Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen

Peter Ludwig Graf von der Pahlen (; , Palms Manor, Palms (now ) – , Mitau (now )) was a Baltic-German courtier and general, who played a pivotal role in the assassination of Emperor Paul of Russia in 1801. He became a general in the Imperial Russian Army in 1798, a count in 1799, and served as the Military Governor of St. Petersburg from 1798 to 1801. Early career Pahlen stemmed from a family of Baltic nobles. He was born in the manor of Palms, in present-day Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. He served in the horse guards and saw service in the Russo-Turkish Wars. He was wounded at Bendery and invested with the Order of St George of the 4th degree. During the Russo-Turkish War, 1787-92 he distinguished himself during the Siege of Ochakov (order of St. George the 3rd degree). In 1787 Pahlen was put in charge of the Riga Governorate. He conducted the negotiations leading to the incorporation of Courland, Semigalia, and other Biron possessions into the Russian Empire. After that, he was appointed the first Governor General of Courland Guberniya (1795).