Russian nobleman Georgy Gruzinsky faked his death in 1798 after he fell afoul of Tzar Paul I. He even staged his own funeral by bribing local officials! Gruzinsky stayed out of sight until 1802 when Tzar Alexander took the throne, and returned to government, even raising a militia to fight Napoleon during the invasion. Gruzinsky finally died (we think) at age 89 in 1852.
