Roman Rosen
Encyclopedia
Baron Roman Romanovich Rosen (February 24, 1847 — December 31, 1921) was a diplomat in the service of the Russian Empire
.
nobility (with a Swedish title, obtained when Livonia
and Pomerania
were Swedish territories
) that included musicians and military leaders. One of his ancestors, another Baron Rosen, won distinction in command of the Astrakhanskii Cuirassier Regiment at the Battle of Borodino
on September 7, 1812 for which he was noted in the official battlefield report to General Barclay de Tolly.
A Washington Post article dated July 5, 1905 claimed that, "Baron Rosen is of Swedish ancestry, his forebears having followed Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus in his invasion of Russia and settled there. He was chargé d'affaires
at Tokyo
and later at Washington, and was acting in a judicial capacity as the mouthpiece of an international tribunal that was regarded as discourteous to Japan. ... As judicial minister, he reformed the judicial system of Siberia." Actually, the family was originally from Bohemia
(Habsburg
territory) and included one Marshal of France
and one Austria
n Field-Marshal. Rosen’s mother was a Georgia
n, Elizabeth Sulkhanishvili.
Rosen was a diplomatic expert for the Balkans, Japan and America. He served as Consul-General in New York
since 1884 and as ambassador to Mexico from 1889 to 1893. He then returned to Europe, and was appointed ambassador Serbia, staying in Belgrade
until 1897.
During a short term as Russian minister to Tokyo in 1897-98 he concluded the Nishi-Rosen Agreement
between Russia and Japan, which attempted to defuse diplomatic tensions over Korea
and recognized Russian hegemony over Manchuria
. He was then suddenly transferred to the rather symbolic post as Ambassador of Russia to the Kingdom of Bavaria
in 1898. In 1900 his diplomatic career revived when he changed Munich
for Greece
, and in 1903 his most important period commenced when he was reinstalled as Minister in Tokyo.
Rosen was in Tokyo at the start of the Russo-Japanese War, which he had made every effort to prevent. When United States President Theodore Roosevelt
attempted to mediate the hostilities, Rosen was chosen as new Russian ambassador to the United States and as Sergei Witte's deputy within the Russian peace delegation. Rosen traveled to New Hampshire
for negotiations in a cessation of hostilities and a peace treaty. The resulting Treaty of Portsmouth
was a diplomatic triumph, which ended the war on very favorable terms for Russia.
Rosen stayed in the United States until autumn 1911, when he was recalled to St. Petersburg to leave the diplomatic service. He was subsequently appointed by Tsar Nicholas II
to the State Council of Imperial Russia
. He held this membership in the Russian parliamentary Upper House under the Constitution of 1905 until the overthrow of the monarchy by the February Revolution
in 1917.
After the Bolshevik
takeover in November 1917 October Revolution
and the subsequent persecution of the old political and social elites, Rosen and his family managed to escape from Russia with the help of Western diplomatic friends in the end of the year 1918. From his first exile in Sweden he changed to the United States, where he wrote a series of articles about European diplomacy and politics for The Saturday Evening Post
, including "Forty Years of a Diplomat's Life" published in 41 parts in 1919-1921.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Biography
Rosen was from a long line of russified Baltic GermanBaltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
nobility (with a Swedish title, obtained when Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
and Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
were Swedish territories
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) that included musicians and military leaders. One of his ancestors, another Baron Rosen, won distinction in command of the Astrakhanskii Cuirassier Regiment at the Battle of Borodino
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
on September 7, 1812 for which he was noted in the official battlefield report to General Barclay de Tolly.
A Washington Post article dated July 5, 1905 claimed that, "Baron Rosen is of Swedish ancestry, his forebears having followed Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus in his invasion of Russia and settled there. He was chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
at Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and later at Washington, and was acting in a judicial capacity as the mouthpiece of an international tribunal that was regarded as discourteous to Japan. ... As judicial minister, he reformed the judicial system of Siberia." Actually, the family was originally from Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
(Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
territory) and included one Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
and one Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Field-Marshal. Rosen’s mother was a Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
n, Elizabeth Sulkhanishvili.
Rosen was a diplomatic expert for the Balkans, Japan and America. He served as Consul-General in New York
Consulate-General of Russia in New York City
The Consulate-General of Russia in New York City is the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation in New York City. The consulate is located at 9 East 91st Street in New York City in a building that was the former John Henry Hammond House....
since 1884 and as ambassador to Mexico from 1889 to 1893. He then returned to Europe, and was appointed ambassador Serbia, staying in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
until 1897.
During a short term as Russian minister to Tokyo in 1897-98 he concluded the Nishi-Rosen Agreement
Nishi-Rosen Agreement
' was an agreement signed between the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Russia on April 25, 1898 concerning disputes over Korea.With Japan's victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, and increasing influence in domestic Korean politics, tensions continued to rise between Japan and Russia over...
between Russia and Japan, which attempted to defuse diplomatic tensions over Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and recognized Russian hegemony over Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. He was then suddenly transferred to the rather symbolic post as Ambassador of Russia to the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
in 1898. In 1900 his diplomatic career revived when he changed Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and in 1903 his most important period commenced when he was reinstalled as Minister in Tokyo.
Rosen was in Tokyo at the start of the Russo-Japanese War, which he had made every effort to prevent. When United States President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
attempted to mediate the hostilities, Rosen was chosen as new Russian ambassador to the United States and as Sergei Witte's deputy within the Russian peace delegation. Rosen traveled to New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
for negotiations in a cessation of hostilities and a peace treaty. The resulting Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
was a diplomatic triumph, which ended the war on very favorable terms for Russia.
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
to the State Council of Imperial Russia
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
. He held this membership in the Russian parliamentary Upper House under the Constitution of 1905 until the overthrow of the monarchy by the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in 1917.
After the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
takeover in November 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and the subsequent persecution of the old political and social elites, Rosen and his family managed to escape from Russia with the help of Western diplomatic friends in the end of the year 1918. From his first exile in Sweden he changed to the United States, where he wrote a series of articles about European diplomacy and politics for The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, including "Forty Years of a Diplomat's Life" published in 41 parts in 1919-1921.