Among the commanders of the 18th century there were many outstanding personalities who left their brightest mark in history. Among them are many domestic military leaders. A significant part of its history has been fought by our country. The century that began with the reforms of Peter I, continued with the era of palace coups, and ended with the stable rule of Catherine II, was no exception. It should be noted that at the head of the armies prominent marshals and generals stood not only in Russia, but also in other countries. Biographies of the most famous of them will be considered in this article.
Alexander Suvorov
Starting to list the outstanding commanders of the 18th century, the first who is remembered is Alexander Suvorov. This was a brilliant military leader, who, moreover, was literally idolized among the people and among ordinary soldiers. They loved Suvorov even despite the fact that at that time the training system was based on strict discipline. The exploits and achievements of this outstanding commander of the 18th century went to the people. He himself even became the author of an epoch-making work entitled The Science of Winning, which still remains in demand among Russian officers.
Suvorov was born in Moscow in 1730. During his career, he became famous for not losing a single battle, which few well-known commanders of the 18th century can boast of, and in other times such achievements are rare. Alexander Vasilievich took part in more than 60 major battles, almost always completely defeated the enemy, even if he was many times superior in numbers.
Among ordinary soldiers, it was no accident that he was so loved. It was Suvorov who achieved the introduction of a new field uniform, which was much more convenient than the previous one, executed in the “Prussian manner”.
Many do not accidentally believe that the greatest commander of the 18th century was precisely Suvorov. One of the most famous battles he commanded was the assault on Ishmael in 1790. The fortress was considered impregnable. Once at its walls Potemkin was never able to take the city, instructed to continue the siege of Suvorov.
For more than a week the commander had been preparing the army for a decisive assault, having built a training camp nearby, in which he practically recreated the defenses of Ishmael. After this, Ishmael was taken by storm. Our troops lost about four thousand killed, the Turks - about 26 thousand people. The capture of Ishmael was one of the decisive moments that predetermined the outcome of the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-1791.
In 1800, the great commander of the 18th century died in St. Petersburg at the age of 69. Surprisingly, in recent years, the commander has fallen into disgrace, the reasons for which are still put forward by a variety of versions.
This article will also discuss other famous Russian commanders of the 18th century. In addition to Suvorov, the list also includes Barclay de Tolly, Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky, Spiridov, Ushakov, Repnin, Panin.
Michael Barclay de Tolly
Michael Barclay de Tolly is a well-known Russian military leader of Scottish-German descent. He is one of the famous Russian commanders of the 18-19th centuries, since even though his career began under Catherine II, he won his most striking victories in the war of 1812.
Modern historians often call Barclay de Tolly the most underestimated of the Russian military leaders. Like Suvorov, he was directly involved in the Russo-Turkish war. In particular, Ochakov stormed, was even awarded a gold order on the St. George ribbon.
In 1790, as part of the Finnish army, he participated in the Russian-Swedish military campaign of 1788-1790. In 1794, he suppressed the uprising of the Polish rebels, distinguished himself in the battle of Lyuban, which became one of the most striking events of the Kosciuszko uprising. In particular, he managed to defeat the detachment of Grabovsky. Also successfully stormed Vilna and Prague.
During the war against Napoleon, in an environment close to the emperor, the attitude towards Barclay de Tolly was wary. At that time, the position of the "Russian party" was strong, which advocated the removal from the post of commander in chief of this commander because of his foreign origin.
In addition, many were not thrilled because of his scorched earth tactics, which he used in a defensive war against Napoleon’s army, which significantly outnumbered Russian troops. In World War II he had to retreat throughout the entire first phase of the campaign. As a result, Barclay de Tolly was replaced by Kutuzov. Moreover, it is known that it was he who proposed to the field marshal to leave Moscow, which as a result became one of the decisive and turning points in the confrontation with Napoleon.
In 1818, the military commander died on his way to Germany, where he went for treatment on mineral waters. He was 56 years old.
Evgeny of Savoy
Among the commanders of Western Europe of the 17-18th century, one of the most famous was the Generalissimo Eugene of Savoy, who was in the service of the Holy Roman Empire. It is believed that it was he, along with several other military leaders of his time, who had a decisive influence on the military art of the European armies of the New Time, which remained dominant until the start of the Seven Years War.
He was born in the French capital in 1663. In his youth, along with his mother, he suffered from a case of poisons. This is a campaign for the hunt for poisoners and witches, which excited the French royal court. As a result, they were expelled from the country. 20-year-old Eugene went to defend Vienna besieged by the Turks. A regiment of dragoons participated in this campaign under his leadership. He later took part in the liberation of Hungary, captured by the Turks.
Savoysky turned into one of the most famous commanders of Western Europe of the 17-18th century, who participated in the war for the Spanish inheritance. The post of Commander-in-Chief in Italy, Savoysky received in 1701. Having won brilliant victories under Chiari and Capri, he managed to occupy most of Lombardy. The year 1702 began with a sudden attack on Cremona, which culminated in the capture of Marshal Villeroix. After this, Savoy successfully defended himself against the army of the Duke of Vendome, which greatly outnumbered him.
In 1704, the military leader, along with the Duke of Marlborough, won the battle of Hochstedt, which led to the final withdrawal of Bavaria from the union with Louis XIV. The next year in Italy, he stopped the victorious procession of the Duke of Vendome, and then won a landslide victory in the battle of Turin, which forced the French to retreat from Italy. In 1708, he defeated the Vendome army at Oudenaard, capturing Lille.
Four years later, he suffered his biggest defeat at Denin, losing to the French Marshal de Villard.
Since 1716, Savoy again participated in the Turkish campaign. He won several convincing victories, of which the siege of Belgrade in 1718 became the most significant. As a result, a crushing blow was dealt to the power and superiority of the Turks in Europe.
The last campaign of Savoy was the war for the Polish inheritance in 1734-1735. However, due to illness, he was soon recalled from the battlefield. In 1736, Savoy died at the age of 72.
Peter Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky
Even speaking briefly about the commanders of the 18th century, it is necessary to recall the commander Peter Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky. This is an outstanding Count, Field Marshal.
Already at the age of 6 he was in the guard, at the age of 15 he served in the army with the rank of second lieutenant. In 1743, his father sent him to St. Petersburg, where he handed over the text of the Abo Peace, which meant the end of the confrontation between Russia and Sweden. For the successful completion of the mission, he was immediately promoted to colonel, and was given command of an infantry regiment.
This outstanding Russian commander of the 18th century became famous during the Seven Years War. By the beginning of this military campaign, he had the rank of general. In 1757 he distinguished himself in the Battle of Gros-Egersdorf. Rumyantsev headed the reserve, consisting of several infantry regiments. At some point, the Russian right flank, under the pressure of the Prussians, began to retreat, then the commander, on his own initiative, without waiting for a corresponding order, threw his reserve on the left flank of the Prussian infantry. This predetermined a turning point in the battle, which ended in favor of the Russian army.
In 1758, Rumyantsev’s columns entered Koenigsberg, and then occupied all of East Prussia. The next important battle in the biography of this commander of the 18th century was the Battle of Kunersdorf. Rumyantsev's success threw back the army of King Frederick II, who had to retreat, pursued by cavalry. After this success, he was already officially recognized as one of the prominent military leaders, he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.
Another significant event in which Rumyantsev participated was a prolonged siege and the capture of Kohlberg. The commander of the second half of the 18th century in 1761 attacked the camp of the Prince of WĂĽrttemberg. Having defeated him, the Russian army began a siege of the city. It lasted four months, ending with the complete surrender of the defending garrison. Moreover, during this time the command repeatedly decided to lift the blockade, only the persistence of Rumyantsev allowed to bring the campaign to a victorious end. This was the last success of the Russian army in the Seven Years War. During these battles, the tactical system was first used, called the "column - loose system."
This military campaign played a large role in the fate of the commander of the 18th century in Russia, contributing to his career growth. Since then, they began to talk about Rumyantsev as a military leader of the European level. At his initiative, a mobile war strategy was applied. As a result, the troops quickly maneuvered, and did not lose time in the siege of the fortresses. In the future, this initiative was repeatedly used by another prominent Russian commander of the second half of the 18th century, Alexander Suvorov.
Rumyantsev led Little Russia, and with the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768 he became commander of the Second Army. His main task was to confront the Crimean Tatars, who had views of the southern regions of the empire. Over time, he replaced Golitsyn at the head of the 1st Army, since Empress Catherine II was dissatisfied with his slowness and lacked results.
Ignoring the lack of food and weak forces, Rumyantsev decided to conduct an offensive military campaign. With a 25,000th army, he triumphantly defeated the 80,000th Turkish corps under Larg in 1770. Even more significant was his victory at Cahul, when the enemy’s forces were ten times the size of the Russian army. These successes made Rumyantsev one of the greatest commanders of the second half of the 18th century.
In 1774, he entered into a confrontation with the 150,000th enemy army, having about 50,000 soldiers and officers subordinate. Skillful tactical maneuvers of the Russian army led to panic among the Turks, who agreed to accept peaceful conditions. It was after this achievement that the empress ordered him to add the name "Transdanubian" to her surname.
In 1787, when another Russo-Turkish war started, Peter Alexandrovich was appointed to the leadership of the Second Army. By that time, he was very fat and inactive. Moreover, he had to directly obey Potemkin, which was a serious insult to him. As a result, according to historians, they quarreled, the commander actually withdrew from the command. Later, due to illness, he did not leave the estate at all, although he was considered nominally commander in chief.
In 1796, at the age of 71, Rumyantsev died alone in the village of Tashan in the territory of the Poltava province.
Grigory Spiridov
One of the outstanding commanders of the second half of the 18th century was Admiral Grigory Spiridov. First of all, he became famous for his successes in the Navy.
He entered the fleet voluntarily in 1723. At 15, he became a midshipman. Since 1741 he served in Arkhangelsk, making transitions from there to Kronstadt.
When the Seven Years War began, he served in the Baltic Fleet, commanding the Astrakhan and St. Nicholas ships. With them, he made several successful military transitions. In 1762 he became rear admiral, leading the Revel squadron. Her task was to defend domestic communications on the Baltic coast.
Talk about Spiridov, as one of the most famous commanders and naval commanders of the 18th century, began after the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774. When Turkey declared war on the Russian Empire, Grigory Andreyevich was in the rank of admiral. It was he who led the expedition, which went to the islands of the Greek archipelago.
Important in his career was the Battle of Chios in 1770. Spiridov used a fundamentally new tactic for that time. According to his plan, the vanguard of ships advanced on the enemy at a right angle, attacking his vanguard and center from the shortest possible distance. When the Eustache, on which he was, died from the explosion, Spiridov escaped by continuing the battle aboard the Three Hierarchs. Despite the superiority in the strength of the Turkish fleet, the victory remained with the Russians.
On the night of June 26, Spiridov commanded in the Chesme battle, becoming famous as the great Russian commander and naval commander of the 18th century. For this battle, he prepared a plan for a parallel attack. Due to successful actions, he managed to hit a significant part of the enemy fleet. As a result, the Russian army lost 11 people when about 11 thousand soldiers and officers were killed and injured on the Turkish side.
Over the next few years, Spiridov remained on the Greek archipelago, controlling the Aegean Sea. He retired in 1773 for health reasons, when he was 60 years old. He died in Moscow in 1790.
Peter Saltykov
Among the outstanding Russian commanders of the 18th century, it is necessary to note the Count and Field Marshal Pyotr Saltykov. He was born in 1696, he began to study military affairs under Peter I, who sent him to hone his skills in France. Saltykov remained abroad until the 1730s.
In 1734, with the rank of major general, he participated in military operations against Poland, the war with Sweden in 1741-1743. When the Seven Years War began, he was at the head of the landmilitia regiments in Ukraine. In 1759 he became commander of the Russian army, showing himself as an outstanding commander of Russia in the 18th century. With his participation, the Russian troops won at Palzig and Kunersdorf.
He was removed from command only in 1760, a few years later he was appointed Governor General of Moscow. Lost this post after the "plague riot". Died at the age of 76.
Anikita Repnin
Notable 18th-century commanders in Russia include Anikita Ivanovich Repnin. Well-known military leader, one of the associates of Peter I. Back in 1685, at the age of 17, he commanded "amusing" troops. A year before the onset of the new century, he received the rank of major general.
18th century Russian commander Repnin took part in the Azov campaigns. On his shoulders lay the creation of the Russian army in the form in which it won its most significant victories throughout the eighteenth century.
At the same time, in 1708 he fell out of favor with Peter I after the defeat at Golovchin from the Swedish king Charles XII. He was even given to the tribunal and deprived of the rank of general. However, he managed to restore his position, taking advantage of the intercession of Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn and the victory that he won in the battle of Lesnaya in the framework of the Northern War. Due to this, he even managed to regain the lost general rank.
In the Battle of Poltava he commanded the center of the Russian army, after the successful completion of the battle he was promoted to the Knights of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
In 1709, besieged Riga with Sheremetev in the status of the second commander. He was the first to enter the city, replacing the Swedish guards in it with his troops. As a result, he was appointed king by the governor of Riga.
However, he did not leave military service. In 1711 he commanded the vanguard during the Prut campaign, took part in the capture of Stettin and Tenning.
In 1724, Repnin was appointed president of the Military College after another disgrace of Menshikov. After the coronation of Catherine I, he received the rank of Field Marshal. In St. Petersburg, the commander was drawn into the confrontation of several court parties. The struggle escalated after the emperor’s health deteriorated sharply, since the issue of succession to the throne actually remained unresolved. After the death of Peter I, Repnin spoke out in favor of Peter II, but later supported Menshikov, who lobbied for the interests of Catherine I. After her official accession, he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.
At the same time, Menshikov himself was afraid of the increasing influence of the great Russian commander of the 18th century.He removed him from the post of head of the Military College, having achieved the organization of a business trip to Riga. Repnin never returned from it, having died in 1726.
Peter Panin
Peter Panin was born in 1721 in the Meshchovsky district of the Moscow province. Fame and success came to him after participating in the Seven Years War. He distinguished himself in the battles of Zorndorf and Gross-Jägersdorf.
In 1760, together with other eminent military leaders (Totleben, Chernyshev and Lassi) participated in the capture of Berlin. He distinguished himself in this battle, defeating the rearguard of the corps of von GĂĽlsen together with the Cossacks. After that, he managed the lands of East Prussia, receiving the title of Governor General of Koenigsberg.
In the time of Catherine II, he was considered the great Russian commander of the 18th century. In 1769, he was appointed head of the 2nd Army, which acted against the Turks. He managed to break the enemy’s resistance in the Bender region, and then resist the Crimean Tatars, who planned to raid the southern regions of Russia. Bender himself submitted to Panin in 1770.
For his exploits he was awarded the Order of St. George I degree. At the same time, the empress was dissatisfied with the actions of the military leader due to heavy losses: the Russian army lost about six thousand people killed, as well as the fact that the city was actually turned into ruins. Panin was out of work, offended by Catherine, starting to criticize everything.
He was required to return to duty during the Peasant War of 1773-1775. After Bibikov’s death, it was he who led the Russian army, which opposed Pugachev’s troops. Soon after this appointment, Pugachev’s army was defeated, the leader of the uprising himself was captured.
In 1775, he finally retreated from public affairs, as his health condition deteriorated significantly. In 1789, he suddenly died.
Fedor Ushakov
One of the outstanding Russian commanders of the 18-19th century, whose name began to personify for a long time with the successes of the Russian fleet - Admiral Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov. He became famous for the fact that in battles he did not lose a single ship and did not suffer a single defeat in 43 naval battles.
The future great commander and naval commander of the 18th century was born in 1745 in the village of Burnakovo in the territory of modern Yaroslavl region. After graduating from the Naval Cadet Corps, he was promoted to warrant officer, sent to serve in the Baltic Fleet.
For the first time he managed to prove himself during the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774. In particular, he commanded the 16-gun ships Morea and Modon. By the next Russian-Turkish war, which began in 1787, was already in the rank of captain of the brigadier rank, led the battleship "St. Paul".
In the spring of 1772, a young officer distinguished himself on the Don while rescuing supplies that sank from several river transport ships at once. For this, he received gratitude from the Vice President of the Admiralty, Ivan Chernyshev, and was soon appointed commander of the deck carrier "Courier". On it, he was cruising on the territory of the Black Sea for almost the entire next year.
In 1788, Ushakov took part in the battle near the island of Fidonisi. The balance of power in this battle was on the side of the enemy, the Turkish squadron had more than twice as many guns as the Russian one. When the Turkish column advanced to the domestic vanguard, a shootout began. Ushakov, who commanded the ship St. Paul, rushed to the aid of the frigates Strela and Berislav. Confident and targeted fire support of Russian ships inflicted significant losses on the Turkish fleet. All attempts by the enemy to rectify the situation were thwarted. After this success, Ushakov was appointed commander of the Sevastopol squadron, and then promoted to rear admiral.
In 1790, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Kerch. By that time, he already commanded the Black Sea Fleet. The Turks, using a better position and more guns, immediately attacked Russian ships. However, Ushakov’s flotilla not only managed to restrain this blow, but also brought down the enemy’s offensive impulse with return fire.
In the midst of the battle, it turned out that the nuclei from Russian ships did not reach the enemy. Then Ushakov decided to head to help the vanguard. In this battle, the admiral proved himself to be a skillful and experienced flagship, who immediately takes extraordinary tactical decisions, thinks creatively and non-standard. The advantage of the Russian sailors, which was manifested in a brilliant training and excellent fire training, became obvious. After the victory in the Battle of Kerch, the plans of the Turks to capture the Crimea came to naught. Moreover, the Turkish command began to worry about the security of its capital.
During the war against Turkey, Ushakov not only successfully fought, but also made an important contribution to military science. Using his tactical experience, he often quickly rebuilt the squadron into battle formation when approaching the enemy. If earlier tactical rules called on the commander to be directly in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov put his ship forward, occupying one of the most dangerous positions. He is rightfully considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval affairs.
In the battle near Cape Tendra, the Sevastopol fleet under the command of Ushakov appeared completely unexpectedly for the Turks, which led them to complete confusion. The commander directed the entire severity of the attack to the front of the line. As a result, by evening, the Turkish line was finally broken, which was facilitated by reserve frigates, who were put into battle by Ushakov in time. As a result, the enemy’s ships fled. This victory left another striking mark in the annals of the Russian fleet.
Of great importance was the battle of Kaliakria in 1791. And this time, on the side of the Turks there were actually twice as many guns, but this did not stop Ushakov before entering the battle. At the same time, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian commander turned out to be in the most advantageous position for attack due to Ushakov's tactical tricks during the rebuilding. As close as possible to the enemy, the Russian fleet went on a massive attack.
The commander-in-chief's flagship was advanced. With his active maneuvers, he was able to completely disrupt the battle order of the advanced part of the Turkish flotilla. The Black Sea Fleet began to achieve success, intensifying the attack, which was accompanied by fire defeat of the enemy. Turkish ships were so constrained that they mistakenly even started shooting at each other. As a result, their resistance was finally broken, they fled.
Unfortunately, as Ushakov noted, it was not possible to pursue the enemy, since gunpowder smoke enveloped the battlefield, and night fell.
Analyzing the actions of the Russian fleet, military experts note that the commander in chief acted in the usual manner for himself, his tactics were primarily offensive in nature.
At the end of the service
The great commander and naval commander of the 18th century in 1798, Emperor Paul I was appointed commander of the Russian squadron, which operated in the Mediterranean Sea. His task was to seize the Ionian Islands, block the French army in Egypt, as well as disrupt stable communication. Ushakov also had to assist the British Rear Admiral Nelson in the capture of the island of Malta as part of the anti-French coalition.
In this campaign Ushakov proved himself not only as a skilled naval commander, but also as a skilled politician and statesman. For example, during the creation of the Greek Republic of the Seven Islands, which was actually under the protectorate of Turkey and Russia.
In 1799 he was promoted to admiral, and soon after that he returned to Sevastopol. In recent years, the service commanded the Baltic Rowing Fleet, led the naval teams based in St. Petersburg.
He retired in 1807. Three years later, he finally left the capital, settling in the small village of Alekseevka on the territory of the Tambov province. When the Patriotic War began, he was elected head of the local militia, but due to his illness he was forced to resign. It is known that in the last years of his life he devoted most of his time to prayers, and the Sanaksar Monastery was located near his village.
He died in 1817 in his own estate at the age of 72 years.