MENZIES, PAUL [SSNE 4015]

Surname

MENZIES

First name

PAUL

Text source

Paul Menzies was the 4th son of Sir Gilbert Menzies of Pitfodels and born in Maryculter in 1637. He studied at Douai. In 1661 he left Polish service with Patrick Gordon and enlisted in the Tsar's army. In 1672-3 Menzies was Russian envoy to Germany, Austria, and Italy, revealing great diplomatic skill. He advanced to colonel, and became the first foreign tutor to the young Tsarevich, the future Peter the Great. He took part in the Chigirin and Crimean campaigns of 1677 and 1678. In 1683 he undertook diplomatic negotiations with the Swedes and in 1684, with a papal deligation. By 1688 he was serving in Golitsyn's second Christian campaign in the Crimea and in 1689 he was made a major-general. He was a staunch Roman Catholic, and was thus involved in securing permission to open the first Catholic church in Muscovy. He died in Moscow in 1694

W. Barnhill and P. Dukes, 'North-east Scots in Muscovy in the seventeenth century' in Northern Scotland, vol. 1, no. 1, 1972, pp.49-63; D. Fedosov, The Caledonian Connection (Aberdeen, 1996); Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.102-103.

Service record

POLAND, POLISH ARMY

Departed 1660-12-31, as OFFICER

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY

Departed 1670-12-31, as MAJOR GENERAL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

RUSSIA, SCOTLAND

Departed 1672-04-01

Capacity DIPLOMACY, purpose DIPLOMACY

RUSSIA, GERMANY

Departed 1673-01-01

Capacity DIPLOMACY, purpose DIPLOMACY

RUSSIA, ROME

Departed 1674-12-31

Capacity AMBASSADOR, purpose DIPLOMACY

RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY

Departed 1683-12-31, as COLONEL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

RUSSIA, SWEDEN

Departed 1683-12-31

Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY

RUSSIA, MOSCOW

Departed 1684-12-31

Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY

RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY

Departed 1694-12-31, as MAJOR GENERAL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY