Alexey Andreevich Arakcheev.
Engraving by N.I. Utkin from the original by G. Wagner. 181 Cutter.
Reproduced by G.Scamoni. 1876
GBM-2041\G-129.
From the book. Russian antiquity. T. XV. St. Petersburg, 1876.
In CHRONOS reproduced by book. Portraits of participants in the Patriotic War of 1812 in engraving and lithography from the collection of the Borodino Field Museum-Reserve. Catalog. "Kuchkovo field", 2006.
Pushkin about Arakcheev:
Pushkin wrote one of his most striking epigrams on him:
The oppressor of all Russia,
Governors tormentor
And he is a teacher of the Council,
And he is a friend and brother to the king.
Full of malice, full of revenge
Without mind, without feelings, without honor...
Used materials of the book: Pushkin A.S. Works in 5 vol. M., Synergy Publishing House, 1999.
Briefly
Arakcheev Alexey Andreevich (1769-1834) - count, artillery general. From the nobles of the Tula province. Son of a retired officer. He was one of the people close to Emperor Paul. Then the adviser Alexander I . 1787 - graduated from the Artillery and Engineering Cadet Corps with the rank of second lieutenant. Was left as a teacher and head of the library. Since 1790 he was the senior adjutant of the inspector of all artillery. 1792 - captain in the Gatchina artillery team of Grand Duke Paul. 1795 - major, commandant and inspector of infantry in the Gatchina regiment. With accession Paul I in 1796 he was promoted to colonel and five months later to major general, awarded the Order of St. Anna and appointed governor general of St. Petersburg. In 1797 baron, in 1798 - count, lieutenant general and inspector of all artillery. In this post, he did a lot of work to strengthen discipline, improve supplies and modernize artillery. 1807 g. - general from artillery. Since 1808 Minister of War and Inspector General of Infantry and Artillery. Active participant in the conquest Finland. Since 1810 Chairman of the military department of the State Council. During the campaign of 1812, he was in the emperor's retinue as the head of the military settlements department, was a personal reporter to Alexander I on the affairs of the militias. After the king left the army, he was the general on duty under the emperor. He was a member of the Extraordinary Committee, which elected Kutuzov commander in chief. Member of foreign campaigns in 1813-14. Since 1817 chief of military settlements. In 1815-25. de facto leader of the state. After the death of Alexander I, Nicholas I ordered to transfer the office of the emperor from the apartment of Alexander I to the Winter Palace, and thus the power of Arakcheev ceased. The last years of his life he lived in Gruzino, where he was buried.
Alexey Andreevich Arakcheev was born in September 1769 in the family of a retired lieutenant of the Guards. Thanks to his diligence in the sciences while studying in the cadet corps, he soon received the position of an officer, and later got into the army created by Paul 1 during his reign.
Biography of Arakcheev and his career success are associated with the ascension to the throne of Paul 1st. Thanks to his promptness and diligence, he was appointed commandant of Gatchina, and soon the head of all the ground forces of Paul the 1st. Going around the troops, Arakcheev mercilessly punished for the slightest violation of the rules. However, at the same time, he did not forget to take care of the soldier's life. He checked whether the soldiers were taken to the bathhouse, whether they were well fed, and punished officers for stealing soldiers' money. It is known that Arakcheev did not take bribes, despite rather cramped financial circumstances.
By the beginning of the reign of Paul the 1st, Arakcheev had the rank of colonel. And in 1796, on November 7, he became the commandant of St. Petersburg. On November 8 of the same year he received the rank of major general, and on the 9th - major of the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. On November 12, Arakcheev became a Knight of the Order of St. Anna 1st degree. On April 5 of the following year, Arakcheev was elevated to the rank of baron and awarded the Order of St. . The emperor also granted him an estate, which Arakcheev personally chose.
After a short disgrace, in 1798 Arakcheev was awarded the title of count for diligence and zeal. But soon he again found himself in disgrace, which lasted until the end of the reign of Paul the 1st. It must be said that in his village of Gruzine, Arakcheev took up the household with the same zeal with which he had previously carried out reforms in the army, arranging at his own discretion even the private life of the peasants. In 1806, Arakcheev married Natalia Khomutova, a general's daughter. But a year later, the young wife left his house, unable to bear the rudeness.
After the accession to the throne of the new emperor, the count returned to the service (1803). January 13, 1808 Arakcheev was appointed Minister of War. It should be noted that he simplified and shortened the correspondence between the battalions, gave a new organization of artillery, and significantly improved the materiel. The changes made by Count Arakcheev had a positive impact already in 1812.
The position and trust of the emperor soon led to the fact that it was the count who was entrusted with the most responsible and important tasks. One of them was the creation of the infamous military settlements of Arakcheev. By the way, the initiative to create them came from the emperor, and Arakcheev turned out to be an ideal performer to bring the project to life. The innovation caused riots, which were brutally suppressed by the troops. But, assessing the activities of Arakcheev objectively, it is worth mentioning that many of the settlements flourished.
During the reign of Alexander Pavlovich Arakcheev reached the heights of power. One of the most important cases of Arakcheev at that time was the investigation of denunciations and the arrest of the conspirators in 1825. But in the same year the emperor died. His death greatly influenced the count, who, without appearing at the court of his successor, retired. Arakcheev died in 1834, on April 21.
Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev, a famous Russian figure at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, was born on September 23, 1769 in the family of a poor landowner in the Bezhetsk district, Tver province. He first studied at home with the parish deacon, and in 1783 he was taken to St. Petersburg to the artillery and engineering cadet corps. Already in the corps, Arakcheev attracted the attention of his superiors with his diligence and accuracy. He graduated with honors. With particular zeal, Arakcheev was engaged in mathematics, artillery, fortification and marching, but he did not like verbal sciences and did not even learn how to write correctly.
In 1787, Alexei Arakcheev was promoted to second lieutenant of the army, and soon became aide-de-camp to General Melissino. And in the army, Arakcheev gained a reputation as an exemplary serviceman. Therefore, when the Grand Duke and future Emperor Pavel Petrovich needed a good artillery officer for his Gatchina troops, Melissino and Prince Saltykov recommended Arakcheev to him. This was the beginning of a brilliant service career of Alexei Andreevich. A connoisseur of the front, not reasoning and an exact executor of the orders given to him, Arakcheev gained the confidence and disposition of the Grand Duke.
Portrait of Count Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev. Artist J. Doe
The accession of Pavel Petrovich to the throne (1796) immediately affected the guards. Constant exercises and parades began, from which the guardsmen had lost the habit in the last years of the reign of Catherine II. The gunners moved forward. Arakcheev began to advance especially quickly. On November 7, 1796, Alexei Andreevich was appointed St. Petersburg commandant and commander of the combined battalion of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, on the 8th he was promoted to major general, on the 13th he received the Anninsky ribbon, and on December 12 the village of Gruzino (Novgorod province) with 2000 souls of peasants. The following year, Arakcheev, retaining all his previous positions, was appointed quartermaster general, received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and baronial dignity.
Arakcheev zealously set about drilling the troops entrusted to him, showering the officers with swearing in the streets, and the soldiers with stick blows; murmuring began; rumors about the cruelty of Alexei Andreevich reached the sovereign. Quick to anger, as well as to mercy, Paul dismissed the servant, who had gone far in his zeal, into retirement. However, the disgrace was soon removed and in the same 1798 Arakcheev was again taken to the service, appointed inspector of all artillery and elevated to the dignity of a count. The following year, 1799, Arakcheev was again dismissed from service with a ban on entering the capital and was even accused of embezzling state funds. In this he managed to justify himself; but still, until the death of Paul I, he remained in disfavor.
After the accession of Alexander I, Arakcheev returned to the service, although not immediately. Even when the sovereign was the heir, Alexei Andreevich managed to acquire his favor, which only increased over time. Alexander I returned to Arakcheev his former post of inspector of artillery, and he made important reforms in artillery, both administratively and technically. In 1808, Alexei Andreevich took the post of Minister of War and in 1809 led military action against the Swedes. At his insistence, the Russian troops crossed the ice across the Gulf of Bothnia. In 1810, Arakcheev was appointed chairman of the department of military affairs of the state council, a senator and a member of the committee of ministers.
In 1812 - 1814. Arakcheev was in the retinue of the sovereign at the army, but he never took part in battles, referring to the weakness of his nerves. At this time, his influence on the emperor, who called him his friend, especially increased. Since 1817, Arakcheev was entrusted with the organization and management of military settlements with the title of their chief commander. Although Arakcheev was at first against the establishment of these settlements, but, having become the head of their management, he began to establish his own rules here with unusual perseverance, not stopping at any obstacles and before any cruelties. Military occupations, farming, even home life and family relations of military settlers were regulated with amazing accuracy. External order was exemplary. Arakcheev introduced the same order among his peasants, and the slightest deviation from it was severely punished. The situation of the peasants worsened even more after the death of the favorite of Alexei Andreevich, Nastasya Minkina, who was distinguished by her cruelty and was killed by the courtyards, brought out of patience. Arakcheev savagely cracked down on everyone involved in the murder.
After the death of Alexander I and the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, Arakcheev lost all significance. Until 1832, he was still listed as the head of the military settlements, but this year he went abroad for treatment and, upon his return, lived in retirement in Georgia. Alexei Andreevich died on April 21, 1834.
Arakcheev was married to the maid of honor H. F. Khomutova, but soon divorced her and had no children. The imaginary son of Arakcheev from Nastasya Minkina, Mikhail Shumsky, at one time gained great fame for his scandals and ended his life in a monastery.
Neither by education nor by natural talents Arakcheev could be a statesman in the true sense of the word, all his significance was based on official diligence and personal devotion to the sovereigns Paul I and Alexander I, which he flaunted with great perseverance. Arakcheev’s estate was transferred with his name, coat of arms and motto (“Without flattery betrayed”) to the Novgorod (now Nizhny Novgorod) cadet corps, based on his thought and on his donation (300 thousand rubles in banknotes). In addition, Arakcheev, on the advice of Senator Malinovsky, shortly before his death, deposited 50,000 rubles in banknotes into the bank so that this money, with interest accrued on it, would be used in 1925 to issue a bonus to someone who would write by that time the best history of the reign of Alexander I and for the publication of this work.
Literature about Arakcheev
Ratch "Information about Arakcheev" St. Petersburg. 1864 (from the "Military Collection" of 1861 and 1864).
"Count Arakcheev and military settlements", edition of "Russian Antiquity".
Otto N.K. "Features from the Life of Count Arakcheev" (Ancient and New Russia, 1875)
Theological N. G, "Arakcheevshchina", St. Petersburg, 1882
Arakcheev
Alexey Andreevich
Battles and victories
Count (1799), Russian statesman and military leader, close associate of Alexander I. Reformer of Russian artillery, artillery general (1807), chief commander of military settlements (since 1817).
Aleksey Andreevich Arakcheev called himself "an uneducated Novgorod nobleman", although he collected one of the best libraries in Russia, subscribed to almost all scientific journals of that time, and even started an institute for the training of teachers in the military settlements he led. And the natural abilities and talents of the minister of war, who had long been considered an odious figure, became the key to victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812.
Arakcheev was born on September 23 (October 4), 1769 at his father's estate in the Novgorod province. The exact place of birth is unknown. Some researchers called the family village of his mother Kurgany, other biographers believed that he was born in the village of Garusovo on the shores of Lake Udomlya, Vyshnevolotsky district, Tver province (today Udomelsky district of the Tver region) and even spent his childhood years there. It is apparently impossible to give an exact answer to this question, because no documents about the birth of the count have been preserved. The Arakcheev family lived alternately in both of these villages, and in winter - in their house in Bezhetsk.
A.A. Arakcheev was one of the largest Russian statesmen and military figures, an artillery general, an associate of Alexander I. He was a prominent participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, the Minister of War of Russia in 1808 - 1810, who enjoyed the great confidence of Alexander I, especially in the second half of his reign . He actively reformed the Russian artillery, became the chief commander of military settlements (since 1817), and in 1823-24. - the head of the so-called. "Russian party".
However, the name of this major statesman and military figure in the mass consciousness is still associated with such a phenomenon as "Arakcheevism", understood as a regime of reactionary police despotism and rude military clique. Such associations with the name of the former favorite of the two emperors, as “drill”, “military settlements”, “pacification of rebels”, “temporary worker”, seemed to leave no hope of finding anything positive in the life and work of this remarkable person. The term "Arakcheevism" is used to denote any gross arbitrariness, and was invented by representatives of the progressive public, mainly of the liberal persuasion. Categorically negative - as an ugly manifestation of Russian autocracy - Arakcheev's activity was assessed by socialist and communist historians and publicists. A serious analysis of the activities of Arakcheev as a statesman and military figure, as a rule, was not carried out. Therefore, the term carried a derogatory generalization of the reign of Paul I and Alexander I.
The liberal intelligentsia, of course, treated Arakcheev and his memory quite negatively. Everyone knows the epigram of young A.S. Pushkin on Arakcheev:
The oppressor of all Russia,
Governors tormentor
And he is a teacher of the Council,
And he is a friend and brother to the king.
Full of malice, full of revenge
Without mind, without feelings, without honor...
However, the more mature Pushkin evoked sympathy for the retired Arakcheev. Responding to the death of Count Arakcheev, Pushkin wrote to his wife: "I am the only one who regrets this in all of Russia - I did not manage to see him and talk a lot."
Turning to the facts, we see that during the years of the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. Arakcheev perfectly organized the supply of troops, provided them with reinforcements and artillery. With his personal participation and organization of hostilities, he encouraged the Swedes to start peace negotiations. Victories of the Russian army in 1812 - 1813 would not have been so brilliant if Arakcheev had not been in the leadership of the military department, logistics and support. It was the good preparation of the army for military operations even before 1812 that contributed to the successful defeat of the enemy.
Contrary to the generally accepted point of view and his own assertion, Arakcheev was a highly educated person, as well as the owner of one of the largest libraries in Russia at that time. The library he collected, according to the catalog of 1824, consisted of over 12 thousand books, mainly on Russian history (in 1827, a significant part of it burned down, the surviving books were transferred to the library of the Novgorod Cadet Corps).
Arakcheev received his initial education under the guidance of a village deacon who taught him grammar and arithmetic (by the way, this deacon was the grandfather of the great Russian chemist D.I. Mendeleev). In the future, Arakcheev even seemed to flaunt this circumstance. So, having become the Minister of War in 1808, Alexei Andreevich gathered his subordinates and turned to them with an extravagant statement: “Gentlemen, I recommend myself, please take care of me, I know little about literacy, the father paid 4 rubles in copper for my upbringing.”
It was during his studies "with copper money" that Arakcheev became a great admirer of the mathematical sciences, which affected his entire future fate.
Even under Emperor Paul I, Arakcheev was appointed inspector of all artillery. He received the same position under Alexander. And here Arakcheev showed himself to the fullest. Thanks to Arakcheev, a reform of Russian artillery was carried out - the number of calibers was reduced, artillery pieces were improved, i.e. lightened without reducing combat power, a permanent horse composition was introduced in all batteries, guns of the same type and caliber were supplied to all batteries. Thanks to the reform of Arakcheev, the power of Russian artillery has increased, and mobility has increased, and this is without switching to any new technologies. And it was precisely thanks to Arakcheev's reform that the Russian artillery in the war of 1812 not only was not inferior to the French, but even surpassed it. At the same time, Arakcheev managed to inspire an extremely serious attitude towards artillery to the entire command of the Russian army. Thanks to the work of the so-called. The Arakcheev Commission found out that the effectiveness of fire on the battlefield is 6-8 times greater than the effectiveness of rifle fire.
Being engaged in the military department, he ensured an excellent supply of the Russian army during the war with Sweden in 1809; it was Arakcheev who was entrusted with providing the Russian army with food and ammunition, preparing reserves, and he did an excellent job with this task, i.e. the Russian army had during the war, in fact, everything necessary, which greatly contributed to the victory of Russian weapons; finally, he managed to turn the military settlements invented by Alexander I into something acceptable.
Arakcheev was an honest, conscientious officer, always, with all his might, with full dedication, carried out the order given to him by the command. One of the richest nobles of his time, Alexei Andreevich was not distinguished by either greed or money-grubbing, refusing most of the awards of Alexander I. When Alexander granted Arakcheev his portrait, adorned with diamonds, the count left the portrait (he was usually depicted with it on all portraits of the last period of his life), and sent the diamonds back. Also on his portraits we will not see the signs of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called granted by Emperor Alexander - the highest of the awards received by Arakcheev from Paul I was the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
So, the initial education under the guidance of a rural deacon consisted in the study of Russian literacy and arithmetic. The boy felt a great inclination for the latter science and diligently studied it.
Wishing to place his son in a military educational institution, Andrei Andreevich Arakcheev (1732 - 1797) took him to St. Petersburg. In 1783, due to his infancy, Arakcheev Jr. could count on being accepted first into the “preparatory” classes of the Artillery and Engineering Corps. Just at this time (November 25, 1782) the previous director of the corps died, and a new one was appointed only on February 22. Andrei Andreevich with his son, who was already about to leave the capital, went on the first Sunday to the St. Petersburg Metropolitan Gabriel, who distributed to the poor the money sent for this subject by Catherine II. The share of the landowner Arakcheev received from the metropolitan three silver rubles. Having received some more allowance from Mrs. Guryeva, Andrei Andreevich, before leaving St. Petersburg, decided to try his luck again: together father and son came to the newly appointed director of the corps, Pyotr Ivanovich Melissino. For several months, having submitted a petition and practically starving, they came to the reception every day, silently met Mellisino and dutifully waited for an answer to their petition for enrolling the boy in the corps. Once, on July 19, the child could not stand it, rushed to the general, told about his misfortune and begged Pyotr Ivanovich to accept him into the corps. He was one of those poor nobles for whom only the elementary classes opened the way to further study and officer service in the Russian army.
Rapid advances in the sciences, especially in mathematics, soon (in 1787) brought him the rank of officer. Later P.I. Mellisino, who especially fell in love with Alexei Andreevich for his "serviceability" in his studies and service, recommended him to the heir to the throne led. book. Pavel Petrovich to head the Gatchina artillery. Until the end of his life, Arakcheev appreciated and remembered that it was Mellisino who recommended him, then an unknown officer, to the future emperor.
In his free time, Arakcheev gave lessons in artillery and fortification to the sons of Count Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov, to whom he was also recommended by Melissino. After some time, the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, turned to Count Saltykov with a demand to give him an efficient artillery officer. Count Saltykov pointed to Arakcheev and introduced him from the best side. From September 1792, at the request of the future Emperor Paul I, Arakcheev was sent to Gatchina, and soon, for his diligence and success in the artillery service, he was appointed commander of the Gatchina artillery team. Alexey Andreevich fully justified the recommendation by the exact execution of the instructions assigned to him, tireless activity, knowledge of military discipline, strict obedience to the established order, which soon won over the Grand Duke.
From 1794, Arakcheev was an inspector of the Gatchina artillery, from 1796, at the same time, of the infantry. The new inspector reorganized the Tsarevich's artillery, dividing the artillery team into 3 foot and 1 cavalry squads (corporates), with a fifth of their staff being in auxiliary positions; compiled a special instruction for each officer in the artillery. Arakcheev developed a plan for the deployment of artillery squads into companies and the creation of a four-company artillery regiment, introduced a methodology for the practical training of artillerymen and created "classes for teaching military science", took an active part in the drafting of new charters. The innovations he proposed were subsequently implemented throughout the Russian army.
Alexey Andreevich was granted the commandant of Gatchina and subsequently the head of all the land forces of the heir. Arakcheev loved and respected Emperor Paul, revered his memory.
Three emperors of Arakcheev -
Pavel I Petrovich
Upon accession to the throne, Emperor Pavel Petrovich granted Arakcheev many awards: being a colonel, he was granted on November 7, 1796 (on the day Emperor Paul ascended the throne) by the St. Petersburg commandant; Promoted to major general on November 8; November 9 - to the majors of the Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment; November 13 - holder of the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree; in the following year, 1797, on April 5, he was granted the baronial dignity and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. In addition, the sovereign, knowing the insufficient state of Baron Arakcheev, granted him two thousand peasants with the choice of a province. Arakcheev chose the village of Gruzino in the Novgorod province.
Severity and impartiality, observance of the law and the desire to strictly execute the decisions of the monarch distinguished Arakcheev when restoring order in the troops. But Arakcheev did not have long to enjoy the favor of the emperor, who was fickle in his predilections. On March 18, 1798, Alexei Andreevich was dismissed from service with the rank of lieutenant general.
And then there was a new rise. Arakcheev was again accepted into service in the same 1798 and enlisted in the retinue of Emperor Paul I. On December 22, 1798, he was ordered to be a quartermaster general, and on January 4, 1799, he was appointed commander of the Life Guards Artillery Battalion and artillery inspector. On January 8, 1799, he was granted the Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and on May 5, 1799 - Count of the Russian Empire for his excellent diligence and work for the benefit of the service. He was ordered to be present at the Military Collegium and to restore order in the Artillery Expedition.
On October 1, 1799, he was dismissed from service by the emperor for the second time and sent to Gruzino. The removal of Arakcheev from St. Petersburg was beneficial to those representatives of the aristocracy who at that time began preparing a conspiracy against Paul I. This time, the resignation continued until the new reign.
Three emperors of Arakcheev -
Alexander I Pavlovich
In 1801, Emperor Alexander Pavlovich ascended the throne, with whom Alexei Andreevich became well acquainted in his service. In 1802, Alexander again called him to the service, appointing him a member of the Commission for compiling exemplary states of artillery, and on May 14, 1803, he was again an inspector of all artillery and commander of the Life Guards Artillery Battalion.
The experience of Arakcheev's activities in the "Gatchina troops" of Tsarevich Pavel came in handy when it was necessary to create the first horse artillery company in the guards brigade. Horse artillery of the early 19th century is a type of field artillery, in which not only guns and ammunition, but also each number of the gun crew were transported by horses, due to which the servants were trained not only in actions with a gun, but also in horseback combat. Horse artillery was intended for fire support of the cavalry and the creation of a mobile artillery reserve, therefore it was armed with lightweight unicorns and six-pounder guns. In 1803 - 1811. Arakcheev prepared and implemented the reform of Russian artillery, as a result of which it turned into an independent branch of the armed forces, its organization was improved (regiments and battalions were replaced by artillery brigades), the first integrated system of artillery weapons was created (field artillery is limited to guns of four calibers of lightweight design, the ammunition load of each gun is determined , states have been revised, unified design documentation has been introduced, exemplary reference parts have been developed for manufacturers, etc.). Army infantry divisions were given 3-company foot artillery brigades (battery and 2 light), and cavalry divisions were given mounted artillery companies, and mobile artillery arsenals were created.
Arakcheev established exams for artillery officers and wrote a series of instructions for them. Even upon arrival in Gatchina to the artillery units of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich, Arakcheev discovered that there were no instructions: what each number does with a gun. The artilleryman did what the officer, who had two guns, ordered. Arakcheev determined the composition of the teams at the guns, wrote to each number what he was doing, what he was holding in his hands, what bag was hanging on him, etc. The officers of the guard, of course, did not like such a detailed regulation, the observance of which was assigned to them.
The converted artillery proved to be successful during the Napoleonic wars. Strict towards the negligent, he did not skimp on rewards for those who duly performed their service: about 11 thousand rubles were spent on awards in the Artillery Expedition. in year. In December 1807, Arakcheev was appointed to be under Alexander I "in the artillery unit", and two days later the emperor ordered that his orders, announced by Arakcheev, be considered personal imperial instructions. In 1804, on his initiative, a Provisional Artillery Committee was formed to consider scientific and technical issues, renamed in 1808 into the Scientific Committee for Artillery; Artillery magazine began to be published.
In 1805 A.A. Arakcheev was with the sovereign in the battle of Austerlitz.
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In 1807 Arakcheev was promoted to general of artillery. To restore order in the military department, on January 13, 1808, Alexander I appointed Arakcheev Minister of the Army (until 1810), in addition, on January 17 - inspector general of all infantry and artillery (until 1819), with subordination to him commissariat and provisions departments. On January 26, 1808, Arakcheev became the head of the Imperial Military Camping Office and the Courier Corps. Under his leadership, the introduction of the divisional organization of the army was completed, its recruitment, supply and training of troops improved. During the administration of the ministry, Arakcheev issued new rules and regulations for various parts of the military administration, simplified and shortened correspondence, established recruit depots and training grenadier battalions prepared reinforcements for line units. Artillery was given a new organization, measures were taken to increase the level of special education for officers, and the material part was streamlined and improved. The positive consequences of these improvements were not slow to show up during the wars in 1812-1814.
Gr. A.A. Arakcheev took an active part in the war with Sweden. Alexander ordered that the theater of war be immediately and decisively transferred to the Swedish coast, taking advantage of the opportunity (the rarest in the history of the usually non-freezing bay) to cross there on the ice. Since a number of generals, in view of the order of the sovereign to transfer the theater of war to the Swedish coast, exhibited various difficulties, Alexander I, extremely dissatisfied with the inaction of the Russian command, sent his minister of war to Finland. Arriving on February 20, 1809 in Abo, Arakcheev insisted on the speedy implementation of the highest will. Arakcheev literally "pushed" the generals onto the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. To Barclay de Tolly's objection that food and ammunition might fall behind, Arakcheev, together with Barclay himself, built a complete scheme of not only troops, but also mobile depots, so that they, not lagging behind, would move in sync with the troops.
The Russian troops had to endure many obstacles, but Arakcheev acted energetically, as a result of which the Russian troops, who marched to the Aland Islands on March 2, quickly captured them, and on March 7 a small Russian cavalry detachment already occupied the village of Grisselgam on the Swedish coast (now part of the commune of Norrtelle).
During the movement of Russian troops to the Åland Islands in Sweden, a change in government followed: instead of Gustavus Adolf, who was deposed from the throne, his uncle, the Duke of Südermanland, became the king of Sweden. The defense of the Åland Islands was entrusted to General Debeln, who, having learned about the Stockholm coup, entered into negotiations with the commander of the Russian detachment, Knorring, to conclude a truce, which was done. But Arakcheev did not approve of Knorring's act and, when meeting with General Debeln, told the latter that he had been sent from the sovereign "not to make a truce, but to make peace."
The subsequent actions of the Russian troops were brilliant: Barclay de Tolly made a glorious transition through the Kvarken, and Shuvalov occupied Torneo. On September 5, the Friedrichsgam peace was signed by Russian and Swedish representatives, according to which Finland, part of Västerbotten up to the Torneo River and the Aland Islands went to Russia. We can safely say that it was the arrival of Arakcheev in the army as a personal representative of the emperor that accelerated the end of the Russian-Swedish war.
On January 1, 1810, Arakcheev left the military ministry and was appointed a member of the then newly established State Council (in 1810 - 1812 and 1816 - 1826 he was the chairman of the department of military affairs in it), with the right to be present in the committee of ministers and the Senate. Leaving this post, Arakcheev recommended Barclay de Tolly to the post of Minister of War.
On March 31, Arakcheev was relieved of his post as chairman of the military department of the State Council, and on June 17 he was appointed to the post of head of the office of Alexander I. Now he was aware of all the affairs in the country. On December 7, 1812, it was transformed into His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery - an organ that, as you know, played a huge role in the history of the country. Arakcheev actually stood at its origins, leading it until 1825. In many ways, through his efforts, the Russian army was well prepared for the Patriotic War of 1812.
On June 14, 1812, due to the approach of Napoleon, Count Arakcheev was again called to manage military affairs.
Since that date, the entire French war has gone through my hands, all the secret orders, reports and handwritten orders of the sovereign.
A.A. Arakcheev
Count A.A. Arakcheev.
Artist I.B. Lumpy Senior
During the Patriotic War, the main concern of Arakcheev was the formation of reserves and the supply of food to the army. During the war, he was also in charge of recruiting troops and replenishing artillery parks, organizing militias, etc. After the establishment of peace, the emperor’s confidence in Arakcheev increased to the point that he was entrusted with the execution of the highest plans not only in military matters, but also in matters of civil administration. In 1815, Alexei Andreevich was appointed the only reporter to the emperor on the affairs of the Committee of Ministers and the State Council. From that time on, Alexander I led the empire through Arakcheev, who regularly reported to him, and actually led the country. Arakcheev carried out the development of the necessary legal acts, transforming all military legislation and thereby completing the reform of the army.
It was Arakcheev who managed to persuade the emperor to give up his claims to the supreme command of the Russian armies in the Patriotic War. He greatly favored Kutuzov, and it is possible that it was thanks to Arakcheev that Kutuzov was appointed commander of all Russian armies in August 1812.
The strictness and inflexibility of Arakcheev in the implementation of the emperor's plan became one of the reasons for the formation of a negative attitude towards him personally, the spread of rumors discrediting the count. For Alexander I, Arakcheev was a kind of “screen” that shielded the tsar from the indignation of his subjects with his mistakes, blunders, and the negative consequences of his reign.
P.A. spoke about the significance of Arakcheev. Kleinmikhel, who was then Arakcheev’s adjutant: “You don’t understand what Arakcheev is to me. Everything that is done badly, he takes upon himself, he attributes everything good to me.
We will do everything: the Russians must demand the impossible from us in order to achieve the possible.
A.A. Arakcheev
He was just as demanding, above all, to himself. This principle allowed Arakcheev to do the impossible, but it also made him extremely unpopular in society.
He himself was well aware of this. D.V. Davydov cites in his "Notes" the words of A.A. Arakcheev, told by him to General A.P. Yermolov: "Many undeserved curses will fall on me." The phrase turned out to be prophetic.
Arakcheev, all his life, fiercely hated bribery, traditionally rooted in Russian society. Those caught red-handed were immediately expelled from their posts, regardless of their faces. Red tape, extortion for the purpose of obtaining a bribe were pursued by him mercilessly. Arakcheev demanded immediate resolution of issues and strictly monitored the implementation of deadlines, so the clerical community hated him. Why be surprised that the cross-section of this society determined the mood of writers and publicists who invented "Arakcheevism".
But the main phenomenon in the military life of Russia, with which the name of Arakcheev is associated, is the arrangement of military settlements. Count Alexei Andreevich is usually considered the creator of this system. However, military settlements were proposed by Alexander I himself, while Arakcheev was against this project. M. M. Speransky formalized the idea into decrees and instructions. Arakcheev became only a performer.
In the war of 1812, Alexander I was faced with a shortage of trained reserves, the difficulty of conducting more and more recruiting sets, and the high cost of maintaining the army. The emperor put forward the idea that every soldier should be a peasant, and every peasant should be a soldier. This was originally done through the introduction of soldiers to lodge in the village.
Alexander I was occupied with the idea of organizing military settlements on a vast scale. According to some information, we repeat, Arakcheev at first showed a clear disapproval of this thought. But in view of the inexorable desire of the sovereign - in 1817, Alexander I entrusted him with the development of a plan for the creation of settlements - he led the matter abruptly, with merciless consistency, not embarrassed by the murmur of the people, forcibly torn off from age-old, historically established customs and the usual way of life.
Perhaps the military settlements were an attempt by Alexander I to create a class in Russia, relying on which the tsar could carry out liberal reforms.
Arakcheev, a believing and pious Orthodox Christian from a young age, gifted with brilliant organizational skills and administrative talent and, perhaps most importantly, who worked not for the sake of self-interest and glory, but also, like the Emperor, following his moral duty ... such an employee was infinitely needed by Alexander.
A. Zubov
“The emperor was well aware of the weaknesses and shortcomings of his Gatchina friend - lack of culture, touchiness, envy, jealousy of the royal mercy, but all this was outweighed in the eyes of the king by his virtues. Alexander, Arakcheev and Prince A.N. The Golitsyns together made up that powerful lever that almost turned Russia off the path to a national catastrophe, outlined by the deeds of the "great" monarchs of the 18th century - Peter and Catherine. ( Zubov A. Reflections on the causes of the revolution in Russia. Reign of Alexander the Blessed. New world. 2006, No. 7).
A whole series of revolts among the military settlers were suppressed with inexorable severity. The outer side of the settlements has been brought to an exemplary order. Only the most exaggerated rumors about their well-being reached the sovereign. Many of the dignitaries, either without understanding the matter or out of fear of a powerful temporary worker, extolled the new institution with exorbitant praise.
Arakcheev and Speransky -
Pushkin's eyes
The idea was the emperor, the design of this idea into a more or less integral picture is the work of Speransky, and only Arakcheev was to blame for everything. He always conscientiously carried out all the orders of his emperor, even if he considered them wrong. In those situations where other generals objected to the emperor (Kutuzov), Arakcheev accepted the order for execution, and carried it out, making every effort to do so. An honest soldier strictly fulfilled his duty.
The problem was exacerbated by the general bribery of the authorities, starting with the officers: Arakcheev, who demanded from the chiefs, first of all, external order and improvement, could not eradicate the general robbery, and only in rare cases the perpetrators were subjected to well-deserved punishment. It is not surprising that dull discontent increased every year among the military settlers. In the reign of Emperor Alexander I, it was expressed only by single outbursts. At the same time, the indignation among the soldiers and peasants was suppressed by force. In those military settlements that Arakcheev personally dealt with, soldiers and peasants lived more or less tolerably.
With the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, Count Arakcheev soon retired, and Count Kleinmichel was placed at the head of the administration of military settlements with the rank of chief of staff of military settlements.
Arakcheev and Speransky -
through the eyes of a contemporary artist
Less known about Arakcheev is that in 1818, on behalf of Alexander I, he developed one of the projects for the liberation of the peasants, which provided for the purchase by the treasury of landlord estates together with the peasants “at voluntarily set prices with the landowners” and granting the peasants personal freedom. Of course, this project, like many similar plans of Alexander's reign, remained unrealized.
And, finally, the decency of Arakcheev is evidenced by the clean signed forms of decrees of Alexander I, which the tsar left to Arakcheev when leaving the capital. The temporary worker could use these blank forms for his own purposes to deal with unwanted people, because he had enough enemies. But none of the forms entrusted by the tsar was used by Arakcheev for personal purposes.
Modern researchers often characterize him as one of the most effective administrators in Russian history, and believe that he was an ideal performer, able to realize grandiose plans.
The influence of Arakcheev on affairs and his power continued throughout the reign of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich. Being the most influential nobleman, close to the sovereign, Arakcheev, having the Order of Alexander Nevsky, refused other orders granted to him: in 1807 - from the Order of St.. Vladimir, and in 1808 - from the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, and only left a rescript on the award as a keepsake. He also did not accept the rank of Field Marshal (1814), although his merits in the anti-Napoleonic wars were great. Alexey Andreevich was also awarded the Prussian Orders of the Black and Red Eagle of the 1st class, the Austrian Order of St. Stephen of the 1st class, as well as the above-mentioned portrait, from which he returned the diamonds.
They say that Emperor Alexander Pavlovich granted Arakcheev's mother a state lady. Alexei Andreevich refused this favor as well. The emperor said with displeasure: “You don’t want to accept anything from me!” - “I am pleased with the goodwill of Your Imperial Majesty,” answered Arakcheev, “but I beg you not to favor my parent as a lady of state; she spent her whole life in the country; if he comes here, he will attract the ridicule of the ladies of the court, and for a solitary life he does not need this decoration. Retelling about this event to those close to him, Alexei Andreevich added: “only once in my life, and it was in this case, that I was guilty against the parent, hiding from her that the sovereign favored her. She would be angry with me if she knew that I had deprived her of this distinction.
The name of Arakcheev was named under his patronage Arakcheevsky, later - Rostov Grenadier Prince Friedrid of the Netherlands Regiment.
Three emperors of Arakcheev -
Nicholas I Pavlovich
Alexander I died on November 19, 1825. Arakcheev did not take part in the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, for which he was dismissed by Nicholas I. According to other sources, Arakcheev himself refused the urgent requests of the new emperor to continue his service.
Be that as it may, on December 20, 1825, he was released by Nicholas I, who did not favor him, from the affairs of the Committee of Ministers and expelled from the State Council, and in 1826 removed from command over military settlements. He was fired on an indefinite leave for treatment, and was in the service until 1832. Arakcheev went abroad and arbitrarily published an edition of confidential letters to him from Alexander I, which caused a scandal in Russian society and government circles.
A devoted friend of the monarchs Paul and Alexander, who reached unprecedented heights during their reign, Arakcheev devoted the last years of his life to his estate Gruzino. Returning to the estate in 1827, Alexander Andreevich took up its arrangement, opened a hospital, took care of the peasant loan bank he had previously created, and tried, in accordance with his ideas, to regulate the life of serfs. His desire to create an exemplary economy in all respects led to the most favorable results. The beginning of the construction of Gruzin marked the brightest and most brilliant period of the heyday of the Russian estate. This estate was the best for its time. Now from the paradise on the banks of the river. Not even ruins remained of the Volkhov - all the buildings were destroyed during the hostilities of 1941-1944.
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Having retained the title of a member of the State Council, Arakcheev went to travel abroad; his health was already broken. In 1833, Arakcheev contributed 50,000 rubles to the state loan bank. banknotes so that this amount remains in the bank for ninety-three years untouched with all interest. Three-quarters of this capital should be a reward to the one who writes by 1925 (in Russian) the best history of the reign of Alexander I. The remaining quarter is intended for the costs of publishing this work, as well as for the second prize, and two translators in equal parts, who will translate from Russian into German and into French the history of Alexander I, awarded the first prize. Arakcheev erected a magnificent bronze monument to Alexander in front of the cathedral church of his village, on which the following inscription is made: “To the Sovereign-Benefactor, after His death.”
Arakcheev's last act for the common good was his donation of 300 thousand rubles for the education of the poor nobles of the Novgorod and Tver provinces from the percentage of this capital in the Novgorod Cadet Corps, as well as 50 thousand rubles. Pavlovsk Institute for the education of the daughters of the nobles of the Novgorod province. After the death of Arakcheev, the Novgorod Cadet Corps received the name Arakcheevsky in connection with the transfer of Arakcheev's estate and capital in the amount of 1.5 million rubles to it. Back in 1816, Alexander I approved the spiritual will of Arakcheev, entrusting the custody of the will to the Governing Senate. The testator was given the choice of an heir, but Arakcheev did not do so. Nicholas I recognized as the best way to give forever the Georgian volost and all the movable property belonging to it to the full and indivisible possession of the Novgorod Cadet Corps, so that it would use the income received from the estate for the education of noble youth and take the name and coat of arms of the testator.
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Meanwhile, Arakcheev's health was weakening, his strength was changing. Nicholas I, having learned about his morbid condition, sent Villiers, a medical doctor, to him in Gruzino, but the latter could no longer help, and on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ, on April 21 (May 3), 1834, Arakcheev died, “without taking his eyes off the portrait Alexander, in his room, on the very sofa that served as a bed for the Autocrat of All Russia. He kept shouting to have his life extended for at least a month, finally, sighing, he said: “Damned death,” and died.
Before the funeral, they put on a canvas shirt, in which Emperor Alexander died, and dressed him in a ceremonial general's uniform. The ashes of the outstanding military and statesman, count and cavalier Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev, were buried in the village of Gruzino. Count Alexei Andreevich took care of his death and burial long before his death. The tomb with the epitaph was prepared inside the metropolitan-looking St. Andrew's Cathedral next to the monument to Emperor Paul. The Arakcheevsky regiment and an artillery battery were called to the funeral.
The remains of Arakcheev were found as a result of excavations in 2009. Proposals were discussed to rebury them in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, where many of Arakcheev’s associates are buried, as well as in the ancient St. George’s Monastery of the 12th century. near Veliky Novgorod. At the end of 2008, the administration and the public of the Chudovsky district, on the territory of which Gruzino is located, turned to the regional authorities with a request to transfer the remains for re-burial in the former count's estate.
Gloomy and unsociable from childhood, Arakcheev remained so throughout his life. With a remarkable mind and disinterestedness, he knew how to remember the good that someone had ever done to him. In addition to pleasing the will of the monarchs and fulfilling the requirements of the service, he was not shy about anything. His severity often degenerated into cruelty, and the time of his almost unlimited dominion (the last years, the first quarter of the 19th century) was characterized by a kind of terror, since everyone trembled before him. In general, he left a bad memory on his own.
The kings valued in him rigidity, which reached inexorability, experience and knowledge, especially in the field of artillery, using his services when it was necessary to "put things in order." In Soviet times, Arakcheev was constantly defined as "a reactionary, a persecutor of the Suvorov school, a tsar's serf and a saint." But already in 1961, in an article about Arakcheev in the Historical Encyclopedia, several lines appeared about his merits in the development of Russian artillery. Modern domestic historians, assessing his activities, recognize that Arakcheev was one of the most worthy military and administrative figures in the history of the Russian Empire.
KURKOV K.N., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Moscow State University M.A. Sholokhov
Literature
Anderson V.M. Correspondence of Emperor Alexander I with Napoleon and Count Arakcheev. St. Petersburg, 1912
Autobiographical notes of Count Arakcheev. Russian archive. 1866. Issue. 9
From the stories of A.A. Arakcheev. Historical Bulletin. 1894 / V. 58, No. 10
Letters 1796. 1797 Message A.I. Maksheev. Russian antiquity. 1891 / V. 71, No. 8
Letter from Count Arakcheev to Countess Kankrina. Note. P.A. Vyazemsky. Russian archive. 1868. Ed. 2nd. M., 1869
Arakcheev A.A., Karamzin N.M. Letters to the Grand Duke Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich. Message G. Alexandrov. Russian archive. 1868. Ed. 2nd. M., 1869
Arakcheev and military settlements: Memoirs of contemporaries: 1. Memoirs of M.F. Borozdin. 2. From the notes of von Bradke. Russian story. Series 1. Issue. 10. M., 1908
Bogdanovich P.N. Arakcheev Count and Baron of the Russian Empire: (1769–1834). P.N. Bogdanovich Gen. Headquarters Regiment. Buenos Aires, 1956
Bogoslovsky N.G. Arakcheevshchina: Stories. Op. N. Bogoslovsky. SPb., 1882
Bogoslovsky N.G. Tales of the Past: War Times. settlements. Op. Slovsky [pseudo]. Novgorod, 1865
Bulgarin F.G. Trip to Gruzino. SPb., 1861
Wrangel N., Makovsky S., Trubnikov A. Arakcheev and art. Old years. 1908. No. 7
Count A.A. Arakcheev. (Materials). Russian antiquity, 1900. Vol. 101. No. 1
Gribbe A.K. Count Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev. (From the memories of the Novgorod military settlements). 1822–1826 Russian antiquity. 1875. Vol. 12, No. 1
Davydova, E.E., comp. Arakcheev: testimonies of contemporaries. Comp. HER. Davydova et al. M., 2000
Jenkins M. Arakcheev. Reactionary reformer. M., 2004
Evropeyus I.I. Memoirs of Europeus about the service in the military settlement and about the relationship with Count Arakcheev. Russian antiquity. 1872. Vol. 6, No. 9
Ivanov G. Famous and famous refugees. Issue. 1: From Alexei Arakcheev to Alexei Smirnov. B.m., 2003
Kaigorodov V. Arakcheevshchina. Op. V. Kaigorodova. M., 1912
Kizevetter A.A. Historical silhouettes. Essays. A.A. Kiesewetter; Intro. Art. O.V. Budnitsky. Rostov n/a, 1997
Kovalenko A.Yu. The era of Alexander I in the context of state activity A. A. Arakcheev: Proc. allowance. Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 1999
Nikolsky V.P. The state of the Russian army by the end of the reign of Alexander I. In the book: History of the Russian army, 1812–1864. SPb., 2003
Otto N.K. Features from the life of Count Arakcheev. Ancient and New Russia. 1875. Vol. 1, No. 1
Panchenko A.M. Library of Count A.A. Arakcheev in Gruzino. A.M. Panchenko. Berkovsky readings. Book culture in the context of international contacts. Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; Moscow: Nauka. Minsk, 2011
Pillows D.L.“He was a real hare...” (About Count Arakcheev A.A.) Udomelskaya antiquity: Local history almanac. 2000, January. No. 16
Pillows D.L. The role of Count A.A. Arakcheev in the Patriotic War of 1812. Local lore almanac "Udomelskaya starina", No. 29, September 2002
Pillows D.L.(compiler), Vorobyov V.M. (scientific editor). Famous Russians in the history of the Udomlya region. Tver, 2009
Ratch V.F. Information about Count Alexei Andreevich Arakcheev. SPb., 1864
Romanovich E.M. Death Days and the Death of Count Arakcheev. (From the story of a retired staff captain Evgeny Mikhailovich Romanovich). Message P.A. Musatovsky. Russian archive. 1868. Ed. 2nd. M., 1869
Russian conservatives. M., 1997
Sigunov N.G. Features from the life of Count Arakcheev. The stories of Major General Nick. Grigor. Sigunova. Message M.I. Bogdanovich. Russian antiquity. 1870. T. 1. Ed. 3rd. SPb., 1875
Dictionary of Russian generals, participants in the hostilities against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812–1815. Russian archive: Sat. M., 1996. T. VII
Tomsinov V.A. Arakcheev (series "Life of Remarkable People"). M., 2003, 2010
Tomsinov V.A. Temporary worker (Historical portrait of A.A. Arakcheev). M., 2013
Troitsky N. Russia at the head of the Holy Alliance: Arakcheevshchina
Ulybin V.V. Betrayed Without Flattery: The Experience of Count Arakcheev's Biography. Vyacheslav Ulybin. SPb., 2006
Fedorov V.A. MM. Speransky and A.A. Arakcheev. M., 1997
Shevlyakov M.V., ed. Historical people in jokes: from the life of statesmen and public figures. Ed. M.V. Shevlyakova. SPb., 2010
Shubinsky S.N. Historical essays and stories. SPb., 1896; 1913
Yakushkin V. Speransky and Arakcheev. St. Petersburg, 1905; M., 1916
Extensive material for characterizing Count Arakcheev and his time is placed in the publications: "Russian Antiquity" (1870 - 1890), "Russian Archive" (1866 No. 6 and 7, 1868 No. 2 and 6, 1872 No. 10, 1876 No. 4); "Ancient and New Russia" (1875, Nos. 1 - 6 and 10); Glebov, "The Tale of Arakcheev" (military collection, 1861).
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The losses of the Russian detachment were very high - 23 officers and 1,215 privates were killed, 71 officers and 2,401 privates were wounded (slightly lower data are indicated in Sytin's Military Encyclopedia - 940 killed and 1,995 wounded). Gudovich was awarded the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, all the officers of his detachment were awarded, a special medal was established for the lower ranks.
Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich
General Kotlyarevsky, son of a priest in the village of Olkhovatka, Kharkov province. He went from private to general in the tsarist army. He can be called the great-grandfather of the Russian special forces. He carried out truly unique operations ... His name is worthy of being included in the list of the greatest commanders of Russia
Nevsky, Suvorov
Undoubtedly holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky and Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov
Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich
The best Russian commander during the First World War. An ardent patriot of his Motherland.
Most Serene Prince Wittgenstein Peter Khristianovich
For the defeat of the French units of Oudinot and MacDonald at Klyastits, thereby closing the road for the French army to St. Petersburg in 1812. Then in October 1812 he defeated the Saint-Cyr corps near Polotsk. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian-Prussian armies in April-May 1813.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Soldier, several wars (including World War I and World War II). passed the way to Marshal of the USSR and Poland. Military intellectual. not resorting to "obscene leadership." he knew tactics in military affairs to the subtleties. practice, strategy and operational art.
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
The largest figure in world history, whose life and state activity left the deepest mark not only in the fate of the Soviet people, but also of all mankind, will be the subject of careful study of historians for more than one century. The historical and biographical feature of this personality is that it will never be forgotten.
During Stalin's tenure as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Chairman of the State Defense Committee, our country was marked by victory in the Great Patriotic War, massive labor and front-line heroism, the transformation of the USSR into a superpower with significant scientific, military and industrial potential, and the strengthening of our country's geopolitical influence in the world.
Ten Stalinist strikes - the common name for a number of major offensive strategic operations in the Great Patriotic War, carried out in 1944 by the armed forces of the USSR. Along with other offensive operations, they made a decisive contribution to the victory of the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition over Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II.
Izylmetiev 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 the bay, Callao eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk, together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoyko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with the local residents, threw into the sea an outnumbering Anglo-French landing party. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there .After these events, the British public demanded trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
The greatest commander of the Second World War. Two people in history were awarded the Order of Victory twice: Vasilevsky and Zhukov, but after the Second World War, it was Vasilevsky who became the Minister of Defense of the USSR. His military genius is unsurpassed by ANY military leader in the world.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
A person who combines the totality of knowledge of a naturalist, scientist and great strategist.
Dokhturov Dmitry Sergeevich
Defense of Smolensk.
Command of the left flank on the Borodino field after the wounding of Bagration.
Tarutino battle.
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. A native of a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on his own virtues. Member of the REV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent commanding the legendary "Iron" brigade, then deployed 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 prisoner of Bykhov. Member of the ice campaign and commander of the All-Russian Union of Youth. For more than a year and a half, having very modest resources and far inferior in number to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, freeing a huge 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 a difficult time for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.
Romanov Petr Alekseevich
Behind the endless discussions about Peter I as a politician and reformer, it is unfairly forgotten that he was the greatest commander of his time. He was not only an excellent rear organizer. In the two most important battles of the Northern War (the battles of Lesnaya and Poltava), he not only developed battle plans himself, but also personally led the troops, being in the most important, responsible areas.
The only commander I know of was equally talented in both land and sea battles.
The main thing is that Peter I created a national military school. If all the great commanders of Russia are the heirs of Suvorov, then Suvorov himself is the heir of Peter.
The Battle of Poltava was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) victory in Russian history. In all other great predatory invasions of Russia, the general battle did not have a decisive outcome, and the struggle dragged on, went to exhaustion. And only in the Northern War did the general battle radically change the state of affairs, and from the attacking side the Swedes became the defender, decisively losing the initiative.
I think that Peter I deserves to be in the top three in the list of the best commanders of Russia.
Ivan groznyj
He conquered the Astrakhan kingdom, to which Russia paid tribute. Destroyed the Livonian Order. Expanded the borders of Russia far beyond the Urals.
Rokhlin Lev Yakovlevich
He headed the 8th Guards Army Corps in Chechnya. Under his leadership, a number of districts of Grozny were taken, including the presidential palace. For participation in the Chechen campaign, he was presented with the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, but refused to accept it, saying that “he has no moral right to receive this award for military operations on the territory of his own countries".
Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich
01/28/1887 - 09/05/1919 life. Head of a division of the Red Army, participant in the First World War and the Civil War.
Cavalier of three St. George's crosses and the St. George medal. Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner.
On his account:
- Organization of the county Red Guard of 14 detachments.
- Participation in the campaign against General Kaledin (near Tsaritsyn).
- Participation in the campaign of the Special Army against Uralsk.
- An initiative to reorganize the Red Guard detachments into two regiments of the Red Army: them. Stepan Razin and them. Pugachev, united in the Pugachev brigade under the command of Chapaev.
- Participation in battles with the Czechoslovaks and the People's Army, from whom Nikolaevsk was recaptured, renamed in honor of the brigade in Pugachevsk.
- Since September 19, 1918, the commander of the 2nd Nikolaev division.
- From February 1919 - Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Nikolaevsky district.
- From May 1919 - brigade commander of the Special Alexander-Gai Brigade.
- Since June - the head of the 25th Infantry Division, which participated in the Bugulma and Belebeev operations against Kolchak's army.
- The capture by the forces of his division on June 9, 1919 of Ufa.
- The capture of Uralsk.
- A deep raid by a Cossack detachment with an attack on the well-guarded (about 1000 bayonets) and located in the deep rear of the city of Lbischensk (now the village of Chapaev, West Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan), where the headquarters of the 25th division was located.
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Commander-in-Chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. One of the most famous and beloved by the people of military heroes!
Makarov Stepan Osipovich
Russian oceanographer, polar explorer, shipbuilder, vice admiral. Developed the Russian semaphore alphabet. A worthy person, on the list of worthy ones!
Platov Matvei Ivanovich
Military ataman of the Don Cossack army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A member of several military companies, he is best known as the commander of the 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 Cossacks alone, then I would conquer all of Europe.
Rurikovich Yaroslav the Wise Vladimirovich
He devoted his life to defending the Fatherland. Defeated the Pechenegs. He established the Russian state as one of the greatest states of his time.
Rurikovich (Grozny) Ivan Vasilyevich
In the variety of perceptions of Ivan the Terrible, they often forget about his unconditional talent and achievements as a commander. He personally led the capture of Kazan and organized military reform, leading the country, which simultaneously waged 2-3 wars on different fronts.
Momyshuly Bauyrzhan
Fidel Castro called him a hero of World War II.
He brilliantly put into practice the tactics developed by Major General I.V. Panfilov of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, which later received the name "Momyshuly's spiral".
Dolgorukov Yury Alekseevich
An outstanding statesman and military leader of the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, prince. Commanding the Russian army in Lithuania, in 1658 he defeated hetman V. Gonsevsky in the battle of Verki, taking him prisoner. This was the first time after 1500 when a Russian governor captured the hetman. In 1660, at the head of an army sent under Mogilev, besieged by the Polish-Lithuanian troops, he won a strategic victory over the enemy on the Basya River near the village of Gubarevo, forcing hetmans P. Sapega and S. Czarnetsky to retreat from the city. Thanks to the actions of Dolgorukov, the "front line" in Belarus along the Dnieper was preserved until the end of the war of 1654-1667. In 1670, he led an army sent to fight against the Cossacks of Stenka Razin, in the shortest possible time suppressed the Cossack rebellion, which later led to the Don Cossacks swearing allegiance to the tsar and the transformation of the Cossacks from robbers into "sovereign servants".
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
Finnish war.
Strategic retreat in the first half of 1812
European campaign of 1812
Kazarsky Alexander Ivanovich
Captain Lieutenant. Member of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. He distinguished himself in the capture of Anapa, then Varna, commanding the Rival transport. After that, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and appointed captain of the Mercury brig. On May 14, 1829, the 18-gun brig "Mercury" was overtaken by two Turkish battleships "Selimiye" and "Real Bey". Having accepted an unequal battle, the brig was able to immobilize both Turkish flagships, one of which was the commander of the Ottoman fleet himself. Subsequently, an officer from Real Bey wrote: “In the continuation of the battle, the commander of the Russian frigate (the infamous Raphael, which surrendered without a fight a few days earlier) told me that the captain of this brig would not give up, and if he lost hope, then he would blow up the brig If in the great deeds of ancient and our times there are feats of courage, then this act should overshadow all of them, and the name of this hero is worthy to be inscribed in gold letters on the temple of Glory: he is called Lieutenant Commander Kazarsky, and the brig is "Mercury"
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.
He led the Red Army to Berlin and Port Arthur.
Gagen Nikolai Alexandrovich
On June 22, trains with units of the 153rd Infantry Division arrived in Vitebsk. Covering the city from the west, the Hagen division (together with the heavy artillery regiment attached to the division) occupied a 40 km long defense zone, it was opposed by the 39th German motorized corps.
After 7 days of fierce fighting, the battle formations of the division were not broken through. The Germans no longer contacted the division, bypassed it and continued the offensive. The division flashed in the message of the German radio as destroyed. Meanwhile, the 153rd Rifle Division, without ammunition and fuel, began to break through the ring. Hagen led the division out of the encirclement with heavy weapons.
For the steadfastness and heroism shown during the Yelninskaya operation on September 18, 1941, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 308, the division received the honorary name "Guards".
From 01/31/1942 to 09/12/1942 and from 10/21/1942 to 04/25/1943 - commander of the 4th Guards Rifle Corps,
from May 1943 to October 1944 - commander of the 57th Army,
from January 1945 - the 26th Army.
The troops under the leadership of N. A. Hagen participated in the Sinyavino operation (moreover, the general managed to break out of the encirclement with weapons in his hands for the second time), the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, battles in the Left-Bank and Right-Bank Ukraine, in the liberation of Bulgaria, in Iasi-Kishinev, Belgrade, Budapest, Balaton and Vienna operations. Member of the Victory Parade.
Saltykov Pyotr Semyonovich
The commander-in-chief of the Russian army in the Seven Years' War, was the main architect of the key victories of the Russian troops.
Gorbaty-Shuisky Alexander Borisovich
Hero of the Kazan War, the first governor of Kazan
Shein Mikhail Borisovich
Governor Shein - the hero and leader of the unprecedented defense of Smolensk in 1609-16011. This fortress decided a lot in the fate of Russia!
Benigsen Leonty
An unfairly forgotten commander. Having won several battles against Napoleon and his marshals, he drew two battles with Napoleon, losing one battle. Participated in the battle of Borodino. One of the contenders for the post of commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Patriotic War of 1812!
Maximov Evgeny Yakovlevich
Russian hero of the Transvaal War. He was a volunteer in fraternal Serbia, participating in the Russian-Turkish war. At the beginning of the 20th century, the British began to wage war against a small people, the Boers. Japanese war. In addition to his military career, he distinguished himself in the literary field.
Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich
His army won the Kulikovo victory.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He personally took part in the planning and implementation of ALL offensive and defensive operations of the Red Army in the period 1941-1945.
Grachev Pavel Sergeevich
Hero of the Soviet Union. May 5, 1988 "for the performance of combat missions with minimal casualties and for the professional command of a controlled formation and the successful actions of the 103rd Airborne Division, in particular, to occupy the strategically important pass Satukandav (Khost province) during the military operation" Highway " "Received the Gold Star medal No. 11573. Commander of the Airborne Forces of the USSR. In total, during his military service, he made 647 parachute jumps, some of them while testing new equipment.
He was shell-shocked 8 times, received several wounds. Suppressed the armed coup in Moscow and thereby saved the system of democracy. As Minister of Defense, he made great efforts to preserve the remnants of the army - a task that few people had in the history of Russia. Only because of the collapse of the army and a decrease in the number of military equipment in the Armed Forces, he could not end the Chechen war victoriously.
Dzhugashvili Iosif Vissarionovich
Gathered and coordinated a team of talented military leaders
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
He is a great commander who did not lose a single (!) Battle, the founder of Russian military affairs, brilliantly fought battles, regardless of its conditions.
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich
The Cossack general, the "thunderstorm of the Caucasus", Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the endless Caucasian war of the century before last, fits perfectly into the image of Russia familiar to the West. A gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of mountaineers and Poles, an enemy of political correctness and democracy in all their manifestations. But it was precisely such people who obtained the most difficult victory for the empire in a long-term confrontation with the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the unkind local nature.
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Greatest Commander and Diplomat!!! Who utterly defeated the troops of the "first European Union" !!!
Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky Pyotr Alexandrovich
Bagration, Denis Davydov...
The war of 1812, the glorious names of Bagration, Barclay, Davydov, Platov. An example of honor and courage.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
To a person to whom this name does not say anything - there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something - and so everything is clear.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that of the army general - but before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
He liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Keniksberg.
One of the few who pushed 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. He kept Voronezh. Freed Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943. Having formed the top of the Kursk Bulge with his army. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. Take Kyiv. Repelled Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out the operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured by his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly marched through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.
Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich
Air Marshal of the USSR, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, a symbol of victory over the Nazi Wehrmacht in the air, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).
Participating in air battles of the Great Patriotic War, he developed and "tested" in battles a new tactic of air combat, which made it possible to seize the initiative in the air and eventually defeat the fascist Luftwaffe. In fact, he created a whole school of aces of the Second World War. Commanding the 9th Guards Air Division, he continued to personally participate in air battles, scoring 65 air victories over the entire period of the war.
Yulaev Salavat
The commander of the Pugachev era (1773-1775). Together with Pugachev, having organized an uprising, he tried to change the position of the peasants in society. He won several dinners over the troops of Catherine II.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
The only one of the commanders, who on 06/22/1941 carried out the order of the Stavka, counterattacked the Germans, threw them back in his sector and went on the offensive.
Loris-Melikov Mikhail Tarielovich
Known mainly as one of the secondary characters in the story "Hadji Murad" by L.N. Tolstoy, Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov went through all the Caucasian and Turkish campaigns of the second half of the middle of the 19th century.
Having shown himself excellently during the Caucasian War, during the Kars campaign of the Crimean War, Loris-Melikov led intelligence, and then successfully served as commander-in-chief during the difficult Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, having won a number of important victories over the united Turkish troops and in the third once captured Kars, by that time considered impregnable.
Blucher, Tukhachevsky
Blucher, Tukhachevsky and the whole galaxy of heroes of the Civil War. Don't forget Budyonny!
Slashchev Yakov Alexandrovich
A talented commander who repeatedly showed personal courage in defending the Fatherland in the First World War. He assessed the rejection of the revolution and hostility to the new government as secondary compared to serving the interests of the Motherland.
Antonov Alexey Innokentievich
He became famous as a talented staff officer. Participated in the development of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War since December 1942.
The only one of all the awarded Soviet military leaders with the Order of Victory in the rank of army general, and the only Soviet holder of the order who was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich
Hero of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813 At one time they called the Caucasian Suvorov. On October 19, 1812, at the Aslanduz ford across the Araks, at the head of a detachment of 2221 people with 6 guns, Pyotr Stepanovich defeated the Persian army of 30,000 people with 12 guns. In other battles, he also acted not by number, but by skill.
Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich
Hero of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813
"General Meteor" and "Caucasian Suvorov".
He fought not in numbers, but in skill - first, 450 Russian soldiers attacked 1,200 Persian sardars in the Migri fortress and took it, then 500 of our soldiers and Cossacks attacked 5,000 askers at the crossing over the Araks. More than 700 enemies were exterminated, only 2,500 Persian fighters managed to escape from ours.
In both cases, our losses are less than 50 killed and up to 100 wounded.
Further, in the war against the Turks, with a swift attack, 1000 Russian soldiers defeated the 2000th garrison of the Akhalkalaki fortress.
Then, again in the Persian direction, he cleared Karabakh of the enemy, and then, with 2,200 soldiers, defeated Abbas-Mirza with a 30,000-strong army near Aslanduz, a village near the Araks River. In two battles, he destroyed more than 10,000 enemies, including English advisers and artillerymen.
As usual, Russian losses were 30 killed and 100 wounded.
Kotlyarevsky won most of his victories in night assaults on fortresses and enemy camps, preventing the enemies from coming to their senses.
The last campaign - 2000 Russians against 7000 Persians to the fortress of Lankaran, where Kotlyarevsky almost died during the assault, lost consciousness at times from blood loss and pain from wounds, but still, until the final victory, he commanded the troops as soon as he regained consciousness, and after that he was forced to be treated for a long time and move away from military affairs.
His feats for the glory of Russia are much cooler than the "300 Spartans" - for our generals and warriors have repeatedly beaten a 10-fold superior enemy, and suffered minimal losses, saving Russian lives.
Senyavin Dmitry Nikolaevich Alexander Konovaltsev
Minikh Khristofor Antonovich
Due to the ambiguous attitude to the period of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the largely underestimated commander, who was the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops throughout her reign.
Commander of the Russian troops during the War of the Polish Succession and architect of the victory of Russian weapons in the Russo-Turkish War of 1735-1739.
Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich
There are no outstanding military figures of the period from the Troubles to the Northern War on the project, although there were such. An example of this is G.G. Romodanovsky.
Descended from the family of Starodub princes.
Member of the sovereign's campaign against Smolensk in 1654. In September 1655, together with the Ukrainian Cossacks, he defeated the Poles near Gorodok (not far from Lvov), in November of the same year he fought in the battle of Ozernaya. In 1656 he received the rank of roundabout and headed the Belgorod category. In 1658 and 1659 participated in hostilities against the betrayed hetman Vygovsky and the Crimean Tatars, besieged Varva and fought near Konotop (Romodanovsky's troops withstood a heavy battle at the crossing over the Kukolka River). In 1664, he played a decisive role in repelling the invasion of 70 thousand army of the Polish king on the Left-Bank Ukraine, inflicted a number of sensitive blows on it. In 1665 he was granted a boyar. In 1670, he acted against the Razints - he defeated the detachment of the ataman's brother, Frol. The crown of Romodanovsky's military activity is the war with the Ottoman Empire. In 1677 and 1678 troops under his leadership inflicted heavy defeats on the Ottomans. An interesting moment: both main defendants in the battle of Vienna in 1683 were defeated by G.G. Romodanovsky: Sobessky with his king in 1664 and Kara Mustafa in 1678
The prince died on May 15, 1682 during the Streltsy uprising in Moscow.
Peter the First
Because he not only won the lands of his fathers, but also approved the status of Russia as a power!
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich
He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.
Stalin (Dzhugashvilli) Joseph
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
Russian military leader, political and public figure, writer, memoirist, publicist and military documentary.
Member of the Russo-Japanese War. One of the most productive generals of the Russian Imperial Army during the First World War. Commander of the 4th Rifle "Iron" Brigade (1914-1916, since 1915 - deployed under his command into a division), 8th Army Corps (1916-1917). Lieutenant General of the General Staff (1916), commander of the Western and Southwestern Fronts (1917). An active participant in the military congresses of 1917, an opponent of the democratization of the army. He expressed support for the Kornilov speech, for which he was arrested by the Provisional Government, a member of the Berdichevsky and Bykhov sittings of generals (1917).
One of the main leaders of the White movement during the Civil War, its leader in the South of Russia (1918-1920). He achieved the greatest military and political results among all the leaders of the White movement. Pioneer, one of the main organizers, and then commander of the Volunteer Army (1918-1919). Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (1919-1920), Deputy Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Admiral Kolchak (1919-1920).
Since April 1920 - an emigrant, one of the main political figures of the Russian emigration. The author of the memoirs "Essays on the Russian Troubles" (1921-1926) - a fundamental historical and biographical work about the Civil War in Russia, the memoirs "The Old Army" (1929-1931), the autobiographical story "The Way of the Russian Officer" (published in 1953) and a number of other works.
Kolovrat Evpaty Lvovich
Ryazan boyar and governor. During the Batu invasion of Ryazan, he was in Chernigov. Having learned about the invasion of the Mongols, he hastily moved to the city. Having caught Ryazan all incinerated, Evpaty Kolovrat with a detachment of 1700 people began to catch up with Batu's army. Having overtaken them, he destroyed their rearguard. He also killed the strong heroes of the Batyevs. He died on January 11, 1238.
Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the second son of Emperor Paul I, received the title of Tsarevich in 1799 for participation in the Swiss campaign of A.V. Suvorov, retaining it until 1831. In the Battle of Austrlitz, he commanded the Guards Reserve of the Russian Army, took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, and distinguished himself in the foreign campaigns of the Russian Army. For the "battle of the peoples" at Leipzig in 1813 he received the "golden weapon" "For courage!". Inspector General of the Russian Cavalry, since 1826 Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland.
John 4 Vasilyevich
Saltykov Pyotr Semyonovich
The most important successes of the Russian army in the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763 are associated with his name. Winner in the battles of Palzig,
In the battle of Kunersdorf, having defeated the Prussian king Frederick II the Great, Berlin was taken by the troops of Totleben and Chernyshev.
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 in comparison with 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.
Chichagov Vasily Yakovlevich
He excellently commanded the Baltic Fleet in the campaigns of 1789 and 1790. He won victories in the battle of Eland (15/07/1789), in Revel (02/05/1790) and Vyborg (06/22/1790) battles. After the last two defeats, which were of strategic importance, the dominance of the Baltic Fleet became unconditional, and this forced the Swedes to make peace. There are few such examples in the history of Russia when victories at sea led to victory in the war. And by the way, the battle of Vyborg was one of the largest in world history in terms of the number of ships and people.
Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich
A man of great courage, a great tactician, organizer. M.D. Skobelev possessed strategic thinking, saw the situation, both in real time and in perspective
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
In the conditions of the decomposition of the Russian state during the Time of Troubles, with minimal material and human resources, he created an army that defeated the Polish-Lithuanian interventionists and liberated most of the Russian state.
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich
Commander of the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.
Peter I the Great
Emperor of All Russia (1721-1725), before that, Tsar of All Rus'. He won the Great Northern War (1700-1721). This victory finally opened free access to the Baltic Sea. Under his rule, Russia (the Russian Empire) became a Great Power.
Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin
Hero of the First and Second World Wars, a commander who symbolizes the path of our army from the double-headed eagle to the red banner ...
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
He commanded a tank corps, the 60th Army, from April 1944 - the 3rd Belorussian Front. He showed a bright talent and especially distinguished himself during the Belarusian and East Prussian operations. Distinguished by the ability to conduct highly maneuverable combat operations. Mortally wounded in February 1945.
Some statesmen will always be remembered. One of these odious figures was Arakcheev. A brief biography will not reveal all the facets of this reformer and close associate of Alexander the First, but will allow you to get acquainted with the main areas of activity of the talented minister of war. Usually his surname is associated with drill. He really liked order.
short biography
Arakcheev Alexey Andreevich was born into a noble family. For a long time, the place of his birth was not fully established. Today it is believed that this happened in Garusovo on September 23, 1769.
Primary education was provided to the young Arakcheev by a rural deacon. In order to enter the artillery cadet corps, two hundred rubles were required. This amount was unbearable for an impoverished family. Assistance was provided by Peter Ivanovich Melissino.
The young man not only studied. He gave lessons to the sons of Count Saltykov. This helped him in his later career. It was Saltykov who introduced Alexei Andreevich as an artillery officer for the heir to the throne. Pavel Petrovich valued him as a "master of drill".
During the reign of Paul
When Pavel Petrovich ascended the throne, the biography of Arakcheev changed significantly. Briefly, we can say that he received a new rank, was awarded several awards, he was granted the title of baron.
The most important award was the provision of land with two thousand peasants. Alexei Andreevich chose the village of Gruzino, where he spent the last years of his life.
The location of the ruler was short-lived. In 1798, Arakcheev was removed from service, making him a lieutenant general. Relations with the emperor can hardly be called stable. Arakcheev was continually dismissed and resumed in the service. In 1799 he was granted the title of count.
During the reign of Alexander
During his service, Alexei Arakcheev, whose brief biography we are considering, became close to Alexander Pavlovich. In 1801 he ascended the throne.
Arakcheev became chairman of a special commission for the transformation of artillery. The weapons have been improved.
In 1805 he personally took part in the Battle of Austerlitz. His infantry division attacked Murat's lancers. The mission failed, and the commander was wounded.
In 1808 he was appointed Minister of War. A short biography and reforms of Arakcheev were connected with military affairs. So he simplified and shortened correspondence, established training battalions, raised the level of special education for artillery officers, and improved the material part of the troops. All these actions had a positive impact on the wars of subsequent years.
Role in the war with Napoleon
The Patriotic War with Napoleon did not bypass the biography of Arakcheev. Briefly, we can say that he was engaged in supplying the Russian army with food and reserves. It was he who provided the rear with everything necessary. Through the hands of the count passed the secret orders of the sovereign. He was the one who organized the militias.
Arakcheev was able to persuade the emperor not to become the supreme commander of the Russian army. Perhaps he was one of those who influenced the decision of the sovereign that Kutuzov became the commander. There is evidence that the count treated Kutuzov very well.
military settlements
A brief biography of Arakcheev would not be complete without a mention of military settlements. It is he who is credited with this crazy idea. In fact, Alexander the First proposed it. Designed the idea Speransky. Arakcheev, contrary to his opinion, was entrusted to implement it. Why were military settlements needed?
The War of 1812 showed how important it was to have a trained reserve. But it was very costly for the state. And it was getting harder and harder to get recruits. The emperor decided that a soldier could become a peasant and vice versa.
In 1817, Arakcheev began to embody the desire of the emperor in life. He did it with merciless consistency, not caring about people's gossip.
Many military settlements were created according to the same type of plan. They housed people with families. Life was strictly regulated, that is, painted to the smallest detail. People had to wake up at a strictly appointed time, eat, work, and so on. The same was true for children. Men had to be trained in military affairs and run the household, providing themselves with food. In the settlements they had to live always, and if necessary, they went to war.
The problem was that artificially created settlements did not take into account the human factor. People could not live under constant control. Many found a way out in alcohol, others committed suicide.
The idea failed not only because of the ill-conceived details. There has always been a problem of bribery in Russia. Arakcheev could not eradicate it. In those settlements that he personally dealt with, soldiers and peasants lived quite well, while in the rest, riots were often staged due to hunger, humiliation, and poverty. They were suppressed by force. After a while, Count Kleinmichel was appointed to manage everything.
Under Nicholas
Alexander the First died in 1825. Nicholas I came to power. His reign began with the Decembrist uprising. Some of the officers wanted to prevent the troops and the Senate from swearing allegiance to the tsar. This would have prevented Nicholas I from assuming the throne and would have allowed the establishment of a provisional government. So the rebels wanted to begin the liberalization of the Russian system.
Count Arakcheev, whose brief biography is reviewed in the article, refused to take part in the suppression of the uprising. As a result, the king dismissed him. The participants in the uprising were sent into exile, and the five most ardent activists were executed.
The Count was dismissed on indefinite medical leave. He was in the service until 1832.
The personal life of the count did not work out. In 1806 he married Natalya Khomutova from a noble family. But soon they parted. In Gruzino, he cohabited with Nastasya Shumskaya, who ran the entire household on the estate while the owner was away. She was killed by peasants in 1825 for countless bullying.
From 1827 he took care of his estate in Gruzino. Arakcheev opened a hospital there, improved the life of the peasants.
Alexei Andreevich passed away on 04/21/1834. The ashes were buried in Gruzino. The estate itself was completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War.
Activities
Arakcheev, whose brief biography and activities are connected with the reign of Alexander the First, was distinguished by honesty and integrity. He fought bribery.
The main directions of its activity:
- public service;
- military service;
- army reform;
- establishment of military settlements;
- a project to grant freedom to serfs.
At various times, a person was evaluated as a cruel executor of the royal will, a royal serf, a reactionary. Over time, this opinion has changed. Today he is considered a worthy military figure in the history of Russia.
