Count
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich ( – ) was a
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n general prominent during the
Napoleonic warsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
. Miloradovich came from a princely family with its origins among the Serbian nobles Miloradović-Rabrenović of
HerzegovinaHerzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia-Herzegovina, comprising 11,419 sq km or around 22% of the total area of the present-day country. In other sources it comprises 12,276 sq km, this constitutes 24% of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
.
Miloradovich saw service under Suvorov in the wars against
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
and
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and in the campaign of
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
(1799) earned much distinction as a commander of advanced troops. In 1805, having attained the rank of lieutenant-general, he served under Mikhail Kutuzov in the campaign of
AusterlitzThe Battle of Austerlitz also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon Bonaparte's greatest victories, effectively destroying the Third Coalition against the French Empire...
, taking part in the actions of
EnnsEnns may refer to:* Enns , Upper Austria, Austria* Enns , a surname* Enns , a southern tributary of the Danube River...
and
KremsKrems an der Donau is a city of 23,932 inhabitants in Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria. It is the fifth-largest city of Lower Austria and is approximately 70 km west of Vienna.-Location:...
and in the decisive battle of 2 December, in which his column held the Pratzen Heights.
In the
Turkish WarThe Russo-Turkish War, 1806–1812 was one of many wars fought between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire.- Background :The war broke out in 1805–1806 against the background of the Napoleonic wars...
he distinguished himself a number of times. He was awarded a diamond-decorated
rapierA rapier is a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, mainly in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
with the inscription
"For bravery and salvation of BucharestBucharest is the capital city, industrial and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River....
" (1806); he defeated Turks at Obileşti (present-day
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
, 1807); for the battle at Rassevat fortress (
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
, 1809) he was made General of Infantry in 1810.
During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Miloradovich was one of the most prominent and successful Russian commanders. At the
Battle of BorodinoThe Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
he led the reserve militia, and later commanded the Russian rearguard which delayed the French occupation of Moscow. After Napoleon began his retreat, Miloradovich defeated the French at the
Battle of VyazmaThe Battle of Vyazma , occurred at the beginning of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. In this encounter the rear guard of the Grande Armee was defeated by the Russians commanded by General Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich...
. His corps was thereafter
one of those most activeThe Battle of Krasnoi was a series of skirmishes fought in the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. This encounter was noteworthy because of the heavy losses inflicted on the remnants of the Grande Armée by the Russians under General Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov...
in the pursuit of Napoleon's Grande Armee. In 1813 he led the rear-guard of the Allies at the
Battle of BautzenIn the Battle of Bautzen a combined Russian/Prussian army was pushed back by Napoleon, but escaped destruction, some sources claim, because Michel Ney failed to block their retreat...
. At the
victory of KulmThe Battle of Kulm was a battle near the town Kulm and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia. It was fought on August 29-30 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition...
he was present in command of a Russian-Prussian corps, which he also led in the
Battle of LeipzigThe Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, fought on 16–19 October 1813, was one of the most decisive defeats suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte. The battle was fought on German soil and involved German troops on both sides, as a large proportion of Napoleon's troops actually came from the German...
. In the 1814 campaign, Miloradovich commanded the Allied contingent operating in the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
.
From 1818 to the time of his death he was military governor of
Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd and Leningrad...
. On 26 December
[O.S.Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though contemporary documents use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian calendar ,...
14 December] 1825, he went to pacify the Decembrist officers at the Senate Square. Being popular with the army, he almost succeeded in his exhortations to the officers, when one of the more radical rebels, Pyotr Kakhovsky, shot him dead.
The modern Russian historian Vladimir Bryukhanov in his book
The Conspiracy of Count Miloradovich speculates that Miloradovich was actually the chief orchestrator of the Decembrist conspiracy rather than its victim. He alleges that the Decembrists planned to make him a dictator in the case of success and to shoot him in the case of failure.
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