Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen

Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen ( Russian Пётр Алексеевич Пален / Petr Alekseevich Pahlen born July 17, ^jul. / 28. July 1745 ^greg. In Palms (in Estonia); † February 13 ^jul. / 25. February 1826 ^greg. In Mitau ) was a Russian general and statesman.

Life

Origin and family

Peter was a son of the Estonian and baron of Astrau Arend Diedrich von der Pahlen (1706–1753). He was the founder of the Kurland line of the Counts von der Pahlen on the Majorat Kautzemünde and married Juliane in 1773, born op dem Hamme called Schoeppingk (1750-1814). The Russian generals of the cavalry Paul von der Pahlen (1775–1834) and Peter von der Pahlen (1777–1864) and the Russian diplomat and statesman Friedrich von der Pahlen (1780–1863) were his sons.

Career

Pahlen already held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Russian Army when he received the Courland Indigenate in 1778 . He took part in the war against the Turks in 1788/90 , where he was able to excel. In 1794 he was promoted to lieutenant general and in 1798 general of the cavalry . At the same time he became the military governor of Saint Petersburg , which he remained until 1801. In 1799 he had reached the climax of his military career as inspector general of the cavalry. He received the position as chief of the guard on horseback .

Pahlen also had a fast career as a statesman. In 1795 he became governor of Courland and did a great job in joining Courland to the Russian Empire. On February 22, 1799, he was in the Russian count conditions raised . Also in 1799 he became Knight of the Order of St. Lazarus and Knight of the Order of St. Andrew with diamonds and Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta . Finally, after he had already been Governor General of the Baltic Sea Provinces , Finland and Ingermanland , he completed his career as Minister of the Interior.

Assassination attempt on Paul I.

On the night of March 24th (or March 12th in the old style) 1801, Tsar Paul I was strangled by conspirators from aristocratic circles . Among the 30 or so conspirators, besides Count von der Pahlen, were Catherine the II's last lover, Prince Subow (1767–1822), Counts Valerian (1771–1804) and Nikolai Subow (1763–1805), Nikolai Subov's sister Olga Scherebzowa ( 1766–1849), Nikita Petrowitsch Panin (1770–1837), General Levin August von Bennigsen (1745–1826), José de Ribas (1749–1800), General Uvarow and Lieutenant Colonel Tatischew.

The assassination is said to have been carried out with the silent consent of the Tsar's son Alexander, who came to the throne as Alexander I after the murder of his father and then dismissed Pahlen from all services.

literature

Oskar Stavenhagen (edit.): Genealogical Handbook of the Courland Knights , Volume 1, Görlitz 1939, p. 601 and p. 605.

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personal data
SURNAME	Pahlen, Peter Ludwig from the
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Russian general and statesman
DATE OF BIRTH	July 28, 1745
PLACE OF BIRTH	Palmse
DATE OF DEATH	February 25, 1826
Place of death	at Mitau