Bagration year. Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration biography

Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich, whose brief biography will not cover all the important events that happened in his life, was an outstanding person. He will forever be remembered in history as a talented commander. Descendant of the Georgian royal house.

Childhood

Peter Bagration, whose biography (with photo of the monument) is in this article, was born on November 11, 1765 in the North Caucasus, in the city of Kizlyar. He came from a noble and ancient family of Georgian princes. The boy was the great-grandson of the Kartalian king Jesse Levanovich. Peter's father, Prince Ivan Alexandrovich, was a Russian colonel and owned a small plot of land in the vicinity of Kizlyar. In 1796 he died in poverty.

Enlistment

Their family was not rich, despite the title of nobility and royal kinship. There was only enough money to provide the bare necessities, but there was no money left for clothes. Therefore, when Peter was summoned to St. Petersburg, young Bagration did not have “decent” clothes.

To meet Potemkin, he had to borrow the butler's caftan. Despite his clothes, Peter, when meeting with the prince of Taurida, behaved confidently, without timidity, although modestly. Potemkin liked the young man, and an order was given to enlist him in the Caucasian musketeer regiment as a sergeant.

Service

In February 1782, Peter Bagration, photographs of whose portraits are in this article, arrived at the regiment, which was located in a small fortress in the Caucasian foothills. Combat training began from the first day. In the very first battle with the Chechens, Peter distinguished himself and received the rank of ensign as a reward.

He served in the musketeer regiment for ten years. Over the years, he passed through all military ranks to captain. He repeatedly received combat honors for clashes with highlanders. Peter was respected for his fearlessness and courage not only by his friends, but also by his enemies. Such popularity once saved Bagration’s life.

In one of the skirmishes, Peter was seriously wounded and left in a deep faint on the battlefield among dead bodies. His enemies found him, recognized him and not only spared him, but also bandaged his wounds. Then they were carefully taken to the regimental camp, without even asking for a ransom. For his distinction in battle, Peter received the rank of second major.

During his ten years of service in the musketeer regiment, Bagration participated in campaigns against Sheikh Mansur (false prophet). In 1786, Pyotr Ivanovich fought with the Circassians under the command of Suvorov across the river. Labou. In 1788, during the Turkish War, Bagration, as part of the Yekaterinoslav army, took part in the siege and then in the assault on Ochakov. In 1790 he continued military operations in the Caucasus. This time he opposed the highlanders and the Turks.

Military career

In November 1703, Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich, whose short biography cannot contain all the interesting facts from his life, became prime major. He received a transfer to the Kiev Carabinieri Regiment as a squadron commander. In 1794, Pyotr Ivanovich was sent to the Sofia military unit, where he received a division under his command. Bagration went through the entire Polish campaign with Suvorov and at the end received the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The exploits of Bagration

The biography of Peter Bagration is full of many exploits that have gone down in history. For example, one of them was committed near the town of Brody. A Polish military detachment (1000 foot soldiers and one gun) was located in a dense forest, in what they were sure was an inaccessible position.

Bagration, distinguished by his courage since childhood, rushed at the enemy first and cut into the enemy ranks. The Poles did not expect an attack, and Pyotr Ivanovich’s attack came as a complete surprise to them. Thanks to the tactics of surprise, Bagration and his soldiers managed to kill 300 people, and take another 200 prisoners along with the commander of the detachment. At the same time, the carabinieri grabbed the enemy’s banner and gun.

Another memorable feat occurred before Suvorov’s eyes. This happened in October 1794, when Prague was stormed. Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich, whose photo is in this article, noticed that the Polish cavalry was going to attack the Russian assault columns during a fierce battle.

The commander waited for the moment when the enemies began to move. Then Bagration, making a swift throw to the flank with his soldiers, threw the Poles back to the Vistula River. Suvorov personally thanked Pyotr Ivanovich, and since then he became his favorite.

Receiving the rank of general

In 1798, Bagration received the rank of colonel and was appointed to command the sixth Jaeger Regiment. He stood in the Grodno province, in the city of Volkovysk. Emperor Paul ordered all military reports to be delivered to him. Any deviation from orders entailed removal from service.

Many regiments were “cleansed.” It did not affect anyone only in the military unit of Bagration. Two years later, for the excellent condition of his regiment, the commander was promoted to the rank of “general”. Peter Bagration, whose biography did not turn away from the military path, continued to serve in a new capacity.

March to glory with Suvorov

In 1799, he and his regiment came under the command of Suvorov. The latter, when Bagration’s surname was announced, in front of the entire hall, joyfully hugged and kissed Pyotr Ivanovich. The next day, the generals led the soldiers in a surprise attack to Cavriano. The two great military leaders continued their rise to glory and greatness.

Suvorov sent a letter to the emperor in which he praised the courage, zeal and zeal of Bagration, which he showed during the capture of the Breshno fortress. As a result, Paul I granted Peter Ivanovich a Knight of the Order of St. Anne, first class. Later, for the battle of Lecco, Bagration was awarded the Commander's Order of St. John of Jerusalem. So Pyotr Ivanovich received the Maltese Cross among his awards.

For the defeat of the French at Marengo he received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. After the victory at Trebia, the emperor granted the village of Sima as a gift to Peter Ivanovich. It was located in the Vladimir province, in the Aleksandrovsky district. There were 300 peasant souls in the village. Bagration became one of the youngest generals to have high insignia.

Feat near Shengraben

In 1805, Pyotr Ivanovich accomplished another feat. This happened near Shengraben. The enemy troops seemed certain to win, but Bagration with 6,000 soldiers came out against a 30,000-strong army. As a result, he not only won, but also brought prisoners, among whom were one colonel, two junior officers and 50 soldiers. At the same time, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration also grabbed the French banner. For this feat, the great commander was awarded the Order of St. George, second degree.

Military talent

Pyotr Ivanovich was able to prove his military talent during his service. Bagration distinguished himself in the battles of Friedland and Preussisch-Eylau. Napoleon spoke of Pyotr Ivanovich as the best Russian general of that time. During the Russian-Swedish war, Bagration led a division, then a corps. He led the Åland expedition and went with his troops to the Swedish shores.

Tsar's disfavor

Glory and imperial favor increasingly increased the circle of envious people of Pyotr Ivanovich. Ill-wishers tried to make Bagration, while he was on campaigns, a “fool” before the tsar. When in 1809 Pyotr Ivanovich commanded troops on the Danube (already with the rank of infantry general), envious people were able to convince the sovereign of the commander’s inability to fight. And they achieved that Bagration was replaced by Alexander I with Count Kamensky.

Patriotic War

After the Russian-Turkish War, for which Peter Ivanovich was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, he became the commander-in-chief of the Second Western Army, consisting of 45,000 soldiers and 216 guns. When it became clear that war with Napoleon was inevitable, Bagration showed the emperor a plan of attack.

But since Barclay de Tolly received preference, the Western armies began to retreat. Napoleon decided to first destroy the weak army, commanded by Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich (1812). To carry out this plan, he sent his brother from the front, and Marshal Davout to cross him. But he could not overpower Bagration; he fought his way through enemy barriers near Mir, defeating the foot troops of the Westphalian king, and his cavalry near Romanov.

Davout managed to block Pyotr Ivanovich’s path to Mogilev, and Bagration was forced to go to New Bykov. In July he joined forces with Barclay. A tough battle took place for Smolensk. Bagration, despite the fact that he was supposed to conduct offensive tactics, still deviated a little to the side. With this strategy, Pyotr Ivanovich saved his army from unnecessary losses.

After the troops of Bagration and Barclay united, the commanders were unable to develop common battle tactics. Their opinions differed greatly, disagreements reached the highest limits. Pyotr Ivanovich proposed to fight Napoleon’s army, and Barclay was sure that luring the enemy deep into the country was the best solution.

Bagration's last - Battle of Borodino

General Pyotr Bagration participated in the Battle of Borodino, which was the last in his military career. Pyotr Ivanovich had to defend the weakest part of the position. Behind Bagration stood Neverovsky's division. During a fierce battle, Pyotr Ivanovich was seriously wounded, but did not want to leave the battlefield, and continued to command while under enemy fire.

But Bagration was losing more and more blood, as a result, weakness began to worsen and Pyotr Ivanovich was carried away from the battlefield and sent to a Moscow hospital. Rumors about Bagration's injury quickly spread among the soldiers. Some even claimed that he had died.

These messages led the soldiers to despair, and confusion began in the army. Bagration's place was taken by Konovitsyn. He, seeing the reaction of the soldiers and the loss of morale, decided not to risk it and withdrew the army beyond the Semenovsky ravine.

Death of a great commander

First, in the hospital, General Pyotr Bagration, whose biography (a photo of the monument to the commander is in this article) whose biography, it seemed, could continue, felt better. Initial treatment was successful. Then Bagration went to recover from his wounds at his friend’s estate. It was autumn, the weather was disgusting, the road was very bad.

All this, and even Bagration’s decadent mood, had a negative impact on his health. Pyotr Ivanovich developed a life-threatening complication of his illness. On September 21, Bagration underwent surgery to expand the vein. At the same time, doctors removed bone fragments, rotting flesh and parts of the core from the inflamed wound. This surgical intervention did not help, and the next day Bagration was diagnosed with gangrene.

Doctors suggested that the prince's leg be amputated, but this angered the commander, and his condition worsened even further. As a result, Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich, whose biography is full of victories, died of gangrene in September 1812. The commander was first buried in the village of Sim, inside the local temple. His body lay there until July 1830.

The commander turned out to be forgotten due to the absence of his wife, who went to live in Vienna back in 1809. Bagration was remembered only 27 years later, after the accession to the throne of Nicholas I. He loved history and personally studied all the events of the Patriotic War. As a result, works about this era began to appear and the heroes were finally given their due.

Nicholas I ordered the ashes of the great commander to be delivered to the foot of the monument to the Lead Crypt, in which Peter Bagration rested, and was transferred to a new coffin. Then a memorial service and liturgy took place, which was attended by a sea of ​​people who came from different places. A large funeral table was set in the garden.

Many nobles and officers gathered. People walked day and night, in a continuous stream, to honor the memory of the great commander. The body of Peter Ivanovich was accompanied by an honorary escort in a richly decorated chariot to its destination. The procession was very solemn. The people themselves asked permission to pull the chariot. The clergy walked ahead of her, and the Kiev Hussar Regiment behind.

Trumpeters played a funeral march along the entire length of the route. The procession ended at the borders of the village. Then the horses were harnessed to the chariot, and then the procession continued in solemn silence. Despite the scorching sun, people followed Bagration’s coffin for 20 versts. So, finally, with truly royal honors, the ashes of Peter Ivanovich were delivered to the Borodino field.

Later, Emperor Alexander III once again immortalized the memory of the hero: the 104th Ustyuzhensky Infantry Regiment was named in honor of Bagration. In 1932, his grave was destroyed and his remains were scattered. Between 1985 and 1987 the monument was restored again.

Among the debris next to the former monument, fragments of the bones of Pyotr Ivanovich were found. In August 1987 they were reburied. Now Bagration’s crypt is in place. The found buttons and fragments of the hero’s uniform are exhibited as exhibits in the Borodino Military History Museum.

Bagration Petr Ivanovich: interesting facts about his lifestyle

He was similar to Suvorov. Bagration slept only 3-4 hours a day, was unpretentious and simple. Any soldier could wake him up without any ceremony. On campaigns, Pyotr Ivanovich only changed clothes. He always slept dressed, in his general's uniform. Bagration did not part with his sword and whip even in his sleep. Of his 30 years of service, Pyotr Ivanovich spent 23 years on military campaigns.

Character of Bagration

Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich, whose biography was closely connected with the war, nevertheless had a meek disposition. The commander shone with a flexible and subtle mind, anger was alien to him, he was always ready for reconciliation. These qualities were surprisingly combined with a decisive character. Bagration did not hold a grudge against people, and never forgot good deeds.

In communication, Pyotr Ivanovich was always friendly and polite, respected his subordinates, appreciated and rejoiced at their successes. Bagration, although he had considerable power, never showed it. He tried to communicate with people like a human being, for which soldiers and officers simply idolized him. They all considered it an honor to serve under his command.

Despite the lack of a good education, which, due to their extreme poverty, his parents were unable to give their son, Pyotr Ivanovich had natural talent and a good upbringing. He received all the knowledge throughout his life, and especially loved military science. The great commander was fearless and brave in battle, never lost heart, and treated dangers with indifference.

Bagration was Suvorov’s favorite student, so he knew how to quickly navigate a combat situation and make the right and unexpected decisions. Repeatedly they saved not individual lives, but the troops as a whole.

Personal life

Among the favorites of Emperor Paul the First was Bagration Pyotr Ivanovich. It is impossible to tell briefly about his personal life. It was the emperor who helped him marry his beloved. Pyotr Ivanovich had long been in love with the court beauty, Countess Skavronskaya. But Bagration diligently hid his ardent feelings from society. Moreover, Pyotr Ivanovich was also restrained by the beauty’s coldness towards him.

The emperor learned about Bagration's feelings and decided to repay his faithful commander with mercy. The Emperor ordered the Count and his daughter to arrive at the palace church. Moreover, the beauty was supposed to arrive in a wedding dress. At the same time, Peter Bagration received an order to appear at the church in full dress uniform. There, on September 2, 1800, the young people were married.

But the proud beauty still remained cold towards Bagration. Then the emperor appointed him commander. The Emperor hoped that the countess’s heart would finally melt. But her love had long been given to another person. The story of Bagration and his wife did not end there.

In 1805 she went to live in Europe, in Vienna. She led a free life and no longer lived with her husband. Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration begged his wife to return, but she remained abroad, allegedly for treatment. In Europe, the princess enjoyed tremendous success. She was known at the court of many countries.

In 1810 she gave birth to a girl, presumably from the Chancellor of Austria, Prince Metternich. In 1830, the princess remarried. This time for an Englishman. But their marriage soon broke up, and the princess again took the name Bagration. She never returned to Russia. Despite everything, Peter Bagration loved his wife very much until his death. Before his death, he managed to order her portrait from the artist Volkov. The couple had no children.

There was talk in high society that the sovereign's sister, Princess Ekaterina Pavlovna, was in love with Bagration. This caused great irritation in the emperor's family. According to some reports, Bagration was not given a break from the war precisely because Ekaterina Pavlovna fell in love with him. Emperor Alexander the First decided to remove Peter Ivanovich from her eyes and keep him away from the princess. Peter Bagration fell into such disgrace shortly before his death.

Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Tiflis or Kizlyar

Date of death:

A place of death:

Village of Sima, Vladimir province

Affiliation:

Russian empire

Years of service

General of Infantry

Commanded:

Battles/wars:

Schöngraben, Austerlitz, Battle of Borodino

Origin

Military service

Patriotic War of 1812

Personal life of Bagration

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Memory of Bagration

Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration(1769 - September 12 (24), 1812) - Russian infantry general, prince, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

The elder brother of Lieutenant General of the Russian Army, Prince Roman Ivanovich Bagration, and the uncle of Lieutenant General of the Russian Army, engineer and metallurgist Prince Pyotr Romanovich Bagration (son of R.I. Bagration).

Origin

Descendant of the Georgian royal house of Bagration. The branch of the Kartalin princes Bagrations (ancestors of Pyotr Ivanovich) was included in the number of Russian-princely families on October 4, 1803, when Emperor Alexander I approved the seventh part of the “General Armorial”.

Tsarevich Alexander (Isaak-beg) Jessevich, the illegitimate son of the Kartalian king Jesse, left for Russia in 1759 due to disagreements with the ruling Georgian family and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Caucasian division.

His son Ivan Bagration (1730-1795) moved after him. He joined the commandant's team at the Kizlyar fortress. Despite the statements of many authors, he was never a colonel in the Russian army, did not know the Russian language, and retired with the rank of second major.

According to reference data, Pyotr Bagration was born in Kizlyar in 1769. However, according to A. Mikaberizde, the situation is different. According to the petitions of Ivan Alexandrovich, the parents of the future general Bagration moved from Iveria (Georgia) to Kizlyar in December 1766 (long before Georgia joined the Russian Empire). From this the researcher concludes that Peter was born in July 1765 in Georgia and most likely in the capital - the city of Tiflis.

Pyotr Bagration spent his childhood years in his parents' house in Kizlyar.

Military service

Pyotr Bagration began his military service on February 21 (March 4), 1782, as a private in the Astrakhan infantry regiment, stationed in the vicinity of Kizlyar. He gained his first combat experience in 1783 during a military expedition to the territory of Chechnya. In an unsuccessful foray of a Russian detachment under the command of Pieri against the rebel highlanders of Sheikh Mansur in 1785, Colonel Pieri's adjutant, non-commissioned officer Bagration, was captured near the village of Aldy, but then ransomed by the tsarist government.

In June 1787, he was awarded the rank of ensign of the Astrakhan regiment, which was transformed into the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment.

Bagration served in the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment until June 1792, successively passing through all levels of military service from sergeant to captain, to which he was promoted in May 1790. From 1792 he served in the Kiev Horse-Jager and Sofia Carabineer Regiments. Participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-92 and the Polish Campaign of 1793-94. He distinguished himself on December 17, 1788 during the storming of Ochakov.

In 1797 - commander of the 6th Jaeger Regiment, and the following year he was promoted to colonel.

In February 1799 he received the rank of major general.

In the Italian and Swiss campaigns of A.V. Suvorov in 1799, General Bagration commanded the vanguard of the allied army, especially distinguished himself in the battles on the Adda and Trebbia rivers, at Novi and Saint Gotthard. This campaign glorified Bagration as an excellent general, whose characteristic was complete composure in the most difficult situations.

An active participant in the war against Napoleon in 1805-1807. In the campaign of 1805, when Kutuzov's army made a strategic march from Braunau to Olmutz, Bagration led its rearguard. His troops conducted a number of successful battles, ensuring the systematic retreat of the main forces. They became especially famous in the battle of Schöngraben.

In the Battle of Austerlitz, Bagration commanded the troops of the right wing of the allied army, which staunchly repelled the onslaught of the French, and then formed a rearguard and covered the retreat of the main forces.

In November 1805 he received the rank of lieutenant general.

In the campaigns of 1806-07, Bagration, commanding the rearguard of the Russian army, distinguished himself in the battles of Preussisch-Eylau and Friedland in Prussia. Napoleon formed an opinion about Bagration as the best general in the Russian army.

In the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-09 he commanded a division, then a corps. He led the Åland expedition of 1809, during which his troops, having crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia, occupied the Åland Islands and reached the shores of Sweden.

In the spring of 1809 he was promoted to general of the infantry.

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1806-12, he was commander-in-chief of the Moldavian Army (July 1809 - March 1810), and led the fighting on the left bank of the Danube. Bagration's troops captured the fortresses of Machin, Girsovo, Kyustendzha, defeated a 12,000-strong corps of selected Turkish troops at Rassavet, and inflicted a major defeat on the enemy near Tataritsa.

Since August 1811, Bagration has been the commander-in-chief of the Podolsk Army, renamed in March 1812 into the 2nd Western Army. Anticipating the possibility of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, he put forward a plan that provided for advance preparation to repel aggression.

Patriotic War of 1812

At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, the 2nd Western Army was located near Grodno and found itself cut off from the main 1st Army by the advancing French corps. Bagration had to retreat with rearguard battles to Bobruisk and Mogilev, where, after the battle near Saltanovka, he crossed the Dnieper and on August 3 united with the 1st Western Army of Barclay de Tolly near Smolensk.

Bagration advocated involving broad sections of the people in the fight against the French and was one of the initiators of the partisan movement.

Under Borodin, Bagration's army, forming the left wing of the battle formation of the Russian troops, repelled all attacks of Napoleon's army. According to the tradition of that time, decisive battles were always prepared as for a show - people changed into clean linen, shaved carefully, put on ceremonial uniforms, orders, white gloves, sultans on shakos, etc. Exactly as he is depicted in the portrait - with a blue St. Andrew's ribbon, with three stars of the orders of Andrei, George and Vladimir and many order crosses - were seen by Bagration's regiments in the Battle of Borodino, the last in his military life. A cannonball fragment crushed the general's tibia in his left leg. The prince refused the amputation proposed by the doctors. The next day, Bagration mentioned the injury in his report to Tsar Alexander I:

The commander was transported to the estate of his friend, Prince B. A. Golitsyn (his wife was Bagration’s fourth cousin), to the village of Sima, Vladimir province.

On September 24, 1812, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration died of gangrene, 17 days after being wounded. According to the surviving inscription on the grave in the village of Sima, he died on September 23.

In 1839, on the initiative of the partisan poet D.V. Davydov, the ashes of Prince Bagration were transferred to the Borodino field.

In 1932, the monument on the Raevsky battery was destroyed, Bagration’s grave was destroyed, and his remains were thrown out. In 1985-1987, the monument was restored; fragments of Bagration’s bones were discovered among the debris, which were then reburied. Buttons and fragments of the commander’s uniform became exhibits at the State Borodino Military Historical Museum-Reserve.

Personal life of Bagration

After Suvorov's Swiss campaign, Prince Bagration gained popularity in high society. In 1800, Emperor Paul I arranged the wedding of Bagration with his 18-year-old maid of honor, Countess Ekaterina Pavlovna Skavronskaya. The wedding took place on September 2, 1800 in the church of the Gatchina Palace. Here is what General Langeron wrote about this alliance:

In 1805, the frivolous beauty left for Europe and did not live with her husband. Bagration called the princess to return, but she remained abroad under the pretext of treatment. In Europe, Princess Bagration enjoyed great success, gained fame in court circles in different countries, and gave birth to a daughter (it is believed that she was the father of the Austrian Chancellor, Prince Metternich). After the death of Pyotr Ivanovich, the princess briefly married an Englishman again, and then returned to her surname Bagration. She never returned to Russia. Prince Bagration, nevertheless, loved his wife; shortly before his death, he ordered two portraits of himself and his wife from the artist Volkov.

Bagration had no children.

Reviews of contemporaries about Bagration

Napoleon about Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration:

General Ermolov left the following review about Bagration:

Prince Bagration... A subtle and flexible mind, he made strong connections at court. Obligatory and friendly in his manner, he kept his equals on good terms, retained the goodwill of his former friends... His subordinate was rewarded with dignity, he considered it a blessing to serve with him, and always idolized him. None of the bosses allowed us to feel their power less; Never has a subordinate obeyed with greater pleasure. His manner is charming! It is not difficult to use his power of attorney, but only in matters little known to him. In any other case, its character is independent. Lack of knowledge or weakness of abilities can only be noticed by people, especially those close to him...

From his earliest years, without a mentor, completely without a fortune, Prince Bagration had no means to receive an education. Gifted by nature with lucky abilities, he was left without education and decided to enlist in military service. He extracted all concepts about the military craft from experiments, all judgments about it from incidents, as they were similar to each other, not being guided by rules and science and falling into errors; Often, however, his opinion was thorough. Undaunted in battle, indifferent in danger... Refined dexterity before the sovereign, captivatingly flattering treatment of those close to him. He is meek in character, unconventional, generous to the point of extravagance. Not quick to anger, always ready for reconciliation. He does not remember evil, he always remembers good deeds.

Clausewitz calls Bagration:

...a man with a reputation as a dashing fighter.

This reputation is partly confirmed by Tsar Alexander I in his confidential letter to his sister Catherine Pavlovna dated September 30, 1812:

What can a man do more than follow his best conviction?.. It made me appoint Barclay commander of the 1st Army on the basis of the reputation he had built for himself during the past wars against the French and against the Swedes. This conviction made me think that he was superior to Bagration in his knowledge. When this conviction was further increased by the fundamental mistakes which the latter had made during the present campaign, and which were partly responsible for our failures, I considered him less than ever capable of commanding the two armies united at Smolensk. Although I was little pleased with what I had to see in Barclay’s actions, I considered him less bad than that [Bagration] in the matter of strategy, about which he has no idea.

The tsar's unflattering review of Bagration may have been caused by rumors that his sister was in love with the general. The Tsar, speaking about Bagration’s lack of strategic talent, blames him for not fulfilling previously planned plans to unite armies, although Bagration’s maneuvers were determined by the actions of a superior enemy. However, from Bagration’s letters we know his desire for a general battle with Napoleon, even on the condition of the numerical superiority of the French, because of which he quarreled with the commander of the 1st Army, Barclay de Tolly. Bagration did not appreciate the need for a strategic retreat, thanks to which the victory over Napoleon was won.

Awards

  • Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (09/27/1809);
  • Order of St. George 2nd class. (28.01.1806, No. 34) - “for distinction in the battle of Schöngraben on November 4, 1805”;
  • Golden sword “for bravery” with diamonds (12/01/1807);
  • Order of St. Vladimir 1st class. (05/20/1808) - for the Russian-Swedish war;
  • Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (06/06/1799) with diamonds;
  • Order of St. Anne 1st class. (05/05/1799);
  • Maltese St. John of Jerusalem Commander (14.05.1799) with diamonds;
  • Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (1807);
  • Prussian Order of the Black Eagle (1807);
  • Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa 2nd class. (1799);
  • Sardinian Order of Mauritius and Lazarus, 1st class. (1799);

Addresses in St. Petersburg

  • 1801-1803 - Bolshaya Morskaya Street, 23.
  • 1808 - Odoevsky house (Bolshaya Morskaya Street, 63);
  • 12.1810 - 06.1811 - house of D. Faminitsyn (Nevsky Prospekt, 92).

Memory of Bagration

  • On September 7, 1946, the Prussian city of Preussisch-Eylau, which ended up in the Kaliningrad region, was renamed in honor of Pyotr Ivanovich Bagrationovsk, now the administrative center of the municipal formation Bagrationovsky district of the Kaliningrad region.
  • In Veliky Novgorod, on the Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia”, among the 129 figures of the most outstanding personalities in Russian history (as of 1862), there is the figure of P. I. Bagration.
  • Monuments: In Moscow, erected in 1999, sculptor Merab Merabishvili.
  • In Moscow there is the Bagrationovskaya metro station and the Bagration shopping and pedestrian bridge.
  • Bagrationovsky proezd
  • Bagration Street (Smolensk)
  • Bagration Street (Lipetsk)
  • Bagration Street (Kaliningrad)
  • Bagration Street, 1st and 2nd lane. Bagration (Minsk)
  • The code name “Bagration” was the Belarusian operation (1944) of the Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, during which the territory of Belarus was liberated.
  • Film Bagration
  • Roman by S. N. Golubov “Bagration”.
  • Yu. I. Koginov’s novel “Bagration: He is the God of the Army.”
Awards

Biography

Pedigree

The Bagration family originates from Adarnase Bagration, in 742-780 eristav (ruler) of the oldest province of Georgia - Tao Klarjeti, now part of Turkey, whose son Ashot Kuropalat (d. 826) became the king of Georgia. Later the Georgian royal house was divided into three branches, and one of the lines of the eldest branch (princes Bagration) was included in the number of Russian-princely families, when Emperor Alexander I approved the seventh part of " General armorial » The 4th of October 1803.

Tsarevich Alexander (Isaac-beg) Jessevich, the illegitimate son of the Kartalin king Jesse, left for Russia in 1759 due to disagreements with the ruling Georgian family and served lieutenant colonel in the Caucasian division. His son Ivan Bagration (-) moved after him. He entered service in the commandant's team under Kizlyarskaya fortresses Despite the claims of many authors, he was never colonel Russian army, did not know the Russian language, and retired with the rank seconds major.

Although most authors claim that Peter Bagration was born in Kizlyar V 1765, from archival materials something else follows. According to Ivan Alexandrovich’s petitions, the parents of the future General Bagration moved from the Principality of Iveria (Georgia) to Kizlyar only in December 1766(long before Georgia joined the Russian Empire). Consequently, Peter was born in July 1765 in Georgia, most likely in the capital, the city Tiflis. Pyotr Bagration spent his childhood years in his parents' house in Kizlyar.

Military service

Pyotr Bagration began his military service on February 21 ( March 4) 1782 a private in the Astrakhan infantry regiment, stationed in the vicinity of Kizlyar. He acquired his first combat experience during a military expedition to the territory of Chechnya. In an unsuccessful foray of a Russian detachment under the command of Pieri against the rebel highlanders Sheikh Mansour Colonel Pieri's adjutant, non-commissioned officer Bagration, was captured near the village of Aldy, but then ransomed by the tsarist government.

Bagration served in the Caucasian Musketeer Regiment until June 1792, having successively completed all levels of military service from sergeant to captain, to which he was promoted in May 1790. Served in the Kiev Horse-Jager and Sofia carabinieri shelves. Pyotr Ivanovich was not rich, had no patronage, and by the age of 30, when other princes became generals, he barely rose to the rank of major. Participated in Russian-Turkish war 1787-92 and the Polish campaign of 1793-94. Distinguished himself December 17 1788 during the assault Ochakova.

Russia has no good generals, except for one Bagration.

Prince Bagration... A subtle and flexible mind, he made strong connections at court. Obligatory and friendly in his manner, he kept his equals on good terms, retained the goodwill of his former friends... His subordinate was rewarded with dignity, he considered it a blessing to serve with him, and always idolized him. None of the bosses allowed us to feel their power less; Never has a subordinate obeyed with greater pleasure. His manner is charming! It is not difficult to use his power of attorney, but only in matters little known to him. In any other case, its character is independent. Lack of knowledge or weakness of abilities can only be noticed by people, especially those close to him...
From his earliest years, without a mentor, completely without a fortune, Prince Bagration had no means to receive an education. Gifted by nature with lucky abilities, he was left without education and decided to enlist in military service. He extracted all concepts about the military craft from experiments, all judgments about it from incidents, as they were similar to each other, not being guided by rules and science and falling into errors; Often, however, his opinion was thorough. Undaunted in battle, indifferent in danger... Refined dexterity before the sovereign, captivatingly flattering treatment of those close to him. He is meek in character, unconventional, generous to the point of extravagance. Not quick to anger, always ready for reconciliation. He does not remember evil, he always remembers good deeds.

What can a man do more than follow his best conviction?.. It made me appoint Barclay commander of the 1st Army on the basis of the reputation he had built for himself during the past wars against the French and against the Swedes. This conviction made me think that he was superior to Bagration in his knowledge. When this conviction was further increased by the fundamental mistakes which the latter had made during the present campaign, and which were partly responsible for our failures, I considered him less than ever capable of commanding the two armies united at Smolensk. Although I was little pleased with what I had to see in Barclay’s actions, I considered him less bad than that [Bagration] in the matter of strategy, about which he has no idea.

The tsar's unflattering review was caused by rumors that his sister was in love with General Bagration. The letter was written immediately after the loss of Moscow, in which the tsar tries to justify himself for the defeats. The Tsar, speaking about Bagration’s lack of strategic talent, blames him for not fulfilling previously planned plans to unite armies, although Bagration’s maneuvers were determined by the actions of a superior enemy. However, from Bagration’s letters we know his desire for a general battle with Napoleon, even on the condition of the numerical superiority of the French, because of which he quarreled with the commander of the 1st Army, Barclay de Tolly. Bagration did not appreciate the need for a strategic retreat, thanks to which the victory over Napoleon was won.

Awards

Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration was born on July 10, 1765 in the North Caucasus, in Kizlyar. He came from an old Georgian princely family, in which service in the Russian army became a family tradition. He studied at the Kizlyar school for chief and non-commissioned officer children. He began his military service in 1782. His first military rank was sergeant of the Astrakhan Musketeer Regiment. Bagration gained his first combat experience in clashes with highlanders who attacked the Caucasian fortified border line. As an officer, Prince Bagration gained his first military awards and fame in the ranks of the Russian army during the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791 and the Polish Campaign of 1793-1794. There Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov drew attention to him and predicted a great future for the brave infantry commander.

Bagration's talent as a great military leader was revealed under the banner of Suvorov during the Italian and Swiss campaigns of 1799. During the campaigns against the troops of revolutionary France that captured Northern Italy, Major General Bagration commanded the vanguard of the allied Russian-Austrian army. As a rule, he was the first to clash with the enemy and often decide the outcome of the battle, as for example in Italy - on the Adda and Trebbia rivers and near the city of Novi Ligure. His contemporaries were amazed by his fearlessness and determination in critical moments of battle. Suvorov was proud of his talented student, and the French military leaders saw Bagration as a dangerous opponent. The Patriotic War of 1812, as well as other anti-Napoleonic wars, confirmed these fears.During the Swiss campaign in the battle at the Saint Gotthard mountain pass, the Russian vanguard under the command of Bagration brilliantly completed the task, and largely thanks to him, the French had to clear the way for Suvorov’s troops, while suffering heavy losses.

In orders and reports to Emperor Paul I, Suvorov constantly noted the merits of the commander of his vanguard, who successfully coped with the most important combat missions. General Bagration returned from a campaign abroad as a renowned military leader.

In the military campaign of 1805, when the army under the command of Kutuzov carried out the famous Ulm-Olmut march maneuver, General Bagration led its rearguard, which suffered the most trials.Of these, the most serious was the battle on November 16, 1805 at Hollabrunn. The Russian 7,000-strong rearguard was opposed by the advanced 40,000-strong corps of the Napoleonic army under the command of Marshal Murat. Having secured a position at Hollabrunn, Bagration held out until the retreating main forces of the Russian army were at a distance inaccessible to the French army.

True military leadership recognition came to Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration after the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805, which Napoleon considered the “sun” in his military biography. The army of the French emperor numbered 75 thousand people. His opponents were 85 thousand people (60 thousand Russians and 25 thousand Austrians) and 278 guns. The allied army was formally commanded by General Kutuzov, but during the battle, Russian Emperor Alexander I and the Austrian Holy Roman Emperor Francis II constantly interfered with his decisions.Bagration commanded the troops of the right wing of the allied army, which for a long time staunchly repelled all attacks of the French. When the victorious scales became

lean towards the Napoleonic army, almost okBagration's armed troops formed the rearguard of the allied Russian-Austrian army, covering the withdrawal of the main forces and suffering heavy losses.The Battle of Austerlitz - the “Battle of Three Emperors” - became for General Bagration a strict test of military leadership maturity, which he passed with honor.

survived. AfterbirthThe result of this battle was the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and the formation in its place of the Austrian state, which ceased to be an ally of Russia.

During the Russian-Prussian-French War of 1806-1807, Bagration again commanded the rearguard of the allied army, which distinguished itself in major battles in East Prussia - at Preussisch-Eylau and at Friedland. In the first of them, which took place on February 7-8, 1807, Bagration commanded the rearguard of the Russian army, covering its retreat to Preussisch-Eylau. Then Bagration's regiments successfully repelled the attacks of the French troops and did not allow the enemy to outflank them. After a bloody battle that lasted until deten o'clock in the evening, the opposing armies remained in their original positions.