Few of the heroes of Russian history underwent such an artistic deformation as Count Aleksey G. Orlov. Many have worked on it: artists, writers, filmmakers. Well, for example, Nikolay Eremenko, a wonderful actor in the image of the sinister heartthrob and destroyer of the innocent darling Princess Tarakanova, succeeded ...
Meanwhile, the biography of Aleksey Orlov in its pure form without artistic coloring fully deserves a thoughtful reading. Firstly, it is interesting in itself. Secondly, this story really fits into the concept of "Russian distance" in the format of the XVIII century. The man was unique.
Family Genetics: Courage and Fidelity
Alexei Grigorievich Orlov’s family history is in perfect order. There was no science of genetics at that time, but the laws of heredity worked as expected: the famous Oryol courage was passed down from generation to generation without any decline in quality.
One grandfather Ivan Ivanovich was worth what. Being a Moscow streletsky lieutenant colonel, he actively participated in the same revolt of the same name, after which thousands of heads flew off his shoulders. The head of Ivan Orlov survived. Peter the Great himself pardoned him for the dare when he before the execution pushed the emperor away from the chopping block: “Well, move on, Pyotr Alekseevich, this is my place, not yours.”
Father Grigory Ivanovich Orlov also proved to be quite heroic in military service in both Turkish and Swedish campaigns. He had personal awards from the emperor, rose to the rank of major general and already carried out complex political assignments. For example, he dealt with corruption schemes in the Vyatka province in order to present the governor there for bribes. As a result, Grigory Ivanovich was appointed governor of Novgorod with the rank of real state adviser. Great retirement, one can only envy.
Five sons, Ivan, Gregory, Alexei, Fedor and Vladimir, were completely different both in appearance and in character. Their fates were also not similar. The most famous and deserved was the middle son Alex. He was the leader in this five from the very beginning.
Do not confuse with Alexei Grigoryevich Bobrinsky
In the course of research of historical sources about the graph, a collision was found with the namesake of the hero, with whom he is often confused. We are talking about Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov - the son of Catherine the Second and her favorite Grigory Orlov. He was born before Catherine came to power, so he was immediately taken away to live in another family. The boy never bore the name Orlov, he was named Count Bobrinsky. Not remarkable for anything. For the affairs and exploits of Alexei Orlov, the son of Catherine had nothing to do. These are completely different people in every way.
If we talk about the illegitimate son of Alexei Orlov, then the information about the birth of Alexander Alekseevich Chesmensky is vague: they do not have the name of the mother. But such a person was a real figure. The son of Alexei Grigorievich Orlov rightfully from his father bore the name Chesmensky, rose to the rank of major general and behaved quite heroically in wars. And here Oryol genetics.
Adventurer and conspirator: killed or not killed?
This, of course, is about Peter the Third - the non-merry wife of Ekaterina Alekseevna. This story is known to all and repeatedly beaten. Most often in the biography of Count Alexei Orlov, the main point is precisely this episode (in vain, I must say). The Orlov brothers were part of the party of young military men from the guards regiments formed around Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseevna. Their goal was simple and clear: to give power to Catherine, and to excommunicate the rightful heir from the throne once and for all. The main coordinator of the entire palace plot was none other than the middle brother Alexei Orlov. Catherine gained power thanks precisely to his courage and composure. The Empress became the eternal debtor of the Orlov family. It should be noted that in the end this fact of happiness did not bring any of the brothers.
It is one thing to put the Grand Duchess on the throne. It is completely different to deal with the legal emperor. Alexey Grigoryevich was a member of a small initiative group dealing with this slippery and reputation-hazardous issue. The abdication of Peter the Third was torn out. But in the matter of the murder of the emperor, there is continuous fog, stereotypes and historical cliches.
Foes loved to call Alexei Grigorievich regicide. They did this often and with pleasure: "he was a regicide in the soul." The main argument for a long time was the famous note by Alexei Orlov to Catherine, in which he allegedly confessed to the murder of the emperor. But it wasn’t just a letter, but only a copy of it, which was in the hands of the Oryol detractors (there were many of them). Modern historians are inclined to the version of a fake document and to the fact that Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov had only an indirect relation to the death of Peter the Third.
But what can be said with accuracy is about the many services that no one else could do for Catherine. By the way, Alexey Orlov has never been an imperial favorite.
Secret missions
Here is just one example of missions that few people know about. Three years before the Chesme epic, Count Orlov arrived in Moscow on the secret order of the empress. He needed to investigate the numerous riots that occurred in different places in central Russia. The audience in the investigation was not easy - it was the Don Cossacks, who established contacts with the Tatars who lived in the neighborhood. Their joint plans had many unpleasant and even dangerous intentions - to raise, for example, an uprising in Ukraine.
The concentration of Tatars at the borders became critical, the danger of rebellion with secret support from Turkey took on a threatening character. Such a situation could lead to an armed clash with Turkey, which was highly undesirable in that political situation.
Alexey Grigorievich faced the most difficult task: to nullify the risk of war with the Turks, put out the Tatar unrest, understand the behavior of the Cossack hetman. He wandered around to different places, collected information, made conclusions, met the right people, and eventually eliminated the political crisis.
Russian-Turkish war of Alexei Orlov: ideology
Few people know about these details. And they characterize Alexei Grigoryevich as an international strategist much more fully and more reliably than an international conflict with Princess Tarakanova.
It is possible that it was Count Alexei Orlov who initiated the practice of a noble mission as an argument for the outbreak of hostilities. It will never be possible to find out if he was sincere in his new "Greek" ideology. Or a beautiful case with the restoration of ancient culture (at the same time as Egyptian) was specially invented to cover a simple and clear imperial goal - Russia's access to the Black Sea. One thing is clear: Alexei Grigoryevich wrote a bright and non-standard page in Russian military history. That's how it was.
The background and multifaceted political intrigues on the international platform were long. The war began in 1768, when Russia invaded the Shining Port. But here only the “Oryol” episode of the war, which occurred in the Mediterranean Sea in Italy, is of interest.
The restoration of Greece and the liberation of Egypt from the Muslim Turkish yoke - this is the main idea of ​​a military operation plan as part of the earl’s first expedition to the Mediterranean Sea. For Turkey, the appearance of the Russian fleet on this side was highly unexpected. The key argument was the mood of the Greeks and Turkish Slavs, who were very unhappy with Ottoman rule. To send a military squadron whose actions would be supported by local uprisings of the Greeks and other discontented - that was what had to be done immediately in the light of the situation. To implement the plan, Orlov proposed himself, with which Catherine immediately agreed. The mission included more than just fleet command. The task was much more difficult: to raise the Christian Balkans against the Turkish dictate and to draw their forces from the Black Sea coast.
Chesme victory and Oryol genetics
It is useful to recall that July 7 is the Day of the military glory of Russia in honor of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish precisely in the Chesme battle. In most sources, this naval battle is described as a heroic brilliant victory for Russian weapons: four ships and a firebrand attacked the Turkish fleet at night and set it on fire. The Turks were almost completely burnt out, and the Russian squadron remained intact, preventing the Basurmans from extinguishing fires and escaping.
In fact, everything did not happen, and this is most interesting. The plan and the campaign, as well as the battle itself, were, of course, an adventure of clear water. The first squadron (and there were two) barely made it from Arkhangelsk to Gibraltar, with breakdowns and the loss of several ships. The sailors were mowed by illness, now almost half of the crew consisted of Danes hired in Copenhagen. As a result, the first to reach the destination was only one "Saint Eustache" with a broken mast. Gradually, another six ships pulled themselves together: the squadron was re-emerging. The Turks could kill her in two. But then they did not understand that this battered camp was the Russian navy. Lucky so lucky. And the Russian "camp", having waited for the second squadron, vigorously carried out an amphibious operation and occupied several coastal towns with the help of the rebellious Greeks. Hopes for Greek patriotism did not materialize, but Alexey Orlov was able to draw conclusions and, more importantly, quickly rebuild. The main event was a naval battle.
It is believed that the Chesme victory of Count Orlov was a pure coincidence due to the catastrophic chain of fires on Turkish ships. It is possible that it was so. But who brought both squadrons to difficult and distant lands, didn’t abandon the fulfillment of the original plan, was not afraid to engage in battle with the Turkish armada, twice the power of the Russian fleet?
Courage, dare, perseverance, impudence - a long list of Oryol family qualities that helped with Chesme. That’s how lucky it is: just like Pyotr Alekseevich pardoned his grandfather for daring on the block, so in front of his grandson a formidable enemy burned down. Indeed, in the event of a defeat, Orlov had nowhere to go - either to fix it or hide. Then he put his life at stake. Yes, and his fleet.
The political benefit came out huge. The Turks became extremely cautious, Europe was quiet, and Russia got access to the Black Sea. With the personal career of Count Orlov, everything was also in order: in addition to the usual privileges and awards, Alexei Grigoryevich received a solid addition to his glorious surname. He became Orlov-Chesmensky.
We stock up on handkerchiefs: about Princess Tarakanova
During the life of Aleksey Grigoryevich, the film “Royal Hunt” has not yet been seen. But still, Princess Tarakanov was not forgiven.
The famous painting by Flavitsky, which depicts a poor beauty with a rat on a bed during a flood in the Peter and Paul Fortress, was painted almost a hundred years after real events. But she added a solid portion of the fixer to the mixture of contempt and hatred of Orlov as the executor of the imperial commission. 80 years later, a sensational sentimental drama came out with the charming Anna Samokhina in the role of an unfortunate weak girl, deceived by the count in the most vile way. The final image of "the greatest of the bastards on earth."
Stopping the claim to the throne by the new international adventurer is what Catherine's private and extremely delicate mission looked like. It all happened four years after the Battle of Chesme. Alexey Grigoryevich has long been with all the regalia and has gained personal authority.
Moral and State Security Considerations
The fact is that by the time the next impostor and pretender to the Russian throne appeared in Italy, Catherine had already received a dose of the strongest allergens in the form of the same "children of Lieutenant Schmidt", the main of which was Emelyan Pugachev. Therefore, Orlov was entrusted with tough and decisive action: to approach the Italian Ragusa as part of the squadron and, if necessary, force him to issue an adventurer, threatening to shell the city from the sea.
But Alexey Orlov solved the problem differently, making life difficult for himself to the very end. He offered the Tarakanova hand, heart, and, most importantly, support in winning the throne. So he lured the princess to Russian territory - the deck of the ship. She was arrested and placed in a dungeon where she died of a fever. By the way, Princess Tarakanova was never an innocent sheep, and the danger to the integrity of the state was due to a conspiracy with some foreign powers that be.
You can have a different attitude to the chosen method of solving the problem. You can reason from a moral point of view, or you can - for reasons of state security. In any case, Count Orlov executed the order quickly and bloodlessly, in the most efficient manner from the state point of view.
Oryol trotters
The following year, Alexei Grigoryevich resigned and left for his native Moscow. By that time, the elder brother Gregory was one of the empress’s favorites, and the Orlov clan lost its influence.
Alexey Orlov, like any outstanding person, never got bored: he always had a lot to do. But the main was a very ambitious task. He decided to breed the Russian breed of running horses. He accomplished this task brilliantly: the famous Oryol trotters appeared at the Moscow stud farm - the beloved brainchild of Alexei Grigorievich.
Oryol trotter is an integrated breed. It was a difficult cross. The English, Danish, Arab and German breeds were selected so that the Oryol trotter had special and unique qualities. These are light-duty sports or walking horses with excellent running trotting abilities that are inherited.
Holiday Man
Of course, the count’s personality was extraordinary and difficult. But by no means contradictory, as is often written in numerous versions of the biography of Alexei Orlov.
Crazy courage, audacity and extravagance - everything is clear here. Freedom from stereotypes and notorious public opinion, intelligence, natural kindness and amazing insight.
They loved him, followed him. And he loved people. Often, small details and facts speak more about a person than extensive personal characteristics. Here is one of these: Aleksey Grigoryevich always ordered a bag of wine to be served to all the coachmen who were waiting for the hosts to visit in the cold.
After the Battle of Chesme, he lived another 33 years. He refused the service. He was engaged in horses, fistfights, gypsy choirs and many other things. This man has never been bored.
At his funeral, many really cried, he was a holiday man for them. And for Russia, a hero and a statesman with a will, a sober head and the ability to bring things to an end. He knew no obstacles to achieving goals. He is a unique person.