Background
His father, Count Andrey Petrovich Shuvalov, was a prominent figure at the courts of Nicholas I of Russia and Alexander II of Russia. His mother was Thekla Ignatyevna Walentinowicz, Prince Zubov"s widow and heiress.
His father, Count Andrey Petrovich Shuvalov, was a prominent figure at the courts of Nicholas I of Russia and Alexander II of Russia. His mother was Thekla Ignatyevna Walentinowicz, Prince Zubov"s widow and heiress.
Pavel Andreyevich came from the Shuvalov family which has been prominent in the Russian culture and politics since the mid-18th century. Rundāle Palace was notable family estate. After completing his studies in the Page Corps, Paul served with distinction in the Crimean War.
His military career was fairly successful and peaked with the high rank of full General.
During the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878 he was in charge of the staff of the imperial guards and of the St. Petersburg Military District. From 1885 to 1894, he was the Ambassador at Berlin, bringing an end to a toll war between Russia and the German Empire in 1894, as well as concluding the Reinsurance Treaty with Otto von Bismarck.
Foreign the following two years he served as Governor-general of Warsaw. Shuvalov retired from office in 1896 and spent the rest of his life in Yalta.