Mikhail Nikolaevich Lermontov - the same uncle?
“Tell me, uncle, for good reason
Moscow, burned by fire,
The Frenchman is given away?
After all, there were fighting fights,
Yes, they say, even what!
No wonder the whole of Russia remembers
About the day of Borodin! ”
Moscow, burned by fire,
The Frenchman is given away?
After all, there were fighting fights,
Yes, they say, even what!
No wonder the whole of Russia remembers
About the day of Borodin! ”
Historical There are few documents left about this interesting person. Mikhail Nikolaevich Lermontov is mentioned only in passing in the writings of his famous namesake and distant relative. The majority of Russian schoolchildren, at the mention of the admiral, do not understand at all who they are talking about. Meanwhile, the Lermontov family was rich in valiant and brave warriors. This brilliant surname appeared thanks to the ancestor George Lermont, who arrived on the territory of the future empire from distant Scotland during the time of troubles. The first of the Lermontov family served in the Polish army as a hired soldier, but then transferred to the Russian army and won the favor to the rank of captain. For his loyalty, he was awarded the Kuznetsovo estate.
Mikhail Lermontov, early became an orphan and did not remember his mother. He spent his early years in the Naval Cadet Corps, where he joined the sciences and military art at the behest of his father. His loyalty to his fatherland and abilities were noted already in 16 years at the first baptism of fire near the island of Palvo. It was a battle with strong opponents: the Swedes and the British, in which the young Lermontov distinguished himself by his courage and selflessness. After the first military battle, the lucky Mikhail Nikolayevich received the St. George Cross. The war ends for Lermontov happily, without serious wounds and contusions. 1811 year was a continuation of the ascent to the top of a military career. Mikhail Nikolayevich, as a true warrior, passes many kilometers on foot under the leadership of a talented commander Barclay de Tolly, and participates in the battle of Smolensk. But the main battle of his youth Borodino. It is for participation in this historic battle a young officer receives the Order of Anna 4-oh degree. Then a year later in the liberation campaign he was again awarded the Order of Vladimir 4 degree for bravery in the battle of Kulm. Despite the contusion, Lermontov participates in the “Battle of the Nations”, and is also among the officers who entered Paris as winners. At the end of hostilities with Napoleon, Mikhail Nikolayevich enters the Baltic and continues his service on the vessel "Agile." 1819 was the year of travel to faraway Iceland. There is very little information about this northern journey, as well as about Mikhail Nikolayevich, only the memoirs of the now-famous Decembrist Belyaev, and a few dry references of the tsarist archive can restore the chronology of this brave northern hike.
The brief break between the military battles lasted for Lermontov only a few years, and already in 1828 he set off on a new voyage to the fortress of Varna, for which the siege was made to the second rank of captain. The Turkish war again ended for Lermontov with promotion and reward, he was appointed captain of the ship "Kotsbakh" and awarded the governor's position of the port of Libava. 1832 has become a year of real military success: eighteen brilliant military companies were led by this talented and highly educated commander. For the successful leadership of the naval forces entrusted to him, Mikhail Nikolayevich was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious 4-degree. From 1848, service was followed by the governor in Sveaborg. From 1854 to 1856, Mikhail Nikolayevich again proved his loyalty to the Russian Empire by organizing defenses against the advancing French-British naval forces in the Baltic. The offensive was associated with the beginning of the Crimean War and was supposed to strike at the weakest link of the imperial defense. The attempt to invade a superior enemy was successfully reflected thanks to the knowledge and experience of Lermontov, as well as the bravery and courage of other commanders and officers under his leadership. The 1860 year became the peak of his career - Lermontov was appointed admiral, but, alas, simultaneously with his departure from service. An amazing man who had gone through so many bloody battles, who had seen so much suffering and pain, a brave warrior and a talented commander lived only six years away from the battlefield. He passed away in 1866 year, surrounded by a loving family, deservedly respected and famous.
In addition to the glorious military exploits, Mikhail Nikolaevich had much to be proud of on the personal family front. His wife from the Von Stewart clan, with the beautiful name Emilia, gave birth to three sons Konstantin, Mikhail, Alexander and two daughters Elizabeth, later Baroness Wrangel, and Sofia. Alexander Mikhailovich, following the example of his father, chose the path of the military and left his significant mark in Russian history. His biography deserves special attention of researchers.
Mikhail Nikolaevich Lermontov is often confused with the famous namesake and contemporary of the genius poet Mikhail Yuryevich. Historians do not mention this glorious and courageous son of the fatherland, who went through many military battles, the most significant of which was Borodino. Sometimes it is even allowed to mix biographical facts of these two remarkable representatives of the genus and distant relatives. Attempts to link Mikhail Yuryevich and Mikhail Nikolayevich are not abandoned by modern researchers. For example, the recently published work of Alexander Smirnov, aims to prove the authorship of Mikhail Nikolayevich in relation to the famous work of Lermontov, the poet of the Battle of Borodino.
The original and interesting at first glance approach does not have any historical support. Relatives hardly met, but the fact that Mikhail Nikolayevich was addicted to writing lyric works did not prove his authorship. The practice of writing poetic works, especially in French, existed among the nobles for a long time, but the syllable and manner of the great poet from other creations is easy to distinguish. The assertion of close friendship and communication among relatives is untenable, since the grandmother who was raising the poet was hostile to Lermontov and tried to protect her grandson from any communication with them. In addition, the age difference of these two historical figures is more than twenty years, and during the years of Mikhail Yuryevich’s ardent youth, his military namesake was actively involved in the military field.
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