Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov

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Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov
Portrait by Franz Krüger (1851), Hermitage
Born	Алексей Фёдорович Орлов (1787-10-30)30 October 1787 Moscow, Russian Empire
Died	2 June 1862(1862-06-02) (aged 74) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Buried	Annunciation Church of the Life Guard Horse Regiment [ru], St. Petersburg
Noble family	Orlov
Spouse	Olga Alexandrovna Orlova
Issue	Nikolay Alexeyevich Orlov Anna Alexeevna Orlova
Father	Fyodor Grigoryevich Orlov
Mother	Elizaveta Mikhailovna Gusyatnikova
State Council
In office 1836 (member)/1856 (chairman) – 1861
Monarch	Nicholas I
Preceded by	Alexander Chernyshyov (as chairman)
Succeeded by	Dmitry Bludov (as chairman)
Chairman of the Committee of Ministers
In office 1856–1861
Monarchs	Nicholas I Alexander II
Preceded by	Alexander Chernyshyov
Succeeded by	Dmitry Bludov
Senior Chief of the Third Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery
In office 1844–1856
Monarchs	Nicholas I Alexander II
Preceded by	Alexander von Benckendorff
Succeeded by	Vasily Dolgorukov
Russian Ambasador to Constantinople (1833)

Prince Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov (Russian: Алексей Фёдорович Орлов; 30 October [O.S. 19 October] 1787 – 2 June [O.S. 21 May] 1862)[1] was a Russian diplomat, the natural son of Count Fyodor Grigoryevich Orlov. Born in Moscow, he took part in the Napoleonic Wars from 1805 to the capture of Paris in 1814. For his services as commander of the cavalry regiment of the Horse Life Guards during the rebellion of 1825 he was granted the title of count, and in the Turkish War of 1828–1829 he rose to the rank of lieutenant-general.[2]

At this time his diplomatic career began. He served as the Russian plenipotentiary at the Peace of Adrianople, and in 1833 was appointed Russian ambassador at Constantinople, holding at the same time the post of commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1836 he became member of the Imperial Council of State. He became, indeed, one of the most trusted agents of Emperor Nicholas I, whom in 1837 he accompanied on his foreign tour.[2] From 1844 to 1856 Orlov headed the infamous Third Section (secret police).

In 1854 he travelled to Vienna to bring Austria over to the side of Russia during the Crimean War of 1853–1856, but without success. In 1856 he was one of the plenipotentiaries who concluded the Peace of Paris. In the same year, raised to the dignity of prince, he was appointed president of the Imperial Council of State and of the Council of Ministers; in both positions until 1861. In 1857, during the absence of Emperor Alexander II, he presided over the commission formed to consider the question of the emancipation of the serfs, to which he was altogether hostile.[2] He died in Saint Petersburg.

Orlov was the subject of a satirical verse by Alexander Pushkin, alleging that Orlov's mistress, the dancer Istomina, could see his penis only through a microscope.[3]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Orlov s.v. Alexis Fedorovich Orlov, Prince". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 293.
• Tupitsyn, O. M. (2023). "ОРЛОВ АЛЕКСЕЙ ФЁДОРОВИЧ". Great Russian Encyclopedia. Electronic version. Retrieved 30 September 2025.