Lefort

Lefort, FRANÇOIS JACOB, favourite of Peter the Great, was born at Geneva in 1653, being descended from a family of Scottish extraction which had settled in Piedmont, afterwards (1585) in Switzerland. He served for a time with the Swiss Guard at Paris; but went to Russia in 1675, and attracted the notice of Prince Galizyn, who made him a commander of the new troops raised to counteract the influence of the 'strelitzes' or old militia. Having taken a leading part in the intrigues which made Peter sole ruler after the death of his brother Ivan, Lefort was advanced to be first favourite of the czar, and next to him the most important personage in Russia. A man of great ability, Lefort backed up Peter in his projects of reform, remodelled the army and laid the foundation of the navy, and in 1694 was made admiral and generalissimo. When Peter undertook his visit to foreign countries in 1697 Lefort was made chief of the embassy in the train of which the czar travelled incognito. He died 12th March 1699. See Lives (in German) by Posselt (1866) and Blum (1867).