Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov
Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov ( Russian Александр Сергеевич Меншиков , scientific transliteration Aleksandr Sergeevič Menšikov ; * 1787 ; † May 2, 1869 in Saint Petersburg ) was a Russian general , admiral and statesman.
Wars of liberation, battles against Persians and Ottomans
The grandson of Prince Alexander Alexandrovich and great-grandson of Alexander Danilowitsch Menshikov joined the tsarist army in 1805 , but soon devoted himself to a diplomatic career and became an attaché to the embassy in Vienna . To the liberation wars from 1812 to 1815 he took over as adjutant of Tsar Alexander I in part. He was promoted to general. In 1823 he and Ioannis Kapodistrias , Stroganow and others were dismissed because the intervention they wanted in favor of Greece did not take place.
After Tsar Nicholas I ascended the throne in 1825, Menshikov was sent to Persia to offer Shah Fath Ali an alliance with Russia against Turkey ; but the project failed partly because of Menshikov's harshness and partly because of the arrogance of the Shah.
In the Persian-Russian war that broke out a short time later, Menshikov took part in the General Staff. In the Turkish campaign of 1828 he was given command of the expedition to Anapa , whose fortress surrendered to him after a brief siege in June. He was charged with the siege of Varna commissioned and at a loss severely wounded the garrison.
Governor of Finland
After his recovery, he took over the position of Vice Admiral and Chief of the Naval General Staff at the head of the Russian maritime affairs, which mainly owed its prosperity to him.
Since 1831 also governor general of Finland , Menshikov was promoted to admiral of the Russian fleet in 1834 and naval minister in 1836, but later returned to his position as governor of Finland and also dealt with the organization of the Baltic fleet and the strengthening of the Russian sea fortresses in the Gulf of Finland . On September 30, 1838 King Friedrich Wilhelm III awarded him . of Prussia the Order of the Black Eagle .
Crimean War
At the end of February 1853, Menshikov was sent to Constantinople by Tsar Nicholas . He brought a series of demands to the Ottoman Empire , whereby obviously banal demands were combined with those that were impossible for the Sultan to fulfill. The Sultan was initially ready to meet some of these demands. But Russia imposed further conditions, and Menshikov's appearance provoked the breakdown of the negotiations. The Sultan, supported by the British ambassador, finally rejected the Russian demands. This gave Russia the pretext for starting the Crimean War . Menshikov returned on May 21, 1853, Russia broke off diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire and began occupying the Danube principalities of Moldova and Wallachia .
Menshikov took over command of the troops in the Crimea during the Crimean War . On September 14, 1854, the allied British and French landed off Sevastopol . Six days later they marched inland, where Menshikov expected them on the Alma River . He had taken a well-developed position but was defeated nonetheless. On November 5, 1854, Menshikov attempted a sortie against British troops, which led to the defeat of Inkerman . For the next few weeks he headed the defense of Sevastopol. In February 1855, however, he fell so seriously ill that he had to resign from his command at the beginning of March. Another reason for his recall was the dissatisfaction of the new Tsar Alexander II with his passive defense of Sevastopol. Menshikov's successor was Mikhail Dmitrijewitsch Gorchakov .
On December 20, 1855 he was appointed governor of Kronstadt , but in April 1856 he was recalled from this post.
As witty and inclined to biting mockery, Menshikov played an important role in the higher circles of Russian society. A great number of anecdotal stories are told about him. He died on May 2, 1869.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Louis Schneider : The book of the black eagle . Duncker, Berlin 1870, p. 209 (33).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Menshikov, Alexander Sergejewitsch |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Меншиков, Александр Сергеевич |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Russian statesman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1787 |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 2, 1869 |
| Place of death | St. Petersburg |