Alexander Griboyedov

Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (1795 to 1829) was a Russian diplomat, playwright, poet and composer, remembered in literature chiefly for one notable work, the verse comedy Woe from Wit, written in 1823. His life ended in diplomacy rather than letters. As Russia's ambassador to Qajar Persia he played a pivotal role in the ratification of the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, which confirmed the cession to Russia of Persia's northern territories in Transcaucasia and parts of the North Caucasus. In the aftermath of that ratification an angry mob massacred him and all of the embassy staff, an incident whose immediate cause was his giving refuge to Armenians who had escaped from the harems of the Persian shah and his son.