Sheremetev

Boris Petrovich

Battles and victories

Outstanding Russian commander during the Northern War, diplomat, first Russian field marshal general (1701). In 1706, he was also the first to be elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire.

In people's memory, Sheremetev remained one of the main heroes of that era. Soldier's songs, where he appears exclusively as a positive character, can serve as evidence.

Many glorious pages from the reign of Emperor Peter the Great (1682-1725) are associated with the name of Sheremetev. The first field marshal general in the history of Russia (1701), count (1706), holder of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, one of the richest landowners, he always, due to his character, remained in a special position with the tsar and his entourage. His views on what was happening often did not coincide with the position of the king and his young associates. He seemed to them a man from the distant past, whom supporters of the modernization of Russia along Western lines fought so fiercely. They, the “thin” ones, did not understand the motivation of this blue-eyed, overweight and leisurely man. However, it was he who was needed by the tsar during the most difficult years of the Great Northern War.

The Sheremetev family was connected with the reigning dynasty by blood ties. Boris Petrovich's family was one of the influential boyar families and even had common ancestors with the reigning Romanov dynasty.

By the standards of the mid-17th century, his closest relatives were very educated people and did not shy away from taking everything positive from them when communicating with foreigners. Boris Petrovich's father, Pyotr Vasilyevich Bolshoi, in 1666-1668, being a Kyiv governor, defended the right to exist of the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. Unlike his contemporaries, the governor shaved his beard, which was terrible nonsense, and wore Polish dress. However, he was not touched because of his military and administrative talents.

Pyotr Vasilyevich, who was born on April 25, 1652, sent his son to study at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. There Boris learned to speak Polish, Latin, gained an understanding of the Greek language and learned a lot of things that were unknown to the vast majority of his compatriots. Already in his early youth, Boris Petrovich became addicted to reading books and by the end of his life he had collected a large and well-systematized library. The boyar understood perfectly well that Russia needed progressive reforms and supported the young Tsar Peter.

However, he began his “sovereign service” in the traditional Moscow style, being promoted to room steward at the age of 13.

The military career of the young nobleman began only during the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich (1676-1682). The Tsar assigned him to be his father’s assistant, who commanded one of the “regiments” in the Russian-Turkish War (1676-1681). In 1679, he already served as a “comrade” (deputy) governor in the “big regiment” of Prince Cherkassy. And just two years later he headed the newly formed Tambov city rank, which, in comparison with the modern structure of the armed forces, can be equated to command of a military district.

In 1682, in connection with the accession to the throne of the new Tsars Peter and Ivan, he was granted the title of boyar. The ruler, Princess Sofya Alekseevna, and her favorite, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, remembered Boris Petrovich in 1685. The Russian government was conducting difficult negotiations with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on concluding an “Eternal Peace.” This is where a boyar who knew European etiquette and foreign languages ​​was needed. His diplomatic mission was extremely successful. After long negotiations, we managed to conclude “Eternal Peace” with Poland and achieve legal recognition of the fact of Moscow’s conquest of Kyiv 20 years ago. Then, after just a few months, Sheremetev was already the sole head of the embassy sent to Warsaw to ratify the treaty and clarify the details of the anti-Ottoman alliance being created. From there we later had to go to Vienna, which was also preparing to continue the fight against the Turks.

The diplomatic path suited the inclinations and talents of the intelligent but cautious Boris Petrovich better than the military one. However, the willful Fate decided otherwise and led him through life far from the most convenient path. Upon returning from Europe to Moscow, the boyar again had to put on a military uniform, which he did not take off until his death.

In the infantry, the first of the Russians can rightfully be called Field Marshal Sheremetev, from an ancient noble family, tall, with soft features and in all respects similar to a great general.

Swede Ehrenmalm, opponent of Sheremetev

Boris Petrovich commanded the regiments of his Belgorod rank during the unsuccessful second Crimean campaign (1689). His detached position in relation to the events in Moscow in the summer of 1689, when Peter I came to power, played a bad joke on him. The boyar was taken under “suspicion.” Disgrace did not follow, but until 1696 Boris Petrovich would remain on the border with the Crimean Khanate, commanding his “discharge.”

During the first Azov campaign in 1695, Sheremetev led an army operating against Turkish fortresses on the Dnieper. Boris Petrovich turned out to be luckier than the tsar and his associates. In the campaign of 1695, the Russian-Ukrainian army took three fortresses from the Turks (July 30 - Kyzy-Kermen, August 1 - Eski-Tavan, August 3 - Aslan-Kermen). The name of Sheremetev became known throughout Europe. At the same time, Azov was never taken. The help of allies was needed. In the summer of 1696, Azov fell, but this success showed that a further war with the Ottoman Empire was possible only with the combined efforts of all countries participating in the “holy league.”

Trying to please the tsar, Boris Petrovich, of his own free will and at his own expense, went on a trip to Europe. The boyar left Moscow three months after Peter himself left for the West and traveled for more than a year and a half, from July 1697 to February 1699, spending 20,500 rubles on it - a huge amount at that time. The true, so to speak, human cost of such a sacrifice becomes clear from the description given to Sheremetev by the famous Soviet researcher of the 18th century, Nikolai Pavlenko: “... Boris Petrovich was not distinguished by selflessness, but did not dare to steal on the scale that Menshikov allowed himself. If a representative of an ancient aristocratic family stole, it was so moderately that the size of what was stolen did not arouse the envy of others. But Sheremetev knew how to beg. He did not miss an opportunity to remind the king of his “poverty,” and his acquisitions were the fruit of royal grants: he, it seems, did not buy estates...”

Having traveled through Poland, Sheremetev again visited Vienna. Then he headed to Italy, examined Rome, Venice, Sicily, and finally got to Malta (having received audiences during the trip with the Polish king and Saxon Elector Augustus, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold, Pope Innocent XII, Grand Duke of Tuscan Cosimo III) . In La Valletta he was even knighted in the Order of Malta.

No other Russian could boast of such a European “train.” The very next day after his return, at a feast at Lefort’s, dressed in a German dress with the Maltese cross on his chest, Sheremetev boldly introduced himself to the Tsar and was greeted with delight by him.

However, the mercy was short-lived. The suspicious “Herr Peter,” according to the soon published “boyar list,” again ordered Boris Petrovich to go away from Moscow and be “near the city of Arkhangelsk.” They remembered him again only a year later, with the beginning of the Northern War (1700-1721). The war began in August with the march of the main forces of the Russian army to Narva. Boyar Sheremetev was appointed commander of the “local cavalry” (mounted noble militia). In the Narva campaign of 1700, Sheremetev’s detachment acted extremely unsuccessfully.

During the siege, Sheremetev, who was conducting reconnaissance, reported that a large Swedish army was approaching Narva. Russian military leaders, according to Swedish historians, were seized by panic. A captive major of the Swedish army, Livonian Patkul, allegedly told them that an army of 30 to 32 thousand people had approached with Charles XII. The figure seemed quite reliable, and they believed it. The king also believed - and fell into despair. During the battle of Narva on November 19 (30), 1700, the valiant “local cavalry”, without engaging in battle, shamefully fled, carrying Boris Petrovich into the water, who was desperately trying to stop it. More than a thousand people drowned in the river. Sheremetev was saved by a horse, and the royal disgrace was averted by the sad fate of all the other generals, who were in full force captured by the triumphant enemy. Moreover, after a catastrophic failure, the tsar made a temporary compromise with the sentiments of his aristocracy and chose a new commander among the most noble national elite, where Sheremetev at that time was the only person with any knowledge of military affairs. Thus, we can say that, in fact, the war itself at the end of 1700 put him at the head of the main forces of the Russian army.

With the onset of the second war summer, Boris Petrovich began to be called Field Marshal General in the Tsar's letters addressed to him. This event closed a protracted, sad chapter in Sheremetev’s life and opened a new one, which, as it later turned out, became his “swan song.” The last setbacks occurred in the winter of 1700-1701. Prompted by the tsar’s impatient shouts, Boris Petrovich tried to carefully “test” Estland with a saber (Peter sent the first decree demanding activity just 16 days after the disaster at Narva), in particular, to capture the small fortress of Marienburg, which stood in the middle of an ice-bound lake. But he received a rebuff everywhere and, retreating to Pskov, began to put the troops he had in order.

The combat effectiveness of the Russians was still extremely low, especially in comparison with the albeit small, but European enemy. Sheremetev was well aware of the strength of the Swedes, since he became acquainted with the organization of military affairs in the West during a recent trip. And he conducted the preparation in accordance with his thorough and leisurely character. Even the visits of the tsar himself (in August and October), who was eager to resume hostilities as soon as possible, could not significantly speed up events. Sheremetev, constantly pushed by Peter, began to carry out his devastating campaigns in Livonia and Estonia from Pskov. In these battles, the Russian army hardened itself and accumulated invaluable military experience.

The appearance in Estonia and Livonia in the fall of 1701, 9 months after Narva, of fairly large Russian military formations was perceived with some skepticism by the highest Swedish military command - at least, such a reaction was noted by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, King Charles XII. Local Livonian military leaders immediately sounded the alarm and tried to convey it to the king, but were unsuccessful. The king made it clear that Livonia had to make do with the forces that he left them. The raids of Sheremetev's Russian detachments in September 1701 were so far seemingly episodic in nature and, at first glance, did not pose a great threat to the integrity of the kingdom.

The battles near Räpina Manor and Rõuge were only a test of strength for the Russians; a serious threat to the Swedes in this region lurked in the future. The Russians were convinced that “the Swede is not as terrible as he is painted,” and that under certain conditions it would be possible to defeat him. It seems that Peter’s headquarters realized that Charles had given up on Livonia and Ingria and left them to their own fate. It was decided to use these provinces both as a kind of training ground for acquiring combat experience, and as an object for achieving the main strategic goal - access to the Baltic coast. Even if the Swedes figured out this strategic goal, they did not take adequate measures to counter it.

Peter, pleased with the field marshal’s actions in the Baltic states, wrote to Apraksin:

Boris Petrovich stayed in Livonia quite happily.

This passivity freed the hands of the Russian army and made it possible to open new theaters of military operations that were inconvenient for the enemy, as well as to seize the strategic initiative in the war. The fighting between the Russians and the Swedes before 1707 was of a strange nature: the opponents seemed to be stepping on each other’s tails, but did not engage in a decisive battle among themselves. At that time, Charles XII with his main forces was chasing Augustus II throughout Poland, and the Russian army, strengthened and on its feet, moved from devastation of the Baltic provinces to their conquest, conquering cities one after another and step by step imperceptibly approaching the achievement of its main goal - access to the Gulf of Finland.

It is in this light that all subsequent battles in this area, including the Battle of Erastfera, should be viewed.

In December 1701, cavalry general B. Sheremetev, waiting for reinforcements to arrive and the concentration of all troops into one fist, decided to launch a new surprise attack on the Livonia field army of Major General V.A. von Schlippenbach, located in winter quarters. The calculation was based on the fact that the Swedes would be busy celebrating Christmas. At the end of December, Sheremetev's impressive corps of 18,838 people with 20 guns (1 mortar, 3 howitzers, 16 cannons) set out from Pskov on a campaign. To transport troops across Lake Peypus, Sheremetev used about 2,000 sleds. Sheremetev did not act blindly this time, but had intelligence information about the forces and deployment of Schlippenbach’s units: spies from Dorpat reported this to him in Pskov. According to the information received, the main forces of the Swedes were stationed in this city and its environs.

The commander of the Livonian Field Corps, Major General Schlippenbach, against whom the Russian actions were directed, had approximately 5,000 regular and 3,000 irregular troops scattered across posts and garrisons from Narva to Lake Lubana. Due to Schlippenbach's inexplicable carelessness or lack of management, the Swedes learned too late about the movement of large enemy forces. Only on December 28/29 the movement of Russian troops at Larf Manor was noticed by patrols of a land militia battalion. As in previous operations, the element of tactical surprise for Sheremetev's corps was lost, but on the whole his strategic plan was a success.

Schlippenbach, having finally received reliable news about the Russian movement, was forced to give them a decisive battle. Taking with him 4 infantry battalions, 3 cavalry regiments, 2 dragoon regiments and 6 3-pound guns, he moved towards Sheremetev. So on January 1, 1702, the oncoming battle at Erastfer began, the first hours of which were unsuccessful for Sheremetev’s army. Encounter combat is generally a complex matter, but for the not fully trained Russian soldiers and officers it turned out to be doubly difficult. During the battle, confusion and uncertainty arose, and the Russian column had to retreat.

It is difficult to say how Sheremetev’s operation would have ended if the artillery had not arrived in time. Under the cover of artillery fire, the Russians recovered, again formed a battle formation and resolutely attacked the Swedes. A stubborn four-hour battle ensued. The Swedish commander was going to retreat behind the positions fortified by the palisade at the Erastfer manor, but Sheremetev guessed the enemy’s plan and ordered an attack on the Swedes in the flank. Russian artillery, mounted on sleighs, began to fire buckshot at the Swedes. As soon as the Swedish infantry began to retreat, the Russians overthrew the enemy squadrons with a swift attack. The Swedish cavalry, despite the attempts of some officers to put it in combat formation, fled in panic from the battlefield, overturning its own infantry. The ensuing darkness and fatigue of the troops forced the Russian command to stop the pursuit; only a detachment of Cossacks continued to chase the retreating Swedish troops.

Sheremetev did not risk pursuing the retreating enemy and returned back to Pskov, justifying himself to the tsar by the fatigue of the horses and deep snow. Thus, Russian troops won their first major victory in the Northern War. Of the 3000-3800 Swedes who took part in the battle, 1000-1400 people were killed, 700-900 people. 134 people fled and deserted. were captured. The Russians, in addition, captured 6 cannons. The losses of Sheremetev's troops, according to a number of historians, range from 400 to 1000 people. E. Tarle gives the figure 1000.

This victory brought Sheremetev the title of Field Marshal and the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The soldiers of his corps received a silver ruble. The significance of the Erastfer victory was difficult to overestimate. The Russian army demonstrated its ability to defeat a formidable enemy in the field, albeit with superior forces.

The Russian army was ready to take decisive action in a new campaign on the territory of Estonia and Livonia only by the beginning of July 1702. With approximately 24,000 dragoons and soldiers, Sheremetev finally crossed the Russian-Swedish border on July 13.

On July 18/19, Sheremetev's corps clashed with the Swedes in the battle of Gummelsgof. The Swedes were the first to start the battle. The Swedish cavalry attacked 3 regiments of Russian dragoons. Swedish artillery provided effective assistance to the cavalry. Russian units began to retreat. At this time, the Swedish cavalrymen, sent to eliminate the supposed flank coverage, themselves went to the rear and flanks of the Russian cavalry and attacked it. The situation for the Russians became critical; the Swedish cavalry captured 6 cannons and almost the entire convoy from us. The situation was saved by the dragoons. They delayed the enemy's onslaught and fought desperately at the bridge over the river. At the most critical moment, 2 more dragoon regiments (about 1,300 people) from Sheremetev’s main forces came to their aid, and this decided the outcome of the battle. Schlippenbach could have defeated the enemy piecemeal, but missed the opportunity to move infantry and cannons to the aid of his cavalry.

Soon military fortunes, it seemed, began to lean again in favor of the Swedes. Two battalions also approached them and entered the battle straight from the march. But they failed to turn the tide of the battle in their favor. Its outcome was decided with the approach of the main forces of the Russian corps to the battlefield.

After effective artillery bombardment, which disrupted the ranks of the Swedish cavalry, the Russian troops launched a general offensive. The Swedish cavalry front collapsed. Its advanced units took a panicked flight, crushed their infantry and rushed to flee along the road to Pernau. Attempts by individual small detachments of infantry and cavalry to hold back the onslaught of Russian troops were broken. Most of the infantry also fled from the battlefield and took refuge in the surrounding forests and swamps.

As a result, the Swedes suffered a heavy defeat. The balance of forces in the battle was 3.6: 1 in favor of the Russians. About 18 people took part in the battle on our side, and about 5 thousand on the Swedes’ side.

O. Sjögren believes that up to 2 thousand Swedish soldiers fell on the battlefield, but this figure seems to be underestimated. Russian contemporary sources estimate enemy losses at 2,400 killed, 1,200 deserters, 315 prisoners, 16 guns and 16 banners. The losses of Russian troops are estimated at 1000-1500 people killed and wounded.

After Hummelshof, Sheremetev became the practical master of the entire southern Livonia, but Peter I considered securing these lands for himself premature - he did not yet want to quarrel with Augustus II. According to the agreement with him, Livonia, after it was recaptured from the Swedes, was to go to Poland.

After Hummelshof, Sheremetev's corps carried out a series of devastating raids on the Baltic cities. Karkus, Helmet, Smilten, Volmar, Wesenberg were devastated. We also went to the city of Marienburg, where commandant Tillo von Tillau surrendered the city to the mercy of Sheremetev. But not all Swedes approved of this idea: when the Russians entered the city, artillery captain Wulf and his comrades blew up a powder magazine, and many Russians died with them under the rubble of buildings. Angered by this, Sheremetev did not release any of the surviving Swedes, and ordered all residents to be taken prisoner.

During the campaign to Marienburg, the Russian army and Russia as a whole were enriched with another unusual acquisition. Colonel R.H. Bauer (Bour) (according to Kostomarov, Colonel Balk) looked for a pretty concubine there for himself - a 16-year-old Latvian, a servant of Pastor Gluck, and took her with him to Pskov. In Pskov, Field Marshal Sheremetev himself had his eye on Marta Skavronskaya, and Marta obediently served him. Then Menshikov saw her, and after him - Tsar Peter himself. The matter ended, as is known, with Marta Skavronskaya becoming the wife of the Tsar and Empress of Russia Catherine I.

After Hummelshof, Boris Petrovich commanded troops during the capture of Noteburg (1702) and Nyenschantz (1703), and in the summer of 1704 he unsuccessfully besieged Dorpat, for which he again fell into disgrace.

In June 1705, Peter arrived in Polotsk and at the military council on the 15th he instructed Sheremetev to lead another campaign in Courland against Levengaupt. The latter was a big thorn in the eyes of the Russians and constantly attracted their attention. Peter’s instructions to Field Marshal Sheremetev said: “Go on this easy campaign (so that there is not a single foot on foot) and search with the help of God over the enemy, namely over General Levenhaupt. The whole strength of this campaign lies in cutting it off from Riga.”

At the beginning of July 1705, the Russian corps (3 infantry, 9 dragoon regiments, a separate dragoon squadron, 2,500 Cossacks and 16 guns) set out on a campaign from Druya. Enemy intelligence worked so poorly that Count Levengaupt had to be content with numerous rumors rather than real data. Initially, the Swedish military leader estimated the enemy forces at 30 thousand people (Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt berättelse. Karolinska krigare berättar. Stockholm. 1987).

The Courland Corps of the Carolinas, stationed near Riga, numbered about 7 thousand infantry and cavalry with 17 guns. In such conditions it was very difficult for the count to act. However, the Russians left him no choice. The king's instructions were unambiguous. Sheremetev was supposed to lock Levengaupt's corps in Courland. The task is more than serious.

In anticipation of the enemy, the count retreated to Gemauerthof, where he took up advantageous positions. The front of the Swedish position was covered by a deep stream, the right flank rested on a swamp, and the left flank on a dense forest. Levenhaupt's corps was significantly superior in quality to Schlippenbach's Livonian field army.

The military council convened on July 15, 1705 by Sheremetev decided to attack the enemy, but not head-on, but using military stratagem, simulating a retreat during the attack in order to lure the enemy out of the camp and hit him from the flank with cavalry hidden in the forest. Due to the uncoordinated and spontaneous actions of the Russian military leaders, the first stage of the battle was lost, and the Russian cavalry began to retreat in disarray. The Swedes pursued her vigorously. However, their previously covered flanks were exposed. At this stage of the battle, the Russians showed steadfastness and bold maneuver. As darkness fell, the battle stopped and Sheremetev retreated.

Charles XII was extremely pleased with the victory of his troops. On August 10, 1705, Count Adam Ludwig Levenhaupt was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. At the same time, Sheremetev was acutely upset by the failure. It took the consolation of Tsar Peter himself, who noted that military happiness can be changeable. However, this Swedish success changed little in the balance of power in the Baltic states. Soon Russian troops took two strong Courland fortresses, Mitava and Bausk. Levenhaupt's weakened corps at that time sat outside the walls of Riga, not daring to go out into the field. Thus, even defeat brought enormous benefits to Russian weapons. At the same time, Gemauerthof showed that the Russian military leaders still had a lot of work to do - most of all, training the cavalry and developing coherence between the branches of the military.

From this time on, Sheremetev’s career will begin to decline. In 1708, he will be declared one of the culprits in the defeat of the Russian army in the battle of Golovchino. In the victorious Battle of Poltava (1709), Boris Petrovich would be the nominal commander-in-chief. Even after the Poltava triumph, when awards poured in a generous stream on most generals, he had to be content with a very modest salary, more like a formal go-ahead - a run-down village with the downright symbolic name Black Mud.

At the same time, it cannot be said that Peter began to treat the field marshal completely badly. It is enough to recall one example. In 1712, upon reaching his 60th birthday, Boris Petrovich fell into another depression, lost his taste for life and decided to retire from the bustle of the world to a monastery, so that he could spend the rest of his days there in complete peace. He even chose the monastery - the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Peter, having learned about the dream, became angry, advising his colleague to “get the nonsense out of his head.” And, to make it easier for him to do this, he ordered him to get married immediately. And without delaying the matter, he immediately personally found a bride - the 26-year-old widow of his own uncle Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin.

Some modern researchers, assessing Sheremetev's real achievements from the point of view of European military art, agree with the tsar, giving the field marshal a not very flattering mark. For example, Alexander Zaozersky, the author of the most detailed monograph on the life and work of Boris Petrovich, expressed the following opinion: “...Was he, however, a brilliant commander? His successes on the battlefield hardly allow us to answer this question positively. Of course, under his leadership, Russian troops more than once won victories over the Tatars and the Swedes. But we can name more than one case when a field marshal suffered defeat. In addition, successful battles took place when his forces outweighed those of the enemy; therefore they cannot be a reliable indicator of the degree of his art or talent...”

But in people's memory Sheremetev forever remained one of the main heroes of that era. Soldier's songs, where he appears only as a positive character, can serve as evidence. This fact was probably influenced by the fact that the commander always took care of the needs of ordinary subordinates, thereby distinguishing himself favorably from most other generals.

At the same time, Boris Petrovich got along well with foreigners. Suffice it to remember that one of his best friends was the Scot Jacob Bruce. Therefore, Europeans who left written evidence about Russia during Peter’s time, as a rule, speak well of the boyar and classify him as one of the most prominent royal nobles. For example, the Englishman Whitworth believed that “Sheremetev is the most polite man in the country and the most cultured” (although the same Whitworth did not rate the boyar’s leadership abilities too highly: “... The tsar’s greatest sorrow is the lack of good generals. Field Marshal Sheremetev is a man, undoubtedly possessing personal courage, having successfully completed the expedition entrusted to him against the Tatars, extremely beloved on his estates and by ordinary soldiers, but until now having had no dealings with a regular enemy army..."). The Austrian Korb noted: “He traveled a lot, was therefore more educated than others, dressed in German and wore a Maltese cross on his chest.” Even his enemy, the Swede Ehrenmalm, spoke of Boris Petrovich with great sympathy: “In infantry, the first of the Russians can rightfully be called Field Marshal Sheremetev, from an ancient noble family, tall, with soft facial features and in all respects similar to a great general. He is somewhat fat, with a pale face and blue eyes, wears blond wigs, and both in clothes and in carriages he is the same as any foreign officer...”

But in the second half of the war, when Peter nevertheless put together a strong conglomerate of European and his own young generals, he began to trust the field marshal less and less with command of even small corps in the main theaters of combat. Therefore, all the main events of 1712-1714. - the struggle for northern Germany and the conquest of Finland - did without Sheremetev. And in 1717 he fell ill and was forced to ask for a long-term leave.

From Sheremetev's will:

take my sinful body and bury it in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery or wherever His Majesty’s will takes place.

Boris Petrovich never returned to the army. He was ill for two years and died before he could see the victory. The death of the commander finally finally reconciled the king with him. Nikolai Pavlenko, one of the most thorough researchers of the Petrine era, wrote the following on this occasion: “The new capital lacked its own pantheon. Peter decided to create it. The field marshal's grave was supposed to open the burial of noble people in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. By order of Peter, Sheremetev’s body was taken to St. Petersburg and solemnly buried. The death of Boris Petrovich and his funeral are as symbolic as the whole life of the field marshal. He died in the old capital and was buried in the new one. In his life, the old and the new also intertwined, creating a portrait of a figure in the period of transition from Muscovite Rus' to the Europeanized Russian Empire.”

BESPALOV A.V., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor

Sources and literature

Bantysh-Kamensky D.N. 3rd General Field Marshal Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev. Biographies of Russian generalissimos and field marshals. In 4 parts. Reprint of the 1840 edition. Part 1–2. M., 1991

Barsukov A.P. Sheremetev family. Book 1-8. St. Petersburg, 1881-1904

Bespalov A.V. Battles of the Northern War (1700-1721). M., 2005

Bespalov A.V. Battles and sieges of the Great Northern War (1700-1721). M., 2010

Military campaign journal of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. Materials of the military-scientific archive of the General Staff. v. 1. St. Petersburg, 1871

Zaozersky A.I. Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. M., 1989

History of the Russian State: Biographies. XVIII century. M., 1996

History of the Northern War 1700-1721. Rep. ed. I.I. Rostunov. M., 1987

Myshlaevsky A.Z. Field Marshal Count B.P. Sheremetev: Military campaign journal of 1711 and 1712. SPb.: Military scientist. to-t Ch. headquarters, 1898

Maslovsky D. North War. Documents 1705-1708. St. Petersburg, 1892

Pavlenko N.I. Petrov's nest chicks: [B. P. Sheremetev, P. A. Tolstoy, A. V. Makarov]. 2nd ed. M., 1988

Letters from Peter the Great written to Field Marshal General... Count Boris Petrovich Sheremetev. M. Imp. university, 1774

"Russian Biographical Dictionary". vol. 23. St. Petersburg: Imp. ist. society, 1911

Letters and papers of Emperor Peter the Great. vol. 1-9. St. Petersburg, 1887-1950

Northern War 1700-1721 Collection of documents. vol. 1., IRI RAS. 2009

Soviet historical encyclopedia. 1976. v. 16

Internet

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2. According to many, “one of the most educated generals of the Russian army.” He left behind many literary and scientific works and memories. Patron of sciences and education. He has established himself as a talented administrator.
3. His example served the formation of many Russian military leaders, in particular, General. A. I. Denikina.
4. He was a resolute opponent of the use of the army against his people, in which he disagreed with P. A. Stolypin. "An army should shoot at the enemy, not at its own people."

Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich

It's simple - It was he, as a commander, who made the greatest contribution to the defeat of Napoleon. He saved the army under the most difficult conditions, despite misunderstandings and grave accusations of treason. It was to him that our great poet Pushkin, practically a contemporary of those events, dedicated the poem “Commander.”
Pushkin, recognizing Kutuzov's merits, did not oppose him to Barclay. In place of the common alternative “Barclay or Kutuzov,” with the traditional resolution in favor of Kutuzov, Pushkin came to a new position: both Barclay and Kutuzov are both worthy of the grateful memory of posterity, but Kutuzov is revered by everyone, but Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly is undeservedly forgotten.
Pushkin mentioned Barclay de Tolly even earlier, in one of the chapters of “Eugene Onegin” -

Thunderstorm of the twelfth year
It has arrived - who helped us here?
The frenzy of the people
Barclay, winter or Russian god?...

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

The great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career (more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art.
Prince of Italy (1799), Count of Rymnik (1789), Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and naval forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, Grandee of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Prince of the Royal Blood (with the title "King's cousin"), Knight of all Russian orders of their time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.

Paskevich Ivan Fedorovich

Hero of Borodin, Leipzig, Paris (division commander)
As commander-in-chief, he won 4 companies (Russian-Persian 1826-1828, Russian-Turkish 1828-1829, Polish 1830-1831, Hungarian 1849).
Knight of the Order of St. George, 1st degree - for the capture of Warsaw (the order, according to the statute, was awarded either for the salvation of the fatherland, or for the capture of the enemy capital).
Field Marshal.

Yaroslav the Wise

Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich

Without exaggeration, he is the best commander of Admiral Kolchak’s army. Under his command, Russia's gold reserves were captured in Kazan in 1918. At 36 years old, he was a lieutenant general, commander of the Eastern Front. The Siberian Ice Campaign is associated with this name. In January 1920, he led 30,000 Kappelites to Irkutsk to capture Irkutsk and free the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, from captivity. The general's death from pneumonia largely determined the tragic outcome of this campaign and the death of the Admiral...

Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky Pyotr Alexandrovich

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

The greatest Commander and Diplomat!!! Who utterly defeated the troops of the “first European Union”!!!

Eremenko Andrey Ivanovich

Commander of the Stalingrad and South-Eastern Fronts. The fronts under his command in the summer and autumn of 1942 stopped the advance of the German 6th field and 4th tank armies towards Stalingrad.
In December 1942, the Stalingrad Front of General Eremenko stopped the tank offensive of General G. Hoth's group on Stalingrad, for the relief of the 6th Army of Paulus.

Miloradovich

Bagration, Miloradovich, Davydov are some very special breed of people. They don't do things like that now. The heroes of 1812 were distinguished by complete recklessness and complete contempt for death. And it was General Miloradovich, who went through all the wars for Russia without a single scratch, who became the first victim of individual terror. After Kakhovsky’s shot on Senate Square, the Russian revolution continued along this path - right up to the basement of the Ipatiev House. Taking away the best.

Platov Matvey Ivanovich

Ataman of the Great Don Army (from 1801), cavalry general (1809), who took part in all the wars of the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries.
In 1771 he distinguished himself during the attack and capture of the Perekop line and Kinburn. From 1772 he began to command a Cossack regiment. During the 2nd Turkish War he distinguished himself during the assault on Ochakov and Izmail. Participated in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, he first commanded all the Cossack regiments on the border, and then, covering the retreat of the army, won victories over the enemy near the towns of Mir and Romanovo. In the battle near the village of Semlevo, Platov’s army defeated the French and captured a colonel from the army of Marshal Murat. During the retreat of the French army, Platov, pursuing it, inflicted defeats on it at Gorodnya, Kolotsky Monastery, Gzhatsk, Tsarevo-Zaimishch, near Dukhovshchina and when crossing the Vop River. For his merits he was elevated to the rank of count. In November, Platov captured Smolensk from battle and defeated the troops of Marshal Ney near Dubrovna. At the beginning of January 1813, he entered Prussia and besieged Danzig; in September he received command of a special corps, with which he participated in the battle of Leipzig and, pursuing the enemy, captured about 15 thousand people. In 1814, he fought at the head of his regiments during the capture of Nemur, Arcy-sur-Aube, Cezanne, Villeneuve. Awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, F. F. Ushakov made a serious contribution to the development of sailing fleet tactics. Relying on the entire set of principles for training naval forces and military art, incorporating all the accumulated tactical experience, F. F. Ushakov acted creatively, based on the specific situation and common sense. His actions were distinguished by decisiveness and extraordinary courage. Without hesitation, he reorganized the fleet into battle formation even when approaching the enemy directly, minimizing the time of tactical deployment. Despite the established tactical rule of the commander being in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov, implementing the principle of concentration of forces, boldly placed his ship in the forefront and occupied the most dangerous positions, encouraging his commanders with his own courage. He was distinguished by a quick assessment of the situation, an accurate calculation of all success factors and a decisive attack aimed at achieving complete victory over the enemy. In this regard, Admiral F. F. Ushakov can rightfully be considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval art.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

“I studied I.V. Stalin thoroughly as a military leader, since I went through the entire war with him. I.V. Stalin knew the issues of organizing front-line operations and operations of groups of fronts and led them with full knowledge of the matter, having a good understanding of large strategic questions...
In leading the armed struggle as a whole, J.V. Stalin was helped by his natural intelligence and rich intuition. He knew how to find the main link in a strategic situation and, seizing on it, counter the enemy, carry out one or another major offensive operation. Undoubtedly, he was a worthy Supreme Commander."

(Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections.)

Denikin Anton Ivanovich

One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. Coming from a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on his own virtues. Member of the RYAV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent while commanding the legendary “Iron” brigade, which was then expanded into a division. Participant and one of the main characters of the Brusilov breakthrough. He remained a man of honor even after the collapse of the army, a Bykhov prisoner. Member of the ice campaign and commander of the AFSR. For more than a year and a half, possessing very modest resources and much inferior in numbers to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, liberating a vast territory.
Also, do not forget that Anton Ivanovich is a wonderful and very successful publicist, and his books are still very popular. An extraordinary, talented commander, an honest Russian man in difficult times for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.

Izylmetyev Ivan Nikolaevich

Commanded the frigate "Aurora". He made the transition from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka in a record time for those times in 66 days. In Callao Bay he eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoiko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with local residents, threw the outnumbered Anglo-French landing force into the sea. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there After these events, the British public demanded a trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

The greatest Russian commander! He has more than 60 victories and not a single defeat. Thanks to his talent for victory, the whole world learned the power of Russian weapons

Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich

An outstanding commander of the second half of the 16th century. Oprichnik.
Genus. OK. 1520, died on August 7 (17), 1591. At voivode posts since 1560. Participant in almost all military enterprises during the independent reign of Ivan IV and the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich. He has won several field battles (including: the defeat of the Tatars near Zaraisk (1570), the Battle of Molodinsk (during the decisive battle he led Russian troops in Gulyai-gorod), the defeat of the Swedes at Lyamitsa (1582) and near Narva ( 1590)). He led the suppression of the Cheremis uprising in 1583-1584, for which he received the rank of boyar.
Based on the totality of merits of D.I. Khvorostinin stands much higher than what M.I. has already proposed here. Vorotynsky. Vorotynsky was more noble and therefore he was more often entrusted with the general leadership of the regiments. But, according to the commander’s talats, he was far from Khvorostinin.

Grand Duke of Russia Mikhail Nikolaevich

Feldzeichmeister-General (commander-in-chief of the artillery of the Russian Army), youngest son of Emperor Nicholas I, Viceroy in the Caucasus since 1864. Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the Caucasus in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. Under his command the fortresses of Kars, Ardahan, and Bayazet were taken.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

During the Patriotic War, Stalin led all the armed forces of our homeland and coordinated their military operations. It is impossible not to note his merits in competent planning and organization of military operations, in the skillful selection of military leaders and their assistants. Joseph Stalin proved himself not only as an outstanding commander who competently led all fronts, but also as an excellent organizer who carried out enormous work to increase the country's defense capability both in the pre-war and during the war years.

A short list of military awards of I.V. Stalin received by him during the Second World War:
Order of Suvorov, 1st class
Medal "For the Defense of Moscow"
Order "Victory"
Medal "Golden Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union
Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
Medal "For Victory over Japan"

Saltykov Petr Semenovich

One of those commanders who managed to inflict exemplary defeats on one of the best commanders in Europe in the 18th century - Frederick II of Prussia

Shein Mikhail Borisovich

He headed the Smolensk defense against Polish-Lithuanian troops, which lasted 20 months. Under the command of Shein, multiple attacks were repelled, despite the explosion and a hole in the wall. He held back and bled the main forces of the Poles at the decisive moment of the Time of Troubles, preventing them from moving to Moscow to support their garrison, creating the opportunity to gather an all-Russian militia to liberate the capital. Only with the help of a defector, the troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth managed to take Smolensk on June 3, 1611. The wounded Shein was captured and taken with his family to Poland for 8 years. After returning to Russia, he commanded the army that tried to recapture Smolensk in 1632-1634. Executed due to boyar slander. Undeservedly forgotten.

Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich

To a person to whom this name means nothing, there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something, everything is clear.
Twice hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that he was an army general - but just before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Kenicksberg.
One of the few who drove back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. In many ways, he determined the fate of repelling the German offensive on Leningrad. Voronezh held. Liberated Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943, forming with his army the top of the Kursk Bulge. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. I took Kyiv. He repulsed Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out Operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured thanks to his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly walked through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.

Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich

Commander of the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.

Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich

Makarov Stepan Osipovich

Russian oceanographer, polar explorer, shipbuilder, vice admiral. Developed the Russian semaphore alphabet. A worthy person, on the list of worthy ones!

Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich

Marshal of Aviation of the USSR, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, symbol of Victory over the Nazi Wehrmacht in the air, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

Taking part in the air battles of the Great Patriotic War, he developed and tested in battles new tactics of air combat, which made it possible to seize the initiative in the air and ultimately defeat the fascist Luftwaffe. In fact, he created an entire school of WWII aces. Commanding the 9th Guards Air Division, he continued to personally participate in air battles, scoring 65 air victories throughout the entire period of the war.

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

After Zhukov, who took Berlin, the second should be the brilliant strategist Kutuzov, who drove the French out of Russia.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Victory in the Great Patriotic War, saving the entire planet from absolute evil, and our country from extinction.
From the first hours of the war, Stalin controlled the country, front and rear. On land, at sea and in the air.
His merit is not one or even ten battles or campaigns, his merit is Victory, made up of hundreds of battles of the Great Patriotic War: the battle of Moscow, battles in the North Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the battle of Leningrad and many others before the capture Berlin, success in which was achieved thanks to the monotonous inhuman work of the genius of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

A man whose faith, courage, and patriotism defended our state

Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich

Stalin (Dzhugashvilli) Joseph

Platov Matvey Ivanovich

Military Ataman of the Don Cossack Army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A participant in several military campaigns, he is best known as the commander of Cossack troops during the Patriotic War of 1812 and during the subsequent Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army. Thanks to the successful actions of the Cossacks under his command, Napoleon’s saying went down in history:
- Happy is the commander who has Cossacks. If I had an army of only Cossacks, I would conquer all of Europe.

Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich

Finnish War.
Strategic retreat in the first half of 1812
European expedition of 1812

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich

One of the most successful generals in Russia during the First World War. The Erzurum and Sarakamysh operations carried out by him on the Caucasian front, carried out in extremely unfavorable conditions for Russian troops, and ending in victories, I believe, deserve to be included among the brightest victories of Russian weapons. In addition, Nikolai Nikolaevich stood out for his modesty and decency, lived and died as an honest Russian officer, and remained faithful to the oath to the end.

Muravyov-Karssky Nikolai Nikolaevich

One of the most successful commanders of the mid-19th century in the Turkish direction.

Hero of the first capture of Kars (1828), leader of the second capture of Kars (the largest success of the Crimean War, 1855, which made it possible to end the war without territorial losses for Russia).

Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich

One of the best Russian generals of the First World War. In June 1916, troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of Adjutant General A.A. Brusilov, simultaneously striking in several directions, broke through the enemy’s deeply layered defenses and advanced 65 km. In military history, this operation was called the Brusilov breakthrough.

Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich

In front of the Kazan Cathedral there are two statues of the saviors of the fatherland. Saving the army, exhausting the enemy, the Battle of Smolensk - this is more than enough.

Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich

He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, and fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.

Karyagin Pavel Mikhailovich

Colonel Karyagin's campaign against the Persians in 1805 does not resemble real military history. It looks like a prequel to "300 Spartans" (20,000 Persians, 500 Russians, gorges, bayonet attacks, "This is madness! - No, this is the 17th Jaeger Regiment!"). A golden, platinum page of Russian history, combining the carnage of madness with the highest tactical skill, amazing cunning and stunning Russian arrogance

Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich

He was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Soviet Union. Thanks to his talent as a Commander and Outstanding Statesman, the USSR won the bloodiest WAR in the history of mankind. Most of the battles of World War II were won with his direct participation in the development of their plans.

Ivan groznyj

He conquered the Astrakhan kingdom, to which Russia paid tribute. Defeated the Livonian Order. Expanded the borders of Russia far beyond the Urals.

During his short military career, he knew practically no failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovian and “Tushino” troops. The ability to build a combat-ready army practically from scratch, train, use Swedish mercenaries in place and at the time, select successful Russian command cadres for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and the liberation of central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in fight against the magnificent Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little-known nature of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.

Prince Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich

The most remarkable of the Russian princes of the pre-Tatar period of our history, who left behind great fame and good memory.

Markov Sergey Leonidovich

One of the main heroes of the early stage of the Russian-Soviet war.
Veteran of the Russian-Japanese, First World War and Civil War. Knight of the Order of St. George 4th class, Order of St. Vladimir 3rd class and 4th class with swords and bow, Order of St. Anne 2nd, 3rd and 4th class, Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd and 3rd th degrees. Holder of the St. George's Arms. Outstanding military theorist. Member of the Ice Campaign. An officer's son. Hereditary nobleman of the Moscow Province. He graduated from the General Staff Academy and served in the Life Guards of the 2nd Artillery Brigade. One of the commanders of the Volunteer Army at the first stage. He died the death of the brave.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

He led the armed struggle of the Soviet people in the war against Germany and its allies and satellites, as well as in the war against Japan.
Led the Red Army to Berlin and Port Arthur.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

An outstanding Russian commander. He successfully defended the interests of Russia both from external aggression and outside the country.

Alekseev Mikhail Vasilievich

One of the most talented Russian generals of the First World War. Hero of the Battle of Galicia in 1914, savior of the Northwestern Front from encirclement in 1915, chief of staff under Emperor Nicholas I.

General of Infantry (1914), Adjutant General (1916). Active participant in the White movement in the Civil War. One of the organizers of the Volunteer Army.

Dubynin Viktor Petrovich

From April 30, 1986 to June 1, 1987 - commander of the 40th combined arms army of the Turkestan Military District. The troops of this army made up the bulk of the Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan. During the year of his command of the army, the number of irretrievable losses decreased by 2 times compared to 1984-1985.
On June 10, 1992, Colonel General V.P. Dubynin was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation
His merits include keeping the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin from a number of ill-conceived decisions in the military sphere, primarily in the field of nuclear forces.

Slashchev Yakov Alexandrovich

A talented commander who repeatedly showed personal courage in defending the Fatherland in the First World War. He assessed rejection of the revolution and hostility to the new government as secondary compared to serving the interests of the Motherland.

Golenishchev-Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

(1745-1813).
1. A GREAT Russian commander, he was an example for his soldiers. Appreciated every soldier. “M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov is not only the liberator of the Fatherland, he is the only one who outplayed the hitherto invincible French emperor, turning the “great army” into a crowd of ragamuffins, saving, thanks to his military genius, the lives of many Russian soldiers.”
2. Mikhail Illarionovich, being a highly educated man who knew several foreign languages, dexterous, sophisticated, who knew how to animate society with the gift of words and an entertaining story, also served Russia as an excellent diplomat - ambassador to Turkey.
3. M.I. Kutuzov is the first to become a full holder of the highest military order of St. St. George the Victorious four degrees.
The life of Mikhail Illarionovich is an example of service to the fatherland, attitude towards soldiers, spiritual strength for Russian military leaders of our time and, of course, for the younger generation - future military men.

Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich

A man of great courage, an excellent tactician and organizer. M.D. Skobelev had strategic thinking, saw the situation both in real time and in the future

Vorotynsky Mikhail Ivanovich

“Drafter of the statutes of the watchdog and border service” is, of course, good. For some reason, we have forgotten the Battle of YOUTH from July 29 to August 2, 1572. But it was precisely with this victory that Moscow’s right to many things was recognized. They recaptured a lot of things for the Ottomans, the thousands of destroyed Janissaries sobered them up, and unfortunately they also helped Europe. The Battle of YOUTH is very difficult to overestimate

Dovator Lev Mikhailovich

Soviet military leader, major general, Hero of the Soviet Union. Known for successful operations to destroy German troops during the Great Patriotic War. The German command placed a large reward on Dovator's head.
Together with the 8th Guards Division named after Major General I.V. Panfilov, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General M.E. Katukov and other troops of the 16th Army, his corps defended the approaches to Moscow in the Volokolamsk direction.

Vatutin Nikolay Fedorovich

Operations "Uranus", "Little Saturn", "Leap", etc. and so on.
A true war worker

Suvorov Mikhail Vasilievich

The only one who can be called GENERALLISIMO... Bagration, Kutuzov are his students...

Baklanov Yakov Petrovich

An outstanding strategist and a mighty warrior, he achieved respect and fear of his name among the uncovered mountaineers, who had forgotten the iron grip of the “Thunderstorm of the Caucasus”. At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, an example of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname “Boklu”, akin to the devil for his fearlessness.

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich

Successfully commanded Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War. Among other things, he stopped the Germans near Moscow and took Berlin.

Gorbaty-Shuisky Alexander Borisovich

Hero of the Kazan War, first governor of Kazan

Kornilov Lavr Georgievich

KORNILOV Lavr Georgievich (08/18/1870-04/31/1918) Colonel (02/1905). Major General (12/1912). Lieutenant General (08/26/1914). Infantry General (06/30/1917). Graduated from the Mikhailovsky Artillery School (1892) and with a gold medal from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1898). Officer at the headquarters of the Turkestan Military District, 1889-1904. Participant in the Russian-Japanese War 1904 - 1905: staff officer of the 1st Infantry Brigade (at its headquarters). During the retreat from Mukden, the brigade got surrounded. Having led the rearguard, he broke through the encirclement with a bayonet attack, ensuring freedom of defensive combat operations for the brigade. Military attaché in China, 04/01/1907 - 02/24/1911. Participant in the First World War: commander of the 48th Infantry Division of the 8th Army (General Brusilov). During the general retreat, the 48th Division was surrounded and General Kornilov, who was wounded, was captured on 04.1915 at the Duklinsky Pass (Carpathians); 08.1914-04.1915. Captured by the Austrians, 04.1915-06.1916. Dressed in the uniform of an Austrian soldier, he escaped from captivity on 06/1915. Commander of the 25th Rifle Corps, 06/1916-04/1917. Commander of the Petrograd Military District, 03-04/1917. Commander of the 8th Army, 04/24-07/8/1917. On 05/19/1917, by his order, he introduced the formation of the first volunteer “1st Shock Detachment of the 8th Army” under the command of Captain Nezhentsev. Commander of the Southwestern Front...

Rumyantsev Pyotr Alexandrovich

Russian military leader and statesman, who ruled Little Russia throughout the reign of Catherine II (1761-96). During the Seven Years' War he commanded the capture of Kolberg. For victories over the Turks at Larga, Kagul and others, which led to the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was awarded the title “Transdanubian”. In 1770 he received the rank of Field Marshal. Knight of the Russian orders of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. George 1st class and St. Vladimir 1st class, Prussian Black Eagle and St. Anna 1st class

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

The Soviet people, as the most talented, have a large number of outstanding military leaders, but the main one is Stalin. Without him, many of them might not have existed as military men.

Kondratenko Roman Isidorovich

A warrior of honor without fear or reproach, the soul of the defense of Port Arthur.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

A person who combines the body of knowledge of a natural scientist, a scientist and a great strategist.

Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich

Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (September 18 (30), 1895 - December 5, 1977) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), Chief of the General Staff, member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of the Second World War.
In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces and Minister of War of the USSR. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), holder of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945).

Margelov Vasily Filippovich

Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich

Perhaps he is the most talented commander of the entire Civil War, even if compared with the commanders of all its sides. A man of powerful military talent, fighting spirit and Christian noble qualities is a true White Knight. Kappel's talent and personal qualities were noticed and respected even by his opponents. Author of many military operations and exploits - including the capture of Kazan, the Great Siberian Ice Campaign, etc. Many of his calculations, not assessed on time and missed through no fault of his own, later turned out to be the most correct, as the course of the Civil War showed.

Dzhugashvili Joseph Vissarionovich

Assembled and coordinated the actions of a team of talented military leaders

Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich

I beg the military historical society to correct the extreme historical injustice and include in the list of the 100 best commanders, the leader of the northern militia who did not lose a single battle, who played an outstanding role in the liberation of Russia from the Polish yoke and unrest. And apparently poisoned for his talent and skill.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army, which repelled the attack of Nazi Germany, liberated Europe, author of many operations, including “Ten Stalinist Strikes” (1944)

Ermak Timofeevich

Russian. Cossack. Ataman. Defeated Kuchum and his satellites. Approved Siberia as part of the Russian state. He dedicated his entire life to military work.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak (November 4 (November 16) 1874, St. Petersburg - February 7, 1920, Irkutsk) - Russian oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, active member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1906), admiral (1918), leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.

Participant of the Russian-Japanese War, Defense of Port Arthur. During the First World War, he commanded the mine division of the Baltic Fleet (1915-1916), the Black Sea Fleet (1916-1917). Knight of St. George.
The leader of the White movement both on a nationwide scale and directly in the East of Russia. As the Supreme Ruler of Russia (1918-1920), he was recognized by all the leaders of the White movement, “de jure” by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, “de facto” by the Entente states.
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.

Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich

In 1612, during the most difficult time for Russia, he led the Russian militia and liberated the capital from the hands of the conquerors.
Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky (November 1, 1578 - April 30, 1642) - Russian national hero, military and political figure, head of the Second People's Militia, which liberated Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian occupiers. His name and the name of Kuzma Minin are closely associated with the country’s exit from the Time of Troubles, which is currently celebrated in Russia on November 4th.
After the election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the Russian throne, D. M. Pozharsky plays a leading role at the royal court as a talented military leader and statesman. Despite the victory of the people's militia and the election of the Tsar, the war in Russia still continued. In 1615-1616. Pozharsky, on the instructions of the tsar, was sent at the head of a large army to fight the detachments of the Polish colonel Lisovsky, who besieged the city of Bryansk and took Karachev. After the fight with Lisovsky, the tsar instructs Pozharsky in the spring of 1616 to collect the fifth money from merchants into the treasury, since the wars did not stop and the treasury was depleted. In 1617, the tsar instructed Pozharsky to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the English ambassador John Merik, appointing Pozharsky as governor of Kolomensky. In the same year, the Polish prince Vladislav came to the Moscow state. Residents of Kaluga and its neighboring cities turned to the tsar with a request to send them D. M. Pozharsky to protect them from the Poles. The Tsar fulfilled the request of the Kaluga residents and gave an order to Pozharsky on October 18, 1617 to protect Kaluga and surrounding cities by all available measures. Prince Pozharsky fulfilled the tsar's order with honor. Having successfully defended Kaluga, Pozharsky received an order from the tsar to go to the aid of Mozhaisk, namely to the city of Borovsk, and began to harass the troops of Prince Vladislav with flying detachments, causing them significant damage. However, at the same time, Pozharsky became very ill and, at the behest of the tsar, returned to Moscow. Pozharsky, having barely recovered from his illness, took an active part in defending the capital from Vladislav’s troops, for which Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich awarded him new fiefs and estates.

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich

October 3, 2013 marks the 80th anniversary of the death in the French city of Cannes of the Russian military leader, commander of the Caucasian Front, hero of Mukden, Sarykamysh, Van, Erzerum (thanks to the complete defeat of the 90,000-strong Turkish army, Constantinople and the Bosporus with the Dardanelles retreated to Russia), the savior of the Armenian people from the complete Turkish genocide, holder of three orders of George and the highest order of France, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor, General Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich.

Shein Alexey Semyonovich

The first Russian generalissimo. Leader of the Azov campaigns of Peter I.

Bobrok-Volynsky Dmitry Mikhailovich

Boyar and governor of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. "Developer" of the tactics of the Battle of Kulikovo.

Antonov Alexey Inokentevich

Chief strategist of the USSR in 1943-45, practically unknown to society
"Kutuzov" World War II

Humble and committed. Victorious. Author of all operations since the spring of 1943 and the victory itself. Others gained fame - Stalin and the front commanders.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

A commander who has not lost a single battle in his career. He took the impregnable fortress of Ishmael the first time.

Slashchev-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich

Defense of Crimea in 1919-20. “The Reds are my enemies, but they did the main thing - my job: they revived great Russia!” (General Slashchev-Krymsky).

Peter I the Great

Emperor of All Russia (1721-1725), before that the Tsar of All Rus'. He won the Northern War (1700-1721). This victory finally opened up free access to the Baltic Sea. Under his rule, Russia (Russian Empire) became a Great Power.

Kolovrat Evpatiy Lvovich

Ryazan boyar and governor. During Batu's invasion of Ryazan he was in Chernigov. Having learned about the Mongol invasion, he hastily moved to the city. Finding Ryazan completely incinerated, Evpatiy Kolovrat with a detachment of 1,700 people began to catch up with Batya’s army. Having overtaken them, the rearguard destroyed them. He also killed the strong warriors of the Batyevs. Died on January 11, 1238.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin

Major General F.I. Tolbukhin distinguished himself during the Battle of Stalingrad, commanding the 57th Army. The second “Stalingrad” for the Germans was the Iasi-Kishinev operation, in which he commanded the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
One of the galaxy of commanders who were raised and promoted by I.V. Stalin.
The great merit of Marshal of the Soviet Union Tolbukhin was in the liberation of the countries of South-Eastern Europe.

Generals of Ancient Rus'

...Ivan III (capture of Novgorod, Kazan), Vasily III (capture of Smolensk), Ivan IV the Terrible (capture of Kazan, Livonian campaigns), M.I. Vorotynsky (battle of Molodi with Devlet-Girey), Tsar V.I. Shuisky (battle of Dobrynichi, capture of Tula), M.V. Skopin-Shuisky (liberation of Moscow from False Dmitry II), F.I. Sheremetev (liberation of the Volga region from False Dmitry II), F.I. Mstislavsky (many different campaigns, repulse Kazy-Girey), There were many commanders during the Time of Troubles.

M.D. Skobelev

Why was he called the “white general”? The simplest explanation is a uniform and a white horse. But he wasn’t the only one wearing a white general’s military uniform...

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FIELD MARSHALS

FIELD MARSHALS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE

The rank of field marshal general in the Russian army was introduced by Peter I in 1699. According to the military regulations of 1716, the highest of all military ranks was the rank of generalissimo, granted only to crowned heads, but the actual command of the army was entrusted to the field marshal general or general chief (en chef) - a full general, who in practice stood below the field marshal. Of the generals who made up the council around the chief, the main one was Field Marshal-Lieutenant (lieutenant - deputy) - the assistant to the commander-in-chief, who was always with him. This rank did not take root in the Russian army, it was not included in Petrovsky’s Table of Ranks in 1722, and in the entire history of the Russian army, the rank of field marshal-lieutenant general was held by two military leaders: G. B. Ogilvy and G. Golts.

The Field Marshal-Lieutenant General was followed by three generals who commanded the branches of the army: the Field Marshal General (chief of artillery), generals from the cavalry and generals from the infantry (infantry).

Already during the time of Peter I, there were two field marshals in the Russian army (F.A. Golovin and de Croix, then F.A. Golovin and Sheremetev, then Sheremetev and Menshikov; in 1724, a second general was appointed to Menshikov, who had fallen into disgrace. Field Marshal A.I. Repnin).

During the reign of his successor Catherine I, there were four general field marshals (Menshikov, Repnin, Golitsyn and Sapega; the place of the soon-deceased Repnin was immediately taken by Bruce), under Peter II - three (Dolgorukov and I. Yu. Trubetskoy were added to Golitsyn).

Anna Ioannovna returned to the practice of two field marshals in the Russian army: the first since 1732 was H. A. Minich, the second in 1736 was P. P. Lasi.

Under Elizaveta Petrovna, there were again three field marshals (not counting the elderly Prince Trubetskoy): Prince V.V. Dolgorukov (president of the Military Collegium), returned to service, Field Marshal General Prince of Hesse-Homburg and Livonian Governor General P.P. Lasi. By the beginning of the Seven Years' War (1756), there were no field marshals in the Russian army, but after the opening of the campaign on September 5, 1756, Elizaveta Petrovna promoted four people to field marshals at once.

Peter III, who reigned after her death, added five more to the existing three field marshals (Saltykov, Buturlin and N. Yu. Trubetskoy): two Shuvalovs (one of them received the baton on his deathbed and soon died) and two Dukes of Holstein-Beck (one of them remained in their homeland and did not enter the Russian service) and the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and in addition, returned Field Marshal Minich to the court (with seniority dated February 25, 1732).

Under Catherine II, only Saltykov, Buturlin, Peter August Holstein-Beck and Minich retained their position, and the new two awards were a kind of compensation: Bestuzhev-Ryumin, returned from exile, in 1762 received the rank of Field Marshal General instead of Chancellor, K. G. Razumovsky in 1764 - instead of the post of Ukrainian hetman. Only in the wars that began, first with Turkey, then during the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, new military leaders (Golitsyn, Rumyantsev, Chernyshev, Potemkin and Suvorov) began to receive the rank of field marshal general. In addition, in 1773, the father of the first wife of the heir Pavel Petrovich, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, received the rank of field marshal.

In 1796, Paul I promoted 4 military commanders to field marshal general (one of them to field marshal general from the navy), and in 1797 - 4 more military leaders.

In the 19th century, awards to field marshals began to occur much less frequently. Thus, the Patriotic War of 1812 and the expulsion of Napoleon gave Russia only two field marshals (1812 - Kutuzov, 1814 - Barclay de Tolly). In the second half of the 19th century, the title generally became exceptional - only 7 Russian commanders received it.

After the 1917 revolution, the rank of Russian field marshal was abolished.

GOLOVIN Fedor Alekseevich (1650-1706)

from 1700.

A representative of a famous noble family. He began serving under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who on his deathbed bequeathed to him to guard young Peter (1676). During the Streltsy uprising (1682), he saved Peter’s life by advising him to take refuge in the Trinity Monastery; three years later he was promoted from stolnik to okolnichy, and made governor of Bryansk. In 1686, ruler Sophia sent him to the Amur in Daury to protect Albazin from the Chinese, in 1689 he concluded the Treaty of Nerchinsk with China, in 1691 he returned to Moscow and was appointed governor of Siberia.

He became the closest assistant to the young Tsar Peter in the transformation of Russia: he was named General-Kriegskommissar, participated in both Azov campaigns (1695–96), and in the “Great Embassy” of 1697 he was the second (after F. Lefort) ambassador plenipotentiary. At first, his activities were limited to the fleet: he hired foreigners for Russian service, prepared everything necessary for the construction of ships; in 1699 he also headed the Armory Chamber. In recognition of his merits, in 1699, Peter ordered a silver medal to be knocked out in honor of Golovin with the inscription “both advice and courage.” On March 8, 1699, Golovin became the first holder of the newly established Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle. Upon returning to Russia, he was appointed head of the created Naval Order, and on April 21, after the death of F. Lefort, he was appointed to the “military caravan (fleet) admiral general.”

In 1700, retaining the ranks and positions of a close boyar, admiral general and governor of Siberia, he was named president of Ambassadorial Affairs (February 23), that is, chancellor, conducted secret negotiations on the eve of the Northern War with Saxony and Denmark about an alliance against Sweden. He was also made the head of orders: Little Russian, the principality of Smolensk, Novogorod, Galician, Ustyug, Yamsky and the Mint.

On August 19, 1700, he received the baton of field marshal general and was placed at the head of the newly recruited 45,000-strong Russian army, which in September-October approached Narva and began the siege. On November 18/29, 1700, he left the army with the tsar and went to Novgorod. Command of the Russian army was left to the Saxon field marshal Duke de Croix, who received the rank of Russian field marshal general, but already on November 19/30 he suffered a heavy defeat from the Swedish king Charles XII, who arrived near Narva.

In 1702, he took part in the siege of Noteburg (the main command was Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev); in the same year, he was the second in Russia (after A.D. Menshikov) to receive the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation from Emperor Leopold. In 1703, he was present at the siege of Nyenskans and, after the capture of the fortress, he placed the insignia of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called on Tsar Peter I and A.D. Menshikov. With the outbreak of unrest in Astrakhan on May 28, 1705, he received control of Astrakhan and Terek in addition to his extensive activities.

There is evidence that he was a holder of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) and the Prussian order de la Générosité.

De CROA (de Croix, de Croy) Karl Eugene (1651-1702)

from 1700(?).

Duke, descendant of the Hungarian kings. He entered service in the Danish army with the rank of colonel and the position of regiment commander, with whom he fought at Lund in December 1676. In 1677, the Danish king Christian V promoted him to major general and appointed him commandant in Helsingborg, from 1678 - lieutenant general. In 1682 he entered the imperial military service with the rank of Feldwachtmeister General (Major General), from March 5, 1683 - Field Marshal-Lieutenant, fought near Vienna (1683), and on November 29, 1683 received the rank of Feldzeichmeister. Then he distinguished himself in the battle of Gran (1685), participated in the capture of Ofen (1686), and on December 17, 1688 received the rank of field marshal. In 1689 he fought with distinction at Nissa, in 1690 he defended Belgrade, but was forced to surrender the fortress on October 8. In the campaign of 1691, he assisted Margrave Ludwig of Baden in the defeat of the Turks at Salankemen, in 1693 he replaced him as commander of the army in Hungary and besieged Belgrade, but was forced to retreat with heavy losses.

In 1698, he arrived in Amsterdam to the Russian Tsar Peter I with a letter of recommendation from Emperor Leopold I (dated August 25, 1696), and was invited to military service. However, he preferred to enter the service of the Elector of Saxony and Poland, King Augustus II, with the rank of field marshal.

In August 1700 he was sent to Russia and came to Novgorod to Peter on a diplomatic mission (with a request to send a 20,000-strong auxiliary corps). Feeling the need for experienced commanders, Peter kept him with him and took him with him on a campaign against Narva. Leaving the military camp on November 18/29 and returning to Novgorod, Peter I persuaded him to become the head of the Russian army and awarded him the rank of field marshal (this fact is not documented). Meanwhile, the Swedish army under the command of Charles XII approached Narva, on November 19/30 it attacked the Russian camp near Narva and scattered the poorly trained Russian regiments. The confusion was all the more complete because the Russians had a significant superiority in army and artillery numbers. During the battle, the new commander-in-chief and other foreign officers in Russian service found themselves between two fires: they were threatened not only by the enemy, but also by Russian soldiers angry at their failure. De Croah preferred Swedish captivity to death.

SHEREMETEV Boris Petrovich (1652-1719)

from 1701/1702.

A representative of a famous noble family, he served at court since 1669. In 1681 he was appointed Tambov governor and governor, commanded troops in actions against the Crimean Tatars, and from 1682 - a boyar. In 1685–87 he participated in the conclusion of the “Eternal Peace” with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the union treaty with the Holy Roman Empire, and was made a close boyar and governor of Vyatka.

Since 1687, he commanded the troops of the Belgorod category, covering the southern border of Russia, participated in the Crimean campaigns of Prince V.V. Golitsyn (1687, 1689), and during the Azov campaigns of Peter I (1695–96) he commanded a corps in the lower reaches of the Dnieper.

In 1697–99 he carried out diplomatic assignments in Poland, Vienna, Rome, Naples and Malta, and became a Knight of the Order of Malta. With the outbreak of the Northern War with Sweden, he commanded the noble cavalry and took part in the unfortunate Battle of Narva for the Russians (November 19/30, 1700). Despite the defeat, Peter sent Sheremetev an encouraging letter, promoted him to general-in-chief, and already on December 5, 1700 sent him to new operations.

In the campaign of 1701, the main forces of the Swedish army with Charles XII went to Poland, so Peter I had the opportunity to put the troops in order and replenish them. In June 1701, Sheremetev was appointed commander-in-chief of the army assembled in Pskov and Novgorod (which, according to the old order, was called the Big Regiment), and in early September opened the “small war” with a skirmish at Ryapina Manor (where a detachment operated under the command of his son M. B. Sheremetev ) and Rauge; in August 1701, the auxiliary corps of General A.I. Repnin returned to Russia from near Riga. On October 2, 1701, Peter I, having visited Pskov, gave the order to “ general campaign" On December 23, 1701, Sheremetev at the head of the army entered Swedish Livonia (Livonia), in the battle of Erestfer near Dorpat on December 29, 1701 (January 9, 1702) he defeated the Swedish Major General Schlippenbach. For the first victory over the Swedes he received the rank of Field Marshal and the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle (December 30, old style).

In July 1702 he undertook a new campaign in Livonia, on July 19/30 he inflicted a new defeat on Schlippenbach at Hummelshof, in August 1702 he occupied Marienburg, where, among other things, he captured Marta Skavronskaya, who soon found herself in the service of Menshikov, then of Tsar Peter I and in the future became empress under the name of Catherine I.

In the fall of 1702, he commanded troops during the siege and capture of Noteburg (Shlisselburg). On May 1, 1703, in the presence of the tsar, after a week-long siege, Nyenschantz was forced to capitulate, after which he occupied Yamburg and Koporye, completing the conquest of Ingria, and made a ruinous campaign in Estland and Livonia.

In the summer of 1704, the Russian army was divided: the main forces were entrusted to G. B. Ogilvi, who had been accepted into Russian service with the rank of Field Marshal-Lieutenant General, and began the siege of Narva, while Sheremetev, at the head of a separate corps, besieged Dorpat (Tartu). When the siege dragged on, Tsar Peter arrived under the walls of the fortress, reprimanded the field marshal and himself led a new assault (July 13/24, 1704), which ended in success.

Sheremetev’s actions in the 1705 campaign at the head of the “flying” corps in Courland also caused criticism: he was defeated by the Swedish general Levenhaupt at Gemauerthof (July 15/26, 1705), was wounded and lost all his artillery. However, having received reinforcements, he soon returned to Courland and rehabilitated himself by taking Mitau (September 3/14) and Bauska (September 14/25).

At the beginning of 1706, Sheremetev left the active army and was sent to Astrakhan to suppress the uprising, where he carried out heavy reprisals against the instigators. He was generously gifted: he was elevated to the rank of count, becoming the first count of the Russian kingdom, and his son received the rank of colonel.

The failure near Grodno in the winter and spring of 1706, when it was difficult to avoid the defeat of the Russian army, contributed to the removal of G. B. Ogilvy from Russian service and the return of Sheremetev to the army. In August 1706, Sheremetev arrived in Kyiv and led the entire Russian infantry (the cavalry was entrusted to A.D. Menshikov). He operated in Lithuania and Ukraine, and was defeated at Golovchin in 1708 (July 3). On June 27, 1709, near Poltava, he commanded the center of battle formations and, nominally, the entire Russian army, so we can say that he “in the presence of the sovereign inflicted a decisive defeat on the Swedish army of Charles XII.” In the autumn of the same year he was sent to Livonia and besieged Riga, which he occupied after 232 days of siege (from November 14/25, 1709 to July 4/15, 1710).

In 1711, he led the Russian army in the unsuccessful Prut campaign, was blocked by superior Turkish forces and with great effort escaped capture. On July 12, 1711, an unfavorable peace was signed; the son of Shafirov, the vice-chancellor who negotiated with Turkey, and Mikhail Borisovich Sheremetev, the son of the field marshal, on whose behalf the negotiations were conducted, were left as collateral with the Turks. The hostages were released only in 1714, and Sheremetev’s son became seriously ill on the way and died before reaching Kyiv.

In 1712–13, Sheremetev commanded the Southern Army of Observation, and in 1715–17, the Russian Corps in Pomerania and Mecklenburg. He was a holder of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) and the Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia).

He was one of the people closest to Peter and had the right to enter him without reporting. However, he did not support some of the tsar’s initiatives; in 1718 he managed to avoid participating in the trial of Tsarevich Alexei, declaring that he “could not judge royal blood.”

MENSHIKOV Alexander Danilovich (1673-1729)

since 1709.

The origin of Menshikov is not known with certainty. At the age of 13 he fell into the service of F. Lefort, then - to Tsar Peter I, became his orderly, and was soon accepted into the “amusing army”, in which only noblemen had previously served. He quickly gained the favor of the king, acted as his valet and became his constant companion on all his trips and enterprises. He took part in the Azov campaigns (1695–96) and in the “Great Embassy” to Europe (1697–98). Upon returning to his homeland, together with the tsar, he participated in the reprisal of the archers after their rebellion, was made a sergeant of the Preobrazhensky regiment, and from 1700 - lieutenant of the bombardment company of this regiment (the captain of the bombardment company was the sovereign himself).

He took part in the battles of the Northern War, accompanying the Tsar. After the capture of the Noteburg fortress in the fall of 1702, he was appointed its governor (renamed Shlisselburg). In the same year, he became the tutor of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, but since he accompanied the tsar everywhere, he held this post purely nominally, and then received from the emperor the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire (the first of the Russians).

In 1703, he participated in the capture of the Nyenschanz fortress (May 1) and the capture of two Swedish ships at the mouth of the Neva a week later, and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle (May 10, at the same time as the Tsar). On May 16, 1703, the foundation of St. Petersburg was made at the mouth of the Neva. Menshikov, as the governor-general of the entire region conquered from the Swedes, was appointed to oversee its construction and the construction of the Kronshlot fortress (from 1723 - Kronstadt). In the same year, he formed several regiments (in particular, the Ingria Infantry and Dragoon regiments), which then took part in the events of the Northern War.

In the summer of 1704, he distinguished himself during the siege of Narva, was made lieutenant general and governor of the captured fortress, and soon managed to repel General Maydel’s attack on St. Petersburg.

In February-March 1705, Tsar Peter I instructed Menshikov to inspect the Russian corps under Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev, stationed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and visited Vitebsk, Polotsk, Vilna and Kovno. He enjoyed the full confidence of Peter I, was one of the most influential people at court, and was among the first holders of the Polish Order of the White Eagle established by the Saxon Elector Augustus II.

On November 30, 1705, he received the rank of general from the cavalry (the first in the Russian army), conflicted with the new commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal-Lieutenant General G. B. Ogilvy, and in January 1706 he failed to prevent the blockade of the Russian army in Grodno under the leadership of Ogilvy. In the summer of 1706, he achieved the dismissal of Ogilvy from the army, received command of the entire Russian regular cavalry, in the fall of 1706, with his corvolant (“flying” corps), he united in Lublin with the troops of Augustus II and on October 18/29 won a victory over the Polish-Swedish corps near Kalisz . He received the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment and was elevated to the dignity of prince of the Holy Roman Empire, but due to the fact that Augustus II concluded a separate peace with Sweden, he was forced to leave Poland.

In 1707–08 he stood in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, continued to receive titles and awards from the tsar: he was granted the title of actual Privy Councilor, and on May 30 received the title of His Serene Highness Prince of Izhora.

With the opening of a new anti-Swedish campaign in the summer of 1708, he distinguished himself at Lesnaya on September 28, where he defeated the detachment of General Levengaupt with a convoy going to Charles XII. Charles XII was forced to invade Little Russia to unite with Hetman Mazepa, who took his side. In response to this, on November 3, Menshikov got ahead of the Swedes and ruined Baturin, the hetman’s headquarters, killing every living thing there. In the Battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, he commanded the vanguard, then the cavalry of the left flank, and became one of the culprits of the victory. On June 30, at Perevolochnaya he forced the remnants of the army to capitulate, capturing General Levengaupt. For his services, on July 7, 1709, he was promoted to field marshal general.

In 1710, he contributed to the capture of Riga and the final conquest of the Swedish Baltic states, and received the Order of the Elephant from the Danish king. In 1711 he commanded troops in Courland, in 1712–14 - in Pomerania and Schleswig: in 1712 he besieged Stettin, but could not take it due to the lack of siege artillery and disagreements with the allies. In the summer of 1713 he managed to take possession of Toningen; Stettin soon fell and received the Order of the Black Eagle from the Prussian king.

In February 1714, Menshikov returned to St. Petersburg, and this ended his military career. He took up the management of the St. Petersburg province, the importance of which has especially increased since 1713, when the court, the Senate and the diplomatic corps moved there. Participation in the development of the Russian fleet brought Menshikov the rank of rear admiral (1716), then vice admiral (1721).

In January 1715, Menshikov's government abuses were revealed. The case dragged on for several years, a large penalty was imposed on Menshikov, but by active participation in the condemnation of Tsarevich Alexei to death in 1718 (his signature was the first in the sentence), he regained royal favor. With the creation of the State Military Collegium (1719), he was made its first president, retaining the post of St. Petersburg governor.

In 1722, new abuses of Menshikov were revealed, but even now he managed to maintain his influence, thanks to Peter’s wife Catherine. In March 1724, Menshikov was present at the coronation of her as empress by Peter, walking at the right hand of the tsar, but upon returning to St. Petersburg he again fell into disgrace and was deprived of the post of governor and president of the Military Collegium (in May 1724).

Before his death, Peter made peace with Menshikov, allowing him to his deathbed. After the death of the Tsar on January 28, 1725, through the efforts of Menshikov, Catherine ascended the throne; Menshikov became the de facto ruler of Russia. He returned to the post of president of the Military Collegium, and on August 30, 1725 he was made a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

When, after the death of Catherine (May 6, 1727), Peter II, the son of Tsarevich Alexei, ascended the throne, Menshikov’s influence continued even now: he became an admiral, and on May 12, 1727 he was named Generalissimo , on May 17 he transported the young emperor to his palace on Vasilyevsky Island, and on the 25th he betrothed his daughter Maria to him. Menshikov's omnipotence lasted 4 months, when in September 1727, as a result of a complex intrigue, he was accused of high treason, embezzlement and, together with his family, was exiled to Berezov, Tobolsk province, where he died on November 22, 1729.

After the accession of Anna Ioannovna to the throne (1730), the orphaned children were returned from exile and assumed the rights of the Russian nobility.

REPNIN Anikita Ivanovich (1668-1726)

since 1724.

Representative of an ancient princely family. From a young age he served under Peter, and from 1685 he was lieutenant of the “amusing” company. He took part in the Azov campaigns: in 1695 he was adjutant general under Major General A. M. Golovin, in 1696 he was captain of a frigate.

Since 1698 - major general, on June 25, 1699, received the rank of general from the infantry, recruited 11 new infantry regiments, equipped and trained them, 9 of them entered his division (“generalship”). With the beginning of the Northern War, he did not make it to Narva and did not participate in the battle; after the defeat, he was appointed governor of Novgorod (instead of the captured I. Yu. Trubetskoy) and began to put the Russian army in order and recruit new regiments.

In 1701, at the head of a 20,000-strong corps, he was sent to Livonia (Livonia) to assist the Saxon field marshal Steinau, participated in the unsuccessful battle on the Dvina on July 8/19, 1701, after which he returned to Russia in mid-August 1701.

Steinau left the following review of the Russian corps:

« Russian troops arrived here, numbering about 20,000. People are generally good, no more than 50 people will have to be rejected; They have good Mastricht and Lüttich guns, and some regiments have swords instead of bayonets. They are doing so well that there is not a single complaint against them, they work diligently and quickly, unquestioningly carry out all orders. It is especially commendable that with the whole army there is not a single woman and not a single dog; In the military council, the Moscow general complained strongly and asked that the wives of the Saxon musketeers be prohibited from going to the Russian camp in the morning and evening and selling vodka, because through this his people become accustomed to drunkenness and all sorts of rowdy behavior. General Repnin is a man of about forty; he doesn’t know much about war, but he loves to learn and is very respectful: the colonels are all Germans, old, incapable people, and the rest of the officers are inexperienced...»

Subsequently, he participated in the Russian conquest of Ingria and the Baltic states, was the second commanding general during the capture of Noteburg (1702), Nyenskans (1703), Narva (1704) and Mitava (1705), and became one of the first holders of the Order of the White Eagle established by the Saxon Elector. In January 1706, together with Field Marshal-Lieutenant G.B. Ogilvy, he was blocked by the Swedish king Charles XII in Grodno, but managed to break out and join the main forces. Continued to command the division in the campaigns of 1707–08. On July 3, 1708, at the Battle of Golovchin, the regiments of his division fled from the battlefield, abandoning their guns, for which he was put on trial and deprived of the rank of general. In the battle of Lesnaya on September 28, 1708, he commanded a dragoon regiment; after the victory, through the intercession of Prince M. M. Golitsyn, he was restored to the rank of general and again received command of a division. For the Battle of Poltava (1709), where his division stood in the center against the Swedish pressure, he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle. In 1709–10 he distinguished himself during the siege of Riga and was made governor of Riga.

In 1711 he commanded the vanguard in the unfortunate Prut campaign. In 1712–13, he was the second, after A.D. Menshikov, commander of the troops in Pomerania, participated in the capture of Toningen and Stettin (1713), and received the Order of the Elephant from the Danish king.

In May 1715 he moved to Courland and defended the coast from the enemy, in 1716 he was sent to Copenhagen for alleged actions against the Swedes in Skåne, then settled in Mecklenburg, and in 1717 he occupied some Polish voivodeships.

In 1719 he was appointed governor-general of Livonia - a position he held until the end of his life. On May 7, 1724, on the day of Catherine’s coronation by Peter I, he was made field marshal general, and soon replaced A.D. Menshikov as president of the Military Collegium, remaining governor-general of Riga.

After the death of Peter I in January 1725, he advocated the accession of Peter II. Despite this, upon Catherine’s accession to the throne, he was made a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, but was soon removed to Riga, where he died on July 3, 1726.

GOLITSYN Mikhail Mikhailovich (1675-1730)

since 1725.

A representative of an ancient princely family, the son of a boyar and governor Mikhail Andreevich Golitsyn (died in 1687). In 1687 (12 years old) he was accepted as a drummer into the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, from 1694 he was an ensign, participated in the Azov campaigns, and was made a captain. Later he participated in the suppression of the Streltsy riot near the Resurrection Monastery (1698). In the battle of Narva (1700) he was wounded.

In 1702 he distinguished himself during the occupation of Noteburg and was made colonel of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment. In 1703 he took part in the capture of Nyenskans, in 1704 - Narva, and for his distinction in the capture of Mitava (1705) he received the rank of brigadier. In 1706, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of a division with which he operated in the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the campaign of 1708, he defeated the Swedish avant-garde at the village of Dobro (near Molyatichi) on August 30, and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle (the only one to receive such a high award in such a low rank). Soon he again distinguished himself in the battle of Lesnaya on September 28, and received the rank of lieutenant general. In addition, as a reward for his bravery, Golitsyn asked the sovereign for Prince Repnin (see), who was restored to the rank of general.

In the Battle of Poltava on July 26, 1709, he commanded the guards regiments with distinction, then he was sent in pursuit and overtook the Swedes at Perevolochnaya, where, together with A.D. Menshikov, he forced them to lay down their arms on June 30.

In 1711 he acted in Ukraine against the Cossacks, reinforced by the Crimean Tatars, and then participated in the Prut campaign, which was unsuccessful for the Russians.

In 1714–21 he commanded troops in Finland, defeated the Swedes at Napo (Lappola) on February 19/March 2, 1714 and was promoted to general-in-chief, and soon participated in the naval battle of Gangut on July 27/August 7, 1714. Exactly 6 years later, on July 27/August 7, 1720, commanding a fleet, he won a victory at Grengam (near Hanko).

During the first Persian campaign, Peter (1722) was left as commander in St. Petersburg, and in 1723–1728 he commanded troops in Ukraine. After the death of Peter I (in January 1725) he was a supporter of the accession of his grandson, Peter Alekseevich. Despite this, the wife of Peter I, Catherine, who ascended the throne through the efforts of A.D. Menshikov, promoted Golitsyn to field marshal general (May 21, 1725) and made him a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (August 30, 1725). Under Peter II (1727) he became a member of the Supreme Privy Council and a senator, and from September 1728 - president of the Military Collegium.

At the beginning of 1730, he participated in drawing up “conditions” (conditions for accession) limiting the power of the new Empress Anna Ioannovna. After her coronation and the breaking of “conditions”, he was deprived of all positions, fell into disgrace and soon died (December 10, 1730).

From two spouses he had 17 children, of whom Alexander Mikhailovich was a Russian field marshal general (see), one daughter was married to Field Marshal Buturlin, the other to Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.

SAPEGA Jan Casimir (died 1730)

since 1726.

A representative of an influential Velikolit family, a count, his godfather was King Jan III Sobieski. Since 1682, he held the position of headman of Bobruisk, did not take part in the war between the Sapiehas and the “republicans”, therefore, after the Battle of Alkenitsa (1700), he escaped repression, but was forced to take an oath not to support his relatives. Nevertheless, in 1703 he became one of the initiators of the pro-Swedish confederation in Greater Poland, then the Warsaw Confederation (1704), created to overthrow Augustus and elect Stanislaw Leszczynski as the new king. He took part in the battle of Pułtusk against the troops of Augustus II (1703), and in 1704 he was defeated by the Russians near Shkudy. In 1705, he accompanied the Archbishop of Lviv from Torun to Warsaw, where he crowned Stanislav Leszczynski to the Polish throne. In 1706 he was made general warden of Wielkopolska and took part in the unsuccessful battle of Kalisz against the Russian army. In 1708–09 - the Great Lithuanian Hetman, recognized by the King of Sweden Charles XII, defeated Hetman Oginsky, a supporter of Augustus II, at Lyakhovichi (April 12, 1709), but was defeated by the Russian corps of Field Marshal-Lieutenant General G. Goltz at Lyadukhov in Ukraine ( may 13). After the defeat of the Swedish army near Poltava, he went over to the side of the Russian-Saxon-Polish coalition, begged for pardon, but was deprived of the hetman's mace, and his 15,000-strong army laid down arms near Brest on November 11, 1709.

In 1711 he again opposed Augustus II, and in 1713 he again received an amnesty. In 1716, he again joined the anti-August Vilna Confederation in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and remained an opponent of Augustus II until the end of his life.

After the death of Peter I, he became close to the de facto ruler of Russia, His Serene Highness Prince A.D. Menshikov. With a promise to help him achieve the Ducal throne of Courland in 1726, he arrived in St. Petersburg, where from the hands of the Empress on March 10, 1726 he received the baton of the Russian Field Marshal General, on March 22 he became a holder of two Russian orders at once: St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle and St. Alexander Nevsky , and his son was granted a chamberlain and soon also became a holder of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. On March 12, the engagement of Sapega’s son Pyotr Ivanovich and Menshikov’s daughter Maria took place.

The disruption of Menshikov's plans for the duchy led to a cooling of relations. Soon followed the death of the empress and the betrothal of Maria Menshikova to the new Emperor Peter II, and then the fall of Menshikov. Sapega joined the Dolgoruky party, in November 1727 he was appointed Governor-General of St. Petersburg, but in the spring of 1728 he left service and went to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where he unsuccessfully tried to restore the position of the Sapegas. Died February 22, 1730.

BRUCE Yakov Vilimovich (Yakov Daniel) (1670-1735)

since 1726.

The son of Vilim Bruce, a descendant of Scottish kings, who entered Russian service in 1647 and commanded a regiment in Pskov. Jacob Bruce took part in the Crimean campaigns (1687, 1689), later he joined the “amusing army” of Peter I, and accompanied him in the Azov campaigns (1695–96). For his distinction during the storming of Azov in 1696, he was promoted to colonel. In the same year, he compiled a map of the lands from Moscow to Asia Minor. In 1698 he accompanied Peter on trips to England and Holland, with the outbreak of the Northern War (1700) - major general of artillery. After the capture of the first Russian general-feldtseichmeister (artillery commander), Tsarevich Imeretinsky, he performed his duties. In 1701, he was appointed to head the Novgorod Prikaz (governor of Novgorod), led the formation of Russian artillery, and commanded it during the capture of Noteburg (1702), Nyenskans (1703) and Narva (1704).

In 1706 he was promoted to lieutenant general, participated in the battle of Kalisz, and in 1708 he led the left wing of the Russian troops in the battle of Lesnaya. In the Battle of Poltava (1709) he again commanded the artillery, for the success of Russian weapons he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, and assumed full rights as a Feldzeichmeister General.

In 1710, at the head of Russian troops, he conquered Karelia, in 1711 he participated in the unsuccessful Prut campaign, in 1712 - in the Pomeranian and Holstein campaigns, commanding not only Russian, but also allied (Danish and Saxon) artillery. Received the Order of the White Eagle from the Saxon Elector.

Since 1717 - senator, president of the Berg and Manufactory colleges. In 1721, together with A.I. Osterman, he participated in the signing of the Peace of Nystad with Sweden, which ended the Northern War, and was elevated to the dignity of count of the proclaimed Russian Empire.

After the death of Peter I and the accession of Catherine, he tried to play a political role at court and was made a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (August 30, 1725), but the following year he asked for resignation and was awarded the baton of Field Marshal General (July 6, 1726).

After the defeat at Golovchin, Repnin’s division was taken over by Samuil Renzel, who received the rank of lieutenant general. After the victory at Lesnaya, Repnin was given von Werden's division (deprived of his command for being late to the battlefield at Lesnaya). “In compensation” von Werden was awarded the rank of lieutenant general for the Poltava victory.

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Books

• It is not for nothing that all of Russia remembers... Gift edition (number of volumes: 3), Ivchenko L., For the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, the Young Guard has prepared many new publications. These include biographies of commanders who survived battles with the previously invincible Napoleon and... Series: Lives of remarkable people Publisher: Young Guard,
• Tsesarevna. Sovereigns of Great Rus', Pyotr Nikolaevich Krasnov, Lieutenant General, Ataman of the Don Army P. N. Krasnov is also known as a writer. The novel "Tsesarevna" depicts Russia during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, then Anna Leopoldovna and Elizabeth... Series: Publisher:

Among the associates of Peter I, Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (1652-1719) occupies a special place. The Sheremetevs trace their ancestry back to the 14th century. The first representative of the clan known from sources was called Mare. The Sheremetev surname originated from the nickname Sheremet, which was borne by one of the field marshal's ancestors at the end of the 15th century. The descendants of Sheremet are already mentioned as military leaders at the end of the 16th century. From that time on, the Sheremetev family began supplying boyars.

Boris Petrovich was born on April 25, 1652. At first, his career did not differ significantly from the career of other well-born offspring: at the age of 13 he was promoted to room steward. This court rank, which ensured closeness to the king, opened up broad prospects for promotion in ranks and positions. But only in 1682, that is, at the age of 30, he was granted a boyar status. Subsequently, Sheremetev “worked” in the military and diplomatic fields. Thus, during negotiations in 1686 in Moscow with the embassy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Boris Petrovich was among the four members of the Russian embassy. As a reward for the successful conclusion of the “Eternal Peace”, Sheremetev was awarded a gilded silver bowl, a satin caftan and 4 thousand rubles. In the same year, he became the first Russian representative to present a letter directly to the Austrian emperor. Before this, diplomas were accepted by ministers. Moscow positively assessed the results of his embassy. He received as a reward a large estate in Kolomensky district. In 1688, Sheremetev entered military service and continued the family tradition. In Belgorod and Sevsk he was entrusted with command of the troops that blocked the path to raids from the Crimea.

In the first Azov campaign (1695), he took part in a theater of military operations remote from Azov: Peter entrusted him with command of the troops that diverted Turkey's attention from the main direction of the Russian offensive. Participation in the battles to capture the Swedish fortress of Narva (Old Russian Rugodev) in 1700 was unsuccessful for Boris Petrovich. Narva did not add glory to Sheremetev’s military reputation. At least twice his actions caused the tsar’s censure: he refused to fight the Swedes when he commanded a 5,000-strong cavalry detachment, which deprived the army besieging Narva of the opportunity to prepare for a meeting with the main forces of Charles XII; Later, together with the cavalry, Sheremetev fled in panic from the battlefield during the Swedish advance. True, the defeat at Narva was primarily a consequence of Russia’s unpreparedness for war. Peter, who lost almost his entire officer corps near Narva (only 79 generals and officers were captured), had no choice, and he again resorted to the services of Sheremetev. Two weeks after Narva, the tsar entrusts him with command of the cavalry regiments in order to “go into the distance to better harm the enemy.” In giving this instruction, Peter believed that since it takes time to master modern military art and restore the morale of the army, demoralized by the failure at Narva, the only form of conducting combat operations remains the so-called “small” war - action in small detachments. At this time, Charles XII left the corps of V. A. Schlippenbach in the Baltic States, entrusting him with the defense of areas that had long been the breadbasket of Sweden, as well as the capture of Gdov, Pechory, and in the future - Pskov and Novgorod. At the end of 1700 and the first half of 1701, the initiative in the Baltic belonged to the Swedes. Sheremetev's regiments carried out small raids.

Sheremetev undertook his first more or less significant operation in early September 1701, when he moved three detachments with a total number of 21 thousand people into enemy territory. He entrusted the command of the largest of them (over 11 thousand) to his son Mikhail. The actions of this detachment, aimed at Räpina Manor, brought success: the Swedes lost 300 people killed, two cannons, over 100 rifles; 9 Russians were killed. A magnificent meeting was arranged for the winners in the Pechora Monastery. Military fortune was less favorable to the commanders of the other two detachments.

The new campaign was preceded by a thorough collection of data about the enemy. Boris Petrovich learned that Schlippenbach had concentrated 7-8 thousand cavalry and infantry at the Erestfer manor in order to attack the Pechora Monastery and other points where Russian regiments were stationed for the winter. Sheremetev decided to forestall the enemy and take the initiative of offensive actions into his own hands. To do this, on December 23, the corps set out from Pskov on a campaign against the Swedes in the hope of taking the enemy by surprise. Sheremetev was successful in the suddenness of this attack. The Swedes, not expecting the arrival of the Russians in the deep snow, blithely indulged in revelry on the occasion of Christmas and discovered the approach of the enemy only on December 27. The battle began on December 29 at Erestfer Manor. Schlippenbach was forced to flee. With the remnants of the cavalry, he took refuge behind the walls of the fortress in Dorpat (Russian - Yuryev, Est. - Tartu). In the hands of the Russians there were about 150 prisoners, 16 guns, as well as provisions and fodder prepared by the Swedes for future use. Sheremetev considered his task completed, because, as he reported to the Tsar, the Swedes “won’t come to their senses and recover for a long time” from defeat. Boris Petrovich sent the news of the victory on January 2 “with his little son Mishka.” After receiving this news, cannon fire and the ringing of bells were heard in Moscow for the first time since the beginning of the Northern War. Banners and standards captured from the Swedes fluttered on the Kremlin towers. Sheremetev was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called with a gold chain and diamonds worth 2 thousand rubles, and was also awarded the rank of Field Marshal. Each soldier and dragoon who participated in the battle received a ruble. The victory made Boris Petrovich famous. The combat effectiveness of the Russian army, however, was still inferior to the Swedish one. But at this stage of the war, the achieved result was important. The king succinctly and expressively assessed its meaning with his exclamation: “We can finally beat the Swedes!” A commander also appeared who learned to defeat them - the first Russian field marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetev.

Field Marshal General (German) Feldmarschall ) - in the Russian army the second most senior (after generalissimo) military rank (according to old terminology - military rank).

Borrowed from Europe, it was introduced by Peter the Great in 1699 instead of the existing position of the Chief Governor of the Big Regiment (the Army was called the Big Regiment at that time). The Military Charter of 1716 stated: “Field Marshal General or Anchief is the commanding chief general in the army. His order and command should be respected by everyone, since the entire army and the real intention were handed over to him from their sovereign.”

For more than 200 years (from the date of its establishment until the abolition of the old system of ranks and ranks in 1917), there were 63 field marshals in Russia, including two lieutenant field marshals.

B. P. Sheremetyev (1701), A. D. Menshikov (1709), P. S. Saltykov (1759), P. A. Rumyantsev (1770), A. V. Suvorov (1759), M. I. Golenishchev -Kutuzov (1812), M. B. Barclay de Tolly (1814), I. I. Dibich (1829), I. F. Paskevich (1929), M. S. Vorontsov (1856), A. I. Baryatinsky (1859), Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich and Mikhail Nikolaevich (1878) received the title for outstanding victories in wars.

Other field marshals were awarded this rank for repeated defeat of the enemy, courage, and also out of respect for the glory they acquired in Europe: , For example : A. I. Repnin (1724), M. M. Golitsyn (1725), Ya. V. Bruce (1726), Minikh (1732), Lassi (1736), A. M. Golitsyn (1769), G. A Potemkin (1784), N.V. Repnin (1796), M.F. Kamensky (1797), A.A. Prozorovsky (1807), I.V. Gudovich (1807), P.H. Wittgenstein (1826) , F.V. Saken (1826), F.F. Berg (1865), I.V. Gurko (1894).

Rank of Field Marshal for long-term military and civil service was assigned: F. A. Golovin (1700), V. V. Dolgoruky (1728), I. Yu. Trubetskoy (1728), N. Yu. Trubetskoy (1756), A. B. Buturlin (1756), S. F. Apraskin (1756), A. P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin (1762), Z. G. Chernyshev (1773), N. I. Saltykov (1796), I. K. Elmp (1797), V. P. Musin-Pushkin ( 1797), P. M. Volkonsky (1850), D. A. Milyutin (1898).

It should be noted that A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who had the highest civilian rank of chancellor and was not even listed in the military lists, was elevated to field marshal general by Empress Catherine II, N. Yu. Trubetskoy was known more as a prosecutor general than a commander , and I. G. Chernyshev, who did not serve in the ground forces, was elevated by Pavel the First to the rank of Field Marshal General of the Navy “provided, however, that he is not an admiral general.”

Honorary title of Field Marshal were awarded due to their high birthPrince of Hesse-Gomborg, Duke Karl-Ludwig of Holstein-Beck (only called Russian Field Marshal General, never served in Russian service ), Prince Peter of Holstein-Beck, Duke George-Ludwig of Holstein-Schleswig (uncle of Emperor Peter III), Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (father of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna, first wife of Paul the First), Archduke Albrecht of Austria, Crown Prince of Germany Friedrich Wilhelm.

Some field marshals, who received this title thanks to court connections, were simply darlings of fate. This Y. Sapega (1726), K. G. Razumovsky (1750), A. G. Razumovsky (1756), A. I. and P. I. Shuvalov (1761).

Among the field marshals were also: Duke of Croix , notorious in the battle of Narva (he was in Russian service for only 2.5 months ); Duke of Broglio (renamed Field Marshal General by Paul the First from Marshal of France), like Croix, he remained in Russian service for a very short time. Were not in active Russian service, but foreigners were awarded the rank of Field Marshal in recognition of their European fame and loud military glory – Duke of Wellington, Radetzky and Moltke . Two foreigners – Ogilvius And Goltz - were accepted into the Russian service by Peter the Great as field marshal-lieutenant generals, but with the provision of primacy over full generals.

He bore the rank of Field Marshal King Nicholas the First of Montenegro.

I wonder how many Russian emperors awarded the rank of field marshal general? According to very rough calculations, the following picture emerges:

Peter the Great - 8 times; Catherine the First – 2; Peter the Second – 2; Anna Ioannovna – 3; Elizaveta Petrovna – 8; Peter the Third – 1; Catherine the Second – 7; Pavel the First – 5; Alexander the First – 7; Nicholas the First - 5; Alexander II – 5; Alexander the Third – 1; Nicholas II -2.

Bantysh-Kamensky D. N. “Biographies of Russian generalissimos and field marshals. Reprint. Ed. 1840, M., 1991.