Ivan Fedoseevich Bozis

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Count Ivan Fedosejewitsch Bozis ( Greek Ιωάννης Μπότσης , Russian Иван Федосеевич Боцис ; † May 18, 1714 ) was a Russian admiral at the time of the Great Northern War and one of the founders of the Imperial Russian Navy under Peter the Great .

Life

Bozis was a Greek from Dalmatia , and initially served in the Venetian galley fleet for 17 years . He was won over to the Russian service in 1702 by Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy . At that time Russia was in the Great Northern War against Sweden and the Tsar was trying to build a modern navy in Russia according to Western standards . Many foreigners were therefore invited to Russia and employed in high positions as experts. Upon arriving in Russia in 1703, Bozis was given the rank of Schout-bij-Nacht , a Dutch rank equivalent to that of rear admiral , and was appointed commander of the galley units of the newly formed Baltic Fleet . This had its naval base in Saint Petersburg and the Kronstadt fortress .

In this position, Bozis managed the expansion of the Baltic galley fleet. From 1704 to 1705 he helped General Robert Bruce , the commandant of St. Petersburg, to repel the attacks of the Swedish army under General Georg Johann Maydell . In 1708 the Bozis fleet successfully attacked the Finnish coast, plundered Porvoo and the surrounding villages and burned 15 Swedish merchant ships in this seeraid . In 1710 he commanded a fleet of 270 ships and managed to break through the ice-covered sea and bring supplies and reinforcements for the siege forces at the siege of Vyborg .

In 1712 a 14,000-strong Swedish army under General Georg Lybecker threatened St. Petersburg again. On the night of August 10, Bozis broke the Swedish blockade with two dozen ships, raided the Swedish coastal positions and captured six warships.

In 1713 he commanded the rearguard of the fleet that led the army of Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn in Finland and took part in the bombing of Helsinki . His maritime skills and character were highly valued by Peter. Together with Vice-Admiral Cornelius Cruys , he was the tsar's bridal witness in his marriage to Katharina on February 9, 1712. When Bozis died, the tsar took over his sword as a memorial and granted his family a widow's pension.

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personal data
SURNAME Bozis, Ivan Fedosejewitsch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Μπότσης, Ιωάννης (Greek); Боцис, Иван Федосеевич (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian admiral, one of the founders of the Imperial Russian Navy
DATE OF BIRTH 17th century
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1714