Franz Lefort Franz Lefort ( " Франц Яковлевич Лефорт " in Russian ) ( December 23 , 1655 ( January 2 , 1656 ) – March 2 ( 12 ) , 1699 ) was a Russia n military figure of Swiss origin , general admiral ( 1695 ) , 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 . Lefort ' s house gradually turned into a main attraction of the Nemetskaya sloboda , attended not only by locals , but by Russian noblemen , such as the Galitzines . It appears that Lefort utilized his connections with the latter and received a fast promotion . In 1687 and 1689 , he took part in two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns . Peter the Great became a frequent guest in Lefort ' s house since 1690 . Lefort was one of the principal organizers and participators in Peter ' s military games , which would pave the way for his career advancement . In 1690 , Lefort was promoted to the rank of major general . He then became lieutenant general ( 1691 ) and general ( 1693 ) . In 1692 , Peter I funded the construction of a big reception hall for 1 , 500 people , which was an extension to Lefort ' s house . This hall hosted business meetings and Peter ' s parties . In 1691 , Lefort was put in charge of a regiment and issued a training ground on the left bank of the Yauza River . Peter ordered construction of a sloboda for this purpose , which would later be called Lefortovskaya sloboda ( the Lefort quarter , present - day Lefortovo ) . In 1693 - 1694 , Lefort accompanied Peter on his trip to Arkhangelsk . In 1694 , he participated in Peter ' s " funny " Kozhukhov campaign ( a military game in a village of Kozhukhovo , between Moscow and Kolomenskoye ) . During the Azov campaigns of 1695 - 1696 , Lefort was in charge of the Imperial Russian Navy . His return from the war was greeted with a solemn parade through Moscow to his " native " Nemetskaya sloboda and subsequent festivities . Lefort was awarded a title of governor ( " наместник " , or namestnik ) of Novgorod and estates in two uyezd s . In 1696 , Lefort together with Fedor Golovin and Prokopy Voznitsyn was put in charge of the Grand Embassy , a Russian diplomatic mission to Western Europe . Upon his return to Moscow in 1698 , he took part in the Streltsy trial . That same year , he moved to a custom - built palace on the Yauza River , which would later be called the Lefortovsky Palace . The palace would soon become a center of the Russian political and royal life in 1698 - 1699 . Peter the Great used to hold all his important meetings and numerous celebrations in Lefort ' s palace . Franz Lefort died in Moscow in 1699 . Upon hearing the news of his death , Tsar Peter lamented " Now I am alone without one trusty man . He alone was faithful to me . Whom can I confide in now ? " On March 21 , Peter held Lefort ' s state funeral , one that was to be less only to funerals of Tsars or Patriarchs . He is buried in the Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Lefortovo . The Russian 84 gun ship of the line Lefort ( launched 1835 , shipwrecked 1857 ) was named in honor of Lefort .