Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov
Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov Chesmensky | |
|---|---|
General Admiral (naval) | |
| Unit | Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment |
| Commands held | Baltic Fleet |
| Known for | Government work, diplomacy, horse breeding.[1] |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Order of St. Andrew Order of St. George |
| Alma mater | First Cadet Corps |
| Children | Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya |
| Relations |
|
Count Alexei (Alexey) Grigoryevich Orlov-Chesmensky (Russian: Алексей Григорьевич Орлов-Чесменский; 5 October [O.S. 24 September] 1737 – 5 January [O.S. 24 December 1807] 1808)[2] was a Russian soldier, general-in-chief,[3] general admiral and statesman, who rose to prominence during the reign of Catherine the Great. His joint victory with Grigory Spiridov and Samuel Greig in the Battle of Chesma put him in the ranks of the outstanding Russian military commanders of all time; and although he lacked naval experience, he was the only authority in those circumstances who could ensure proper co-ordination of action.[4]
Orlov served in the
Orlov Revolt in the Greek territories of the Ottoman Empire
soon afterwards.
Orlov remained in the Mediterranean, and received the unusual commission of seducing and then capturing
Orloff breed of chicken. He left Russia after the death of Catherine and the accession of her son, Tsar Paul I
, but returned after Paul's death and lived in Russia until his death in 1808.
Family and early life
Alexei was born into the noble
Preobrazhensky Regiment and by 1762 had reached the rank of sergeant. He was involved in the Seven Years' War. He was described as a giant of a man, over two meters tall, and a celebrated duellist, with a scar across his cheek.[6] The scar earned him the nickname 'scarface'.[7]
Involvement in the 1762 coup
Together with his brother Grigory, Alexei Orlov became involved in the palace coup to overthrow
Service under Catherine II
The Orlovs were rewarded after Catherine's accession, and Alexei was promoted to the rank of
He became involved in military operations during the
Focşani
in 1772, but his impatience caused the breaking off of negotiations, which led to dissatisfaction from the Empress.
Catherine then commissioned Orlov to make contact with
Yelizaveta Alekseyevna, a pretender to the throne claiming to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth of Russia, and deliver her to Russia.[17] Orlov did so by pretending to be a supporter of hers, and successfully seducing her. He then lured her aboard a Russian ship at Livorno in May 1775, where she was arrested by Admiral Samuel Greig and taken to Russia, where she was imprisoned and later died.[17][18] Shortly after this service, the Orlovs fell from favour at court, and Alexei and Grigory were dismissed from their positions. Orlov retired to the Sans Ennui Palace near Moscow, and gave luxurious balls and dinners, making himself 'the most popular man in Moscow.'[19]
Old age and death
Hermitage Museum
After Catherine's death in 1796 the new ruler,
Imperial Crown in front of the coffin.[20] Orlov was briefly suspected of having been one of the assassins of Peter III.[21] Orlov left Russia during the reign of Paul I, but returned to Moscow after his death and the accession of Tsar Alexander I.[5] Orlov commanded the militia of the fifth district during the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806–07, which was placed on a war footing almost entirely at his own expense.[14]
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov died in Moscow on 5 January [
Anna Orlova-Tshesmenskaja
(1785–1848), and a son, Ivan (1786–1787). Eudokia died while giving birth to Ivan in 1786. Orlov also is believed to have had an illegitimate son named Alexander (1763–1820).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexey Orlov-Chesmensky.
Notes
- ^ a b Fedyunina 2023.
- ^ Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style.
- ^ a b Polovtsov 1905.
- ^ "Сто великих полководцев – История.РФ" [A hundred great military commanders]. 100.histrf.ru. Russian Military Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- ^ a b c The English Cyclopædia. pp. 588–9.
- ^ a b c d e Radzinsky. Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar. pp. 11–2.
- ^ a b c Moss. A History of Russia: Since 1855. p. 296.
- ^ a b Black. The Chinese Palace at Oranienbaum. pp. 17–8.
- ^ Julicher. Renegades, Rebels and Rogues Under the Tsars. p. 139.
- ^ a b c Streeter. Catherine the Great. pp. 41–3.
- ^ Julicher. Renegades, Rebels and Rogues Under the Tsars. p. 140.
- ^ Julicher. Renegades, Rebels and Rogues Under the Tsars. p. 142.
- ^ Murrell. Discovering the Moscow Countryside. p. 100.
- ^ a b Tull. Horse Hoeing Husbandry. p. 665.
- ^ a b Papalas. Rebels and Radicals. p. 26.
- ^ Reynolds. Navies in History. p. 77.
- ^ a b King & Wilson. The Resurrection of the Romanovs. p. 5.
- ^ Ritzarev. Eighteenth-century Russian Music. pp. 118–9.
- ^ Tolstoy. War and Peace. pp. 1321–2.
- ^ Heinze. Baltic Sagas. p. 179.
- ^ "Died". The Evening Post. New York. 1801-12-14. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
References
- Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 293.
- Black, Will (2003). The Chinese Palace at Oranienbaum: Catherine the Great's Private Passion. Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc. ISBN 1-59373-001-2.
- Julicher, Peter (2003). Renegades, Rebels and Rogues under the Tsars. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1612-2.
- King, Greg; Wilson, Penny (2010). The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World's Greatest Royal Mystery. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-44498-6.
- Heinze, Karl G. (2003). Baltic Sagas: Events and Personalities That Changed the World!. Virtualbookworm Publishing. ISBN 1-58939-498-4.
- Charles Knight, ed. (1857). The English Cyclopædia: A New Dictionary of Universal Knowledge. Vol. 4. Bradbury & Evans.
- Moss, Walter (2005). A History of Russia: Since 1855. Vol. 2. Anthem Press. ISBN 1-84331-023-6.
- Murrell, Kathleen Berton (2001). Discovering the Moscow Countryside: A Travel Guide To the Heart Of Russia. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-673-5.
- Papalas, Anthony J. (2005). Rebels and Radicals: Icaria 1600-2000. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. ISBN 0-86516-605-6.
- ISBN 0-7432-8197-7.
- Reynolds, Clark G. (1998). Navies in History. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-715-5.
- Ritzarev, Marina (2006). Eighteenth-century Russian Music. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3466-3.
- Streeter, Michael (2007). Catherine the Great. Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905791-06-4.
- ISBN 978-0-19-923276-5.
- Tull, Jethro; Brachfeld, Aaron; Choate, Mary. Horse Hoeing Husbandry (5 ed.). Coastalfields Press.
- Polovtsov, Alexander (1905). Russian Biographical Dictionary. Vol. XII: Обезьянинов—Очкин. St. Petersburg: Типография Главного Управления Уделов. pp. 322–330.
- Fedyunina, T. N. (2023). "ОРЛОВ-ЧЕСМЕНСКИЙ АЛЕКСЕЙ ГРИГОРЬЕВИЧ". Great Russian Encyclopedia. Electronic version. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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