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Pyotr Rumyantsev

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the nobile family, seeRumyantsev family.
In this name that followsEastern Slavic naming customs,thepatronymicisAlexandrovichand thefamily nameisRumyantsev.

Count
Pyotr Rumyantsev
Zadunaisky
Пётр Румянцев
Portrait by an unknown artist, 1770s
General Governor of Little Russia
Little Russian Collegium Chair
In office
1764–1786
MonarchCatherine the Great
Preceded byoffice revived(replacing theHetman of Zaporizhian HostKirill Razumovsky)
Succeeded byoffice liquidated(himself as General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky)
General Governor of KurskNamestnichestvo
In office
1779–1781
MonarchCatherine the Great
Preceded byoffice created
Succeeded byAlexander Prozorovsky
General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, and Novgorod-SeverskyNamestnichestvos
In office
1782–1796
MonarchsCatherine the Great(1782–1796),Paul I(1796)
DeputyMikhail Krechetnikov(1791–1793),Iosif Igelström(1793–1794)
Preceded byoffice created
Succeeded byoffice liquidated
Personal details
Born
Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev

(1725-01-15)15 January 1725
Stroiești,[1]Crown of the Kingdom of PolandorMoscow,[2][3]Russian Empire
Died19 December 1796(1796-12-19)(aged 71)
Tashan,Pereyaslavsky Uyezd,Poltava Governorate,Russian Empire
AwardsSee§ Awards
Military service
AllegianceRussian Empire
Branch/serviceImperial Russian Army
RankField Marshal
Battles/wars
Tree List:

CountPyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky[a](Russian:Пётр Александрович Румянцев-Задунайский;[b]15 January [O.S.4 January] 1725 – 19 December [O.S.8 December] 1796) was one of the foremostRussiangeneralsof the 18th century, and is widely considered to be one of Russia's greatest military leaders,[4][5]and one of the greatest military commanders in military history.[6][7]He is noted as one of the three best and most talented Russian military leaders of the time period, along withAlexander SuvorovandGrigory Potemkin.[8]Rumyantsev used mobiledivisionalsquaresfor the first time in history as opposed tolinearbattle orders and initiated the formation oflight(jaeger)battalionsin theRussian Army,which operated in a scattered order.[9]

He governedLittle Russia[10]in the name of EmpressCatherine the Greatfrom the abolition of theCossack Hetmanatein 1764 until Catherine's death 32 years later. Monuments to his victories include theKagul ObeliskinTsarskoye Selo(1772), theRumyantsev ObeliskonVasilievsky Island(1798–1801), and a galaxy ofDerzhavin's odes.

Early life

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Main articles:War of the Austrian Succession,Russo-Swedish War (1741–43),andSeven Years' War

Pyotr came from theRussian nobleRumyantsev family.[11]He was the only son of CountAlexander Rumyantsev,and was born in the village ofStroiești(modernMoldova/Transnistria),[1]byMaria,the daughter and heiress of CountAndrey Matveyev.According to other versions, he was born inMoscow,and the Moldovan version of the birth is called legendary.[2][3]As his mother spent much time in the company ofPeter the Great,rumours suggested that the young Rumyantsev was the monarch's illegitimate son. He was named after the ruling Emperor who was his godfather. He was the brother ofPraskovya Bruce,confidant ofCatherine the Great.

Pyotr Alexandrovich first saw military service under his nominal father in thewar with Sweden(1741–1743). He personally carried to the Empress the peacetreaty of Åbo,concluded by his father in 1743. Thereupon he gained promotion to the rank of colonel.

His first military glory dates from the great battles of theSeven Years' War(1756–1763), those ofGross-Jägersdorf(1757) andKunersdorf(1759). In 1761 hebesieged and took the Pomeranian fortress of Kolberg,[12][13]which had twice been unsuccessfully beleaguered by other Russia's commanders; thus clearing for Russian armies the path toBerlin.The siege of Kolberg of 1761 was an important milestone in the development of Russian military art. Here Rumyantsev pioneered a new tactic — the action of troops inbattalion(regimental) columns, combined with a scattered formation ofjaegers.[14]

First Russo-Turkish War

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TheRumyantsev Obelisk(1799–1801) was moved from theField of MarstoSt. Andrew's CathedralbyCarlo Rossiin 1818.
Main article:Russo-Turkish War (1768–74)

Throughout the reign ofCatherine the Great,Rumyantsev served as supreme governor ofLittle Russia.In this post, which his father had held with so much honesty, Rumyantsev made it his priority to eliminate any autonomy of thehetmansand to fully incorporate the newly conquered territories into theRussian Empire.Some accuse him of having promotedserfdominNew Russia,but the choice of such a policy remained out of his control.

With the outbreak of theRusso-Turkish warin 1768, Rumyantsev took command of the army sent to captureAzov.He thoroughly defeated theTurksin the battles ofStănilești,Larga,andKagul,crossed theDanubeand advanced toRomania.For these dazzling victories he becameField-Marshaland gained thevictory titleZadunaisky(meaning "Trans-Danubian" ). When his forces approachedShumlain 1774, the new SultanAbdul Hamid Istarted to panic and sued for peace, which Rumyanstev signed upon a military tambourineat the village of Küçük Kaynarca.

Second Russo-Turkish War

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Main articles:Russo-Turkish War (1787–92)andKościuszko Uprising

By that point, Rumyantsev had undoubtedly become the most famous Russian commander. Other Catharinian generals, notablyPotemkin,allegedly regarded his fame with such jealousy that they wouldn't permit him to take the command again. In times of peace, Rumyantsev expressed his innovative views on the martial art in theInstructions(1761),Customs of Military Service(1770), and theThoughts(1777). These works provided a theoretical base for the re-organisation of the Russian army undertaken by Potemkin.

During theSecond Russo-Turkish War,Rumyantsev suspected Potemkin of deliberately curtailing supplies of his army and presently resigned his command. In thePolish campaign of 1794he once again won appointment ascommander-in-chief,but his rivalSuvorovactually led the armies into battle. On this occasion Rumyantsev didn't bother even to leave his Ukrainian manor atTashanwhich he had rebuilt into a fortress. He died there on 19 December 1796, just over a month after Catherine's death, and was interred in theKievPechersk Lavra.

As the story goes, old Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky grew enormously fat and avaricious, so that he pretended not to recognize his own sons when they came from the capital to ask for money. Under his son Sergey's administration, Tashan fell into ruins, although he erected amausoleumnearBalashikhafor his father's reburial (which never took place). Neither Sergey nor his brotherNikolay Petrovich Rumyantsevmarried, and the comital branch of theRumyantsev familybecame extinct upon their death.

Awards

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Rumyantsev was awarded the following honors:[9]

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Portraits:
  • Portrait of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.[c] Unknown artist of the late 18th century.
    Portrait of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.[c]Unknown artist of the late 18th century.
  • Portrait of Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. Painting of the 1790s by Salvatore Tonci.
    Portrait of Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. Painting of the 1790s bySalvatore Tonci.
  • Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, 18th century, unknown author
    Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, 18th century, unknown author
Related architecture:

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toPyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.

Notes

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  1. ^His namePyotris also anglicized asPeter.
    The full name is alsotransliteratedasPyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky.
  2. ^Pre-1918 orthography:Петръ Александровичъ Румянцевъ-Задунайскій
  3. ^The portrait shows Rumyantsev in a fieldmarshal's uniform with gold embroidery on the collar, sides, and sleeves. Ribbons of the Orders of St. Andrew and St. George 1st Class are worn over the caftan. On the chest of the Field Marshal are embroidered stars of these awards.
  4. ^A number of researchers called the famous architect of the projectVasily Bazhenov,others attribute the construction toM. F. Kazakov.There is no consensus on the issue; it is possible that both the architects were involved in the project.

References

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  1. ^abVartichan & Andrunakievich (1982), p. 535
  2. ^abKorobkov 1947,p. 5.
  3. ^abMeerovich 1987,p. 8.
  4. ^Longworth, Philip (1966).The Art of Victory: The Life and Achievements of Field-Marshal Suvorov, 1729-1800(1st ed.). Holt, Rinehart & Winston. p. 28.
  5. ^Шишов, Алексей (2008).100 великих военачальников[100 Great Military Leaders] (in Russian). Вече. pp. 183–188.ISBN978-5-9533-2594-3.
  6. ^Bodart 1908,p. 789.
  7. ^Волковский, Н. Л., ed. (2003).История русской армии: В 7 т.[History of the Russian Army: In 7 volumes. Volume 1: From the birth of Rus' to the War of 1812.] (in Russian). Vol. 1: От зарождения Руси до войны 1812 г. ООО «Издательство Полигон». pp. 326, 348.ISBN5-89173-205-X.
  8. ^Волковский, Н. Л., ed. (2003).История русской армии: В 7 т.[History of the Russian Army: In 7 volumes. Volume 1: From the birth of Rus' to the War of 1812.] (in Russian). Vol. 1: От зарождения Руси до войны 1812 г. ООО «Издательство Полигон». pp. 298, 493.ISBN5-89173-205-X.
  9. ^ab"РУМЯНЦЕВ-ЗАДУНАЙСКИЙ ПЁТР АЛЕКСАНДРОВИЧ • Great Russian Encyclopedia – Electronic version".old.bigenc.ru.2023.Retrieved11 August2023.
  10. ^Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911)."Bezborodko, Aleksander Andreevich".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 840.
  11. ^Kuzmin 2017.
  12. ^Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911)."Elizabeth Petrovna".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 285.
  13. ^"Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, Count Zadunaysky | Russian military officer".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved30 August2019.
  14. ^Tashlykov 2016.

Sources

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Government offices
Preceded byasHetman of Zaporizhian Host Governor-General of Little Russia
1764–1781 		Succeeded by
himself
as General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov and Novgorod-Siversky
Preceded by
himself
as General Governor of Little Russia 		General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, Novgorod-Siversky
1782–1796 		Succeeded byas General Governor of Little Russia (Kamenets-Podolsky)
Succeeded byas General Governor of Kiev
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