Fyodor Matveyevich Apraxin

Count Fyodor Apraxin

Count Fyodor Matwejewitsch Apraxin ( Russian Фёдор Матвеевич Апраксин , also Feodor; * November 27, 1661 , † November 10, 1728 in Moscow ) was one of the most influential and important men in the vicinity of Peter the Great .

Life

Apraxin came from a noble family of Tatar origin. In 1693 Apraxin was appointed voivod and governor of Arkhangelsk - the only port in Russia at the time. Under his supervision, the city fortifications were renewed and trade relations between Russia and abroad were strengthened. He also commissioned the construction of one of the first Russian merchant ships there. He controlled the shipbuilding industry in Voronezh , where the first Russian fleet was built. In addition, was one of the founders of the School of Navigational Science in Moscow. In 1707 he was appointed President of the Russian Admiralty. He was the first admiral general appointed in Russia . The following year he was appointed commander in chief in Ingermanland to protect the newly established Saint Petersburg from Swedish attacks. In the course of the Great Northern War , he repulsed the attempted attack by the Swedish general Georg Lybecker there in 1708 and captured Vyborg in Karelia in 1710 . For conquering the city, Peter I awarded him the Order of St. Andrew and the golden sword with diamonds. He commanded the fleet during the Charles XII. 1711 fanned Turkish war on the Black Sea . In 1713 he fought at the head of the galley fleet with the landing forces against the Swedes, smashed them and conquered Helsingfors (Helsinki), robbing the Swedes of their last base in the Gulf of Finland . In the sea battle near Hanko (Gangut) on April 25-27. July 1714, when he commanded the galley fleet, he gave the signal to attack at the crucial moment. The boarding attack by the sailors of Apraxin was the decisive factor for the victorious end of the battle in favor of the Russians. He accompanied the tsar twice on his campaigns on the Caspian Sea and against Persia .

In 1726 Apraxin organized the naval defense of Revel ( Tallinn ) from an attack by the English navy. At the same time he was appointed a member of the newly founded Supreme Privy Council and commander of the Kronstadt squadron. In 1727, after Fyodor Apraxin refused to accept the aflame palace plots, the successor of Peter I became estranged from the affairs. Together with the imperial court, he moved to Moscow, where he died on November 10, 1728.

He was twice (1715 and 1718) involved in investigations into embezzlement committed by senior officials, and was found guilty, but was pardoned on both occasions by the tsar for a sizable ransom. Although an opponent of Peter the Great's reform efforts and known as such, he was one of his most trusted advisers.

literature

Benjamin Bergmann: Peter the Great as Man and Regent , Volume 5, Johann Friedrich Steffenhagen and Son Mitau 1829. ( online )

Web links

Commons : Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Apraxin, Fyodor Matveyevich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Apraxin, Feodor Matwejewitsch; Апраксин, Фёдор Матвеевич (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Russian Admiral General of Peter the Great
DATE OF BIRTH	November 27, 1661
DATE OF DEATH	November 10, 1728
Place of death	Moscow