Alexandre Souvorov

Alexandre Vassilievitch Souvorov ( Suwarow or Souwarow Rimniski or Rimnitskoï ) (Алекса́ндрВаси́льевичСуво́ров) (November 24th 1729 - May 18th 1800), military Russian of the time of Catherine II and Paul I {{er}}, is regarded as one of the largest generals of the History. Exceptional personality, adulated by its soldiers, admired by the large captains of his time, this small man (it measures hardly 1 m 60) forever undergone of defeat of all its career. It fought 63 battles and gained 63 victories. Tactician except par, it gained the majority of his battle with manpower lower of number than those of his adversaries, playing over the audacity, the speed, mobility, and especially seeking to inculcate in his men a made military education of spirit of initiative and responsibilisation, with the wrong way of Prussian, brutal, rigid education military and door of the army of Frederic II (always beaten by Souvorov), regarded however at the time as a model of effectiveness. Its military engineering, supported by a prize list of victories without precedent in the military history, in fact equal of Alexandre or César.

Military formation

It was born in Moscow of a noble family coming from Novgorod. Wire of a distinguished senior officer, it was high in Saint-Pétersbourg, the school of the Juniors. Entered with the service at the 13 years age, he was colonel with 32, after having passed by all the lower ranks.

He is useful initially in Finland against the Swedes then is distinguished against the Prussian troops during the Seven Year old Guerre. In 1759, it takes part in the Bataille of Kunersdorf, where the Russians gain a great victory against Frederic II of Prussia. Souvorov shows its courage and its obstinacy there. In 1762, he becomes colonel.

In 1768, it is used in Poland at the time of the war of the Confédération as Bar. Its troops disperse the Polish forces and seize Cracow, thus paving the way with the First division of Poland. The campaigns of 1769 with 1772, which preceded the first dismemberment by Poland, were worth the rank of general - major and the decoration of the to him Ordre of Alexandre Newski.

The general

In 1773, following the division of Poland, Souvorov is sent in the Crimea where the war against the Turks prevails since 1768. It builds a reputation of invincibility there by crushing the army tatare with Kozludji.

Recalled in Prussia, after the war of Poland, in which confederated Polish fought against the Russian invaders, Souvorov contributed to the defeat of the army of Iemelian Pougatchev, who raised tribes of Cosaque S and Tartar S, had devastated and subjected vast extended from country, and which, assisted by the monks and the dissatisfied ones with the interior, was already flattered to place on its head the bloody crown of Pierre III, of which it had taken the name.

Arrived in the area of the Don, it seizes the rebellious cossack chief that traitors delivered to him for the sum of 100,000 roubles. It is the first to question him then brings back it in a cage to Moscow where it will be decapitated.

Of 1777 with 1783, Souvorov continues to be distinguished in the Crimea and in the the Caucasus. It subjects inter alia a revolt of Caucasian tribes in 1780.

Lieutenant-general after the victory gained over the Turkish S, under the walls of Silistrie, it subjected, in 1783, the Tartar S of Kuban and Badzinck, and made them lend oath of fidelity to its sovereign.

Its exploits make it go up in rank. It is promoted lieutenant-general in 1780 and general of infantry in 1783, it was rewarded by the grand' cross for the Ordre for Saint-Wladimir and by the portrait for Catherine II for Russia, that the empress sent to him enriched by diamonds. He was courtier, he was it with his manner.

War against Turkey

In 1787, following the annexation of the Crimea by the Russians, Turkey declares the war in Russia. Catherine II wants initially to seize Otchakov, which controls the mouth of the Dniepr. It is Souvorov which is sent there. The general overcomes initially his adversaries with Kinburn. Then it besieges Otchakov which it seizes in 1788.

It crosses then the Prout, beating the Turks successively with Fokchany and the river Rymnick. Thereafter, it will be named count d' Otchakov and count de Rymnicki.

After the victories gained by the Russian S and the Austrian S joined together, during the years 1788 and 1789, after the defeat of 10.000 Russians over the river banks Rymnick, an important place resisted, it was Izmail, the most important Turkish fortress on the the Danube and one of most important of Europe.

In 1790, Souvorov besieges Izmail. The December 7th, it gives a 24 hours ultimatum to besieged if not it will be the attack and death. The Turks refuse to go; Souvorov takes it by storm. During three days, it lets its soldiers massacre the civilians of the city.

The Traité of Iassy of 1792 gives to the Russians all the littoral of the Black Sea between Azov and the Kouban, including/understanding the mouths of the Dniestr and the Bug.

The countryside of Poland

After Russo-Turkish peace, Souvorov is again transferred in Poland where has just burst an insurrection carried out by Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Charged by Catherine II crushing it with, it engages there with heat. Souvorov had given to Ismaïl a proof of obedience which was to make it prefer with all the Russian generals for this mission. It was him, indeed, which was charged to enter this country, with a many army corps, to assist the operations of the general of Fersen, which already had just overpowered, by its higher forces, the small Polish army.

It gains initially the Bataille of Maciejowice where it succeeds in making captive Kosciuszko itself. Its weak troop was overcome and dispersed. Suwarow was not by charged to overcome, but to destroy.

Attacker, with its ordinary ardor, all the Polish bodies which held the countryside, it went right, on Warsaw. The November 4th 1794, it encircles Warsaw and seizes Praga, one of its suburbs. The strengthened suburb of Praga, where a crowd of citizens had thrown itself, only offered some resistance. The attack was given, the Russian army went on seven columns, seized, with a first attack, fortifications which an insufficient artillery defended, and on order of Catherine II of Russia, nearly 9.000 Christians of Praga were massacred there. After the catch of the city, the tsarina names it Feld-maréchal. It orders Warsaw until its re-entry with Saint-Pétersbourg in 1795.

Disgrace

Unfortunately for Souvorov, its sovereign, for which he professed a true worship, died of an attack of striking down Apoplexie: he regretted it bitterly all its life. The November 17th 1796, Paul Ier succeeds Catherine II.

The successor of Catherine, the emperor Paul I^er, started his reign by making innovations in the military system, which displeased with all the army, and particularly in Souvorov. Wanting to get rid of familiar of his mother, it returns Souvorov which falls in semi-disgrace.

The general benefits from his retirement to publish a book, the art of the victory , containing his ideas on the war. He was disgraced and exiled in his grounds.

The countryside of Italy

In 1798, Russia, allied with the Great Britain and Austria, supported by the Turkey, declares the war in France. Paul Ier must then point out Souvorov, with the request express of François Ier of Austria. This one would like to see it ordering the troops which will ensure the reconquest of the Italy, from which Napoleon Bonaparte comes to seize.

The April 18th 1799, it took to the command as a chief of the combined armies austro-Russian. With the head of an Russo-Austrian army, Souvorov between thus in Italy in spring 1799.

To the autumn, Souvorov passes the collar of the Saint-Gothard in order to support the general Korsakov who is on the point of invading France. But Korsakov, badly supported by the Austrians jealous of successes of Souvorov, was made beat the September 25th by the troops of the general André Masséna with the Bataille of Zurich. The Russians are then obliged to fold up itself towards the Vorarlberg.

Shocked, Paul Ier dissolves alliance and points out Souvorov. At this point in time the field-marshal decided to give up the Austrians with themselves and to bring back to his sovereign the weak remainders of the army entrusted to his command. But the retirement on Lindau presented serious difficulties

After amazing sorrows and tirednesses, Souvorov arrived in Germany with the remainders of an at one time brilliant and victorious army.

By learning the retirement from the field-marshal, Paul I^er approved his control, it highly announced the intention to celebrate his victories in Italy while making enter Souvorov to Saint-Pétersbourg under a Triumphal arch; but suddenly the provisions of the Emperor changed, and instead of a triumphal entry, the tsar, jealous of his popularity, cancelled the ceremony. He makes him even the insult degrade it.

Souvorov, after having remained, during January of the year 1800, with Prague where it had several conferences with the Austrian general Bellegarde and the British ambassador Spencer Smith, and where it celebrated the marriage of his son with a princess of Courlande, continued to roll towards Saint-Pétersbourg, according to the precise sequences of Paul I^er, pre-determined to break with the coalition which it showed to have betrayed and which was indignant to see a Russian field-marshal in connection with an English diplomat, when him, emperor, returned to the British cabinet, bored of its sword, the dispatch by which one refused the promised sovereignty of the to him island of Malta.

Instead of the honors until it waited and which were due for him, Souvorov found an order of exile; it was secretly and the night that it entered the capital of the Emperor, and it did nothing but cross Pétersbourg to go to seek an asylum near one of his nieces. Forced to move away, the old warrior, overpowered sorrow, withdrew himself in his ground of Pollendorff in Estonia, where he languishes only little of time; fallen dangerously sick, it was soon with the doors of the tomb.

The emperor, repenting then his unjust and cruel control towards a man who had covered with glory the Russian armies, sent it to visit by his two sons, Alexandre, since emperor, and Constantin, which had shared with the field-marshal part of the dangers of the last countryside.

It is in quasi-poverty that one of the largest generals of its time dies the May 18th 1800.

Notoriety

After the death of Paul Ier, Alexandre Souvorov is quickly recognized by whole Russia like a large hero and the greatest military engineering of the history of the country. At the 19th century as at the 20th century, it will be a source of inspiration for all the generals.

A military museum with its name is open in 1908 to Saint-Pétersbourg. Monuments are set up to him with Saint-Pétersbourg, Otchakov, Izmaïl, Ladoga, Kherse, Simferopol, Kaliningrad, Rymnick and in the Alps Suisse S. the July 29th 1942, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet creates the Ordre of Souvorov in order to reward success for offensive actions against enemy higher forces. The first member elect is the marshal Georgui Joukov.

Life

The life of Souvorov was austere and hard.

With Vérone, he refused the apartment that one had prepared to him and chooses another much the simpler, of which he made remove the ices as a luxury article which wounded its eyes. He carried his uniform only in the occasions where it was a question of making respect in him the general of the armies of his sovereign; in all the others, or found it vêtu fabric, or in more the great colds, of a Touloupe (common fur-lined coat) in sheepskin. But, by a striking contrast, when, in the days of pageantry, it left its sheepskin, for the large uniform of field-marshal, it took care of ornaments, all its cords, its plates out of diamonds and decorations of any species, to its hat a brush in brilliances attached which had been given to him by Catherine, and to its neck the portrait of this princess.

Souvorov had a rather deep sea of instruction and spoke with facility several languages, but he refused with the long diplomatic and political writings. “The feather sied badly, said it, in the hand of a soldier. ” One occupied oneself at the court of the originality of character of Souvorov, in his manner of living, the singularity of his language and the roughness of his manners. Its setting also lent to the sarcastic remarks courtiers who did not like it. The soldiers adored a chief who divided all their tirednesses, which lived in the middle of them without ostentation, without research and as simply as themselves. Knowing all the empire of the religion, superstition even on the Russian soldiers, it obliged the officers to recite the evening, after the retirement, of the public prayers in front of their As troops active as daring, it had with the supreme degree the art of exalter the enthusiasm of the soldier and to attach it to his destiny: also the Russians became between its hands of excellent instruments of carnage.

Meticulous and severe in the service, he wanted, with reason, that the discipline was rigorous and that obedience towards the chief was exact and absolute.

Souvorov had an immense fortune, but one had to reproach him no depredation; all that it had had been given to him by Catherine.

The Emperor Alexandre, at once his advent with the throne, returned in Souvorov justice that Paul I^er, his father, had refused to him. He made him raise a statue, and all the former comrades in arms of the field-marshal were called with the inauguration of this monument. The large duke Constantin, who took part a little the nature of Souvorov, pronounced publicly, in the presence of the assembled troops, the praise of the old warrior; all the army corps, while ravelling in front of the statue, returned the military honors to him that the field-marshal received from alive sound.

Married rather young person, Souvorov had loved his wife with the idolatry: she exerted on him an absolute empire. Its weakness for his/her son was also extreme

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