Generalissimo, Prince Alexander Suvorov Rymniksky | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Suvorov by Charles de Steuben (1815) | |
| Native name | Александр Васильевич Суворов |
| Other name(s) | Aleksandr Vasilevich Suvorov[1] |
| Nickname(s) |
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| Born | 24 November 1730 Moscow, Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 18 May 1800 (aged 69) St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Buried | Annunciation Church, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, St. Petersburg 59°55′15″N 30°23′17″E / 59.92093°N 30.38800°E |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Service |  Imperial Russian Army Imperial Austrian Army |
| Years of service | 1745–1800 |
| Rank | Generalissimus (Russian Empire) Feldmarschall (Holy Roman Empire) |
| Commands | 11th Fanagoriysky Grenadier Regiment Coalition Forces in Italy |
| Battles / wars | See: § Military record |
| Awards | See: § Progeny and titles |
| Alma mater | First Cadet Corps |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Arkady Suvorov Natalya Zubova [ru] |
| Signature |  |
| Coat of arms of Count Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy | |
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Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy[2][a][b] (24 November [O.S. 13 November] 1729 or 1730 – 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1800) was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire.
Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian Army at the age of 17. Promoted to colonel in 1762 for his successes during the Seven Years' War, his victories during the War of the Bar Confederation included the capture of Kraków and victories at Orzechowo, Lanckorona, and Stołowicze. His reputation rose further when, in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, he captured Turtukaya twice and won a decisive victory at Kozludzha. After a period of little progress, he was promoted to general and led Russian forces in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792, participating in the siege of Ochakov, as well as victories at Kinburn and Focșani.
Suvorov won a decisive victory at the Battle of Rymnik, and afterwards defeated the Ottomans in the storming of Izmail. His victories at Focșani and Rymnik established him as the most brilliant general in Russia, if not in all of Europe.[3] In 1794, he put down the Polish uprising, defeating them at the battle of Praga and elsewhere. After Catherine the Great died in 1796, her successor Paul I often quarrelled with Suvorov. After a period of ill-favour, Suvorov was recalled to a field marshal position at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. He was given command of the Austro-Russian army, and after a series of victories, such as the battle of the Trebbia, he captured Milan and Turin, and nearly erased all of Napoleon's Italian conquests of 1796–97.[4][5] After an Austro-Russian army was defeated in Switzerland, Suvorov, ordered to reinforce them, was cut off by André Masséna and later surrounded in the Swiss Alps. His successful extraction of the exhausted, ill-supplied, and heavily-outnumbered Russian army was rewarded by a promotion to Generalissimo. Masséna himself would later confess that he would exchange all of his victories for Suvorov's passage of the Alps.[6] Suvorov died in 1800 of illness in Saint Petersburg. He was instrumental in expanding the Russian Empire, as his success ensured Russia's conquering of Kuban, Crimea, and New Russia.[7]
One of the foremost generals in all of military history, and considered the greatest military commander in Russian history, Suvorov has been compared to Napoleon in military generalship. Undefeated, he has been described as the best general Republican France ever fought,[8] and noted as "one of those rare generals who were consistently successful despite suffering from considerable disadvantages."[9] Suvorov was also admired by his soldiers throughout his whole military life, and was respected for his honest service and truthfulness.[10]
- ^ Duffy 1999, p. 14.
- ^ Polevoy 1897, p. 13.
- ^ Longworth 1966, p. 164.
- ^ Fremont-Barnes, Gregory, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History (PDF). ABC-CLIO. p. 11. ISBN 1-85109-651-5.
- ^ Clodfelter 2017, p. 107.
- ^ Longworth 1966, p. 288.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:8was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Clodfelter 2017, p. 108.
- ^ Longworth 1966, p. 11, 305.
- ^ Petrushevsky, Alexander (1884). Generalissimo Prince Suvorov (in Russian). Vol. 3 (1st ed.). Saint Petersburg: Типография М. М. Стасюлевича. p. 376.
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