Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen

Peter Ludwig Graf[1] von der Pahlen (Russian: Пётр Алексе́евич Па́лен, romanized: Pyotr Alekseyevich Palen; 28 July [O.S.

13] 1826, Mitau, Courland Governorate (now Jelgava, Latvia)) was a Russian courtier and general of Baltic German stock, who played a pivotal role in the assassination of Emperor Paul I of Russia in 1801.

He was born in the manor of Palmse (Palms), in present-day Lääne-Viru County, Estonia, then part of the Russian Empire.

On December 3, 1796 Pahlen was appointed to command the Cuirassier Regiment of Riga, but soon the new Emperor made him regret his former contacts with the disgraced prince Platon Zubov.

Enjoying the unlimited favor of Pavel I, for three years (1798–1801) he served as the military governor of Saint Petersburg, the governor of the Baltic provinces, the inspector of 6 military districts, the Grand Chancellor of the Maltese order, the chief director of mail, a member of the Imperial Council and of the Board of Foreign Affairs.

The Imperial iron foundry was transferred from Kronstadt to Saint Petersburg and Nikolai Rezanov founded the Russian-American Company.

After the assassination the Empress Maria Feodorovna became his irreconcilable enemy and prevented Pahlen from occupying any important post under Alexander's reign.