LECTURE#10

The principle of male primogeniture in succession to the throne from Paul I. Russian victories on sea under F. Ushakov & in Alps under A. Suvorov. Paul is becoming unpopular among the nobility. Coup dбпetat from 1801. Economical & industrial development of Russia in the beg. Of the 19th c..

PAUL l.

Emperor of Russia (1754 - 1801), reigned 1796 - 1801, was born in the Summer Palace in St Petersburg on October 1, 1754. He was the son of the Grand Duchess, afterwards Empress, Catherine. According to some, his father was not her husband, the Grand Duke Peter, afterwards emperor, but Catherine''s lover Sergei Saltykov. Although Catherine herself hinted that the story was true, it is fairly likely that this was simply an attempt to cast doubt on Paul''s right to the throne, in order to prop up Catherine''s own somewhat shaky claim.

During his infancy Paul was taken from the care of his mother by the Empress Elizabeth, whose ill-judged fondness allegedly injured his health. As a boy he was reported to be intelligent and good-looking. His extreme ugliness in later life is attributed to an attack of typhus, from which he suffered in 1771. It has been asserted that his mother hated him, and was only restrained from putting him to death while he was still a boy by the fear of what the consequences of another palace crime might be to herself. Lord Buckinghamshire, the English ambassador at her court, expressed this opinion as early as 1764. In fact, however, the evidence goes to show that the empress, who was at all times very fond of children, treated Paul with kindness. He was put in charge of a trustworthy governor, Nikita Panin, and of competent tutors.

Her dissolute court provided a bad home for a boy destined to become the sovereign, but Catherine took great trouble to arrange his first marriage with Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt (who acquired the Russian name "Natalia Alexeevna") in 1773. She allowed him to attend the council in order that he might be trained for his work as emperor. His tutor Poroshin complained of him that he was "always in a hurry", acting and speaking without thinking.

After his first marriage Paul began to engage in intrigues. He suspected his mother of intending to kill him, and once openly accused her of causing broken glass to be mingled with his food. Yet, though his mother removed him from the council and began to keep him at a distance, her actions were not unkind. The use made of his name by the rebel Pugachev in 1775 tended no doubt to render his position more difficult. When his wife died in childbirth in that year his mother arranged another marriage with the beautiful Sophia Dorothea of Wи╣rttemberg, renamed in Russian "Maria Feodorovna". On the birth of his first child in 1777 the Empress gave him an estate, Pavlovsk.

Paul and his wife gained leave to travel through western Europe in 1781-1782. In 1783 the Empress granted him another estate at Gatchina, where he was allowed to maintain a brigade of soldiers whom he drilled on the Prussian model.

It is claimed that as Paul grew his character became steadily degraded, and that he was not incapable of affection nor without generous impulses, but he was flighty, passionate in a childish way, and when angry capable of cruelty. The affection he had for his wife turned to suspicion. He fell under the influence of two of his wife''s maids of honour in succession, Nelidova and Lopuknina, and of his barber, a former Turkish prisoner of war named Kutaisov (Koroiissov). For some years before Catherine died, a claim has been from some authors that he was hovering on the border of insanity. Catherine contemplated setting him aside in favour of his son Alexander, to whom she was attached. Paul was aware of his mother''s half-intention - for it does not appear to have been more - and became increasingly suspicious of his wife and children, whom he rendered perfectly miserable. No definite step was taken to set him aside, probably because nothing would be effective short of putting him to death, and Catherine shrank from the extreme course. When Catherine was seized with apoplexy he was free to destroy any will by which she left the crown to Alexander.

It is alleged that the four-and-a-half years of Paul''s rule in Russia were "unquestionably the reign of a madman" as his future assassins and some historians would later call it. In line with the view that Paul was mad, it is suggested that the excitement of the change from his retired life in Gatchina to omnipotence drove him almost below the line of insanity.

In 1797 he allowed famous Russian writer Radishchev to return from Siberian exile. Yet still Radishchev was kept in his own estate under police supervision.

In 1798, Paul was elected as the Grand Master of the Order of St John, to whom he gave shelter following their ejection from Malta by Napoleon. The Pope could never accept Paul as the Grand Master due to the fact that he was an Orthodox Monarch.

His independent conduct of the foreign affairs of Russia plunged the country first into the Second Coalition against France in 1798, and then into the armed neutrality against Great Britain in 1801. In both cases it seems as if he acted on personal pique, quarrelling with France because he took a "sentimental" interest in the Hospitallers, and then with England because he was flattered by Napoleon. Besides the previosly abandoned plans of joint Russo-French naval assault onto the British Isles, another of his gravest mistakes was the dispatching of the Cossack expeditionary force to India (Indian March of Paul). But his so-called political follies might have been condoned. What happened to be unpardonable was that he treated the people about him like a shah, or one of the crazy Roman emperors. But it is more likely that the Emperor was just trying to follow in the footsteps of Peter the Great. The inscription on the monument to Peter the Great erected in Paul''s times near the Mikhailovskiy Palace reads in Russian "To the Grandfather from the Grandson", a subtle but obvious mockery of Latin "PETRO PRIMO CATHERINA SECUNDA", the pompous dedication by Catherine on the ''Bronze Horseman'', the most famous statue of Peter in St Petersburg.

He began by repealing Catherine''s law which exempted the free classes of the population of Russia from corporal punishment and mutilation. Nobody could feel himself safe from exile or brutal ill-treatment at any moment. The Emperor also discovered outrageous machinations with the Russian treasury. If Russia had possessed any political institution except the tsardom he would have been put under restraint. But the country was not sufficiently civilized to deal with Paul as the Portuguese had dealt with Alphonso VI, a very similar person, in 1667. In Russia, as in medieval Europe, there was no safe prison for a deposed ruler. Paul''s premonitions were well-founded.

A conspiracy was organized, some months before it was executed, by Counts Pahlen and Panin, and a half-Spanish, half-Neapolitan adventurer, Admiral Ribas. The death of Ribas delayed the execution. On the night of the nth of March 1801 Paul was murdered in his bedroom in the St Michael Palace by a band of dismissed officers headed by General Bennigsen, a Hanoverian in the Russian service. They burst into his bedroom after supping together and when flushed with drink. The conspirators forced him to the table, and tried to compel him to sign his abdication. Paul offered some resistance, and one of the assassins struck him with a sword, and he was then strangled and trampled to death. He was succeeded by his son, the Emperor Alexander I, who was actually in the palace, and to whom general Nicholas Zubov, one of the assassins, announced his accession.

The common popularist and unresearched view of Emperor Paul I, is that he was mad, that he had a mistress, that his fascination with, and subsequent adoption of the Order of St John and his induction into the office of Grand Master, are seen in this context as indulging further his delusions, and that these eccentricities and his unpredictability in other areas led to his assassination. Such a portrait of Paul is a gift to those who seek to discount and ridicule the reign of Paul I. Given that as histories are often written by the victorious or dominant party to any conflict, in this context, how true is that picture of Paul?

Comparatively recent research has rehabilitated the character of Paul I. The popularist view of Paul was originally generated by his assassins in justification of their actions. It would be easy for authors writing about Paul I to follow the propaganda uncritically, ignoring new research, which has been available for nearly three decades. It is as if the propaganda has become accepted historical fact through being venerated by age.
In the 1970s, two academic Panels provided the assessments of new research into Paul I. These were at Montreal in 1973 and St Louis in 1976. Some of the findings were presented in a book edited by Hugh Ragsdale in 1979; Paul I: A reassessment of His Life and Reign, University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 1979. The reappraisal of Paul I has demonstrated his character as someone of high morals, who followed his conscience. Dismissed as unlikely is Paul''s infidelity in having a mistress, and the involvement with the Order of St John is understood against a background of his idealising their history as a lesson in high chivalric ideals, he wished the Russian Nobility would adopt. Paul saw in the Russian Nobles an element of degeneracy, and introducing the high ideals of the Knights of Malta, was Paul''s method of reform. Paul suffered a lonely and strict upbringing and whilst he was eccentric and neurotic, he was not mentally unbalanced. Whilst an analysis of his biography reveals an obsessive-compulsive personality, what the evidence reveals is that he had "characteristics fairly common in the population at large". Where Paul differed, was that by 1796 he had to manage the whole of the Russian Empire.

A new film on the rule of Paul I was produced by Lenfilm in 2003. Poor, Poor Paul ("звз╓з╒з▀зэз█, з╥з╓з╒з▀зэз█ з▒з╤з╙з╓з▌") is directed by Vitaliy Mel''nikov and stars Viktor Sukhorukov as Emperor Paul I. The film portrays Paul I more compassionately than the long-existing stories about him. The movie won the Michael Tariverdiev Prize for best music to a film at the Open Russian Film Festival "Kinotavr" in 2003. "The film, dedicated to the 300th anniversay of Petersburg, tells about the tragic fate of the Russian emperor Paul I."

Materials taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Russia

A reasonable and balanced picture of Paul I, can be gained from;
Hugh (Ed) Paul I: A reassessment of His Life and Reign, University Center for International Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 1979.

For early literature tending to confirm the claim that Paul was mad see;
For Paul''s early life; K. Waliszewski, Autour d''un trone (Paris, 1894), or the English translation, The Story of a Throne (London, 1895), and P. Morane, Paul I. de Russie avant l''avenement (Paris, 1907).

For Paul''s reign; T. Schiemann, Geschichte Russlands unter Nikolaus I (Berlin, 1904), vol. i. and Die Ermordung Pauls, by the same author (Berlin, 1902).

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Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov (1730-1800)
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Russian Generalissimo, Count (Graf) Rimniksky, Prince (Knyaz) Italiysky

Alexander Suvorov was born in the family of General Vasily Ivanovich Suvorov. He came of a very old Russian noble family. One of his ancestors was Mikhail Ivanovich Suvorov that served in the Russian Army during the reign of Tsar Ioann (Ivan) the IV-th (the Terrible). His father Vasily Suvorov was a batman of Tsar Peter the Great and his Aide-de-Camp in real.

By order of Tsar Peter he translated into Russian the book by famous French engineer Vauban that was published in St.Petersburg uner the title "The Methods of City Fortifying". After the death of Peter the Great Vasily Suvorov was transferred to the Leib-Guards Semenovsky regiment that was located in Moscow from 1728. Afterwards he became a member of the Russian Senate. Also he was the author of the first Russian military dictionary. He began to teach his son Alexander the principles of Artillery, Fortification, and Military History from the very young age.

In 1742 Alexander Suvorov was enlisted to the Leib-Guards Semenovsky regiment as a private of musketeers (in excess of the staff and without salary). Suvorov''s active military service began in 1748.
In 1754 he got his first officer rank - lieutenant and was appointed to the Ingermanlandsky Infantry regiment. In 1756 - 1763 he served in the Military Board in the rank of Premier-Major.

The Seven Years War

Suvorov got his baptism of fire in the Seven Years War of 1756-1763. In the beginning of this war he was in the rear in commissariat service. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and transferred to the Kazansky Infantry regiment. In 1759 Suvorov became an officer of the Russian Army General Headquarters and got the post of "general and division officer of the day".

Several times Suvorov distinguished himself in reconnaissance actions. He took part in the battle of Kunersdorf with the Prussian Army and in the capture of Berlin by Russian troops. In the very young age Suvorov displayed his talent for command and abilities to lead the soldiers into battle.

In 1761 Suvorov already commanded a detached force that helped General Rumyantsev''s Corps to capture the port city and fortress of Kolberg (Kolobrzeg) in Pomerania. Then he temporarily commanded the Tverskoy Dragoon regiment that distinguished in Prince of Wurtemberg''s troops pursuit. After this for some time Suvorov commanded the Arkhangelorodsky Dragoon regiment.

The Seven Years War gave the future great Russian commander the rich military experience and he learned much about the Russian Army military and moral potentialities.

In August of 1762 Colonel Suvorov became the commander of the Astrakhansky Infantry regiment. Then from 1763 to 1769 he commanded the Suzdalsky Infantry regiment that was billeted in New Ladoga. In this period he wrote his well known in the Russian Army "Regimental Instructions" (or "Suzdal Regulations") that contained the main rules and regulations of soldiers training and internal service and battle training. Under Suvorov''s command the Suzdalsky regiment very soon became one of the best in the Russian Army.

In 1765 Empress Catherine the Great (the Second) personally took part in the manoevres near the Krasnoe Village just with the Suzdalsky regiment, and she especially distinguished the soldiers under the command of Suvorov. On September 22 1768 Suvorov was promoted to the rank of brigadier.

The First Polish Campaign

In 1768 - 1772 in the period of the first division of Poland Suvorov with the Suzdalsky regiment took part in the military actions in Poland fighting against the troops of the Polish Confederation. The Confederats fought against Polish King Stanislav Poniatovsky that was supported by Russia. In this campaign Suvorov commanding a brigade and separated detached troops made swift movements and gained many victories often having much lesser troops than the Confederates. In 1770 Suvorov got the rank of Major-General. The military operations in Poland made Suvorov well known in the Russian Army and Empress Catherine saw the future Great Commander in him. Suvorov was rewarded with the St.George Order of 4-th Class.

The First Catherinian Russian-Turkish War

After this Polish campaign in 1773 he was transferred to the acting army at his own request. It was the time of the first Catherinian Turkish war of 1768-1774. Major-General Suvorov was appointed to the 1-st Army of General-Field-Marshal Rumyantsev and got a detachment to command. With this detachment he made two very successful raids to the Turkish territory and defeated the big Turkish forces at Turtukay in 1773 (for this victory he was rewarded with the St.George Order of Second Class at once passing Class3).

In the battle of Kozludgi (on the teriitory of modern Bulgaria, now this village is called "Suvorovo") on June 9, 1774 Lieutenant-General Suvurov smashed the Turkish army 40 thousand in number under the command of Sultan''s General Abdul-Rezak. This defeat made Turkey to make the Kuchuk-Kinargi peace with Russia.

Pugachov''s Revolt
In August of 1774 Suvorov was sent to supress Pugachov''s revolt, but the main rebel forces had been crushed by the troops under the command of I. Michelson before Suvorov arrived. Pugachov retreated to steppes over the river Volga with the remainder of his forces. Suvorov followed him. On September 26 some rebels commanders took their tied up leader to Suvorov in Yaitsky village hoping to pay off by his head. Suvorov made the first interrogation of the impostor and then conveyed him to the town of Simbirsk. After a short time Pugachov was taken to Moscow and executed there.

The Second Catherinian Russian-Turkish War

In 1776-1779 Lieutenant-General Suvorov commanded the Russian forces in the Crimea and Kuban (a region in the Northern Caucasus). In the Crimea he strengthened the defense of the Crimean coast line in case of Turkish troops landing. In 1782-1784 Suvorov commanded the detached Kuban Corps in the Northern Caucasus and directed the Kuban frontier fortified line building.

In 1786 Alexander Suvorov was promoted to the rank of general (General-Anshef - the highest general rank in the Russian army). He was appointed the commander of the Vladimir Division, then the St.Petersburg and Kremenchug Divisions.

The second Catherinian Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 began when Suvorov commanded the Kremenchug Division. And the star of his military talent rose just in this war.

General Suvorov commanded the defence of the Kherson-Kinburn region from the Southern Bug river to the Perekop neck (that connects the Crimean Peninsula with the mainland). Turkish troops threatened from the sea and the fortress Ochakov located across the estuary.

On October 1, 1787 numerous Sultan''s fleet landed strong troops on the Kinburn spit, they at once began to fortify themselves by lines of trenches. Suvorov attacked the Turks on the approaches to the Kinburn fortress. At first the Russian troops could press back the Turks to the end of the spit, but very soon they found themselves under the strong fire of the Turkish ship artillery and had to retreat under the charge of the new fresh Turkish forces. And at this moment Suvorov appeared in the middle of Russian troops and could organize a new counter-attack. There was a moment when Suvorov''s life in danger: Suvorov was wounded and several janizaries rushed to him, but a brave Russian grenadier Novikov saved him.

Wounded Suvorov stayed on the battlefield and continued commanding his troops. The last reserves were committed to action and the last stage of the battle began. The Turks were finally dislodged from their fortifications and thrown down to the sea. In the end of the battle Suvorov was wounded again - in the arm, but he did not leave the battle in spite of all. For this victory Suvorov was rewarded with the Order of Saint Andrew First-Called.

Fokshani and Rimnik

The long siege of the huge Turkish fortress Ochakov ended for Suvorov with the conflict between him and Empress Catherine''s all-powerful favorite Prince Potemkin. Suvorov insisted on the general assault of the fortress in a very short time because during the very long siege the Russian troops sustained heavy losses of illnesses. So as a result of this conlict Suvorov took part only in some actions at the walls of Ochakov, but he didn''t participated in the general storm on December 17 and returned to the Kinburn spit.
Next year Suvorov commanded a division in Prince Repnin''s army.

1789 became the year of two most well known Suvorov''s victories: at Fokshani and at the river Rimnik. In the campaign of 1789 the main military operations were in the lower reaches of the river Danube where Russian troops acted together with their allies Austrians under Prince Coburg. Suvorov was sent there too to command troops of III Division. They were to support the right wing of the Russian Army and act in contact with the Austrians. Suvorov received reports about the moving of Osman-Pasha''s army 30 thousand in number and hurried to the aid to the Austrian Corps located in Adguda village. On July 21 near the Foksani village the Russian and Austians under the common command of General Suvorov took the offensive, crushed the enemy van-guard, attacked the fortified Turkish positions and dislodged them from there after 10 hours of fighting. It was the complete defeat of Osman-Pasha''s army - they had only to escape away.

The battle at the river Rimnik happened on September 11 Grand Visier Usuph-Pasha''s army more than 100 thousand in number with 80 guns waged an attack upon the Austrian Corps under Prince Coburg settled near Foksani village. Prince Coburg had only about 18 thousand men with 43 guns.
After getting known about this Suvorov with his detachment of 7 thousand men came out of Birlad and marched about 100 kilometers for two and a half days and nights. The Russian Corps came to Foksani earlier than the Turkish army. Suvorov placed himself at the head of the Allied Russian-Austrian forces, he found out that Turks stopped and camped in four fortified places: near Tirgu-Kukuli village (about 15 thousand of van-guard troops), in the forest near Kringlu-Meylor village (about 40 thousand), near the town of Martinesti (about 45 thousand) and over the river Rimnik near the village Oday. The Russian general decided to defeat the Grand Visier''s army separately in parts.

On September 11, 1789 at daybreak the Allies after making a night march of 14 kilometers suddenly attacked the Turkish camp in Tirgu-Kukuli and captured it. The Allies went to the forest camp in Kringlu-Meylor and assaulted it.

Osman-Pasha sent his cavalry of many thousands on attacking Allied troops, but all its attempts were repulsed by rifle-volleys from Allied squares, and the camp in the forest was taken by storm. Suvorov''s troops pursued the enemy and captured the Turkish camp near Martinesti with a swoop.

The next day the Allies took the last enemy camp over the river Rimnik. Osman-Pasha with the remainer of his troops had to escape away. The Turkish army losses in this battle were about 15 - 20 thousand men, all artillery and the huge transport.

The battle at the river Rimnik came into Military History as a brilliant example of complex troops maneuvering on the battle-field for the purpose of defeating the superior enemy in parts. The victory was gained as Suvorov used to say "Not by number - but by skill".

For the victory at the river Rimnik General Suvorov was rewarded with the Russian Empire highest military reward - the Order of Saint Geogre of the I Class and the title "Graf Rimniksky" (Count of Rimnik). And also the Austrian Emperor gave him the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Capture Of Ismail

One of the most famous Suvorov''s victories became the storm of the very strong Turkish fortress Ismail. This stronghold of the Ottoman Porte on the river Danube banks build by French and German fortificators was considered unassailable. In Turkish it was called "Ordu Kalesi" because this fortress could accommodate a whole army. It had the shape of an irregular triangle adjacent to the riverbank. The length of the earthen rampart was more than 6 kilometers and the height was 6 - 8 meters with earthen and stone bastions. The width of the fortress moat was about 12 meters with the depth of 6 - 10 meters. In many places the moat was filled with water. There were many stone buildings inside the fortress adapted to defensive actions.

The Ismain garrison was 35 thousand men and 256 guns. The commandant of Ismail was one of the most skilled Turkish commanders Aydos Mekhmet Pasha. The numerous Turkish Danube flotilla was based near the fortress walls. Russian troops (31 thousand men and more than 500 field guns) blocked Ismail and tried to capture it twice but without any success.

When General Suvorov came to Ismail on December 2, 1790 after scouting he decided to take this strong fortress by a swift attack. For the special training of soldiers Suvorov ordered to make in steppe the earthen rampart that was like the Ismail one. The troops were trained in secret at nights. In a very short time 70 big storm ladders and about 3 thousand fascines were made.

Under Suvorov''s plan Ismail was stormed by 9 assault columns, three of that were based on the island Chatal and landed to the city from boats of the rowing flotilla. From dry land two groups of troops under Lieutenant-Generals P.S.Potemkin and A.N.Samoylov and Major-General M.I.Kutuzov attacked the fortress. Each column had its own reserves. To avoid bloodshed Russian commander sent a letter to Aydos Mekhmet Pasha with the demand to surrender the fortress, but he refused decidedly.

On December 10, 1790 Russian field and ship artillery bombarded the fortress. Next day (December 11) at 3 a.m. the assault columns began moving to their initial positions and at 5.30 a.m. the storm began. The Russians could not begin storm in surprise and the attacking troops were met with strong artillery and rifle fire from the rampart. The Turks made a sortie. This fighting was especially hard for Don Cossacks armed with shortened lances.

After Russian troops had taken the fortress wall a heated hand-to-hand fight developed on the streets of Ismail. All the city was enveloped in flames. And at last after very hard and bloody battle Ismail was captured at about 4 p.m.

The Turkish losses were 26 thousand killed and 9 thousand wounded men, the Russian losses were 1815 killed and 2445 wounded men and the biggest losses were among officers because commanders went in front of the assault columns. The winners captured 265 guns (large-caliber in main), 42 riverboats, 345 colours and bunchuks (Turkish standards).

The capture of Ismail brought Suvorov the glory of a Great Russian commander, but he did not get the Field-Marshal baton, he got only the rank of colonel of the Leib-Guards Preobrazhensky regiment (in Russia in was a very high rank, Empress Catherine II herself had the rank of colonel of this Guards regiment too). The reason of this was Suvorov''s terms with Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky were very complicated.

In 1791 General Suvorov commanded the Russian troops in Finland and directed frontier fortifications building in case of war with Sweden.

The Second Polish ("Insurrectional") War
On May 3, 1791 Polish King Stanislaw Poniatowski declared the new constitution. Under this constitution the kings electivity was abrogated, the upper strata of cities got access the Seim (Parliament) and the central power was much strengthened. But the part of Polish nobles came out against it. The formed the "Targovitce" confederation and asked Russian Empress Catherine II for help. Catherine II announced Polish reforms as a direct consequence of the French "disturbance" and supported "confederates" against "patriots". In 1792 Russian army entered Warsaw and Prussian troops invaded the Western Polish provinces. In 1793 the second division of Poland was made.

It caused a big armed popular uprising all over Poland. Famous Polish hero and talented commander General Tadeusz Kosciuszko became the leader of the insurrection. Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a very well known and popular person in Poland. In 1776 - 1783 he took part in the war for independence of the Northern American States as a volunteer. He distinguished himself many times; owing his military talent the American Army could win one of the most important battles at Saratoga in 1777. He was George Washington''s aide-de-camp and got the rank of general and citizenship of the new republic.

Insurgents elected Kosciuszko their Commander-in-Chief. On their troops there were many common people, peasants that often were armed with pitchforks and scythes (because of it they were named "cosinieri", "cosa" in Slav languages means a scythe). They had to fight against well-armed and well-trained Russian and Prussian troops that outnumbered Polish troops very much. But the Poles fought heroically against the numerous invaders and could crush them in the first stage of the campaign.

Kosciuszko crushed the Russian detachment of General Denisov sent by Russian troops in Poland Commander General Igelstrom against insurgents at Roslawici village on March 24, 1794. After it uprising developed in Warsaw and General Igelstrom with the rest of the Russian Warsaw garrison left the city and went to join the Prussian army (April 5-6, 1794).

But the forces were too unequal. The Prussians joined the Russian troops and moved into Polish territory. On May 25 their united forces defeated Kosciuszko''s troops at Tscekocin and Warsaw was besieged soon.

However insurgents had recruited about 70 thousand soldiers and went to Lithuania, where the uprising developed with new force. But Russian troops defeated insurgents in several battles and on September 1 entered Vilno.

And just at this time Suvorov came to Poland. He was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops in Poland. On September 4 he with a detachment of 10 thousand men defeated the Polish troops of Serakovski at Krupchici village and hurled them to Brest. On September 7 Suvorov crossed the river Bug and on September 8 at Teraspol (in Poland) he finally crushed Serakovski''s Corps.

Kosciuszko attacked Russian General Fersen''s Division that was coming to join Suvorov''s troops, but in the battle at Maycestovici village Fersen crushed the insurgents. In this battle Kosciuszko was heavily wounded and captured by Russian troops. (Then he was sent to St.Petersburg and prisoned into the Petropavlovskaya Fortress. When Paul I (Pavel) became the Russian Emperor in November, 1796 Kosciuszko was discharged.)

On October 18 Suvorov approached to the strongly fortified Warsaw suburb - Prague. On October 24 after the very hard and bloody assault Prague was captured, and next day Warsaw was taken too.

The second Polish campaign was finished. Russian and Prussian invaders have won. Next year King Stanislaw Poniatowski laid down his crown and the Polish Kingdom didn''t exist anymore...

For the storm of Prague and this campaign Suvorov got the rank of General-Field-Marshal.

"Science Of Victory" And Disfavor

In 1795-1796 General-Field Marshal Suvorov commanded troops in Ukraine, his headquarters was in Tulchin town. There he was occupied much with troops training and wrote the main part his famous book "Science of Victory". In this book he in his own very vivid and laconic manner stated on paper his conception of military actions.

After the death of Catherine II in 1796 Paul (Pavel) I became the Russian Emperor. From the first days of his reign he began to reform the Russian army on Prussian model. Suvorov protested against Prussian order in Russian army and because of this the Emperor and his court began to treat him hostilely very soon. And on February 8, 1797 the famous general was dismissed and exiled to his estate in Konchanskoe village. This exile lasted about two years and during all this time the Field Marshal was under surveillance of the local police.

The First Russian-French War. Campaigns in Italy and Switzerland. Generalissimo.

In 1798 the Russian Empire joined the Second anti-French coalition (Great Britain, Austria, Naples). At the urgent request of the allies and especially of the Austrian Emperor Paul I had to appoint Suvorov the Commander-in-Chief of the allied forces of Russia and Austria in Northern Italy. Before his leaving Suvorov was rewarded with the Order of Saint John''s Big Cross (a Maltian Order). When Suvorov passed through Mitava town he was presented to exiled French King Louis XVIII.

Under Suvorov''s plan the Allied forced were to crush the French republican armies of Generals Scherer and Macdonald one by one, occupy Northern Italy and then to begin the powerful offensive to Paris. Suvorov arrived to the army in Italy on April 4, 1799 and on April 8 he took offensive and defeated French troops of Generals Scherer, Moreau and Seruier (General Serurier was captured by Austrians on April 17) in several actions in the region of the river Adda.

After a swift march Suvorov''s troops occupied Milan on April 18 and on May 15 Russian and Austrian troops occupied Turin. Then Suvorov turned against General Macdonald troops (30 thousands) coming to the aid to General Moreau.

On June 1 General Macdonald smashed General Hohenzollern''s detachment and on June 6 attacked the troops of General Ott 5 thousand in number. Suvorov rose a general alarm and put in motion his army worn out by terribly hard marches. He made his soldiers to run and about 4 p.m. joined battle. Macdonald retreated to the river Trebbia hoping to give a new battle next day in the morning. But Suvorov was first to attack and in spite of superior numbers of French troops he defeated Macdonald on June 7-8 and forced him to retreat. On July 17 the strong fortress of Mantua capitulated.

On July 24 young and talented French General Joubert came to Italy and took command of French forces replacing General Moreau. On August 3 French troops came to the town of Novi and took advantage-ground in front of the Russian-Austrian army. On August 4 Suvorov began attacking. In the very beginning of the battle General Joubert was killed, before his death he gave his last order - to attack. Suvorov waited just this. But General Moreau that took the command preferred to keep to defenses. Hour after hour under terribly strong enemy fire Russians had been breaking the fortified enemy positions methodically. At last after 16 hours of fierce fighting this one of the bloodiest battles of the end of XVIII century was finished. The French forces suffered the utter defeat.

Then in a very short time French were dislodged from whole Northern Italy, the territories Austria pretended to.

For the victory in this campaign Paul I gave Suvorov the title of "Knyaz Italiysky" (Prince of Italy).

In the middle of August, 1799 Suvorov was informed about the plan of Paul I and Austrian Emperor Francis I to continue the war in Switzerland. On August 28 Suvorov with his troops left Italy hoping to cross the Alps and get Switzerland by the shortest way. There he planned to join the Corps of Generals Rimsky-Korsakov and von Gotze.

This march across the Alps was extremely hard. Not having enough food, ammunition and exact maps the Russian army reached the Saint Gottard pass and took it by storm on September 13, and the same day Russian troops hurled back the French from their fortified positions near Ober-Alp.

The next day French General Lecourbe that had been defeated at Saint Gottard stopped the Russian army''s way again in a mountain passage not far from "the Devil''s Bridge". On September 14 Generals Miloradovich and Bagration''s detachments fought their way through the passage and after the very fierce and bloody battle took "the Devil''s Bridge".
At this time (September 14 - 15, 1799) in Switzerland French Commander-in-Chief General Massena crushed the Russian Corps of General Rimsky-Korsakov, and General Soult smashed von Gotze''s Corps. It seemed in this situation Suvorov was doomed to inevitable defeat. But he did not know about these events then and completed crossing the Alps, reached Altdorf and only here he got to know about defeat of the Russian troops in Switzerland.

Suvorov gathered his officers and on the council of war they decided to fight their way out of encirclement. During September 18, 19 and 20 General Rosenberg''s rear-guard fought against superior forces of General Massena. Rosenberg could defeat about 15 thousand republican soldiers and gave Suvorov an opportunity to escape the utter defeat.

The worn out rear-guard of General Bagration reached Glarus and could repulse a French detachment of 5 thousands only by bayonet attacks, when General Miloradovich''s vanguard was ascending to the mountain. At last after another two bloody battles Suvorov with his troops joined the rest of Rimsky-Korsakov''s Corps.

On October 28 Suvorov received Emperor Paul''s order to return to Russia. It was the end of this campaign. For the Italian and Swiss campaigns Suvorov was promoted to the highest military rank of generalissimo. And this time Suvorov was a bearer of all Russian military Orders and also had the rank of Austrian field marshal.

But after these campaigns Suvorov fell into disfavor again. At first on his way to St.Petersburg he got Emperor Paul''s reprimand for during this campaign he did not have a special general of the day in his staff as it was ordered in the regulations. Then when seriously ill Suvorov came to St.Petersburg he was said Emperor Paul I did not want to meet with him and to cap all Suvorov was deprived of all his aides-de-camp. This was very hard for the old general and undermined his health very much. As a result on May 15, 1800 at 3 p.m. Suvorov passed away.

His funeral was of a real people''s nature, though the Guards did not take part in this ceremonial under pretence of weariness of the recent parade. When somebody asked would the hearse be able to pass through the narrow gate of the Alexandro-Nevskaya Lavra (monastery of the first rank), one of old Suvorov''s grenadiers answered:

Our Suvorov has always passed everywhere!

On Suvorov''s grave in the Alexandro-Nevskaya Lavra there is a plane tombstone with a short inscription:

SUVOROV LIES HERE

Materials taken from :
http://www.100megsfree4.com/rusgeneral/suvorov.htm

One can also check :
http://www.ganesha.org/hall/suvorov.html