Saltykovs. Saltykov Sergei Vasilievich - lover of Catherine II the Great State affairs and Sergei Saltykov

His Serene Highness Prince Saltykov 1st Nikolai Ivanovich

10/31/1736 - 05/16/1816, St. Petersburg.
Father - Chief General Ivan Alekseevich, mother - Anastasia Petrovna ur. Countess Tolstaya. Wife - Natalya Vladimirovna ur. Princess Dolgorukova (1737-1812), children: Actual Chamberlain Dmitry (1767-1826), Privy Councilor Alexander (1775-1837) and Actual Privy Councilor Sergei (1777-1828).

Participated in the campaign of the Russian corps on the Rhine in 1747, in the Seven Years' War in 1757-1763. (1761 - during the capture of Kolberg), in the Russian-Turkish war of 1769-1774. (1769 - in the siege and occupation of Khotin)

Education: home and at work

Ranks: private guard (1747), entered service (1748), officer (Vys. pr. 1754), colonel (Vys. pr. 1759), major general (Vys. pr. 1.09.1762), lieutenant general (Vys. pr. 09/22/1767), general-in-chief (Vys. pr. 04/21/1773), field marshal general (Vys. pr. 11/8/1796)

Service: in the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment (1748), chief quartermaster of the active army (1758), sent to St. Petersburg to the Empress with a report from the commander-in-chief about the victory at Kunersdorf (08/1/1759), head of a detachment consisting of three infantry and one cavalry regiments, sent to Poland (05/12/1763), returned to Russia (08/19/1763), was treated abroad (1770-73), vice-president of the Military College (1773), chamberlain at the court of the heir to the throne (1773), chief educator of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich (1783), senator and member of the council at the Imperial Court (1784), in the absence of the president and vice-president, present at the Military Collegium (in 1789), presiding in the Military Collegium (in 1792-1796), chief of the Pskov Dragoon Regiment ( 1794-1795), President of the Military Collegium (11/8/1796-09/1802), dismissed at the request of the President of the Military Collegium (09/1802), Manager of the Zemstvo Army (Militia) Committee (1807), Chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers (03/29/1812- 1816).

Awards: A1 (Vys. pr. 1766), AN (Vys. pr. 09/20/1769), APalm. (Vys. pr. 11/24/1782), B1 (Vys. pr. 05/21/1788), granted the dignity of count (Vys. pr. 1790), chamberlain of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the elder of the Greek priory (1799), a diamond-decorated portrait of the Emperor. Alexander I (Vys. pr. 1801), Grand Cross of the Order of St. I. Jerusalem (Vys. Ave. 1797), elevated with his descendants "to princely Russian Empire dignity, with the conferment of the title of lordship." He received the Highest order, which assigned an officer guard to him, "in commemoration of Our special favor and long-term service of Field Marshal Prince. Saltykov and to the famous services he rendered to the fatherland" (Vys. Ave. 08/30/1814),

Foreign awards: Polish Order of the White Eagle, Holstein Order of St. Anna

Other information: buried next to his wife, who died 4 years before him, in the village of Snigirev (near the city of Vladimir)

Illustrations:

Saltykov N.I., art. Johann Friedrich August Tischbein

Sources:
Bantysh-Kamensky - Biographies of field marshals and generalissimos.

Weydemeyer - Court and remarkable people of the 18th century, part II.

The highest orders given with a password, 11.1796

Dolgorukov - Russian genealogical book, vol. II.

Leer - Encyclopedia of Military Sciences.
Kobeko D. Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich.
Inscriptions for the portrait of the prince. N. I. Saltykova // Russian Bulletin, 1816, No. 10.

Petrov - Russia's war with Turkey and the Polish confederates in 1769-1774.
Letters from Imp. Catherine II to Saltykov // Russian Archive, 1864.

Collection Imp. Russian East. General, vol. I, II, V, IX, XIII, ХVI, XXVIІ and XXVII.

Svinin P. Notes on the life of Field Marshal Prince. N.I. Saltykova, St. Petersburg. 1818.

List of the Military Department and those on staff in the army, in the regiments, guards, in the artillery and in other positions of generals and staff officers, as well as holders of the military order and foremen in the irregular forces, 1789

List of generals by seniority, 08/08/1801

List of generals by seniority, 03/04/1804

List of generals by seniority, 09/05/1805

List of generals by seniority, 10/31/1806

List of generals by seniority, 01/18/1808

List of generals by seniority, 06/24/1812

List of generals by seniority, 1813

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1803.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1804.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1808.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1809.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1811.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1812.

List of ranks of the first five classes in the civil service for 1813.

Sukhareva O.V. Who was who in Russia from Peter I to Paul I, Moscow, 2005

Schilder - Emperor Alexander I, his life and reign.

if (!defined("_SAPE_USER"))( define("_SAPE_USER", "d0dddf0d3dec2c742fd908b6021431b2"); ) require_once($_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"]."/"._SAPE_USER."/sape.php"); $o["host"] = "regiment.ru"; $sape = new SAPE_client($o); unset($o); echo $sape->return_links();?>

Genus. October 31, 1736 His father, General-Chief Ivan Alekseevich, was the son of the great-nephew of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Thus, Nikolai Ivanovich was related, albeit distantly, to the reigning house. He began his service, as all nobles usually began then, as a private in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, which he joined in 1748, i.e., in the twelfth year of his life. Just at this time, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna sent a 37,000-strong corps, which included the Semenovsky regiment, to the Rhine, to help Maria Theresa, and S., from the first steps of her service, had to get acquainted with the difficult sides of it, enter into its full potential. the unsightly environment of a soldier's life. This circumstance was important: S. not only managed to study the soldier’s environment and life, but managed to become close to this environment, learned to understand and love the soldier. Then quickly progressing through the lower officer ranks up to and including captain, S., from 1757, took part in all the important battles of the Seven Years' War. In 1758 he was appointed chief quartermaster of the active army. After the Battle of Kunersdorf (August 1, 1759), he was sent to St. Petersburg to the Empress with a report from the commander-in-chief about the victory, for which he was awarded the rank of colonel. In the following years he took part in the siege and capture of Kolberg. By a personal Imperial decree on May 12, 1763, S., already with the rank of major general, was appointed head of a detachment consisting of three infantry and one cavalry regiments sent to Poland. Russian troops, under the command of the young S., for the first time, during the reign of Empress Catherine II, entered Poland to support the Czartoryski party, which was in danger from the adherents of King Augustus III. In Poland, S. entered with his detachment at the disposal of Ambassador Count Keyserling, in accordance with whose instructions he was supposed to act. The assignment was very serious, requiring great tact from the detachment commander. This time it did not come to military action, and S., as can be seen from the empress’s letter on August 19. 1763, received orders to return with a detachment to Russia. At the same time, the Empress instructed him to try to return fugitive Russian soldiers and peasants hiding within Polish borders to Russia, “scouting where those hiding are, and trying to take them with them, without using any severity or bitterness towards the inhabitants.” All fugitives, most of whom were Old Believers who were not persecuted during the reign of Catherine II, were ordered to declare full forgiveness. Such assignments prepared S. well for the military-administrative positions that he subsequently occupied. In subsequent years, including 1768, Russian troops, under the command of S., entered Poland several more times, where, thanks to tact and gentleness of treatment, S. managed to earn general love and favor. In 1769, S., with the rank of lieutenant general, took part, under the command of Prince. Golitsyn, in the first Turkish war and during the siege of Khotin, commanding a separate detachment, he, among other things, carried out reconnaissance in order to determine in detail the enemy forces. A handwritten letter from the Empress, September 20. 1769, in which the Order of St. complains to him. Alexander Nevsky, testifies to the excellent review of him by the commander-in-chief. This campaign ends S.'s military activity; Soon after the capture of Khotin, due to poor health, he left the army and went abroad, where he lived for three years, from 1770 to 1773. Upon returning to Russia, S. was promoted to general-in-chief and appointed vice-president of the military college. In the same year, under the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich, he took the place of Nikita Ivanovich Panin, which he occupied until 1783, i.e. 10 years. In her handwritten letter to S. on November 5, 1773, the Empress writes: “...I chose you to be with my son, and in what position and in what position, about that tomorrow morning, at ten o’clock, when you will Come to me, I’ll explain it to you myself.” This appointment alone shows how deep Catherine’s trust S. enjoyed. In a letter to her son, in which the Empress notifies him of S.’s appointment, she, among other things, writes: “You will have a significant person with you and not just to add importance your exits, but also so that it keeps the people assigned to your court in order... Through him, foreigners and other persons will be introduced to you, he will manage your table and servants, oversee the order and the necessary appearance of your court ". This man is full of honesty and meekness, and wherever he served, people were pleased with him. I assign you Saltykov, who, without being called the marshal of your court, will fulfill this position, as you will see from the attached note outlining his duties." How S. performed this difficult, troublesome, and sometimes very delicate position can be seen from the fact that, despite the distrust with which the Grand Duke greeted him, he soon managed to earn not only his full arrangement and trust, but also love. “I admit that it is difficult for me to part with you,” writes Pavel Petrovich to Saltykov, when the latter received the appointment to be the tutor of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich, “for which I was consoled by the answer (of the empress) that this is not separation and that you are always in intercourse You will remain with us, but no less than someone else, and not you with us... My friendship forced me to write to you about this, now I have learned that I really love you, for the first two explanations about this (with the empress), and the days , not without tears." Being with the Tsarevich, S. accompanied him in 1776 to Berlin, for his engagement to the Princess of Württemberg, who later became Empress Maria Feodorovna, and also accompanied the Grand Duke when he traveled around Europe under the name of Count of the North. S.'s tact was fully demonstrated throughout the entire 10-year period of his stay at the court of Pavel Petrovich. He knew how to present himself so well, he was always so correct that he never incurred the displeasure of either the Tsarevich or the Empress, which, given the strain of their relationship, was, of course, very difficult. Judging by some reviews, S. often acted as an intermediary between Pavel Petrovich and the emperor. Ekaterina; prudent, cold-blooded, he performed his delicate duty perfectly, and this review from his contemporaries has a large share grounds, as can be seen from the sincere regret that Pavel Petrovich showed during his removal. In September 1783, Sofia Ivanovna Benkendorf, the teacher of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich, died, of whom the first was at that time in his sixth year, and the last in his fifth year, and imp. Catherine found that “the time has come to take away female supervision from them”; she decided to entrust S. with “main supervision in the upbringing” of her grandchildren, which she notified him about in a handwritten letter. S. already knew about this earlier, from a letter from Pavel Petrovich, in which the latter, notifying him of the Empress’s intentions, expressed to him in the most tender terms his condolences regarding the upcoming separation. Shortly before this appointment (November 24, 1782), S. was awarded the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, and then, over the next 10 years, he was appointed adjutant general, lieutenant colonel of the l.-guards. Semenovsky regiment, senator, member of the Imperial Council, received the Order of St. on May 21, 1788. Vladimir Grand Cross of the first degree and, finally, appointed, instead of Prince Potemkin, to fill the post of President of the Military Collegium. He filled this position until the death of the Emperor. Catherine II. During his management of the Military College there were two campaigns: against the Swedes and against the Turks; at the conclusion of peace with the former (1790), he was granted count's dignity, and after peace with the Turks - 5 thousand souls of peasants in the regions newly acquired from Poland, the Minsk and Mogilev provinces. In 1794, he was the “founder of all operations” during the Polish war, directing all the actions of the commander-in-chief, Prince. N.V. Repnina. The inconvenience of such control of military operations from St. Petersburg was expressed in a number of failures in the Polish theater, which were already corrected by A.V. Suvorov. For raising Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, S. received 100 thousand rubles at a time and 25 thousand rubles. a year of lifelong pension (1793), and at the end of Konstantin Pavlovich’s upbringing, a house in St. Petersburg, a silver service and 60 thousand rubles for “household establishment,” as stated in the decree in his name. Soon (November 8, 1796) after Pavel Petrovich ascended the throne, S. received the rank of Field Marshal General and was appointed President of the Military College, and in 1799 he received the title of Chamberlain of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and soon after that he was appointed elder of the Greek priory. On the day of his coronation, Emperor Alexander I granted S. his portrait decorated with diamonds. This award began a series of favors that Nick received. Iv. from his royal pupil. Meanwhile, S.’s health was upset, and this forced him to ask the sovereign to dismiss him from the post of president of the Military College, which he was allowed to do by a personal decree (in September 1802), which, among other things, said: “dismissing you, at your request , from the post of President of the Military College, I hope that you will continue to provide useful experience and advice to me and the fatherland, as much as your strength and health allow.” During the war of 1807, S. managed the committee of the zemstvo army (militia) established that year, and in 1812 the emperor, notifying him of the break with France in a letter that ended with the famous historical phrase: “I will not lay down my arms until no one no enemy warrior will remain in my kingdom,” at the same time appointed him (March 29, 1812) as chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. For the correction of these positions, by decree given to the Senate on August 30. 1814, imp. Alexander I elevated S. and his descendants “to the dignity of prince of the Russian Empire, with the conferment of the title of lordship.” Simultaneously with this decree, the Highest Order followed, which assigned an officer guard to S., “in commemoration of Our special favor and long-term service of Field Marshal Prince Saltykov and the famous services rendered by him to the fatherland.” Until 1816, that is, until the return of the sovereign, the elderly field marshal occupied this important post. Meanwhile, his health was completely broken. At the end of 1815, dropsy developed in his leg, the consequence of which was Antonov fire. The emperor repeatedly visited his former teacher during his illness, the outcome of which was clear to everyone, not excluding the patient. On May 16, 1816, at eight o'clock in the afternoon, Prince S. passed away. He died at the age of 80 and in the 68th year of service. The General Meeting of the Senate, at its meeting on May 30, 1816, decided that the entire Governing Senate should be present at the removal and burial of the body of the field marshal, “like a man who has long been distinguished for his fatherland by many services.” The Sovereign Emperor, accompanied by the highest dignitaries of the empire, escorted the remains of the late S. to the Kazan Cathedral. According to the will of the deceased, he was buried next to his wife, who died 4 years before him, in the village of Snigirev (near the city of Vladimir).

The opinions of contemporaries about S. are very different: his historian, Svinin, in his “Notes on the life of Field Marshal Prince Saltykov” considers him an ideal person and statesman. “Despite his high rank,” he says, “the late field marshal was accessible to everyone, friendly in his manner, willingly listened to those who needed his patronage and gladly gave benefits... Doing good was a sacred law for him and if, due to circumstances, he had to was to appease the daring one and punish the one who did not fulfill his duty, this cost him true grief.” Other contemporary S. persons paint him in a completely different light: the Saxon chargé d'affaires Gelbig considered him "the most incapable educator of royal children in Europe." Secretary Imp. Catherine II, Gribovsky, gives him the following description: “he was very pious and prayed for a long time in the morning. He was considered an intelligent and insightful man, that is, he knew court science very well, but had superficial knowledge of state affairs; however, for four years almost all state affairs were reported to his respect, but I don’t remember that he gave even one opinion to the contrary. In matters actually entrusted to him, he was managed by his clerk, and in household matters by his wife without limit; he wrote with his own hand in the old-fashioned way, difficult." But this opinion of Gribovsky seems biased. S.’s ability alone to reconcile, to a certain extent, the strained relations of Imp. Catherine II and Pavel Petrovich, the ability to be useful to both parties and to be equally sympathetic and necessary to them, testifies to a remarkable intelligence and great tact. One trick is not enough here. Gribovsky's accusation that he is “servile to the random” is hardly entirely fair.

Pavel Svinin, "Notes on the life of Field Marshal Prince N.I. Saltykov", St. Petersburg. 1818. - Dm. Kobeko "Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich". - Petrov, “The War of Russia with Turkey and the Polish Confederates in 1769-1774.” - Book Dolgorukov, "Russian genealogical book", vol. II. - Bantysh-Kamensky, “Biographies of Field Marshals and Generalissimos.” - Weydemeyer, “The Court and Remarkable People of the 18th Century,” Part II. - Schilder, "Emperor Alexander I, his life and reign." - Leer, Encyclopedia. - Letters from Imp. Catherine II to Saltykov in the Russian Archive, 1864 - Inscriptions for the portrait of Prince. N.I. Saltykova in the Russian Bulletin, 1816, No. 10. - Collection of Imp. Russian East. General, vol. I, II, V, IX, XIII, ХVI, XXVIІ and XXVII.

(Polovtsov)

Saltykov, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich

(1736-1816) - Field Marshal General; participated in the Seven Years' War; in 1769 he assisted Prince. Golitsyn in mastering Khotin. Since 1783 he supervised the education of the leader. Princes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich; in 1784 he was appointed senator and member of the council at the Supreme Presence (later the State Council), in 1788 - vice-president of the military college, and from 1790 he assumed all the rights of the president. Since 1812 he presided over the State Court. council and committee of ministers. In 1814 he was elevated to princely dignity.

(Brockhaus)

Saltykov, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich

30th Field Marshal General.

Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov, the son of General-in-Chief Ivan Alekseevich, the grandnephew of Empress Anna Ioannovna, whose parent, Tsarina Paraskeviya Feodorovna, was from the Saltykov house, was born on October 31, 1736. Despite his noble origins, he entered the service as a private in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment at the same time that Empress Elizabeth sent (in 1747) a thirty-seven thousandth corps to the Rhine for the benefit of Maria Theresa, through which she contributed to the conclusion of the Peace of Aachen. Saltykov was in this corps with his father under the main command of Feldzeichmeister General Prince Vasily Anikitich Repnin. Then he took part in the victories of the Russians in Prussia; was sent to St. Petersburg with a report from the commander-in-chief about famous battle the Battle of Frankfurt, won on August 1, 1759 over Frederick the Great; promoted to colonel; fought under the banners of Rumyantsev during the capture of Kolberg in 1761; promoted to major general by Emperor Peter III, and after that, from 1763 to 1768 he led alternately Russian army in Poland, where he acquired common love and respect for himself; contributed to the capture of Khotin by Prince Golitsyn on September 10, 1769; but was forced to leave the army in next year, due to poor health.

Empress Catherine II awarded special awards to such active service: she awarded Nikolai Ivanovich the Order of St. Anne in 1766; in 1768 the rank of lieutenant general; in 1769 the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Having gone to foreign lands, he was on the Pyrmont and Aachen waters, spent some time at the court of Frederick II and one winter in Paris. His journey lasted three years, but did not diminish the favor of the Empress, who made Nikolai Ivanovich, in 1773, general-in-chief and vice-president of the Military College; ordered him to be with the heir to the throne, instead of Count Nikita Ivanovich Panin, who then managed the Department of Foreign Affairs. In this honorary title, he accompanied the Grand Duke in Berlin in 1776, during his betrothal to the niece of the King of Prussia, Princess Wirtemberg-Stuttgart, who later became Empress Maria Feodorovna; was with Pavel Petrovich when he traveled to foreign lands under the name Northern Count - and left him in 1783, only to devote himself completely to the education of two great princes: Alexander Pavlovich and Konstantin Pavlovich.

The important assignment of the Monarch, guided by wisdom and tender love for her grandchildren, serves as the best evidence of the merits and virtues of Nikolai Ivanovich, which gained him only flattering trust. One cannot read with indifference the letters that the heir to the throne honored him with at that time. Saltykov's place was taken by Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin. “I don’t know him at all,” wrote Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, “but I have always heard him as an honest man. I admit that it is difficult for me to part with you, although I was consoled by the feedback that this is not separation, and that you will always You will remain in relations with us; but no less than another, and not you with us." Further: “My friendship forced me to write to you about this; now I have learned that I really love you: for the first two explanations about this (with the Empress), and the days have not passed without tears. You will allow me to regret myself, and so on.” The Empress continued, meanwhile, to distinguish the merits of Nikolai Ivanovich: on November 24, 1782, she conferred on him the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, then promoted him to adjutant general, lieutenant colonel of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, senator, member of the State Council and ordered, 1788, manage the War Department. At the conclusion of peace with Sweden in 1790, Nikolai Ivanovich received the dignity of count, and on the occasion of reconciliation with the Ottoman Porte in 1791, five thousand peasants in newly acquired Poland. On top of this, for the education of the Grand Dukes, he was granted: one hundred thousand rubles at a time, twenty-five thousand annual boarding, a house in St. Petersburg and a silver service.

Having ascended the throne, Emperor Paul I elevated Count Saltykov, on November 8, 1796, to the honorary dignity of Field Marshal; ordered to be president of the Military College; lieutenant and chamberlain of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (in 1799); finally, the sergeant major of the Greek Priory. Count Nikolai Ivanovich was no less favored by Emperor Alexander, who: on the day of his coronation, granted him his portrait, decorated with diamonds; during the first war with Napoleon, he entrusted the administration of the Committee established (in 1806) to the Zemstvo Army; in the memorable year 1812 named him chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. He remained in this rank for four years, until the Sovereign Emperor returned to St. Petersburg; elevated to the hereditary title of Russian prince on August 30, 1814; By the highest order, given on the same date, an officer guard was ordered to be with him. In addition to all Russian orders, he had (except for St. George, established after Saltykov left military service): Polish White Eagle and French: Carmelite Virgin Mary and St. Lazarus.

At the end of 1815, Prince Saltykov developed a water disease, which was then joined by Antonov's fire in his legs. Severe suffering did not shake the fortitude of the venerable old man, who had turned gray in his deeds of virtue. Faith accompanied him into another life: he reassured his relatives and associates, and a few minutes before his death, he blessed his pupil, friend, his Monarch, who repeatedly visited the sufferer. Unable to express the feelings of his heart, the dying loyal subject pressed Tsarev’s hand to his barely beating heart and raised his gaze to the sky - it seemed that he was asking him for the goodness of the Almighty. On May 16, 1816, he finished his arduous career, in the eightieth year of his life, and in the sixty-eighth year of serving the fatherland.

Despite his high rank, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich was accessible to everyone, friendly in his manner, condescending to the shortcomings of others, and being a true connoisseur of merit, he did not offend anyone with distrust without a good reason. Doing good was a sacred law and pleasure for him; to punish - with grief. Never did a poor person who needed help leave his house without help. With a cheerful, gentle disposition, he knew how to hide his sorrow in the depths of his heart, so as not to even upset the people who were devoted to him. When in 1812, on September 7, they came to announce the death of his wife, with whom he had lived for fifty years in perfect harmony, almost inseparably: they found a true Christian kneeling before the image of the Savior. “God!” he then cried out to the Almighty. “You united us on earth, do not separate us in heaven, and no matter what blow you send at me, my faith in you will not weaken.” Illuminated by the purest teaching, he did not begin his daily studies without calling on the Almighty for help, and getting up very early, he devoted more than an hour to prayer; but even at this moment, when he devoted himself to God with all his heart and soul, anyone who had a need for him could interrupt his studies - and the venerable old man, having fulfilled his duty of love for mankind, turned again to prayer. [Extracted from Notes on the life of Prince N Bolshaya biographical encyclopedia- Wikipedia has articles about other people with the same surname, see Saltykov. Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov ... Wikipedia

Russian general field marshal (1796), count (1790), prince (1814). From 1748 he served in the guard, took part in the Seven Years' War 1756–63, and from 1758 chief quartermaster of the active army. In 1763‒68 he commanded... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia

- (prince, 1736 1816) gen. field marshal; participated in the Seven Years' War; in 1769 he assisted Prince. Golitsyn in mastering Khotin. Since 1783 he supervised the education of the leader. Princes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich; in 1784 appointed senator and member... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky L. D. Kryukov. Portrait of N. I. Lobachevsky (1839) Date of birth ... Wikipedia

The son of Prince Vasily Anikitich Repnin, General Field Marshal, was born on March 11, 1734; died on May 12, 1801. Having received his initial education under the close supervision of his mother, R. was enrolled in the l. in 1745. Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment as a soldier and... Large biographical encyclopedia

Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov October 31, 1736 May 30, 1816 Tischbein, Johann Friedrich August Portrait of N.I. Saltykova Affiliation ... Wikipedia

His Serene Highness Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov (1736–1816)

N.I., who survived six monarchs, could boast of many successes achieved over 80 years of his life. Saltykov. For example, by the fact that, as chamberlain at the small court of the heir to the throne Pavel Petrovich and educator of his sons, Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin, he received more awards than he had for the military activities of A.V. Suvorov. Someone may not see anything special here: is it worth reproaching the person, after all, he did not reward himself. That’s how it is, but... And what the “but” is, the reader will see below.

His path to the general's epaulettes was marked by the same milestones as many of his peers, scions of noble Russian families. Nikolai Ivanovich was born into the family of General-Chief I.A. Saltykov and Countess A.P. Tolstoy, while still a child, was enlisted as a private in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. During the Seven Years' War, Saltykov took part in many battles, including Kunersdorf (August 1, 1759). He was sent to St. Petersburg with a report from the commander-in-chief about the victory over Frederick II and was promoted to colonel. In 1761, under the command of P.A. Rumyantsev fought during the capture of Kolberg (see essays about P.S. Saltykov and P.A. Rumyantsev).

In 1763, he was already a major general, commander of troops in Poland. His participation in the war against Turkey (1768–1774) ended with participation in the campaign of 1769. His contribution to the siege and capture of Khotin (September 10) was appreciated by Catherine II with the rank of lieutenant general and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (see essay about A.M. Golitsyn). After this, Saltykov went abroad for three years for treatment.

Nikolai Ivanovich did not particularly stand out from among the generals in his military leadership qualities; all the more surprising are the favors that awaited him upon his return to Russia in 1773. Saltykov was awarded the post of vice-president of the Military Collegium and the rank of general-in-chief. In addition, the Empress expressed special confidence in him by appointing the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, as chamberlain at the court. This position ensured him the enduring favor of all Russian monarchs of his time.

In November 1782, Catherine II awarded him the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, then promoted him to adjutant general and lieutenant colonel of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. He also became a senator and member of the Empress's Council.

Surprisingly, Saltykov managed, while maintaining the favor of Catherine II, to gain the trust of the Grand Duke, who hated his mother, an extremely suspicious and suspicious person. When the autocrat, ten years later, entrusted Saltykov with the responsibility of being the main educator of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin, Pavel Petrovich parted with his chamberlain with tears. And the new students forever retained deep respect for Nikolai Ivanovich.

What is the reason? After all, according to contemporaries, Saltykov was incapable of teaching and educating the royal offspring, and could not earn authority from this. It's all about his character. Evasiveness, cunning, the ability to live and get along with people were the predominant qualities in Saltykov’s character and mind. An egoist and flexible courtier, Saltykov, according to Prince I.M. Dolgoruky, who knew him closely, “internally loved only himself and was not able to do good when this required some elasticity in character, perseverance in actions and firmness in rules.”

When he was with the person of the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, he skillfully maneuvered between the empress and her unloved son, finding himself needed by both sides. As a teacher of the great princes, Saltykov generously shared his “science” with them, teaching his pupils the ability to maneuver between the contradictory demands of their father, on the one hand, and the royal grandmother, on the other. And, as we see, he succeeded in this.

All of Saltykov’s sophisticated deceit was felt by A.V. Suvorov. Alexander Vasilyevich, who considered the prince his rival, was blinded after Ishmael by a temporary and unfounded resentment against G.A. Potemkin, unexpectedly for himself, found himself among Saltykov’s possible relatives. Having learned about Suvorov’s desire to marry off his daughter Natasha (“Suvorochka”) - this was in 1791 - Nikolai Ivanovich offered his son’s hand in marriage. And Prince N.V. brought them together. Repnin, another rival of the future generalissimo.

Only later did Suvorov admit that he had been misled by a demon. Although belatedly, he still figured out the true intentions of his new “friends.” The party behind the heir to the throne weaved an intrigue against Catherine and her reliable support - Potemkin (see essay about G.A. Potemkin). In the event of the resignation of Grigory Alexandrovich, all key posts in the army would be in the hands of supporters of Pavel Petrovich: Count N.I. Saltykov, who, as vice-president of the Military Collegium in the absence of Potemkin in the capital, increasingly took control of the military department, would actually head it, Prince N.V. Repnin would become commander-in-chief of the army in the south, and Count I.P. Saltykov was already leading the troops on the western borders. Catherine was instilled with distrust of Potemkin, and the appearance at that moment in the capital of Suvorov, who could, according to the plans of the conspirators, accuse the commander-in-chief of misappropriating the victories of his subordinates, was very opportune.

So they began to court Alexander Vasilyevich. The conspirators even brought him together with Platon Zubov, through whom they influenced the empress, and he promised the commander the rank of adjutant general. Suvorov sought this court rank in order to have the opportunity to be in the palace at any moment and support, when necessary, his beloved “Suvorochka”: he always had a low opinion of the court and, as a religious person, believed that his daughter was exposed to all sorts of moral dangers there .

But as soon as the party of the heir to the throne realized that Suvorov was a stranger among them, the attitude towards him changed instantly. Rumors began to spread that Alexander Vasilyevich was fleecing the personnel of the Finnish division, although Suvorov’s predecessor in command of the division, Count Ivan Petrovich Saltykov, should have been held accountable for deficiencies in the soldiers’ uniforms. Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov, who became the helm of the Military Collegium after Potemkin’s death, covered up for his relative and blamed everything on Suvorov. Estimates were prepared, according to which Alexander Vasilyevich had to pay a huge amount to the treasury to repay the damage allegedly caused to him. All this lowered the authority of the commander in the eyes of Catherine II. Suvorov, a military general, unlike Count Saltykov, who never became one at court, did not understand that intrigue was a normal phenomenon in the environment of the throne. In the end, the winner was the one who turned out to be more necessary in the eyes of the empress.

Count Nikolai Ivanovich did not lose in any case. At the end of her reign, Catherine II elevated Saltykov to the dignity of count and granted him 5 thousand souls of peasants. For raising the Grand Dukes, he was given a house in St. Petersburg, 100 thousand rubles and an annual pension of 25 thousand rubles.

The count reaped the fruits of his tireless labors under the new rulers, fortunately they were all his pupils. Paul I granted his former chamberlain and friend the rank of field marshal general (November 1796) and appointed him president of the Military Collegium. In turn, Alexander I in 1812 appointed Saltykov chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers, and in August 1814 elevated him to princely dignity with the title of lordship. It should be added that during the absence of the emperor in Russia during the period of foreign campaigns of 1813–1814. Saltykov was essentially the regent of the state.

It turns out that to what unimaginable heights you can reach with very modest merits!