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He was born in Lisbon, Portugal where his father (d. 1810) was the Czar's ambassador. The Nesselrodes were of Westphalian origin, but had long been settled in Livonia. In deference to his mother's Protestantism he was baptized in the chapel of the British embassy, thus becoming a member of the Church of England. Nesselrode's German origin was emphasized by his education in a Berlin gymnasium, his father having been appointed ambassador to the Prussian court about 1787.
At the age of 16 he entered the Russian navy where, with his father's influence, he secured the position of naval aide-de-camp to Czar Paul. He presently exchanged into the army, entered diplomatic service under Czar Alexander IAleksandr Pavlovich Romanov or Tsar Alexander I (The Blessed ( I ) ( December 23, 1777 December 1, 1825), Emperor of Russia (reigned March 23, 1801 December 1, 1825), son of the Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, afterwards Paul I of Russia, and Maria Fedorovna ,. He was attached to the Russian embassy at Berlin, and transferred thence to the Hague.
In August 1806Events January 8 Cape Colony becomes a British colony January 10 Dutch in Cape Town surrender to the British January 19 The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope March 23 After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocea Nesselrode received a commission to travel in South Germany to report on the French troops; he was then attached as diplomatic secretary to Generals Kamenski, Buxhoewden and BennigsenLevin August, count von Bennigsen ( February 10, 1745 December 3, 1826), Russian general, of Hanoverian family, was born in Brunswick, and served successively as a page at the Hanoverian court and as an officer of foot-guards. He retired from the Hanoveri in succession. He was present at the battle of EylauThe Battle of Eylau fought on February 7 8, 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive contest between the forces of Napoleon and a mostly Russian army under General Benigssen. Eylau was the first serious check to the French Grand Armee which in the previous two in January 1807, and assisted at the negotiation of the peace of Tilsit.
Nesselrode became state secretary in 1814Events January 14 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden January 29 French army of Emperor Napoleon I wins the Battle of Brienne January 31 Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of Argentina. February Congress of Chatillon see George Hamilton Gordo and was the head of Russia's official delegation to Congress of Vienna, but for the most part Emperor Alexander I acted as his own foreign minister. In 1816, Nesselrode became Russian foreign minister, sharing influence with Count Capo d’Istria until the latter’s retirement in 1822. For forty years Nesselrode guided Russian policy and was a leading European conservative statesman of the Holy Alliance. Between 1845 and 1856, he served as chancellor. In 1849 he dispatched Russian troops to aid Austria in putting down the Hungarian revolt led by Louis Kossuth. Nesselrode's attempts to expand Russia's influence in the Balkans and Mediterranean led to conflict with Turkey, Britain and France in the Crimean War ( 1853- 1856). Britain and France were concerned by Russia's growing influence and were determined to support Turkey and so restrict Russia. Later he helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended this war.
His autobiography was published posthumously in 1866.