Levin August von Bennigsen
| Service/ |  Hanoverian Army Russian Army |
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Levin August Gottlieb Theophil,
Biography
Early service
Bennigsen was born on 10 February 1745 into a
In 1798 Bennigsen was fired from military service by the
Napoleonic Wars
In 1806 Bennigsen was in command of one of the Russian armies operating against
Bennigsen was heavily criticised for the Battle of Friedland and for the decline of discipline in the army[citation needed] and now retired for some years, but in the campaign of 1812 he reappeared in the army in various responsible positions. He was present at Borodino, and defeated Murat in the engagement of Tarutino[4] where he was wounded in the leg,[5] but on account of a quarrel with Marshal Kutuzov, the Russian commander-in-chief, he was compelled to retire from active military employment on 15 November.[4]
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* Wife Maria-Leonarda
* Son Alexander
After the death of Kutuzov, Bennigsen was recalled and placed at the head of an army.
Later life
After the general peace Bennigsen held a command from 1815 to 1818, when he retired from active service and settled on his Hanoverian estate of Banteln near Hildesheim.[4] By the end of his life he completely lost his sight.[5] He died on 31 December 1826, in Banteln, eight years after he had retired.[3] His son, Count Alexander Levin von Bennigsen (1809–1893) was a distinguished Hanoverian statesman.[4]
Bennigsen wrote the three-volume "Mémoires du général Bennigsen", which was published in Paris in 1907–1908.[3] Though they contain "fascinating" details regarding the Russian wars and battles between 1806 and 1813, the work often beautifies historical facts.[3] English edition of Bennigsen's memoirs of 1806–1807 campaign appeared in 2023.
Notes
- ^ a b Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Leonty Leontyevich, count von Bennigsen". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Feb. 2023. Accessed 9 May 2023.
- ^ Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mikaberidze 2005, p. 34.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chisholm 1911, p. 742.
- ^ a b c Polovtsov 1900.
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bennigsen, Levin August". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 742. Also referred to in War and Peace.
Sources
- Mikaberidze, Alexander (2005). Russian Officer Corps of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1611210026.
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, ed. (2023). Confronting Napoleon: Levin von Bennigsen's Memoir of the Campaign in Poland, 1806–1807. Helion. ISBN 978-1804513057.
- Polovtsov, Alexander (1900). Russian Biographical Dictionary. Vol. II: Алексинский – Бестужев-Рюмин. St. Petersburg: Типография Главного Управления Уделов. pp. 700–712.
External links