Count Simon Woronzow ⁴⁶

  General Notes:

Count Simon Woronzow began life as one of the pages in the household of the empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, and, at the death of that princess, entered as lieutenant in the regiment of the Preobrazinski Guards. When the revolution took place which brought Catharine II to the throne, Count Woronzow was one the very small number in that corps, who remaining faithful to the emperor Peter the Third, opposed the movement in favour of the empress. He was, in consequence, put under arrest, together with the captain of his company; but all opposition to Catharine's elevation having ceased, he recovered his liberty at the end of three days. Before returning to active service, his father sent him to visit the interior parts of Russia, which he traversed in every direction. He then accompanied his uncle Count Michael Woronzow to Vienna, Rome, Paris, etc. War having been declared by the Ottoman Porte against Russia, at the instigation of a western power of Europe, count Simon eagerly solicited military employment, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of a battalion of grenadiers, at the head of which he was the first to storm the Turkish entrenchments at the famous battle of Kabul. As a reward for his distinguished conduct on that occasion, Count Woronzow was instantly promoted to the rank of colonel, received, besides, the cross of St.George of the third class, and was soon after appointed to the command of the 1st regiment of grenadiers. At the peace of Kainardgi, in 1773, the count was made brigadier-general, and his regiment received the title of "Grenadiers of the Empress" Soon after, Count Woronzow departed again for Italy, in which country he remained down to the year 1781, when he returned to Russia and married Lady Catherine, daughter of Admiral Siniavin. In 1782, the count was appointed Russian minister at Venice. He lost his wife in Italy in 1784, and was removed thence in 1789, to be sent on a special mission in London, where he became soon after resident minister and ambassador. From that time, he never ceased to play an important part in the politics, not only of Russia and England, respectively, but of all Europe. Though warmly attached to liberal ideas in the genuine acceptation of the word, he was the constant enemy of the French revolution, and the staunch and active supporter of the principles of legitimacy. Particularly well treated, at first, by the emperor Paul on his accession to the throne, he left his service, without hesitation, when that monarch entered into an alliance with Bonaparte; and it was only on Alexander succeeding to his father's crown that he was reappointed ambassador to the court of St. James's. From London he went to Russia in 1802, upon the occasion of his brother, Count Alexander Woronzow, being made chancellor of state and minister for foreign affairs; but soon returned to England, where, in 1808, his daughter Catherine married the late Earl of Pembroke. From that day he never left this country, except for some short excursions to France, in 1815 and 1819, which he undertook to see his son, Count Michael, who was commander-in-chief of the Russian corps, forming a part of the European army of observation, placed under the command of his grace the Duke of Wellington.

Simon Romanovitch Vorontov (Woronzow)
3rd Count Woronzow
Russian Ambassador to London
¹¹²

Simon married Catherine Siniavin, daughter of Admiral Siniavin and Unknown, in 1781.¹¹² (Catherine Siniavin died in 1784 in Italy ¹¹².)