Alexander Artschilowitsch Imeretinsky

Alexander Artschilowitsch Imeretinski, oil painting by Peter Martin van Mytens

Prince Alexander Archilovich Imeretinski ( Georgian ბაგრატიონი ალექსანდრე , Russian Александр Арчилович Имеретинский , also known as Tsarevich Aleksandr Archilovich Imeretinsky, * 1674 in Tbilisi ; † 20th February 1711 in Riga ) was a Georgian prince of the Kingdom of Imereti , who as an emigrant in Russia lived and later served as artillery commander under Tsar Peter I of Russia. During the Great Northern War he was captured after the lost battle at Narva and spent ten years in Swedish captivity. He died on the way back to Russia.

biography

He was born in Tbilisi as the Georgian prince of Imereti and a descendant of the Georgian Bagratids . He escaped the anarchy in his country to Russian tsarism. After 1684, Alexander and his brother, Mamuka (died 1693), were taken to Moscow under the auspices of Knyaz Fedul Volkonsky and Djak Ivan Kazarinov. Alexander made friends with the young Russian Tsarevich Peter I at his war games. In 1690, Alexander took part in his father's unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne of Imereti. In 1697 he accompanied Peter to the Great Embassy to Europe. He studied artillery in The Hague and on his return to Russia he was promoted to the rank of general field master craftsman as the first Russian officer . With the outbreak of the Great Northern War, in which Russia fought against Sweden, Imeretinski was given command of the Russian artillery (this consisted of 145 guns and 28 howitzers). In the catastrophic battle of Narva all Russian artillery was captured by the victorious Swedes. Alexander was taken to Stockholm, where he spent ten years as a prisoner of war until he was ransomed by Peter I in 1710. Already seriously ill, he died in Riga on his return trip to Russia. He was buried in the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.

swell

• Buyers, Christopher: the Georgian Bagratids .
• Александр Арчилович . Russian Biographical Lexicon .

Web links

Commons : Alexander, Prince of Imereti  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files