Alexander Izvolsky

Alexander Izvolsky

Count Alexander Petrovich Izvolsky or Iswolsky (Russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Изво́льский, 18 March 1856, Moscow – 16 August 1919, Paris) was a Russian diplomat remembered as a major architect of Russia's alliance with the British Empire during the years leading to the outbreak of the First World War.

Having graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum with honours, Izvolsky married Countess von Toll, from a family with far-reaching connections at court, and joined the Foreign Office, where he was patronized by Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky. Following stints as Russia's ambassador in Vatican, Belgrade, Munich, Tokyo (from 1899), and Copenhagen (from 1903), he served as Imperial Foreign Minister between April 1906 and November 1910 and then as Russian ambassador to France.