Fedor Romodanovskii

Born circa 1640; died Sept. 17 (28), 1717. Russian statesman; prince.

From the mid-1680’s, Romodanovskii was a retainer of Peter I and participated in the young tsar’s military games and training exercises. From 1686 to 1717 he was head of the Preobra-zhenskii Prikaz. Boundlessly loyal to Peter I, Romodanovskii enjoyed the tsar’s unlimited confidence and had enormous power, especially after 1697, when he was given the exclusive right of search in state and political crimes. During Peter I’s frequent absences from Moscow, such as in 1695–96 during the Azov campaigns and in 1697–98 on the occasion of the Great Embassy, Romodanovskii was, in effect, the ruler of Russia. He was notorious for the extreme cruelty with which he conducted investigations.