Start of military service
As a child, the future gentleman was enrolled in military service with the rank of sergeant major in the Horse Guards. Alexander received a good home education under the guidance of a well-known teacher, Abbé Perrin.
Having met in Moscow with the Sovereign Emperor Alexander Pavlovich (1777-1825) and, upon reaching the age of 15, in 1801, he was accepted into the service of a chamber-page.
Military service in the Russian Imperial Army began for Alexander Chernyshev at the 17th year of his birth, on September 20 (October 3), 1802, when he was transferred to the rank of cornet in the Life Guards Cavalier Guard Regiment.
In June 1804, cornet Alexander Chernyshev was appointed adjutant to the chief of the regiment, Adjutant General Fyodor Petrovich Uvarov (1769-1824), the future St. Andrew's Cavalier and cavalry general, one of the closest persons to the Person of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich.
In September 1804, cornet and adjutant Alexander Chernyshev was promoted to lieutenant in September 1804.
First battles and awards
Alexander Ivanovich participated in campaigns against the French in 1805 and 1807.
In November 1806, he was promoted to the headquarters of the captain, and for the difference in the battle of Austerlitz in November 1805, he was most highly granted the Imperial Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke 4th class with a bow.
For the courage shown in a number of battles in 1807, the Highest was awarded a golden sword with the inscription "For Courage", and for participation in the famous Friedland battle on June 2 (15), 1807, Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was Highly awarded the Order of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious 4- th class.
Alexander Ivanovich was granted the rank of adjutant wing on June 6 (19), 1809.
In the wars with France
In 1808, Alexander Ivanovich was sent by Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich as a courier to Paris, where he earned the highest favor of the first Emperor of France and St. Andrew's Cavalier Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).
In the Austro-French War of 1809, in the famous battles of the years. Aspern and Wagram Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, as a military observer from the Russian Empire, was with the army of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
In 1809 - the Highest granted to the adjutant wing to His Imperial Majesty, and in 1810 - he was promoted to the rank of captain.
From 1810 to 1812 Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev served as a military agent of the Russian Imperial Army in Paris and even led an agent network in the military ministry of the French Empire, using as a cover the status of a courier to deliver letters from Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte to Sovereign Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich.
A handsome and dexterous, wonderful dancer, Alexander Ivanovich enjoyed great success in Parisian society and, according to his contemporaries, was even in close relations with the younger Crowned Sister of the Emperor of France, Princess Maria Paulina (1780-1825), Duchess Guastelle, who was married on October 25 (7 November) 1803 with Prince Camillo Filippo Ludovico Borghese di Sulmone e di Rossano (1775-1832). Captain Alexander Chernyshev closely watched the military preparations of the French Empire, immediately reporting this to St. Petersburg. In his messages, he constantly tried to increase the suspicion of Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich, advising the Sovereign not only to be ready to repel an attack from the French Empire, but also to act offensively himself. For his merits in intelligence activities in France, on November 6 (19), 1810, on the 14th anniversary of the Ascension to the Throne of the Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich, Captain Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, at the age of 24, was most highly granted the rank of colonel of the Russian Imperial Army.
In the war of 1812-1814.
At the beginning Patriotic War In 1812, Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was the commandant of the Main Apartment of Sovereign Alexander I Pavlovich and was in charge of the Emperor's escort.
In September 1812, he was sent by the Sovereign Emperor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Imperial Army, Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1745-1813), and then to Admiral Pavel Vasilyevich Chichagov (1767-1846) with a plan of military operations.
At the end of World War II, Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev commanded partisan detachment, who managed to free from French captivity the adjutant general, Baron Ferdinand Feodorovich von Wintzingerode (1770-1818), who fell into the hands of the enemy in August 1812, when under a white flag, went to the French governor of Moscow E. A. Mortier in the hope of persuading him not to blow up the Moscow Kremlin, vilely was taken prisoner.
November 22 (December 5), 1812 Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev "for successful actions on the assignments entrusted to him and the prudent execution of a brave expedition" He was promoted to the rank of major general and granted the rank of adjutant general.
December 31, 1812 (January 13, 1813) defeated the troops of Duke Maximilian Eugene Joseph Augustus Napoleon de Beauharnais von Leuchtenberg (1781-1824) near the city of Marienwerder.
At the beginning of 1813, Major General Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, with his partisan detachment, disturbed the enemy armies on the left bank of the Oder River, and for the liberation of the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, Berlin on February 17 (March 2), 1813, he was most highly granted the Order of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious 3- th class. Since then, he began to enjoy great respect and popularity in the Kingdom of Prussia.
Following this, Major General Chernyshev distinguished himself in the capture of Messrs. Lüneburg and Kassel, commanded a cavalry raid into the Kingdom of Westphalia. At the end of 1813, a detachment under the command of Alexander Ivanovich formed the vanguard of the corps of the Adjutant General, Baron F.F. Wintzingerode.
On February 20 (March 5), 1814, for his distinction during the assault on the city of Soissons, during which Alexander Ivanovich captured three generals, 180 officers and over 3,000 enemy soldiers, the Highest received the rank of lieutenant general.
In 1814, during the stay of Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich in Paris, he was with the Person of the Emperor, and in July 1814 he accompanied the Sovereign to England, and then to the famous Congress of Vienna.
During the second campaign in France, commanding the vanguard, Lieutenant General Chernyshev captured the city of Chalon.
Count, Minister of War and General of the Cavalry
After returning to the Russian Empire, Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was, as an adjutant general, under the Sovereign Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich.
In 1819, he was appointed a member of the Highest, and since 1821 - Chairman of the Committee on the organization of the Don Cossacks, in 1821-1835, being its chairman.
April 18 (May 1), 1821 - Highest appointed head of the light guards cavalry division.
At the end of 1825, Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was sent to the 2nd Army to arrest one of the leaders of the Decembrist uprising, Pavel Ivanovich Pestel (1793-1826), and in January 1826, he became a member of the Commission of Inquiry on the case of the Decembrists.
Upon completion of the investigative actions, on August 22 (September 4), 1826, on the Day of Holy Confirmation and Coronation of Sovereign Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich (1796-1855) and Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1798-1860), Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev descending descendants, in the dignity of the Count of the Russian Empire.
On February 3 (16), 1827, the Most High Count was appointed assistant manager of the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty, and later - the position of senator.
On August 26 (September 8), 1827, Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was appointed acting Minister of War, and on the second (15) October 1827 he was promoted to the rank of cavalry general.
In April 1828, the Count Highest was appointed to be a member of the State Council.
From May 14, 1832, to August 26 (September 8), 1852, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was Minister of War. In addition, he served as the indispensable Chairman of the Military Council under the War Ministry.
In addition, Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, as well as the Caucasian and Siberian committees.
On April 2 (15), 1833, he was appointed chief of the St. Petersburg Lancers Regiment.
Under Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, the power of the Minister of War of the Russian Empire expanded significantly: the main authorities over all branches of military administration were concentrated in the hands of the Minister, and the Minister himself became the only speaker to the Emperor of All Russia on all matters of the Military Department. During the Count's tenure as Minister of War, significant transformations took place in the Russian Imperial Army. So, the Charters were published: hospital, recruiting, military-criminal and army management in peacetime and wartime, as well as the regulation on the Cossack troops and more.
The Imperial Military Academy was established in 1832, eight cadet corps and audit school.
In 1841, the Count completed a military-statistical description of the Russian Empire by provinces and regions. During the Count's tenure as Minister of War, many fortresses and fortifications were erected, including in Alexandropol, Warsaw, Novogeorgievsk, Ivan-gorod, Brest-Litovsk and others. A general transformation of the army infantry and cavalry, as well as all artillery, was carried out. In addition, the reserve battalions were separated from the active ones and formed six reserve divisions. The term of service was reduced from 25 years for musicians, Jews and soldiers' children, and to 15 years for everyone else. The position of the officers was improved: their salaries and table money were increased; since 1832, all officers were allowed to wear mustaches. A number of measures were also taken to simplify the equipment and uniforms of soldiers. Since 1842, rifled weapons began to be introduced in the Russian Imperial Army.
highest award
On December 31, 1831 (January 13, 1832) Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was most highly granted the first Imperial Order - the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
On April 29 (May 12), 1834, the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai I Pavlovich Highly granted Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev diamond signs to the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called - highest sign differences in the Russian Empire.
Military awards
Throughout his life, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, in addition to those named above, was granted the highest orders:
- Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir 1st class,
- Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky with diamonds,
- Saint Anna 1st class with diamonds,
- White Eagle,
- badge of distinction "for 50 years of impeccable service",
- a golden sword "For courage".
In addition, the Count was granted the Highest 15 orders of foreign powers:
- Kingdoms of Prussia - Pour le Merit, Black Eagle and Red Eagle of the 1st degree;
- Austrian Empire - St. Stephen and Military Maria Theresa 3rd degree;
- Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway - Military Sword 1st class and Seraphim;
- Kingdom of Bavaria - military order of Maximilian Joseph 2nd degree;
- Kingdom of the Netherlands - military order of Wilhelm 2nd degree;
- Kingdom of France - Legion of Honor 3rd class and Saint Louis 2nd class;
- Electorate of Hesse-Kasel - Golden Lion and Military Merit;
- Kingdom of Sardinia - Order of Mauritius and Lazarus 1st degree;
- Kingdom of Portugal - military order of San Bento d "Avis 1st degree.
Mercy Monarch
On April 16 (29), 1841, Count Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was elevated with descending descendants to the princely dignity of the Russian Empire, and on August 22 (September 4), 1849, on the anniversary of the Holy Anointing and Coronation of Sovereign Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich and Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev The highest award was the title of Serene Highness.
On April 11 (24), 1843, the Highest Prince was appointed chief of the Kabardian Jaeger Regiment.
On March 25 (April 7), 1844, the St. Petersburg Lancers and Kabardian Chasseurs Regiments were commanded by the Highest to be called after Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev.
Illness and retirement By the autumn of 1848, the health of the Prince had deteriorated significantly due to the stroke he had suffered, but despite this, on the third (16) November 1848, the Prince Highest was appointed Chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers, retaining his previous ranks and positions.
On February 18 (March 3), 1855, His Serene Highness Prince was present at the blessed death of Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, who appointed him one of his executors, although Alexander Ivanovich himself was already seriously ill at that time: According to Senator K. N. Lebedev, "Count Panin led the barely moving Prince Chernyshev, slowly moving one foot after the other and ready to fall at every step".
In May 1855, for health reasons, the Most Serene Prince was dismissed on leave abroad for treatment, and on April 5 (18), 1856, at the request of the Highest Name, he was relieved of all posts.
Portrait of a gentleman Many contemporaries spoke positively about the Most Serene Prince, since for 30 years he occupied one of the most important places among the representatives of the high society of the Russian Empire.
Thus, the envoy of the Kingdom of Bavaria in St. Petersburg, De Bray, wrote: “On Prince Chernyshev. Possessing the ability of an administrator rather than a commander, it is entrusted with the task of organizing victory. Possessing an excellent memory and accurate knowledge of all the details of the service, he managed to establish an exemplary order in the management of his Ministry..
Count Modest Andreevich (1800-1876), active Privy Councilor and Knight of St. Andrew, recalled: “It is impossible not to mention that with all his arrogant autocracy and with such experience that one should assume in him after such a long career, he has always been a blindly trusting plaything of the offices. With a very ordinary education, without higher knowledge, without an independent circle of thoughts, without higher state ideas. Without a close knowledge of the details and the mechanism of affairs, he necessarily had to submit to the influence of others ... "
Death of the Most Serene Prince
His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev passed away eighth (21) June 1857 in the famous medical resort of Castellammara di Stabia on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, at the age of 73. The death of His Serene Highness Prince was hastened by the chagrin of the fact that on the Day of the Holy Coronation of Sovereign Emperor Alexander Nikolayevich (1818-1881) and Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1824-1860) he was not promoted to field marshal general.
The Most Serene Prince was buried according to his will in the church of the Holy First Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Petrovsky, Moscow district. On June 21 (July 4), 1857, the regiments of his name were returned to their former names.
According to the books:
V. M. Bezotosny "Dictionary of Russian generals, participants in the hostilities against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812-1815."
V. Fedorchenko Russian Imperial House. Outstanding dignitaries. T. 2".
His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev Part 1.
Portrait of Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev
Thomas Lawrence
The coat of arms of His Serene Highness Prince Chernyshev is included in Part 11 of the General Armorial of the Noble Families of the All-Russian Empire (04/13/1863), p. 2
The ancient Chernyshev family has been known in Russia since the 15th century. The family was not very noble, although his descendants served at the grand ducal court as stolniks, solicitors, governors.
Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was born on December 30, 1785 in Moscow. His father Ivan Lvovich (1736-1793) was an honored lieutenant general, governor of Kostroma, and a senator. I.L. Chernyshev was married to Evdokia Dmitrievna Lanskaya (d. 1816), sister of A.D. Lansky, one of the favorites of Catherine II. In addition to their son, the Chernyshevs had two daughters - Ekaterina (1782-1851), who married the real Privy Councilor Prince Peter Sergeevich Meshchersky, and Mavra, who died as a girl 19 years old.
Lieutenant General, Senator Ivan Lvovich Chernyshev (1736-1793) with his wife Evdokia (Avdotya) Dmitrievna, ur. Lanskoy (d. 1816) (sister of the favorite of Empress Catherine II A.D. Lansky) and children: daughters - Ekaterina Ivanovna (1782-1851) (married to P.S. Meshchersky (1778-1851) and Mavra Ivanovna (1784- 1806); son - Alexander Ivanovich (1786-1857), later prince, minister of war.
Alexander was raised at home. Even as a child, according to the custom then existing, he was enrolled in military service - as a sergeant-major in the Horse Guards.
The star of Alexander Chernyshev began to rise under Emperor Alexander I. Whether it was a lucky chance or a destiny from above, but on the days of Alexander's coronation in 1801, fate at the ball brought him together with young Chernyshev.
Alexander I in coronation attire.
Coronation of Emperor Alexander I
The apotheosis of Alexander I is an allegory for his accession to the throne. W. Neumann. About 1805
During the dance, the emperor turned to him with some question and was pleasantly surprised by the easy and deft answer. The young man was remembered by the king, and at his behest he was appointed chamber-page, which at that time opened the way to a successful military career. Chernyshev seems to have managed to firmly grasp his "blue bird" a year later he was a cornet, three years later a lieutenant, nine years later he became a colonel, and at the age of 27 he already wore general insignia.
Young Chernyshev was handsome, smart, courteous, courageous and bold, but, most importantly, extremely lucky and, it seems, extremely dexterous in dealing with both ladies and superiors, as evidenced by his secular and career successes.
Battle of Austerlitz
The feat of a cavalry regiment in the battle of Austerlitz in 1805.
takeoff military career Chernysheva, no doubt, helped military campaign 1805-1807 For distinction in the battle of Austerlitz, Chernyshev received his first award - the Vladimir Cross of the 4th degree with a bow, which was then given only to colonels.
Crosses to the Order of St. Vladimir.
During the military campaign, he repeatedly had the opportunity to distinguish himself not only by his own courage and military prowess, but also by his ingenuity. So, in 1807, in the midst of a disastrous retreat along the burning bridges on the Alle River, our army, defeated at Friedland, A.I. Chernyshev found a ford, along which a significant part of the army crossed and escaped. The reward for the accomplished feat was the St. George Cross. For participation in other battles, he was awarded a golden sword with the inscription "For Courage".
Attack of the Life Guards cavalry regiment on the French cuirassiers in the battle of Friedland on June 2, 1807. Victor Mazurovsky, 1912
In Tilsit, during the signing of the peace treaty, Chernyshev was introduced to Napoleon. The French emperor drew attention to the military orders on the chest of a Russian officer and asked where he deserved them. A conversation began about the battle of Austerlitz and Friedland. Chernyshev, not embarrassed, argued, sometimes refuted the arguments of the great commander. The courage and confidence of the young officer liked the French emperor.
Their second meeting took place in 1809 during the war unleashed by Napoleon against Austria, when the Russian troops, in accordance with the treaty, were forced to act against their former allies on the side of France. Chernyshev was at that time the personal representative of Tsar Alexander I under Napoleon and played the role of a special courier for correspondence between the Russian and French emperors, for which he received the nickname "eternal postman". His role, however, was not limited to this. Chernyshev was a real representative of Alexander I in Paris, and he showed remarkable diplomatic skills and understanding of the state of affairs.
Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev
Constantly communicating with Napoleon and the high French military command, he managed to understand the character of Napoleon, imbued with the strategic thinking of the Emperor of France, identify the main elements of his strategy and consider Napoleon as a conqueror who will never stop there.
Emperor Napoleon in his study at the Tuileries
In 1810, when the Special Office (foreign intelligence department) began to operate in Russia, Chernyshev received instructions from Minister of War Barclay de Tolly to collect intelligence information in France: to obtain data “on the number of troops ..., on the structure, education and armament of them and the location of the apartments ..., the state of the fortresses, the methods and virtues of the best generals and the disposition of the spirit of the troops. It was also ordered to purchase maps published in the country and writings in the military field". The Minister of War pointed out that “it is no less desirable to have sufficient news about the number, welfare, character and spirit of the people, about the locations and products of the earth, about internal sources this empire or the means to continue the war.
Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly by George Dow
Chernyshev quickly established contacts with people who had already proven themselves in providing certain services to the Russian embassy in Paris, and immediately created his own network of informants. As military historians note, the sources of his intelligence information were varied. First of all, the French emperor himself was such a source. Napoleon distinguished a clever adjutant Russian emperor, invited to hunt and dinners. During the many hours of audiences presented to Chernyshev, the French emperor spoke out on various political issues. Information about the content of the conversations came to Alexander I.
Carl Werne. Napoleon hunting in the Compiègne forest
Very attractive and secularly courteous, young Chernyshev quickly managed to make extensive acquaintances and connections in the highest circles of the Parisian nobility. Moreover, showered with caresses from the emperor of France, Chernyshev revolved in his closest domestic circle. Here he learned all the details of political changes and the thoughts of Napoleon, which remained unknown to other diplomats.
Chernyshev also became his own man with Napoleon's sister, the Queen of Naples. Rumor attributed to him a love affair with another sister of the emperor - Polina Borghese, especially frivolous and windy. In high-society salons, Chernyshev has developed a strong opinion as a conqueror of women's hearts. In the words of the Minister of the French Police Savary " Chernyshev became the little king of Paris.
Pauline Bonaparte, Robert Lefebvre
Pauline Bonaparte, Robert Lefebvre -
He rose even higher in the eyes of the Parisian women's society after the infamous ball at the Austrian ambassador, Prince K. Schwarzenberg. The fun then ended with an unexpected fire that broke out - the dance hall caught fire. Amid the turmoil and panic, many of the guests present died, but our hero showed his best here too: he saved the lives of the spouses of Marshals Ney, Duroc and Senator Beauharnais.
The amorous adventures and various amusements of the Parisian high society, which Chernyshev, no doubt, was fond of with all the ardor characteristic of youth, did not prevent him from sending extensive reports to Petersburg, which were of considerable value.
These were comprehensive analyzes of the situation, brilliant forecasts, as well as recommendations and proposals, the consideration and implementation of which, according to Chernyshev, should have contributed to the success of Russian weapons in the upcoming war. It should be noted that the strategic plan of Napoleon's future campaign against Russia was revealed in general terms by Chernyshev long before the arrows were marked on staff maps. Chernyshev's conclusions played an important role in the adoption in the spring of 1812 by Russia of a defensive strategy that provided for the conduct of hostilities for several years - first on its territory, in the border areas, and then transferring them to Europe, based on the anti-Napoleonic liberation movement.
“Why don’t I have many ministers like this young man!” So Emperor Alexander I wrote on a report from Paris of his military agent Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev on June 5 (17), 1811.
Orlovsky A.O. Portrait of Emperor Alexander I against the backdrop of the Peter and Paul Fortress
In a short time, Alexander Chernyshev managed to create his own network of informants in the intellectual spheres of Paris. The reputation of a secular rake served him as an excellent screen and helped to receive necessary information from overly frank interlocutors. After secular receptions, he took up the pen and wrote reports to St. Petersburg. To get the necessary information, Chernyshev did not disdain anything, most often resorting to bribery. The Russian resident received the most valuable information from recruited employees of the French Ministry of War. The official of this department, Michel, had access to detailed schedules of the numerical strength of the French armed forces, which every 15 days the employees of the ministry compiled personally for Napoleon.
Bellange, Joseph-Louis-Hippolite (1800-1866) - Imperial parade of 1810
The range of information obtained by Chernyshev, including top secret information, was unusually wide. The reports received from him not only reflected the daily activities of the French army, but also the state of French society as a whole, the internal political situation in the country and the foreign economic actions of France. Thus, he managed to obtain a number of documents from secret archive Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France. The secretary of Napoleon's topographic office, Colonel Albe, gave Chernyshev the opportunity to make copies of topographic maps of a number of cities and their environs, including the existing fortifications. In Chernyshev's field of vision were the military-technical inventions of the French. He reported to the Minister of War of Russia about the invention in France of new rifle locks without flints and a special composition of gunpowder. At the same time, he sent two samples of locks and a recipe for making gunpowder to Russia, which allowed the artillery inspector of the Russian army to make "careful experiments on this invention". Chernyshev's attention was not ignored by the new transport vehicles that entered the troops. Having changed clothes, he managed to get into the part where the first samples of such carts arrived, make their sketches and take down the main characteristics.
Reception at Compiègne, Francois Flameng
From August 1810 to February 1812, Chernyshev regularly sent important intelligence information, predominantly of a military nature, to Barclay de Tolly, indicating that French troops were being pulled up to the western borders of Russia. "War is inevitable and will not be slow to break out", - Chernyshev reported to St. Petersburg on February 8 (20), 1812.
The close break between France and Russia became more and more evident. In this situation, it was very important for Alexander I to know the mindset of the future king of Sweden and, if possible, to prevent the complication of Russia's relations with this state. Chernyshev had a close acquaintance with the Swedish prince, the French marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte (the future Charles XIV), which served as the basis for sending Chernyshev to negotiations in Stockholm.
French Marshal Bernadotte - the future king of Sweden
Frederick Westin
Here he had another opportunity to prove himself, but now as a diplomat. In a letter to Alexander I, Chernyshev wrote: “I am very happy, Sovereign, that the information that I had the good fortune to convey to Your Majesty regarding the character of the Crown Prince is being justified ... This, of course, is not a servant of Emperor Napoleon ... As for him feelings for Russia, then I dare to assure Your Majesty that he is honest with her, and if we spare him, we can count on him. Therefore, Your Majesty, you can at any time be calm about Finland and even freely dispose of part of the troops that are there.
A.I. Chernyshev managed to pave the way for further peace negotiations between Russia and Sweden on the eve of the War of 1812. Napoleon at that time did not even suspect that the Russian adjutant wing, treated kindly by him, had deprived him of his alleged ally in the upcoming campaign against Russia.
Chernyshev's political foresight was also reflected in his proposal to the Russian government to make peace with Turkey at any cost, which would make it possible to strengthen the political and military position of our country on the eve of the war with France. A month before Napoleon's invasion of Russia, thanks to the active actions of the Russian army under the command of M.I. Kutuzov and the experience of Russian diplomats, the Bucharest peace was signed.
Hotel Manuc Bey in Bucharest, where the Bucharest Peace Treaty was signed
To be continued.....
Adjutant General, Cavalry General, Minister of War, Chairman of the State Council; descended from the nobility and was born on December 30, 1785. He was the son of lieutenant general and senator Ivan Lvovich Ch. and was a native nephew of the well-known favorite of Empress Catherine II, adjutant wing Alexander Dmitrievich Lansky. Having lost his father early, Alexander Ivanovich remained in the care of his mother, and, according to the custom of that time, he was enrolled in military service from the cradle and was listed as a sergeant major in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, living, however, in Moscow with his mother and not even wearing a military uniform . His tutor was the then-famous Abbé Perrin. important event in the life of Chernyshev was the coronation of Emperor Alexander I (1801), when for the first time, at a ball at Prince A. B. Kurakin, the sovereign recognized and distinguished the young Chernyshev. He was offered the rank of chamber junker, which he, however, refused, preferring to devote himself to military service , as a result of which on October 13, 1801 he was granted the chamber-pages and therefore was forced to leave Moscow and move to St. Petersburg. On September 20, 1802, Chernyshev was promoted from the chamber-pages to the cornets of the cavalry guard regiment and diligently devoted himself to military service. Appointed in 1804 (June 20th) as adjutant to the chief of the cavalry guard regiment, Lieutenant-General F.P. Uvarov, in the same year, September 29th, he was promoted to lieutenant. In the following year, 1805, Chernyshev took part in the campaign against Napoleon, and, while remaining in the rank of adjutant to General Uvarov, for the first time he fell on November 16 in the avant-garde case near Vishau. From that day on, Chernyshev took part in a number of battles and skirmishes, always being at the forefront of the army. On November 20, in an unsuccessful battle for us near Austerlitz, Chernyshev at the beginning of the battle was in three cavalry attacks, of which the last one was unsuccessful, and with a report about them he was sent by General Uvarov to the sovereign, who left him with him, sending him on various assignments and giving orders through him to the troops in action; with the onset of darkness, during the disorderly retreat of the army, Chernyshev very successfully and quickly carried out the order of the emperor to find Kutuzov. For the Battle of Austerlitz, Chernyshev was awarded (January 29, 1806) the Order of Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow, which was received then only by colonels, and besides, the sovereign liked it so much that upon his return to St. Petersburg he was introduced to both empresses. In the same year, on November 1st, he was promoted to headquarters captain, still acting as adjutant under Lieutenant General Uvarov. Having set out on a second campaign against Napoleon in 1807, Chernyshev participated within Prussia in the battles of February 19 at the village of Linau against the corps of Field Marshal Ney, on May 24 at the village of Sharnik and on the 25 at Akendorf and Depen, and for the last two battle, he received a golden sword with the inscription "for bravery". Further, for distinction in the battles of May 26th at Wolfsdorf, on the 29th at Heilsberg and, mainly, on June 2nd at Friedland, where, during the disorderly and disastrous retreat of our troops along the burning bridges on the Alle River, he found a ford and he made it possible to cross and escape a significant part of the army, received the Order of George 4th degree on May 20, 1808. Soon after this, a truce was concluded, and on June 13 a meeting of the two emperors took place, which resulted in the signing of the Tilsit Peace on June 25. Here for the first time Chernyshev saw Napoleon, and from that time he had to run into him very often until 1812 itself. Chernyshev spent the winter in St. Petersburg, although he had the opportunity to go to Paris on one diplomatic mission, which, however, did not take place, and only at the end of January 1808 did he go there with a letter from Emperor Alexander to Napoleon; the Russian ambassador in Paris, Count Tolstoy, personally delivered this letter to Napoleon, and a week later Chernyshev received an audience with the emperor, to whom the same Count Tolstoy introduced him. Napoleon talked with him for a long time, and he liked Chernyshev very much by the ease and boldness of his judgments about the battles of Austerlitz and Friedland. Returning to St. Petersburg on March 4, Chernyshev, however, did not stay here for a long time, since on March 25 he was again sent by Emperor Alexander to Paris to personally hand Napoleon a letter from the sovereign about the occupation of Finland. Arriving there, Chernyshev did not find Napoleon, who was in Bayonne on the occasion of unrest in Spain. Fulfilling the commission given to him, he went further and in the castle of Maraket, near Bayonne, he introduced himself to the emperor, who received him very graciously and gave him his response letters to the emperor Alexander. On the way back to Russia, Chernyshev managed to collect a lot of secret information about the number of French troops in Spain, about the reinforcements that were sent to them, about the terrible excitement of the minds in Spain against the French and their emperor, and many other, less important data, and with all this stock of the most on the 11th of May, he appeared before the sovereign in St. Petersburg and described in detail to him the results of his trip, which gave Alexander I great pleasure, having received permission to consider himself an aide-de-camp, but, however, did not disclose this circumstance until the issuance of a decree on an award to this title - which he had to wait for quite a long time, since enemies and envious people managed to damage him in the opinion of the emperor, who for a while cooled off towards him.
Meanwhile, Austria again armed itself against France, inviting Prussia to also oppose the common enemy; Russia, under the terms of the Erfurt Convention of 1808, had to turn its weapons against Austria, which, in addition to all other conditions, was extremely burdensome for her, since at that time she was at war with Turkey, Persia, Sweden and England; just at this time, Emperor Alexander again invited Chernyshev to his place, giving him the order to take the letter to Napoleon and then stay at his headquarters; and since the whereabouts of the French Monarch was not known, in April, Chernyshev, who had left Petersburg, had to look for the Emperor by a roundabout way through Frankfurt am Main, with whom he finally met in St. Pelton and was very cordially received by Napoleon. He was ordered to stay with the Emperor, and even a room was assigned to him near the chambers of Napoleon. The bulletin for the army announced the arrival of Chernyshev - moreover, he was named a colonel, count and adjutant of the Russian Emperor; Ch., of course, protested against this, since he did not bear these titles, but Napoleon ordered him not to pay attention to this. Accompanying the Emperor on the campaign, he witnessed the bombing and submissive surrender of Vienna, the Aspern and Wagram battles, of which in the first Napoleon failed in a clash with the army of Archduke Charles and was forced to retreat, after which the next day, sending a courier to St. Petersburg, he offered Chernyshev write a letter to Emperor Alexander and report on the battle that took place; Ch. fulfilled this delicate assignment very successfully and, knowing that his letter would be read by Napoleon, with purely diplomatic dexterity, however, informed his Sovereign about the defeat of the French army. Alexander I appreciated the diplomatic abilities of the young officer and began to have even greater confidence in him; Napoleon, on the other day, invited Chernyshev to breakfast and, with his courtesy, showed him that his letter had been read and liked very much. Shortly thereafter, Ch. fulfilled Napoleon's order: to go to Venoui to find out about the mood there. public opinion. With the defeat of Wagram on June 24, this campaign ended and peace negotiations began. On June 25, that is, the day after the victory, Napoleon awarded Chernyshev, who did not leave him a single step during the entire battle, with the Cross of the Legion of Honor, and, having received news from St. the first congratulated him on this award, which was given to him on June 5, 1809, and immediately sent him to Petersburg with a report on the Wagram defeat.
Meanwhile, this war, in which Russia proved to be a very unreliable ally of France, was the first reason for Napoleon's displeasure at the policy of the Russian Government. At that time, i.e., when peace negotiations were underway between Austria and France, Emperor Alexander, refusing to send a representative from Russia to conduct peace negotiations, sent Chernyshev again on August 21 to Napoleon with a letter in which he asked him take care of the interests of Russia. Chernyshev was very graciously received by the Emperor and on the same day, bowing to Napoleon, went to the Dotis castle to Emperor Franz to give him Alexander's letter. By his appearance in the Austrian headquarters, he made a very good impression on the Austrians and was, of course, immediately received by the Emperor Franz, who was extremely dejected by the defeats he had suffered. After that, Chernyshev again returned to Schönbrun, to the headquarters of the French army, where he remained until the conclusion of peace, however, not knowing anything about its conditions and receiving assurances from Napoleon that Russia would receive the city of Lemberg (Lvov) and some other areas. Peaceful conditions showed that Russia was deceived, having received an insignificant piece of Austrian Galicia.
On October 9, 1809, Ch. was promoted to captain, and in January 1810 he was again sent to Paris, with orders to be at the disposal of Napoleon. Despite the cooling of relations between Russia and France, Chernyshev was very kindly received both by the emperor himself and those closest to Napoleon. In a whirlwind of pleasures and court balls, leading the most secular lifestyle, often visiting Napoleon's beloved sister, Princess Borghese and the Queen of Naples, he did not forget, however, his role and in long reports to Petersburg reported a lot of the most secret information about Napoleon and about plans and intentions of the French government. The continental system, so painful for most European states, was very poorly observed in Russia, which, of course, prevented Napoleon's plans to crush the power of England. Seeing that Russia was trying in every way to get rid of the burdensome conditions for her, and having learned that more than 600 English merchant ships headed for the harbors of the Baltic Sea, Napoleon invited Chernyshev and instructed him to go to Petersburg and convey to Emperor Alexander the demand for the immediate confiscation of this huge merchant fleet ; at the same time, he had a big political conversation with Alexander Ivanovich, justifying himself in all the unfriendly actions against Russia that were brought against him. In mid-October, Chernyshev left for Petersburg, where immediately upon arrival he was received by Emperor Alexander and handed him a letter from Napoleon. Very pleased with Chernyshev's activities during his stay in Paris, the sovereign promoted him to colonel on November 8, 1810 and ordered him to immediately prepare for the road, back to Paris, in order to stop by Stockholm on the way and find out on the spot what plans and course of action towards Russia will be followed by the crown prince of the Swedish throne, the former French marshal Bernadotte. Chernyshev, who later, in a letter to the Crown Prince of Sweden, Emperor Alexander called "the most daring that is known in military history", it was not difficult to do this, in view of the fact that in Paris he knew the future Swedish king closely and was on the most friendly terms with him. Warmly received by Charles XIII, C. during a short stay in Stockholm had three secret audiences with the crown prince, from whom he received the most positive and categorical declarations of unchanging friendship for Russia, a direct consequence of this commission was the friendly correspondence between the Russian Tsar and Bernadotte. Returning to Paris, Chernyshev was still graciously received by Napoleon, who talked with him for a long time, having read the letter he handed from the Russian emperor.
Meanwhile, relations between Russia and France were deteriorating every day, and the new Russian tariff and the protest of Emperor Alexander against the expulsion of the Duke of Oldenburg from his family estates, which they learned in Paris in February, finally irritated Napoleon against Russia, and at the reception of the diplomatic corps 8- On February 1, 1811, he treated Chernyshev very coldly, not saying a word to him and deliberately ignoring him in the company of diplomats standing close to him, with whom the emperor spoke very kindly. Napoleon's irritation was expressed in a letter to Emperor Alexander, sent with Chernyshev. Having traveled to St. Petersburg and returned with a reply letter from the sovereign, Ch. immediately received a very long audience (4½ hours) with Napoleon, who was very dissatisfied with Alexander's letter and in the end told Chernyshev that both the letter he had brought and the verbal messages expressed did not allow him to suspend preparations for war; the emperor, however, graciously let Ch. go, wishing that their conversation be brought to the attention of the king in writing. In his reports to St. Petersburg, Chernyshev constantly wrote that war with France was inevitable and that Napoleon only wanted to gain time until the situation in Spain improved. As the preparations for the war drew to a close, Napoleon less and less concealed his hostile attitude towards Russia, and finally, on August 3, 1811, he allowed himself, in the presence of the entire diplomatic corps, to present to the Russian ambassador, Prince Kurakin, in the sharpest expressions of the reasons for his displeasure against Russia. From that time on, Chernyshev, clearly aware of the proximity of the gap and seeing that only later time prevented the French government from starting hostile actions, used all his abilities and energy to collect information about the armaments of the French army, about its numbers, movements, the state of affairs in Spain, about internal unrest and about Napoleon's intentions to find friends in the upcoming dangerous war with recent allies. Meanwhile, Chernyshev's activities became very suspicious of the French government, and he himself, fearing for the fate of his papers, if Napoleon, having gone to the army, ordered the arrest of diplomatic agents and confiscate their papers, he asked in a letter to Count Rumyantsev under some a pretext to summon him to Petersburg. It turned out, however, that there was no need to look for such an excuse, since Napoleon himself decided to send Chernyshev there. On February 13, 1812, Alexander Ivanovich had a farewell audience with Napoleon, at which the emperor did not say anything new, but limited himself only to reproaches, accusations of ill will and assurances of his good intentions towards Russia, but it was clear that a break was inevitable. The letter sent by Napoleon to Emperor Alexander was very short. "Sovereigns should not write lengthy letters under such circumstances when they cannot say anything pleasant to one another," said Napoleon, passing this letter to Chernyshev. In St. Petersburg, Ch. reported to Emperor Alexander everything that Napoleon had told him before leaving. In March, Alexander replied with an equally laconic letter to the French emperor, and on April 9 he had already left Petersburg, going to Vilna to join the army - the adjutant wing Chernyshev accompanied the sovereign on this trip. Meanwhile, Napoleon arrived in Dresden, concentrating a "great army" around him. On June 11, the Napoleonic army crossed the Neman. At this time, i.e., before the start of the war, the adjutant wing Chernyshev presented to the sovereign written on French "A note on the means to prevent the enemy's invasion in 1812", in which he pointed out the need to unite our two armies and the mistake in the plan of military operations, as a result of which the road from Minsk to Smolensk and Moscow, which was very important for us, ended up in the hands of the enemy; to fight the enemy, he recommended that the sovereign in Moscow appeal to the people, with a call against the enemy, and advised to arrange fortified positions, about five in number. - After reading this note, the sovereign hugged and kissed Chernyshev and, leaving the army, ordered Alexander Ivanovich, together with Colonels Michaud and Eichen, to go to Moscow and look for places in its vicinity that would be convenient for setting up a fortified camp to protect the ancient capital, but in view of the rapid advance of Napoleon this plan could not be carried out, and Chernyshev returned to St. Petersburg again. After the return of Alexander to Petersburg and the connection of our armies shortly before the battle of Borodino, namely on August 10, the sovereign, wanting to finally be sure of the neutrality of Sweden, went, accompanied by several persons, among whom was the adjutant wing Chernyshev, to Abo to see with Crown Prince Bernadotte of Sweden. The meeting took place, and on August 18, the Allies signed a treaty, which further disseminated some articles of the March 24 treatise. At this meeting, Bernadotte, recognizing the advantage for Russia under the present difficult circumstances of an alliance with Sweden and wishing, using this, to observe the benefits of his country, wished to receive the Aland Islands; this, however, he did not tell Emperor Alexander, but passed it on to Chernyshev, asking him to inform the sovereign. Alexander resolutely rejected such a proposal, but, having inspired hope in Bernadotte: in the event of Napoleon's defeat, he would receive the French throne, and acquired in him a faithful ally. After the battle of Borodino and the capture of Moscow, in the first days of September, Chernyshev was sent by the sovereign to Field Marshal Prince Kutuzov and Admiral Chichagov with a message about the direction of the army to the Berezina River and had to lose several days on the way, bypassing the capital by ring roads to arrive in the main field marshal's apartment in Tarutino. After that, Alexander Ivanovich took a great part in the guerrilla war, and with his quick and successful actions he rendered great services to the Russian army. On November 22, "for successful actions on the instructions entrusted to him and for the prudent execution of a brave expedition," as stated in the form, he was promoted to major general, with the appointment of adjutant general. Participating in the pursuit of the retreating enemy, Chernyshev, upon the arrival of the sovereign in Vilna, was seconded to Count Platov, with whom he followed in the footsteps of the demoralized troops great army. Having defeated the Viceroy of Italy near Marienwerder on December 31, he, united with Colonel Tetenborn, in February 1813 won a brilliant victory over the French near Berlin. For both of these battles, he received the Order of St. George 3rd degree. The result of the last battle was the occupation of Berlin by him, for which he received Anna 1st degree. However, he did not stay in Berlin, but followed in the footsteps of the enemy, the same Viceroy of Italy, whom he defeated again on February 22 near the town of Belitz, capturing 180 people. Such tireless pursuit of the enemy continued even further, sometimes marked by brilliant victories, as was the case on March 21 at the city of Lunenburg, where Ch. with General Derenberg defeated Divisional General Moron. For this work, he received the diamond badges of the Order of Anna, 1st class, and the Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class, from the King of Prussia. Having crossed the Elba a second time with the Russian troops, Ch. in the same 1813 with a number of successful military operations, accompanied by victories and the capture of a large number of prisoners and weapons, deserved a new award. On October 20, "as a sign of special royal gratitude for the excellent courage and military exploits shown in the battle during the capture of the city of Kassel on September 19, 1813 and in the pursuit of this enemy" he was awarded the order Vladimir 2nd degree.
In 1814, still making up the vanguard of the army all the time, Ch., of course, always stood face to face with the enemy and he had to constantly withstand the first onslaught of the enemy, which, of course, despite all the difficulties of the campaign and successful actions, advanced him, and he had to act tirelessly .
On March 4, he was promoted to lieutenant general, with the rank of adjutant general, for distinction in the battle during the storming of the city of Soissons, and after that he joined the advanced detachments of the united army, acting, however, completely independently. For all the exploits of 1814, Chernyshev received orders: Austrian - Maria Theresa 3rd degree and two French - St. Louis (commander's cross) and the Legion of Honor (golden cross). Shortly thereafter, the Allies entered Paris, and Chernyshev received orders to arrive there; he handed over the command of the detachment to the eldest in his own right and hurried to the capital of France. At this time, Emperor Alexander Pavlovich had the intention of appointing Chernyshev to accompany Napoleon to the island of Elba, which, however, he soon refused, saying that in misfortune it would be hard for Napoleon to see the one who was with him during his greatness.
In 1815, being at the head of a separate detachment, Ch. continued his partly partisan activity until Paris itself, near which he joined the armies of Field Marshal Blucher and Wellington, and on September 7, 1815 "for the excellent zeal and courage shown during the occupation city of Chalons" was awarded the royal gratitude and special favor, expressed in the highest rescript. At the end of the war Ch. accompanied Emperor Alexander to England and was with the sovereign during the Congress of Vienna and Verona. On March 10, 1819, Chernyshev was appointed a member of the committee on the organization of the Don army. This committee existed until May 26, 1835, and at the very first stages, Chernyshev disagreed with the chairman of the committee, Denisov, who farmed out the entire Don region, which terribly armed the local nobility against himself and which served as the main reason for his clash with Chernyshev. Leaving for a short time in St. Petersburg, Ch. in September 1819 went with the sovereign to Warsaw, but soon, due to the Don region peasant unrest, returned there and engaged in pacifying the agitated peasants, to whom, among other things, he addressed with an appeal from the Orlovskaya settlement; The commission drawn up by Chernyshev recognized Denisov as the culprit of these unrest, and relations between Ch. and the military ataman became so aggravated that they went completely on personal grounds, and Chernyshev, as the more influential one, of course prevailed, and Denisov was dismissed from the post of ataman; Major General Ilovaisky, who was appointed in his place, did not get into the chairmanship of the "Committee for drawing up a regulation on the organization of the Don Cossacks", and he was made on January 29, 1821. Ch., who received even earlier (June 16, 1820) rescript expressing gratitude for diligent service and (July 25th of the same year) the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky for his work on the management of the Don Cossacks. Chernyshev remained chairman of this committee until its closure, at the same time bearing many other duties. On April 18, 1821, Chernyshev was made head of the Light Guards Division, and in 1822 he went with the emperor to the Congress of Verona. On April 21, 1823, Ch. received the diamond badges of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, again for work in the committee on the structure of the Don Army. On April 23, 1825, Alexander Ivanovich, as chairman of the committee, presented the sovereign with a draft of the "New Regulations on the Don Host". This project was then submitted for consideration by the State Council, and shortly after that, Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, during his last trip to Taganrog, wanting to ascertain on the spot the benefits of transforming the Don Territory, drove to Novocherkassk and the Starocherkasskaya village. Chernyshev was ordered to go to Novocherkassk and meet the sovereign there. Alexander treated Ilovaisky and other members of the committee very graciously and showed special attention to the Don Cossacks, allowing Adjutant General Chernyshev, who had just married for the third time in August, to come from Novocherkassk to Taganrog with his young wife; this invitation, however, had another goal: the sovereign himself wanted to take care of the improvement of the Don Army, which contained a separate corps in Taganrog, which constituted the Taganrog garrison, which the emperor always called the "Taganrog Guard". Events, however, quickly changed, since Emperor Alexander died unexpectedly in Taganrog, and Ch. was among the few people who were at his death. On the same sad day, November 19, at 10 pm, an emergency committee was assembled, which was asked to draw up a state act on the death of Alexander I. Ch. was a member of this committee and, together with Prince Volkonsky, Baron Dibich, Secretary of State Longinov, confessor Archpriest Alexei Fedotov, life doctors: Willie and Tarasov signed this important act. The embalming of the body of the deceased emperor took place in the presence of a commission composed under the chairmanship of Chernyshev.
A new reign began, which mainly contributed to the rise of Alexander Ivanovich. At the very beginning of his activity under Emperor Nikolai Chernyshev, sitting on the commission charged with investigating the December outrage, he declared himself the most ruthless and strict judge, which, of course, earned him the great favor of the young sovereign, whose favor he never lost. , despite the intrigues and intrigues that very often surfaced. During the process of the Decembrists, Ch. petitioned for the grant of a majorate that belonged to Count Chernyshev, who had been exiled, but this petition was not respected by Emperor Nicholas. Alexander Ivanovich was, however, soon consoled for the failure he had suffered and, having received on June 25, 1826, a snuffbox with a portrait of the sovereign, on August 22 he was elevated to the dignity of a count "for the vigilant labors he had incurred in discovering the intruders, and the work research about them," as stated in the decree, moreover earlier, diligently fulfilling his official duties and taking advantage of the sovereign's unfailing disposition, Chernyshev received 18 special royal favors announced in the Highest Orders in 1823, 1824, 1825 and 1826 for purely military activities in terms of maneuvers and the condition of the troops entrusted to him. As for the activities of the Don Committee, in the new reign it was just as lacking in energy and full of intrigues as before. Already in January 1826, the ataman Ilovaisky, thinking that under the new sovereign Chernyshev would not be in his former favor, submitted a memorandum to Emperor Nicholas in Moscow, during the coronation, in which he criticized the composition of the committee itself from persons not elected by the Don army, and those appointed at the choice of the chairman, and the work of the committee, which, in the words of the Highest Order, was ordered: "to collect into one all the laws regarding the Don army, at various times and on various occasions issued and concluded in various private resolutions - to consider those in a special committee, to understand them with the real order of things and then present a new situation, "and meanwhile he was engaged in discussing individual issues without any connection with each other - Ilovaisky blamed Chernyshev for all this and asked His Majesty to transfer the committee back to the Don. The sovereign handed over this note to Chernyshev, who wrote an extensive objection to it, the consequence of which was the trial of both Ilovaisky himself and three persons from the Don administration. Nothing could undermine Chernyshev's influence, and he remained chairman of the committee until it closed. The "Regulations on the Administration of the Don Army" worked out by the committee was introduced in 1836 and is still in effect, although it has undergone many additions and changes.
On December 6, 1827, Chernyshev was made a senator, and on February 3 of the following year he was appointed deputy manager of the main headquarters. On August 26 of the same year, Alexander Ivanovich was approved by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and he was instructed to manage the War Ministry. Then on September 12 he was ordered to attend the committee of ministers, and on October 2 he was promoted to general of cavalry for his distinction. Shortly thereafter (April 11, 1828), Chernyshev was appointed a member of the State Council, and on April 12, on the occasion of the war with Turkey and the departure of the chief of the main staff to the army, he was entrusted with the combined management of the main headquarters and the military ministry "in a just mind sovereign of his great merits." On August 22, 1828, he was awarded the insignia of impeccable service for XXV years. In December (6th), Ch. received for his useful work in the improvement of the army and the management of the military ministry a very high award, which is considered the Order of Vladimir 1st degree. On July 8, 1829, he was granted a 12-year lease of 8,000 silver rubles of annual income, but temporarily, until this lease was found by his personal choice, he was ordered to give him 8,000 silver rubles a year from July 8 , with an offset of this issue in the rental period; On September 22 of the same year, Chernyshev received a cash award of 300,000 rubles in banknotes for active assistance to the successes of the army in the war with Turkey. On June 3, 1830, he received the Imperial Rescript, which expressed the sovereign's gratitude for the exemplary condition of the troops of the 2nd Infantry Corps returning from Turkey, and on the 17th of the same month he was awarded the Order of the White Eagle. On August 9, Chernyshev was appointed to attend the Siberian Committee, which closed only on January 9, 1838. On August 22, 1831, Alexander Ivanovich was granted a ring decorated with diamonds with a portrait of His Majesty; in the same year, on December 31, he received the highest order of St. Andrew the First-Called in the state; in the following year, 1832, in the month of January, Chernyshev was enrolled in the lists of the Guards General Staff and on May 1 was made Minister of War (on the basis of the new formation of the Higher Military Land Administration), and, according to § 37 of the project for the formation of the Ministry of War, he fell into indispensable the chairmen of the military council. On April 2, 1833, he was appointed chief of the St. Petersburg Ulansky Regiment, and on August 22 he was awarded the distinction of impeccable service for 30 years; April (22nd) next year 1884 Chernyshev was granted the diamond badges of St. Andrew the First-Called and allowed (October 19th) to accept and wear the Order of the Black Eagle, granted to him by the King of Prussia. Finally, on April 21, 1835, Alexander Ivanovich received a lease for 50 years at 8,000 rubles. annual income. In addition to this mass of awards he received, Chernyshev, in the course of 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838 and 1839, received 14 very gracious rescripts, in which His Majesty's gratitude and favor to his Minister of War were expressed. On October 16, 1889, Alexander Ivanovich was granted the estate "Klenova", located in the Kingdom of Poland, in the Kalisz province, and bringing 30,000 zlotys of income, to the majorate possession. In April (24th) of the following year, 1840, he was appointed chairman of a committee established to introduce a new civil system beyond the Caucasus, which, in connection with the peasant question that arose at that time in the Caucasus, a few times before, was instructed to consider a member of the state advice to Baron Hahn. Having become well acquainted with the case and, in particular, with the peasant question in Georgia, Baron Gan came to the conclusion that serfdom never existed there, that the peasants were nothing more than simple farmers, obliged to pay certain taxes, could leave the master's lands whenever they wanted. , and that therefore they should be released immediately, subsuming under the category of peasants of the Ostsee provinces. In this sense, at the insistence of the baron, the management council of the Transcaucasian Territory was already preparing to make a presentation to resolve the matter in a legislative manner. This decisive and drastic measure caused great excitement in the Georgian nobility, and they sent their provincial marshal, Prince Orbeliani, with several deputies to St. Petersburg to present the sovereign with an all-subject petition for the protection of his nobility from such an incorrect and offensive event. The result of this mission was the appointment to Georgia with extensive powers of Prince Ch. to investigate and resolve the case on the spot. Arriving there, he was splendidly received by the Tiflis nobility, who arranged for him whole line brilliant festivities, familiarizing himself with Chernyshev's tastes in advance. In the end, it all ended very sadly for the Georgian peasantry, since, returning to St. Council of State, accused by Chernyshev almost of treason. For this investigation, Chernyshev received 4 thanks, announced in the highest orders. On April 16, 1841, Alexander Ivanovich was elevated to the princely dignity of the Russian Empire, and on August 22 he was awarded the distinction of impeccable service for 35 years. At the beginning of 1842, a rumor spread that Chernyshev had lost his influence, that he was threatened with tsarist disgrace and dismissal from the post of minister of war with the appointment of commander-in-chief in the Caucasus; the special assignment he received on April 2 of this year for the Caucasus and Transcaucasia further strengthened these rumors - moreover, Kleinmichel was predicted to be his successor, who in his absence managed the Military Ministry and quite independently carried out various reforms on the Don. - All this, however, turned out to be just a rumor that was not at all justified, and Chernyshev, having gone to Odessa and traveling from there to Georgia and the Don, where in Novocherkassk he was given a brilliant reception by the Don nobility, who gave him a magnificent ball and thanked him for everything labors for the benefit of the troops, returned in the fall to St. Petersburg and entered the management of the military ministry. On August 30, after the closing of the committee for the introduction of a new civil system beyond the Caucasus, Alexander Ivanovich became the chairman of the new committee for the preliminary consideration and consideration of all cases related to the administration of the Transcaucasian Territory, subject to Highest Resolution. On April 11, 1843, he was appointed chief of the Kabardian Chasseurs Regiment, having received 10 favorable reviews with gratitude from His Majesty, announced in the highest orders, in the course of the previous and this year. In 1844 (March 26) two regiments, St. Petersburg Ulansky and Kabardian Jaegers, were ordered to be called regiments of the Adjutant General Prince Chernyshev, while Alexander Ivanovich received a special, very benevolent Rescript. On August 18, 1845, he was allowed to wear the Order of St. George, granted to him by the Swedish king. Seraphim, and on August 22 he was awarded the distinction of impeccable service for 40 years, and during this and next year the highest gratitude announced in the orders was expressed seven times. On December 31, 1846, Ch. received the Imperial Rescript with an expression of gratitude from the sovereign for his activity as chairman of the Caucasian Committee and during 1847 and 1848. received four thanks from His Majesty declared in the Highest Orders, and on June 25, 1848 he was awarded a portrait of His Imperial Majesty, decorated with diamonds, to wear in his buttonhole, while he was given the Highest Rescript, which briefly characterized his activities from the first years of his service and in which the sovereign thanks him for the formation in the shortest possible time of a reserve army from indefinite leave lower ranks . On August 22, Chernyshev was awarded the insignia of indefinite service for 45 years, and on November 1 of the same year he was made chairman of the State Council with the preservation of all previous ranks and positions and with the appointment on the 6th of the same month as chairman of the committee of ministers. On August 22, 1849, Alexander Ivanovich was granted the title of lordship with a special rescript dated the same date, which stated that he received this award for the exemplary condition of the troops in the Hungarian campaign, and on September 28 he was allowed to wear the award granted by the Austrian Emperor Order of St. Stephen. On May 23, 1850, Chernyshev received the highest rescript, in which the Sovereign thanks him from the bottom of his heart for his service to "himself and Russia." In December of the same year, the 25th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Nicholas was celebrated, and all the ministries presented notes with a brief overview of the activities of each of them during this time; one of the most extensive notes presented to the Sovereign at that time was from the Ministry of War, entitled "Historical Review of the Military Land Administration from 1825 to 1850." - Here, Alexander Ivanovich outlined in detail both the military operations of Russia during this time, and the activities of individual institutions of the Military Ministry, such as: the General Staff, the Military Topographic Depot, the Military Medical Unit and other branches of the military administrative structure, supplying all this with a mass statistical information. On July 3, 1861, Chernyshev was ordered to be on the lists of Her Majesty's Cavalier Guard Regiment and to wear the uniform of this, and on April 22, 1852, he was appointed chairman of the Siberian Committee. On August 26 of the same year, on the day of his 25-year administration of the Military Ministry, he was dismissed at the request of the post of Minister of War, leaving him as chairman of the state council and in other positions he held, and he received a very favorable rescript from the Sovereign, in which he among other things, the appointment of his son, Prince Lev Aleksandrovich Chernyshev, as adjutant wing was announced; at the same time, on the same date, Alexander Ivanovich was granted the government house he occupied in St. Petersburg and an order was given to the Minister of Finance to pay annually 15,000 silver rubles from the state treasury for the maintenance of this house and the payment of city duties, while this house will be in the family of Prince Chernyshev. Thus ended the activities of Alexander Ivanovich as Minister of War. From the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas and throughout his entire reign, Chernyshev was the closest collaborator and executor of the Sovereign's plans, and in the 25-year period of his military ministry, not a single branch of this important department escaped his attention, but all, without exception, received or radical transformation, or significant improvement.
Of the wars undertaken at this time, campaigns in Persia and Turkey, in the Kingdom of Poland and the Hungarian campaign were completed.
Here is a short list of the reforms carried out by Alexander Ivanovich in the military ministry: the food department is divided into field and internal, and food orders are assigned to the commanders-in-chief and corps commanders; a fundamental change in the system of food preparations was made; published: a hospital charter (1829), a recruiting charter in 1831, hospital supplies were established (1831), a staff of the general staff was published, and great success was made in transforming the personnel of the headquarters and in academic studies; engineering and construction work has been carried out on an extensive scale. In 1832, the former military settlements were given a device more in line with state purposes. The uniforms of the troops took on a completely different look. Established: a military academy, an audit general and an audit school of the military ministry; a military criminal charter was issued; introduced military-ship statistics; a general transformation of the army infantry and cavalry and all artillery was carried out (1833), indefinite leave was established and reserve troops were formed from lower ranks with indefinite leave, which made it possible to have, in case of war, a ready 250,000-th reserve army (1834); general military regulations for the Cossack troops were published (1835); the institution of the Ministry of War was published; increased portion allowance of troops; the regulation of the economic capital of the Ministry of War was issued (1831); a regulation on government procurements of the military ministry was issued; the hospital part was improved and personnel for 15,000 people were established at indispensable hospitals (1838); this was followed by the publication of a code of military regulations (1840); the calibers and design of artillery pieces were changed and mountain artillery was introduced in the Caucasus (1842); a regulation on the reporting of the military ministry was issued; flintlock weapons began to be converted into shock weapons (1842); the "charter for the administration of armies in peacetime and wartime" was published and the military-statistical descriptions of the provinces and regions of the Empire were completed (1841); the salaries and dining money of the officers were increased and they were assigned portion allowances for the period of corps training; 8 cadet corps were established and many new fortresses and fortifications were erected: Alexandropol (begun in 1835 and completed in 1845), the Alexander citadel in Warsaw, Novogeorgievsk, Ivan-Gorod, Brest-Litovsk, the citadel in Vilna, the Aland fortress (Bomarzund) , Shusha, New Zagatala and Lankaran.
August 28, in memory of the twenty-five years of management of the guards general staff, Ch. received permission to wear the uniform of this headquarters.
The leaving of the post of Minister of War by the prince, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of the administration of this ministry, was marked by the establishment in various educational institutions 10 scholarships for young children from capital collected for this purpose by officials of the department of the military ministry, and those who use these scholarships were given the name "pensioners and pensioners of Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev." This act of the officials of the military ministry was fully approved by the Sovereign, who, for his part, made an order to keep two pupils in the cadet corps and two pupils in the patriotic institute, mainly from the descendants of persons who participated in the military operations of the prince from 1812 to 1815; they were also given the title of pensioners and pensioners of Prince Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev, and the maintenance of these pensioners was ordered to be deducted annually from the premium capital of the military ministry. At the same time, the Don nobility and the merchant class, in commemoration of the fruitful activities of Prince Chernyshev for the benefit of the Don Territory, made up capital for each class separately, which were supposed to contain 2 young children from the Don youth in different educational institutions, and they, of course, had given the same name - this was also approved by the Sovereign with great pleasure.
On the site of the former Ust-Gryaznovsky farm, a new village was founded, which, by the position of the military council on May 29, 1853, was named "Chernyshevsky" - in memory of the gratitude of the Don army to the long-term care of its improvement when Chernyshev was Minister of War.
On June 8, 1853, an order was made to the Minister of Finance, in view of the approaching deadline on July 8, the deadline for receiving Ch. annually for 8,000 silver rubles, appointed by decree on June 22, 1840 instead of rent, to continue for another 12 years, 22 On August 1854, Alexander Ivanovich was awarded the insignia of impeccable service for 50 years.
Having received permission on May 4, 1855 to go abroad for treatment for the entire vacation time of the general meeting of the state council, he left there on the 17th and, due to a protracted illness, could not arrive on time, so, according to the adjutant general Count Adlerberg dated September 2, 1855, he was allowed to remain on leave all winter, with pay; On April 5, at his request, he was dismissed, due to completely unhealthy health, from the duties of chairman of the state council, the committee of ministers and the committees of the Caucasian and Siberian and remained only an adjutant general, and on April 17 he was granted a sign decorated with diamonds with portraits of the Emperors Nicholas I and Alexander II to be worn in a buttonhole on the St. Andrew's ribbon and received a rescript of thanks in which the Emperor Alexander II, dismissing him, according to the petition, from his duties, expressed the hope that Chernyshev's health would recover and he would again have him a useful collaborator in "the labors and cares ahead of me for the good of our dear fatherland." On June 8, 1857, Alexander Ivanovich died in Castellamar.
1) Pages for 183 years (1711-1894). Biographies of former pages, with portraits. Collected and published by O. R. von Freiman. Friedrichshamm, 1894, pp. 129, 845, 871, 874; 2) Reference Encyclopedic Dictionary, edition of K. Kray, St. Petersburg, 1847, vol. XII, pp. 148-161; 3) Official list about the service; 4) Russian Archive, 1864, p. 876; 1867, pp. 1059, 1061; 1868, pp. 905-909, 911-916, 917, 918, 736, 743, 747, 754, 774; 1870, pp. 372, 1590, 1622, 1628, 1980, 2188, 2192, 2202, 2203; 1871, vol. II, pp. 258, 259, 318, 822; 1872, pp. 953, 1824, 1972, 2335; 1874, vol. I, p. 1147; vol. II, p. 694; 1875, vol. I, p. 151; vol. II, pp. 92, 93, 266, 293, 354; 1876, vol. III, p. 302; 1877, vol. III, pp. 93, 99, 101; 1878, vol. III, pp. 102, 262, 263, 268, 270, 272; 1880, vol. II, p. 404; vol. III, pp. 289, 324, 435, 436; 1881, vol. II, pp. 228, 237, 238, 243; 1882, vol. I, pp. 217, 218; vol. II, pp. 304, 305, 307, 308; vol. III, pp. 314, 322, 324, 342, 436, 436, 438, 453; 1884, vol. III, pp. 163, 164, 166, 169; 1885, vol. II, pp. 254, 326, 380, 383; vol. III, p. 304; 1886, vol. I, p. 268; vol. III, pp. 265, 382; vol. III, p. 616; 1888, Vol. I, pp. 261, 270, 272, 445, 454, 582, 616; vol. II, pp. 122, 0133; vol. III, p. 379; 1889, Vol. I, pp. 250, 470, 477, 483, 495; vol. III, p. 260; 1891, vol. III, p. 257; 1892, Vol. I, pp. 150, 156, 159, 163, 164, 165; vol. II, pp. 447, 468, 464; vol. III, pp. 8, 102; 1893, vol. I, p. 419; 1894, Vol. I, pp. 297, 301, 309, 313, 318; vol. II, pp. 234, 235, 350, 360, 386, 449, 472, 516, 532, 533; vol. III, pp. 34-48, 150-154, 157, 172, 199, 239, 345-432, 490, 491, 496, 497, 499, 591; 1895, vol. II, pp. 193, 338; vol. III, pp. 379, 380; 1898, vol. II, p. 32; 1899, Vol. I, pp. 74, 145, 157, 531, 567, 569, 571, 574-576, 580, 583, 584, 590, 594, 597, 600, 607-609, 616, 620, 622; vol. III, pp. 79, 87; 1900, vol. III, pp. 249, 472; 5) "Historical Bulletin", 1881, February, p. 472; May, 9, 24; 1882, September, 667; 1885, April 17, 22; May, 374; June, 526; 1886, April, 80-81; 1888, March, 566, 567; June, 632; 1889, December, 509, 510; 1890, January 32, 35; August, 305; 1891, December, 703, 704; 1892, February, 562, 568; April, 155; 1895, February, 605-622; 1898, August, 434, 439, 444-446, 450-457; September, 789-791, 794-809, 817; May 1900, 461-466; December, 1032; 6) "Russian Antiquity", 1870, vol. I, pp. 548-549, 603-604; vol. II, p. 207; 1871 , vol. III, pp. 457-458; 1872, vol. V, pp. 633, 784; vol. VI, pp. 105, 106, 108, 128. 129, 403, 507, 508; 1873, vol. VII, pp. 249-253, 666, 729, 783; vol. VIII, pp. 228, 275, 277, 279; 1874, vol. X, pp. 2 and 3; vol. XI, pp. 272, 576, 776; 1875, Vol. XII, pp. 472-476, 641, 644, 701-718; vol. XIII, pp. 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49-60, 217-220, 225, 229-233, 234; vol. XIV, pp. 348, 349, 352; 1876, June, pp. 364, 368; August, p. 627; October, pp. 226, 263; December, pp. 845-851; 1877, January, pp. 190, 191; February, p. 280; May, pp. 19, 20, 143; June, pp. 193, 215, 216, 281; September, pp. 47-69; October, p. 202; December, pp. 588-609; 1878, February, pp. 231-233; July, pp. 406, 420; 1879, May, p. 180; July, pp. 437, 443, 446, 447, 454; August, p. 660; November, p. 558; 1880, January, p. 178; May, p. 138; July, pp. 437, 446, 535; September, pp. 23, 184-186; October, pp. 423-426; November, pp. 618, 619, 624, 916; 1881, January, pp. 104, 115, 120-127; February, pp. 267, 428-432, 449; March, pp. 503-511, 520, 658-665; June, p. 310; July, pp. 381-397; August, pp. 550-555, 566; December, pp. 758, 759, 888, 894; 1882, January, pp. 221, 251; March, pp. 830, 839; April, pp. 200, 205, 243-245, 282, 285; July, pp. 164-167, 186-213; August, p. 447; September, p. 585; October, p. 195; December, p. 629; 1884, January, pp. 106, 138-151, 157, 159; March, p. 539; 1885, February, p. 352; March, pp. 544, 722; April, pp. 126, 127, 129; May, pp. 281, 290; July, pp. 36, 45, 47, 51; 1886, March, pp. 547, 548, 571-574; June, p. 501; July, pp. 35, 47, 50; December, p. 718; 1887, July, pp. 234, 235; August, p. 446; 1888, October, p. 179; 1889, June, pp. 622, 745; July, p. 147; August, p. 242; September, p. 539; October, p. 39; 1890, January, pp. 89, 251; February, pp. 324, 327; April, p. 205; May, p. 356; August, pp. 313-315; October, p. 228; November, pp. 491, 492, 527; 1891, January, pp. 22, 26, 106; March, pp. 514, 516, 532, 534; April, pp. 53, 61, 63, 64, 70, 174, 176; May, pp. 275, 288, 289, 302, 303; June, p. 605; December, p. 667; 1892, January, p. 74; April, pp. 71, 78; May, p. 240; October, p. 118; November, p. 284; December, p. 480; 1893, January, pp. 3, 4, 180; February, pp. 390-392, 488-491; March, pp. 535, 692; April, pp. 153, 161; June, p. 582; October, pp. 14, 223; 1894, January, pp. 126-132; February, pp. 104-107, 113, 117, 120, 121; April, p. 127, 128; June, pp. 205, 211-218; November, p. 45; 1895, March, pp. 39, 46, 49, 50, 52, 53, 59, 60, 66, 72, 73; 1896, March, p. 499; May, pp. 314, 342, 406-408; June, p. 530; September, pp. 673, 674; October, p. 154; 1897, January, pp. 26, 39, 41; February, pp. 208, 238; March, pp. 474, 480; May, p. 232; November, pp. 332-344; December, pp. 544, 566, 567; 1898, January, pp. 103, 109, 169-181; February, pp. 405, 423; March, pp. 504, 505, 515, 516; July, pp. 155, 156; September, pp. 536, 540, 546; November, pp. 333, 336, 347; December, pp. 522-537, 547, 595-612; 1899, February, p. 416; March, pp. 666, 667; April, p. 38; June, pp. 518, 521, 627, 641; August, pp. 276-294; September, p. 498; October, p. 44; November, p. 275; December, pp. 539, 549; 1900, January, pp. 28-53, 187; February, p. 330; March, pp. 384, 551, 614, 642; April, pp. 33, 34, 128, 189, 217, 218; May, pp. 238-291; June, pp. 479-526, 586-591; July, pp. 25-41, 185, 186; August, pp. 234, 238, 252, 257; September, pp. 512-521; October, pp. 93, 100, 101; November, pp. 238, 253, 486; 7) book. A. B. Lobanov-Rostovsky, "Russian Genealogical Book", ed. 2nd, 1895, vol. II, p. 357; 8) "Military Collection", 1866, No. 9, pp. 3-25; 9) "Birzhevye Vedomosti", 1873, No. 225, 226, 234 and 258 (Club of jokes and puns. From the memoirs and from the memorable book of a St. Petersburg old-timer. V. Burnashev). 10) Collection Imp. Russian Historical Society, vol. XXI (St. Petersburg, 1877), pp. 1-323; v. LXXVIII (St. Petersburg, 1891), pp. 5, 166, 193, 202, 300, 318, 376, 433, 437, 446, 451, 496, 528, 541; v. LXXXVIII (St. Petersburg, 1893), pp. 455, 560, 607, 608, 668, 670; LXXXIX, pp. XI, 366, 369, 376-378, 419, 442, 443, 447, 462, 494, 496, 503, 507, 510, 512, 514, 515, 518, 519, 526, 544, 545, 576, 748; v. XC, pp. 397, 405, 409, 422, 423, 436, 458, 459, 461; v. XCVIII (St. Petersburg, 1896), pp. 125, 137, 145, 161, 155, 166, 171, 184, 216, 222, 224, 233, 235, 239, 447; 11) "Notes" by A. E. Rosen, part I, p. 36; 12) "Domestic Notes", 1822, part X, No. 25, pp. 146-165, and No. 326, pp. 333-351. Actions of the detachment of Lieutenant General Chernyshev in 1814 13) "Military Collection", 1902, January. "The Most Serene Prince Alexander Iv. Chernyshev", a biographical sketch by N. Schilder; 14) "State dignitaries who ruled the military unit in Russia since 1701", pp. 18-21. St. Petersburg, 1866; 15) "Notes of the Russian Geographical Society", St. Petersburg, 1849, book 3.
B. Alekseevsky.
(Polovtsov)
Chernyshev, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich
Adjutant General, General of the Cavalry (1786-1857). After careful home education, he was adopted by the chamber-page to the highest court; then he served in the cavalry guard regiment and began his military career in the battle of Austerlitz, participated in the campaign of 1807; in 1808 he traveled to Paris and Bayonne with instructions to Emperor Napoleon. During the company of 1809 he was under the French emperor. After the Treaty of Schönbrunn, he remained in Paris as a confidant of the Russian Emperor and our military-diplomatic agent. Recalled in 1811, Ch. performed an important diplomatic assignment in Stockholm, and upon his return he was with the sovereign; was sent to Field Marshal Kutuzov and Admiral Chichagov to announce to them a plan for the general movement of Russian troops to the Berezina. Shortly after arriving at the Danube army, Ch. was sent by Chichagov from Brest, with a light cavalry detachment, to the Duchy of Warsaw, to operate in the rear of the Austrian corps of Schwarzenberg. Since that time, Ch.'s partisan activity began, and he had to command not only small, but also very significant detachments; especially known was his occupation of the city of Kassel in 1813. In 1819, he was appointed a member of the committee on the organization of the Don troops and present on the committee on the wounded; in 1821 received light command cavalry division; on the day of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas I, he was elevated to the dignity of a count; in 1827 he was appointed assistant manager of the main headquarters of His Majesty and after that put at the head of the military ministry; retained this post until 1852. In 1848 he was appointed chairman of the State Council. Emperor Nicholas elevated him to princely dignity and appointed him chief of the St. Petersburg Lancers and Kabardian Chasseurs.
- a favorite of Peter I and Catherine I, opening a number of Russian temporary workers of the 18th century. The year of his birth is not exactly known: according to some news (Berkhholz), he was born in 1673, according to others (Golikov) in 1670. It is not entirely clear and ... ... Big biographical encyclopediaChernyshev (His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Ivanovich) adjutant general, cavalry general (1786 1857). After careful home education, he was adopted by the chambers as a page to the highest court; then he served in the cavalry guard regiment and began the military field in ... ... Biographical Dictionary
- (1785/86 1857) His Serene Highness Prince (1849), Russian statesman and military leader, cavalry general (1826). In 1808 12 military agent in Paris. During the Patriotic War and in 1813 he commanded a cavalry detachment. In 1832 52 Minister of War, in ... ... Large encyclopedic Dictionary
Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev 1786 1857 Portrait of Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev by the workshop of George Dow. Military Gallery of the Winter Palace, State Hermitage ( St. Petersburg) Affiliation ... Wikipedia
- (Highest Prince) Adjutant General, General of the Cavalry (1786 1857). After careful home education, he was adopted by the chambers as a page to the highest court; then he served in the cavalry guard regiment and began his military career in the battle of Austerlitz, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron - (1785/1786 1857), His Serene Highness Prince (1849), statesman and military leader, cavalry general (1826). In 1808 12 Russian military agent in Paris. During the Patriotic War of 1812 and in 1813 he commanded a cavalry detachment. In 1832, 52 military ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Russian military and statesman, Adjutant General (1812), General of the Cavalry (1826), Count (1826), Most Serene Prince (1849). From 1802 he served in the guards ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
(1857-06-20 ) (71 years old)
Biography
Descended from the old noble family Chernyshov. Born in the family of a senator, lieutenant general Ivan Lvovich Chernyshev and Evdokia Dmitrievna Lanskoy. From his youth, he had a reputation as a ladies' man, which he later successfully used as a scout at the court of Napoleon.
After being raised at home, he was adopted by the chamber-page to the highest court; then he served in the cavalry guard regiment and began his military career in the battle of Austerlitz, participated in the war of the fourth coalition (campaign of 1807). In 1808 he traveled to Paris and Bayonne with instructions to the Emperor Napoleon. During the War of the Fifth Coalition (1809) he was under the French emperor. After the Treaty of Schonbrunn, he remained in Paris as a confidant of the Russian Emperor and as a military diplomatic agent; obtained many secret documents and information.
He gained his influence at court on the occasion of a fire in 1810 in the house of an Austrian envoy, when he saved influential people with ladies, acting calmly and confidently. Rumor attributed to him a love victory over the emperor's sister - Polina Borghese. Despite the reports of French counterintelligence about suspicions of espionage against a Russian agent, Napoleon trusted Chernyshev. At this time, a daring operation was carried out to provide Napoleon with false printed boards of maps of the territories. Russian Empire, which influenced the future defeat of the interventionist troops in Russia.
Left Paris February 14, 1812. On the way home, Chernyshev fulfilled an important diplomatic mission in Stockholm, and upon returning from there he was with the emperor. At the end of the Patriotic War, he was sent to Field Marshal Kutuzov and Admiral Chichagov, to announce to them a plan for the general movement of Russian troops to the Berezina. Shortly after arriving at the Army of the Danube, Chernyshev was sent by Chichagov from Brest, with a light cavalry detachment, to the Duchy of Warsaw, to operate in the rear of the Austrian corps of Schwarzenberg. From that time on, Chernyshev's partisan activity began, and he had to command not only small, but also very significant detachments; especially known is his occupation of the city of Kassel in 1813, defended by the French under the command of General Allix and participation in the battle of Hagelberg.
On May 13, 1813, Chernyshev's Cossacks attacked the artillery park of Napoleonic troops located in Halberstadt and, having lost about forty people killed, captured 14 guns, 11 charging boxes (the rest were blown up), a significant convoy with provisions, about 800 horses and more than 1000 prisoners (including was General Ochs).
In 1819, he was appointed a member of the committee on the organization of the Don troops and present on the committee on the wounded; in 1821 he was given command of a light cavalry division. He was under Alexander I at the time of his death in Taganrog.
On August 26, 1827, he was appointed head of the War Ministry (acting); retained this post until August 26, 1852. Nicholas I did not leave him in the future either: in 1830 he “graciously granted A. I. Chernyshev a house in St. Petersburg” (Millionnaya st., 21); in 1839, A. I. Chernyshev was granted the hereditary possession of a majorate in the Kingdom of Poland in the amount of four thousand five hundred silver rubles of annual income, which he refused and received an appropriate monetary reward.
Reforms in the military department ensured a reduction in the terms of service from 25 years to 20 for musicians, soldiers' children and Jews, and to 15 years for everyone else. A military academy was established (1832), eight cadet corps, schools, charters were developed and published: hospital, recruit, military for management in peacetime and wartime; charter of the Cossack army. The allowance of officers in terms of money was improved and table money was added, and from 1832 it was allowed to wear a mustache. Also, soldier's uniforms were simplified to the necessary practicality. Under him, the first rifled small arms were introduced into the Russian army (1848).
AI Chernyshev did not pay attention to the firearms of the army; on the contrary, he insisted that only edged weapons and hand-to-hand combat decide the outcome of battles. He remained a supporter of the use of edged weapons in combat, thus arming the army with firearms remained virtually unchanged since 1812. For the first time, the conversion of old flintlock guns into capsule guns was carried out at the Tula Arms Plant only in 1844-45, despite the fact that foreign armies completely switched to primer guns in 1828-32. flintlock with a separate outer shelf, a mass of springs and small parts), the ability to fire in any weather, including in the rain (in a flintlock, the charge is ignited by hitting a piece of flint on the flint on the outer shelf, on which gunpowder simply dampened in wet weather and did not ignite, in the primer lock: ignition of the charge from explosive mercury, which detonates from the blow of the trigger and gives a spark in any conditions), faster reloading (instead of pouring gunpowder on the shelf, it is enough to install the primer with one movement of the hand on the brand tube), no misfires (unfortunately, a flintlock misfires in 30-40% of cases, which is considered the norm for this type of locks, in a capsule lock, mercury fulminate detonates in any case when the trigger is struck). The transition to the use of rifles and the Minié bullet never happened, to Crimean War The army was completely unprepared. There was not enough gunpowder, charges. The supply of the army during the period of hostilities as such was absent. Rifles (imported Belgian fittings) were used in isolated cases in the chain of skirmishers, while the British and French fired volleys from rifles in battalions, preventing the imperial army from implementing close combat tactics.
In 1848 he was appointed chairman of the State Council of the Russian Empire. Emperor Nicholas elevated him to princely dignity and appointed him chief of the St. Petersburg 1st Lancers and Kabardian Chasseurs.
From 1852 to 1855, Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev served as chairman of the Siberian Committee.
Health problems and advanced age forced him to ask the emperor to dismiss him from the post of Minister of War, for which the highest permission was received. He remained chairman of the State Council until his death, which followed in 1857 in the city of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples (Italy). Buried in the village Petrovsky, Moscow district, in the manor church of Peter and Paul. In the city of Lytkarino, near the Museum of Local Lore, which occupies the building of the estate of Alexander Chernyshev, on September 15, 2012, a monument to Alexander Ivanovich Chernyshev was unveiled.
Achievement list
In service:
- September 20 (October 2) of the year - from the chamber pages of the court of His Imperial Majesty as a cornet in the Cavalier Guard Regiment, having been 17 years old;
- June 20 (July 2) - appointed adjutant to the chief of the Cavalier Guard Regiment, Lieutenant General Uvarov;
- September 29 (October 11) year - promoted to lieutenant;
- January 29 (February 10) of the year - for the excellent courage shown in the battle at m. Austerlitz on November 20 (December 2), he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4 tbsp. , with a bow;
- 1 (13) November of the year - promoted to staff captain;
- December 1 (13) of the year - in reward for excellent courage and special courage in the battles of May 24 and 25 (June 6), a golden sword was awarded, with the inscription "for courage";
- May 20 (June 1) year - for excellent courage and bravery in battles: May 26 (June 7), at Wolfsdorf, May 29 (June 10), at Heilsberg, and June 2 (14), at Friedland, awarded Order of St. George 4 class. ;
- June 6 (18) of the year - appointed adjutant wing
- 9 (21 captains;
- 8 (20) November of the year - to the colonels;
- November 22 (December 4) of the year - for successful actions on the instructions assigned to him and the prudent execution of a brave expedition, he was promoted to Major General, with the appointment of Adjutant General to His Imperial Majesty;
- February 17 (March 1) of the year - as a reward for the excellent courage and courage shown in the battles of December 31, 1812 (January 12, 1813), near Marienwerder, and on February 8 (20), near Berlin, he was awarded the Order of St. George 3 class. ;
- March 8 (20) of the year - as a sign of special Monarchic gratitude for brilliant deeds and prudent orders during the capture of the city of Berlin on February 20 (March 4), he was awarded the Order of St. Anne 1 tbsp. ;
- March 21 (April 2) - in view of the excellent deeds and exemplary fearlessness shown during the complete extermination of the corps of General Moran, diamond badges of the Order of St. Anne 1st class were awarded. , and the King of Prussia, the Order of the Red Eagle 1 tbsp. ;
- October 20 (November 1) of the year - as a sign of special Royal gratitude for the excellent courage and military exploits shown in the battle during the capture of the city of Kassel on September 13 (25) of the year and in the pursuit of the enemy from it, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 2 tbsp. ;
- 4 (16) March of the year - for difference in the battle during the storming of the city of Soissons on February 2 (14), he was promoted to lieutenant general, with the rank of adjutant general remaining;
- 10 (22) March of the year - appointed a member of the Committee on the organization of the Don army;
- March 14 (26) of the year - ordered to be present in the committee established on August 18 (30) of the year;
- July 25 (August 6) of the year - in consideration of the work raised by the order of the Highest entrusted to him regarding the organization of the Don Army in terms of managing it, he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky;
- January 29 (February 10) of the year - appointed chairman of the Committee on the organization of the Don army (the committee closed on May 26 (June 7) of the year);
- April 18 (30) - appointed head of the light guards cavalry division;
- April 21 (May 3) of the year - in commemoration of the special Monarch's favor to the excellent zeal shown in the execution of the assignment entrusted to him for the organization of the Don army, he was granted the diamond badges of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky;
- June 25 (July 7) - a snuffbox with a portrait of the Sovereign Emperor was granted;
- August 22 (September 3) of the year - in recompense of the excellent merits rendered to the throne and the fatherland, indefatigable zeal in the execution of the most important assignments entrusted to him and in expression of the Royal goodwill to the vigilant labors incurred by him in the discovery of intruders and the work of research on them, by the Highest Decree , given to the Governing Senate, elevated to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire, with descendants descending from him;
- December 6 (18) of the year - ordered to be present in the Governing Senate;
- February 3 (15) of the year - appointed as a deputy manager of the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty;
- August 26 (September 7) - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty, with instructions to manage, until the command, the Ministry of War;
- September 12 (24) of the year - ordered to be present in the Committee of Ministers;
- 2 (14) October of the year - promoted to general from the cavalry;
- April 11 (23), year - appointed member of the State Council;
- April 12 (24) - ordered, on the occasion of the departure of the Chief of the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty from St. Petersburg to the 2nd Army, to take control of the Main Staff of His Majesty;
- December 6 (18) of the year - as an expression of royal gratitude for the tireless activity and zeal shown in the timely supply of the army with its many needs, in firmly providing it for the future and in the very improvement of the internal structure of the Military Ministry, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 1 tbsp. ;
- September 22 (October 4) of the year - in consideration of his excellent zeal and tireless work and for his prudent assistance with the measures that depended on him, the success of the army in the war against the Turks, 300,000 rubles were granted in banknotes;
- 17 (29) June of the year - awarded the Order of the White Eagle;
- August 9 (21) of the year - ordered to be present in the Siberian Committee (the committee closed on January 9 (21) of the year);
- August 22 (September 3) - a ring decorated with diamonds with a portrait of His Majesty was granted;
- December 31, 1831 (January 12, 1832) - awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called;
- in January 1832 - enrolled in the list of the Guards General Staff;
- May 1 (13) of the year - appointed Minister of War;
- 2 (14 St. Petersburg Lancers Regiment;
- April 22 (May 4) - awarded the diamond badges of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called;
- April 16 (28) of the year - in commemoration of the constant Monarchal favor and perfect gratitude to the excellent and important merits of his Throne and Fatherland, by the Highest Decree given to the Governing Senate, he was elevated to the princely dignity of the Russian Empire, with offspring descending from him;
- April 2 (14) of the year - a special assignment was assigned for the Caucasus and Transcaucasus region;
- 12 (24) August of the year - following the execution of this order, it was ordered to continue to take control of the War Ministry;
- April 11 (23), year - appointed chief of the Kabardian Chasseurs Regiment;
- March 26 (April 7) of the year - the St. Petersburg Lancers and Kabardian Chasseurs regiments were ordered to continue to be called: the first - Lancers, and the last - Chasseurs Adjutant General Prince Chernyshev regiments;
- June 25 (July 7) - granted a portrait of His Imperial Majesty, decorated with diamonds, to be worn in a buttonhole;
- 1 (13) November of the year - appointed Chairman of the State Council, with the preservation of the previous titles and positions;
- November 6 (18) of the year - ordered to be chairman of the Committee of Ministers, with the preservation of the previous titles and positions;
- August 22 (September 3) of the year - By the highest decree given to the Governing Senate, it was ordered to assign, to the princely dignity he bears, the title of Lordship.
It was ordered to be on the lists of Her Majesty's Cavalier Guard Regiment and wear his uniform on June 3 (15) of the year; ordered to be chairman of the Siberian Committee on April 22 (May 4) of the year; dismissed from the post of Minister of War, leaving the chairman of the State Council and in all his other positions, on August 26 (September 7) of the year; dismissed according to a petition for completely unhealthy health from all positions, leaving the rank of adjutant general, 5 (
Birthday January 10, 1786
Russian adjutant general, cavalry general
Biography
Alexander Ivanovich was born in the family of Senator Lieutenant General Ivan Lvovich Chernyshev and Evdokia Dmitrievna Lanskoy.
After being brought up at home, he was adopted by the chamber-page to the highest court; then he served in the cavalry guard regiment and began his military career in the battle of Austerlitz, participated in the campaign of 1807; in 1808 he traveled to Paris and Bayonne with instructions to the emperor Napoleon. During the campaign of 1809 he was under the French emperor. After the Treaty of Schonbrunn, he remained in Paris as a confidant of the Russian emperor and our military-diplomatic agent.
Recalled in 1811, Chernyshev performed an important diplomatic assignment in Stockholm, and upon returning from there he was with the emperor; was sent to Field Marshal Kutuzov and Admiral Chichagov to announce to them a plan for the general movement of Russian troops to the Berezina. Soon after arriving at the Danube army, Chernyshev was sent by Chichagov from Brest, with a light cavalry detachment, to the Duchy of Warsaw, to operate in the rear of the Austrian corps of Schwarzenberg. From that time on, Chernyshev's partisan activity began, and he had to command not only small, but also very significant detachments; especially famous is his occupation of the city of Kassel in 1813, defended by the French under the command of General Allix.
In 1819, he was appointed a member of the committee on the organization of the Don troops and present on the committee on the wounded; in 1821 he was given command of a light cavalry division. He was under Alexander I at the time of his death in Taganrog.
On November 25, 1825, he was sent to the 2nd Army to investigate the case of the Decembrists, swore the army to Nicholas I. In January 1826 he was included in the Commission of Inquiry on the case of the Decembrists. On the day of the coronation of Nicholas I, he was elevated to the dignity of a count; in 1827 he was appointed assistant manager of the main headquarters of His Majesty, and after that, on August 26 of the same year, he was appointed head of the War Ministry (acting); retained this post until August 26, 1852.
In 1848 he was appointed chairman of the State Council of the Russian Empire. Emperor Nicholas elevated him to princely dignity and appointed him chief of the St. Petersburg 1st Lancers and Kabardian Chasseurs.
Health problems and advanced age forced him to ask the emperor to dismiss him from the post of minister of war, for which the highest permission was received, and he remained chairman of the State Council until his death, which followed in 1857 in the city of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples (Italy ). Buried in the village Petrovsky, Moscow district.
Family
Alexander Ivanovich was married three times and had 6 children.
- wife since 1816, Theophila Ignatievna Radziwill, nee Moravskaya (1791-1828), in 1 marriage Starzhinskaya, the marriage ended in divorce in 1821 after her wife left for Paris in 1819 with Bezobrazov.
- wife since 1823, Elizaveta Alexandrovna Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya (25.09.1805-12.01.1824), daughter of Prince A.M. Beloselsky-Belozersky and A.G. Kozitskaya, died from an unfortunate childbirth. Her death caused universal regret in St. Petersburg society, K.Ya. Bulgakov wrote to his brother: “Poor Chernysheva, the wife of the adjutant general, who once already during her birth was in a fever, so they despaired of her life, now she has ceased to live. For two days she was tormented by childbirth ... Finally, she gave birth to a dead child and, from weakening, herself gave up her spirit. Not to mention the fact that she was 19 years old, who only knew her a little, can not help but regret her; she was sweet, smart, modest, kind, the kingdom of heaven to her. The husband is in complete despair. It’s a pity for him too: a few days before that he was so happy! She was buried together with a stillborn child at the Lazarevsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
- wife from September 16, 1825, Elizaveta Nikolaevna Zotova (08/01/1808-03/25/1872), maid of honor, had to ask the sovereign for permission to marry; daughter of State Councilor Count N.I. Zotov and Princess E.A. Kurakina. Chernyshev's third wife was destined to share greatness and honors with him, in December 1837 she was granted the title of lady of state, and in 1850 she received the Order of St. Ekaterina I class. Being a well-educated and high-dignity woman, she occupied a leading position in the metropolitan society, her living room, in the house on Malaya Morskaya, was considered one of the most impregnable in St. Petersburg, and she raised and kept her daughters like grand duchesses.
- Elizaveta Alexandrovna (1826-1902), lady of state, since 1846 married to Prince V.I. Baryatinsky (1817-1875).
- Alexandra Alexandrovna (1829-1892), was married since 1851 to Major General Prince D.A. Lobanov-Rostovsky (1825-1908)
- Nikolai Alexandrovich (1834 - died in childhood)
- Lev Alexandrovich (1837-1864), adjutant wing, was married to Maria Vladimirovna Titova (1840-1878), their son Lev (1864-1891) was the last representative of the princely branch of the Chernyshov family in the male line.
- Vladimir Alexandrovich (1839-1840)
- Maria Alexandrovna (1849-1919), maid of honor, never married, died in