Picturesongold.Com Saint Antonio Religious Necklace Pendants Unisex Unisex Adult -1/2x2/3in Dime, Sterling Silver CHAIN IS NOT INCLUDED Available in Solid 10K &14K Yellow or White Gold, or Sterling Silver Size Reference: 17mm is the size of a US dime 19mm is the size of a US nickel 25mm is the size of a US quarter Antnio Manuel de Vieira, known in Russia as Count Anton Devier, was one of Peter Is foreign associates, who proved to be an efficient administrator in St Petersburg and Siberia. His date and place of birth are uncertain - sources differ on whether he was born in Portugal in 1673-1674, or less likely in Amsterdam c. 1682. His mother was a Christian but his father was a Jew who moved with his family from Portugal to the Low Countries. During the Grand Embassy of Peter the Great to Europe (1697), the tsar was allowed by the Dutch sailors to command a ship, where Vieira served as a cabin-boy. He was taken by the tsar to Russia in the capacity of his page and orderly, gradually rising to the rank of adjutant-general in 1718. That same year, he fell in love with Prince Menshikovs sister and seduced her. They were apprehended by her brother, who ordered Vieira to be beaten to death. The latter, however, appealed to the tsar for mercy, and Peter ordered Vieira to be liberated and married to Menshikovs sister the very next day. A month later, he was appointed the first chief of St Petersburg Police. During his term in office, Vieira gained renown for his strict attitude towards brigands and outlaws who had previously crowded to the newly built Russian capital. Map of Okhotsk, ink drawing, 1737. After Peters death, Vieira managed to maintain his position, chiefly through the influence of his wife, a lady-in-waiting at the court of Catherine I. On October 24, 1726 he was made count and admitted to the Senate. His brother-in-laws influence on the Empress, however, was paramount. As Vieira dared to oppose Menshikovs plan of marrying his daughter to the future Pet
