Cherkasskii, Aleksei

Born Sept. 28 (Oct. 8), 1680, in Moscow; died there Nov. 4 (15), 1742. Russian state figure; prince.

From 1719 to 1724, Cherkasskii was governor of Siberia. He became a senator and a privy councillor in 1726. Cherkasskii helped strengthen the autocracy of Anna Ivanovna by acting in opposition to the Supreme Privy Council. During the 1730’s he was an advocate of close alliance with England. Cherkasskii was appointed grand chancellor, the de facto head of Russian foreign policy, in 1740.