a desire to avoid disturbing the friendly relations with England, without, however, receding from an aggressive policy. Though suffering from the gout, he continues (1874) to preside over the chancery, but generally spends the summer in Switzer- land or Germany for the benefit of his health. His eldest son, MIKHAIL, was appointed Rus- sian minister at Bern in 1872. VI. Petr, a gen- eral, born in Moscow about 1790, died there in 1868. He entered the army at an early age, fought against Napoleon in the campaigns of 1807 and 1812-'14, served under Yermoloff in the Caucasus, and distinguished himself in the war against Turkey in 1828 and 1829, when he signed the peace of Adrianople. He was made governor general of western Siberia in 1839, and general of infantry in 1843, and retired from service in 1851 ; but reentered it on the breaking out of the Crimean war, and commanded a wing of the Russian army at the Alma and at Inkerman in 1854. He resigned in the spring of 1855, and was in 1858 appointed member of the imperial council. VII. Mikhail, born in 1795, died May 30, 1861. He served against the French in the campaigns of 1807 and 1812-'14, against the Swedes in 1808-'9,
