Franz Lefort

Who was Franz Lefort?

Franz Lefort was a Russian military figure of Swiss origin, general admiral, and close associate of Peter the Great.

Franz Lefort came from a merchant family, and was born in Geneva. He began his military career in the French and Dutch armies. In 1675, Lefort arrived in Russia with a unit under the command of Colonel Fan Forsten in order to find employment with the Russian army. In February 1676, he came to Moscow, but was rejected by military officials. The Posolsky Prikaz listed him as a visiting foreigner. Lefort settled in the so-called Nemetskaya sloboda in Moscow, where he would gain respect among other distinguished foreigners. In July 1678, he once again applied for service in the tsarist army and was accepted in the rank of captain. Then, Lefort was sent to one of the fronts during the Russo-Turkish War of 1676-1681. In the early 1679, he was ordered to join the Kiev garrison under the command of Prince Vasily Galitzine and General Patrick Gordon. Upon his return to Moscow from a short trip to Geneva in 1683, Lefort was on various diplomatic assignments until the fall of 1685.