Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev

Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev (born 1625—died May 15 [May 25, New Style], 1682, Moscow, Russia) was a Russian diplomat and statesman who was a friend and influential adviser of Tsar Alexis of Russia (ruled 1645–76) and did much to introduce western European culture into Russia. Son of an obscure government clerk, Matveyev rose through the ranks to become chief of the Moscow streltsy (household troops) in 1654. In that year he also was entrusted with the...