Shafirov Petr Pavlovich (1669,?, - 1739, Petersburg), baron (since 1710), Russian statesman, diplomat. Born into a Jewish family. Shafirov's father, Shaya Sapsaev, during the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667. as a six-year-old child he was taken prisoner, baptized, and later worked as an interpreter in the Ambassadorial Prikaz. Shafirov received an excellent education at that time, he knew Polish, German, Dutch, French, English perfectly, and later learned Turkish. In August 1691 he began working as a translator in the Ambassadorial Prikaz, at the same time translating calendars into Russian. Participated in the Great Embassy of the Russian diplomatic mission in 1697-1698. to Western Europe, during which Peter I attracted the attention of himself. He participated in the preparation of the Russian-Danish-Polish union in 1699 and the Russian-Polish union in 1701. Shafirov became close to the former chancellor F. Golovin (Shafirov's daughter married the chancellor's son). Since 1703 Shafirov has been a secret secretary under F. Golovin, since 1709 - vice-chancellor and post office manager. He was present at the tsar's headquarters on the battlefield during the Battle of Poltava (June 27, 1709). Shafirov was the first in the Russian Empire to receive the title of Baron (1710). Shafirov played an important role in the conclusion of allied treaties with Poland and Denmark in 1715, with Prussia and France in 1717, which largely determined the defeat of the Swedes in the war. Since 1717 - Vice-President of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in fact, he led the foreign policy of Russia, prepared the most important points of the future Nystadt Peace of 1721, which ended the Northern War (1700-1721). Shafirov - secret secretary under F. Golovin, since 1709 - vice-chancellor and post office manager. He was present at the tsar's headquarters on the battlefield during the Battle of Poltava (June 27, 1709). Shafirov was the first in the Russian Empire to receive the title of Baron (1710). Shafirov played an important role in the conclusion of allied treaties with Poland and Denmark in 1715, with Prussia and France in 1717, which largely determined the defeat of the Swedes in the war. Since 1717 - Vice-President of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in fact, he led the foreign policy of Russia, prepared the most important points of the future Nystadt Peace of 1721, which ended the Northern War (1700-1721). Shafirov - secret secretary under F. Golovin, since 1709 - vice-chancellor and post office manager. He was present at the tsar's headquarters on the battlefield during the Battle of Poltava (June 27, 1709). Shafirov was the first in the Russian Empire to receive the title of Baron (1710). Shafirov played an important role in the conclusion of allied treaties with Poland and Denmark in 1715, with Prussia and France in 1717, which largely determined the defeat of the Swedes in the war. Since 1717 - Vice-President of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in fact, he led the foreign policy of Russia, prepared the most important points of the future Nystadt Peace of 1721, which ended the Northern War (1700-1721). Shafirov was the first in the Russian Empire to receive the title of Baron (1710). Shafirov played an important role in the conclusion of allied treaties with Poland and Denmark in 1715, with Prussia and France in 1717, which largely determined the defeat of the Swedes in the war. Since 1717 - Vice-President of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in fact, he led the foreign policy of Russia, prepared the most important points of the future Nystadt Peace of 1721, which ended the Northern War (1700-1721). Shafirov was the first in the Russian Empire to receive the title of Baron (1710). Shafirov played an important role in the conclusion of allied treaties with Poland and Denmark in 1715, with Prussia and France in 1717, which largely determined the defeat of the Swedes in the war. Since 1717 - Vice-President of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, in fact, he led the foreign policy of Russia, prepared the most important points of the future Nystadt Peace of 1721, which ended the Northern War (1700-1721).
In 1723 he became a victim of the struggle of the court groups. He was put on trial by a Senate commission of 10 senators on charges of embezzlement, violent behavior in the Senate and concealment of his Jewishness, but this charge was dropped. He was sentenced to death with deprivation of ranks, titles and estate. During the execution (the ax sank next to Shafirov's head), the sentence was commuted to exile to Siberia. After the death of Peter I (1725), Empress Catherine returned Shafirov from exile, and most of the confiscated property was given to him. In 1725-1727. Shafirov served as president of the Commerce Collegium. He was also instructed to write the history of the reign of Peter. Peru Shafirov owns a political treatise justifying Russia's participation in the war against Sweden - “Reasoning,what legitimate reasons did His Majesty Peter the Great have for starting a war against Charles XII of Sweden in 1700 …”(1722), which came out with a huge circulation of 20 thousand copies at that time and went through several editions.
Shafirov was one of the executors of the reforms of Peter I. So, he set up the postal department in an exemplary manner, became one of the first manufactory manufacturers in Russia, tried to organize a silk-spinning factory in Moscow, set up fishing in the White Sea and the extraction of walrus, whale and cod oil and the export of whalebone to Europe. Shafirov actively participated in the creation of the Spiritual Regulations - a legislative act on the reform of church government. The library confiscated from Shafirov formed the basis of the future library of the Academy of Sciences.
Shafirov never forgot his Jewish origin. According to some testimonies, in private life, the Shafirov family did not eat pork. At the trial of Shafirov, it turned out that the family retained ties with their unbaptized relatives in Orsha. Shafirov kept in touch with the Jews of the West. It is known that he borrowed large sums from Jewish bankers for Emperor Peter. In turn, Western European Jews, through Shafirov, asked the tsar for the opportunity to open trading offices in Russia.
Shafirov's wife, Anna Stepanovna (Samoilovna) Kopyeva, was of Jewish origin. They had five daughters and a son. All the daughters of Baron Shafirov married representatives of the first families of Russia - Prince A. Gagarin, Prince S. Dolgorukov, Count Golovin, princes V. Khovansky and M. Saltykov. Among the descendants of Shafirov are Prime Minister Count S. Witte, theosophist Elena Blavatskaya, poet P. Vyazemsky, Slavophile Y. Samarin, Princess Yusupova, Zinaida Yusupova and her son F. Yusupov, director of the police department A. Lopukhin, writer A. N. Tolstoy and many others.