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Franz Lefort (Франц Яковлевич Лефорт in Russian) (December 23, 1655 (January 2, 1656), Geneva — March 2(12), 1699, Moscow) was a Russian military figure of Swiss origin, admiral (1695), and close associate of Peter the Great. December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... Events New Sweden (Delaware) attacked and captured by Dutch forces. ... January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Mehmed Köprülü becomes Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. ... Geneva: the Mont Blanc bridge over the Rhône River and St Peters Cathedral Geneva (French: Genève) is the second-most populous city in Switzerland located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, but the Genevois are fond of calling it Lac de Genève) empties into the... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Moskvá) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... Admiral is a word from either the Arabic term amir-al-bahr, or the Irish term Ard muirfhear or Ardmurar , both meaning commander of the seas. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... Peter I Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia Peter I (Pyotr Alekseyvich) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ...

Franz Lefort came from a merchant family. He began his military career in the French and Dutch armies. In 1675, Lefort arrived in Russia with a unit under the command of Colonel Fan Forsten in order to find employment with the Russian army. In February of 1676, he came to Moscow, but was rejected by military officials. The Posolsky Prikaz listed him as a visiting foreigner. Lefort settled in the so-called Nemetskaya sloboda in Moscow, where he would gain respect among other distinguished foreigners. In July of 1678, he once again applied for service in the tsarist army and was accepted in the rank of captain. Then, Lefort was sent to one of the fronts during the Russo-Turkish War of 1676-1681. In the early 1679, he was ordered to join the Kiev garrison under the command of Prince Vasily Galitzine and General Patrick Gordon. Upon his return to Moscow from a short trip to Geneva in 1683, Lefort was on various diplomatic assignments until the fall of 1685. Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim August 10 - Building of the Royal Greenwich Observatory began November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Colonel Colonel is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. ... In russian, word army means armed forces in general. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ... The German Quarter, also known as the Kukuy Quarter (Немецкая слобода in Russian, or Nemetskaya sloboda) was a neighborhood in the northeast of Moscow, located on the right bank of the Yauza River near the Kukuy Creek (hence, the Kukuy Quarter, or слобода Кукуй). ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Events August 10 - Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Dutch War. ... Росси́йская Импе́рия, (also Imperial Russia) covers the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great into the Russian Empire stretching from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposition of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start of the Russian Revolution... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... The Russo-Turkish Wars were a series of ten wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ... Motto: Oblast Municipality Municipal government City council (Київська Міська рада) Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko Area 800 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 2,642,486 100% 3,299/km² Founded City rights around 5th century 1487 Latitude Longitude 50°27′ N 30°30′ E Area code +044 Car plates  ? Twin towns Athenes, Brussels, Budapest, Chicago... For other meanings, see Prince (disambiguation). ... Peter I permitted the Galitzines to take an emblem of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as their coat of arms Galitzine, more correctly Golitsyn (Russian: Голицын), is one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. ... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... Patrick Gordon (1635 - November 29, 1699) was general of the Imperial Russian army, of Scottish origin. ... Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ...

Lefort's house gradually turned into a main attraction of the Nemetskaya sloboda, attented not only by locals, but by Russian noblemen, such as the Galitzines. It appears that Lefort utilized his connections with the latter and received a fast promotion.

In 1687 and 1689, he took part in two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns. Peter the Great became a frequent guest in Lefort's house since 1690. Lefort was one of the principal organizers and participators in Peter's military games, which would pave the way for his career advancement. In 1690, Lefort was promoted to the rank of major general. He then became lieutenant general (1691) and general (1693). In 1692, Peter I funded the construction of a big reception hall for 1,500 people, which was an extension to Lefort's house. This hall hosted business meetings and Peter's parties. Events March 19 - The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. ... Events Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir, allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies. ... Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 (Крымские походы in Russian), military campaigns of the Russian army against the Crimean Khanate. ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender October 3 - Treaty of Limerick which guaranteed civil rights to catholics was signed. ... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... Events January 11 - Eruption of Mt. ... Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... Portrait of Peter by Paul Delaroche Peter I (Pyotr Alexeevich) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672– 28 January [[1725]] O.S.1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ...

In 1691, Lefort was put in charge of a regiment and issued a training ground on the left bank of the Yauza River. Peter ordered construction of a sloboda for this purpose, which would later be called Lefortovskaya sloboda. In 1693-1694, Lefort accompanied Peter on his trip to Arkhangelsk. In 1694, he participated in Peter's "funny" Kozhukhov campaign (a military game in a village of Kozhukhovo, between Moscow and Kolomenskoye). A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... Yauza River is a confluent of the Moskva River, the second in size river in Moscow (after the Moskva River). ... Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. ... Murmansk, Archangelsk, Dikson, Tiksi, on the Arctic Ocean The city of Arkhangelsk (Арха́нгельск, formerly in English Archangel) lies on the Northern Dvina River (Се́верная Двина́) near its exit into the White Sea in the far north of European Russia. ... Kolomenskoye (Russian/Cyrillic: Коломенское) is a former royal estate situated several miles to the south-east of Moscow downtown, on the ancient road leading to the town of Kolomna (hence the name). ...

During the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696, Lefort was in charge of the Imperial Russian Navy. His return from the war was greeted with a solemn parade through Moscow to his "native" Nemetskaya sloboda and subsequent festivities. Lefort was awarded a title of governor (наместник, or namestnik) of Novgorod and estates in two uyezds. Azov campaigns of 1695-1696 (Азовские походы in Russian), two Russian military campaigns during the Russo-Turkish War of 1686-1700, led by Peter the Great and aimed at capturing the Turkish fortress of Azov (garrison - 7,000 men), which had been blocking Russias access to the Azov Sea... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... The year 1696 had the earliest equinoxes and solstices for 400 years in the Gregorian calendar, because this year is a leap year and the Gregorian calendar would have behaved like the Julian calendar since March 1500 had it have been in use that long. ... The creation of the regular Russian Navy took place during the reign of Peter the Great. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Но́вгород) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the highway (and railway) connecting Moscow and St Petersburg. ... Estate may have a number of meanings: Estate is a term used in common law to signify the total of a persons property, entitlements and obligations. ... Uyezd was a division of guberniya. ...

In 1696, Lefort together with Fedor Golovin and Prokopy Voznitsyn was put in charge of the Grand Embassy, a Russian diplomatic mission to Western Europe. Upon his return to Moscow in 1698, he took part in the Streltsy trial. That same year, he moved to a custom-built palace on the Yauza River, which would later be called the Lefortovsky Palace. The palace would soon become a center of the Russian political and royal life in 1698-1699. Peter the Great used to hold all his important meetings and numerous celebrations in Lefort's palace. Count Feodor Alekseyevich Golovin (1650 - 1706) was the last Russian boyar and the first Russian chancellor. ... The Grand Embassy (Великое посольство in Russian) was a Russian diplomatic mission, sent to Western Europe in 1697-1698 by Peter the Great. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving state. ... Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... Events January 4 - Palace of Whitehall in London is destroyed by fire. ... Streltsy (Стрельцы in Russian), a unit of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. ...

Franz Lefort died in 1699. He is buried in the Vvedenskoye cemetery.