Nikolay Repnin. A half-forgotten commander who won the main land battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791.
N. Repnin in 1799 in a portrait by an unknown artist
The Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 is firmly associated with the activities of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, who won resounding victories at Kinburn, near Focsani, on Rymnik, and managed to take the virtually impregnable fortress of Izmail. However, at the final stage of the war, Suvorov was unexpectedly recalled to St. Petersburg and appointed commander of the Russian troops on the Swedish border. And the decisive victories over the Turks were ultimately won by Nikolai Repnin on June 28 (July 9), 1791 at Machin and Fyodor Ushakov on July 31 (August 11), 1791 at Kaliakria. It was the defeats in these battles that finally broke the spirit of the Turkish troops. Sultan Selim III was so frightened that on December 29, 1791 (January 9, 1792) he agreed to sign the Treaty of Jassy, which was beneficial to Russia.
Thus, the main land battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 was won by the now practically forgotten General N.V. Repnin, the grandson of the Field Marshal, one of the closest associates of Peter I, who is mentioned in the poem Poltava by A.S. Pushkin:
“These are the chicks of Petrov’s nest -
In the pretense of the lot of the earth,
In the works of power and war
His comrades, his sons:
And Sheremetev noble,
And Bruce, and Bour, and Repnin. "
In the pretense of the lot of the earth,
In the works of power and war
His comrades, his sons:
And Sheremetev noble,
And Bruce, and Bour, and Repnin. "
The hero of the article, Anikita Ivanovich Repnin, in a portrait by an unknown artist, 1724.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Repnin lived quite a long life, managed to participate in the Seven Years' War and two Russo-Turkish wars, was the Russian ambassador to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire, and held governor-general positions. Let's talk a little about him.
Origin and youth of N. V. Repnin
The Repnins are an ancient noble family, descended from the princes of Chernigov. We see one of the ancestors of the hero of this article in K. Makovsky's painting "Prince Repnin at Ivan the Terrible's Feast":
This is an illustration of A. Kurbsky's story about how in January 1554 the distinguished commander tore off the mask that Ivan the Terrible tried to put on him and began to denounce the tsar in front of guests.
Another representative of this family, Boris Alexandrovich Repnin, rose to prominence under Mikhail Romanov. Under his son Alexei, Boris Alexandrovich was granted the Vorontsovskoye estate, on the territory of which the Moscow park of the same name is now located.
Entrance to Vorontsov Park, photograph by the author. Unfortunately, little remains of the estate's other buildings
The hero of the article was born on March 11 (22), 1734, in the family of General Feldzeugmeister Vasily Anikitich Repnin, who began his military career during the Northern War, served in Minikh's army during his campaign in Crimea, participated in the storming of Perekop and the destruction of Bakhchisarai and Gezlev (on the site of modern Yevpatoria), and was the Governor-General of St. Petersburg.
In 1745 (at the age of 11), Nikolai was enlisted as a soldier in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, and by the age of 14 he had already "promoted" to the rank of sergeant. At this time, he first appeared in the regiment, and then even participated in the Rhine campaign, in which his father commanded the Russian corps. This expedition was undertaken as part of the War of the Austrian Succession, fortunately, our soldiers did not have time to take part in the hostilities of someone else's war. Nevertheless, this campaign became the reason for awarding Nikolai Repnin the rank of ensign - July 11 (22), 1749. In 1751, the hero of the article became a guards second lieutenant, in 1753 - received the position of regimental adjutant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
After Russia entered the Seven Years' War, N. Repnin's regiment remained in St. Petersburg, but he himself volunteered for the army of Field Marshal S. Apraksin and took part in the first battle of the Russian army in that war, at Gross-Jägersdorf. We see him in a small detachment that captured the castle of Fischhausen and the fortress of Pillau in 1758 (after the Russian troops had already occupied Königsberg). In the same year of 1758, he received the rank of captain. And in 1759, he took part in the battle of Kunnersdorf and in the capture of another East Prussian castle, Marienwerder. After that, he fought for a while in the French army of the Marquis de Contad, in particular, he took part in the Battle of Minden, in which the French and Saxons were routed by the Prussians and the British. The following year (1760), he was recalled from the allied army, received the rank of colonel and, under the command of General Zakhar Chernyshev, went on the famous raid on Berlin, which ended with the short-term capture of this city.
Russian soldiers in Berlin in October 1760. Engraving from 1789
The beginning of a diplomatic career
N.V. Repnin on the portrait of Ivashkevich
In 1762, 28-year-old Nikolai Repnin had already received his first general's rank (major general). Not a very typical (to put it mildly) career: we remember that Maxim Maksimovich, one of the heroes of M. Yu. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time", was about 50 years old, and this honored and honest soldier was only a staff captain. And in L. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", Captain Tushin is called a middle-aged man. Nikolai Repnin, like many other young aristocrats, received ranks and titles so quickly thanks to the patronage of influential relatives. But, unlike many others, he later proved his competence and became one of the most successful military leaders and diplomats of his time.
In June of that year, the hero of the article acted as a diplomat for the first time: he was sent to the headquarters of the Prussian king to negotiate "the convocation of a congress in Berlin to agree with the Danish court on Holstein affairs...". As a result of the mission, N. Repnin became a knight of the Holstein Order of St. Anne. He also gave Frederick II a letter from Catherine II, in which she informed the king of her accession to the throne.
On November 27 (December 8), 1762, the hero of the article transferred his powers to V. M. Dolgorukov and returned to St. Petersburg, where he was appointed director of the Land Gentry Corps. However, already at the end of 1763, he was sent to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - first as an assistant to the Russian ambassador Keyserling, and after his death he became the plenipotentiary envoy ("minister") in this country. It was under pressure from Repnin that the Polish Sejm on February 13, 1768 equalized the rights of the Orthodox and Protestants with Catholics, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, received 50 thousand rubles from the empress and the rank of lieutenant general. But already on February 29, 1768, the pro-Catholic Bar Confederation was created in Poland, which began a de facto war against both King Stanislav Poniatowski and Russia. It all ended with the first partition of Poland in 1773.
Russo-Turkish War 1768-1774
This war with Turkey (the fifth in a row) is often called the "Rumyantsev War", and the allies of the Ottoman Empire at that time were the Poles of the Bar Confederation, who promised the Sultan Volyn and Podolia. This war glorified P. A. Rumyantsev, who won victories in the great battles at Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Kagul. But the defeat of the Turkish fleet in the Chesma Bay, after which the phraseological unit "Chesma catastrophe" (similar to the French "Berezina") appeared in the Turkish language. From 1769, Suvorov fought in Poland against the troops of the Bar Confederation: he won victories in the battles of the village of Orekhovo, Landskrona, Zamość and Stolovichi, and captured the Krakow Castle. And in 1773, he arbitrarily occupied the Turkish fortress of Turtukai and, according to a widespread (but unconfirmed) legend, was almost brought before a tribunal.
In 1774, A. Suvorov and M. Kamensky defeated the Turks at Kozludzha.
At that time, Nikolai Repnin was a corps commander in the 1st Russian army of Prince AM Golitsyn, which was later, and later, led by Rumyantsev. Repnin's corps was able to prevent the 36-strong Turkish army from crossing the Prut River, and then took part in the battles at Ryaba Mogila and at Larga. Two weeks after the battle at Larga, Rumyantsev's troops found themselves in the position of Peter I's army during his Prut campaign: about 20 Russians found themselves in front of a 150-strong Turkish army, and up to 80 Tatars were operating in the rear. Rumyantsev showed how Peter should have acted: he broke up his army into squares, which were led by Generals Bruce, Baur, Olitz, Plemyannikov and Repnin (the hero of the article), and ordered that a artillery guns. The Turks fled, and the commander Khalil Pasha was unable to stop them, although he tried to chop the cowards with a sabre. The Russians lost about one and a half thousand people, the Turks - up to 20 thousand. And two days later the Ottomans were finally routed at the crossing of the Danube.
Then Repnin's corps occupied Izmail without a fight and forced Kiliya to capitulate. In 1771, the hero of the article defeated a 10-strong Turkish corps near Bucharest, but abandoned the fortress of Zhurzha, which he had taken with great difficulty, which caused Rumyantsev's sharp displeasure. In September 1771, the offended Repnin submitted a report on his dismissal "a year's leave to the waters." In 1772, he was engaged in the affairs of his estates, which had fallen into complete disrepair during his absence; he even took a loan of 120 thousand rubles for 20 years from the Dutch banker Gopa. Repnin returned to the army in 1774 and still managed to take part in the capture of Silistria. Later, Rumyantsev sent him to St. Petersburg with the text of the Kuchuk Kainardzhi peace treaty, which was a great favor and honor, since such a messenger traditionally received an extraordinary rank and gifts from the monarch. Nikolai Repnin was no exception: he was promoted to general-in-chief and became a lieutenant colonel of the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment.
Between wars
In 1775-1776 Nikolai Repnin again found himself in the role of a diplomat, heading the Russian embassy to Constantinople.
Reception of the Russian Embassy of Prince N. V. Repnin by the Turkish Sultan. Painting by an unknown artist, late 18th century, kept in the Hermitage
In 1777 he was appointed Governor-General of Smolensk, and in 1778, Viceroy of Orel, while also serving as commander of the Izmailovsky Regiment.
Due to the worsening situation in Europe (the conflict over the Bavarian Succession), on October 22 (November 2), 1778, Repnin was sent to Breslau at the head of a 30-strong corps, became a mediator in the conclusion of the Teschen Peace of 1779, and was awarded the Russian Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the Prussian Black Eagle. In 1780, he commanded the observation corps in Uman, in 1781 he became the governor of Smolensk, Orel and Belgorod, and then, in May 1781, he received the rank of adjutant general and the post of governor of Pskov. In 1782, the Order of St. Vladimir was established, and Nikolai Repnin immediately received the 1st degree cross. Finally, in 1784, he was awarded the diamond insignia of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. That same year he went abroad for treatment, where he stayed for a year.
In 1785 he was involved in the work of the Commission for the analysis of cities according to their condition.
Russo-Turkish War 1787–1791
In 1783, a coup d'état took place in Crimea, and the Turkish protege Devlet IV came to power. After the rebellion was suppressed, Catherine II issued a manifesto on the overthrow of the Crimean khans and the annexation of the territory of this khanate to Russia. The Ottoman Empire did not recognize this manifesto, the situation sharply worsened after Catherine's famous journey, during which she also visited Crimea. In July 1787, Sultan Abdul Hamid I demanded that Russia restore the power of the khans in Crimea, leave Georgia and agree to inspect Russian ships passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. Russia rejected this ultimatum, and a new war began, the first battle of which was the attack of the Turks on the fortress of Kinburn, which was repelled by Suvorov.
Nikolai Repnin was appointed to the Yekaterinoslav army of G.A. Potemkin. As a corps commander, he participated in the siege and capture of Ochakov, and defeated a Turkish detachment in Moldavia on Salcha. This war, as already noted, was marked by the resounding victories of Suvorov, but then this famous commander was transferred to the Swedish border, and in the summer of 1791 Potemkin also left for St. Petersburg. He left Nikolai Repnin in his place, ordering him to adhere to cautious defensive tactics during his absence. However, upon learning that the Grand Vizier Yusuf Pasha was gathering his troops at Machin, Repnin decided to attack the Ottoman army and strike at the group located in the fortified city near this city.
From June 23 (July 4) to June 26 (July 7), three Russian corps with a total of 30 men and 78 guns crossed the Danube at Galati. The main attack was to be delivered by the left-flank corps of M. I. Kutuzov. The Danube flotilla of Major General O. M. De Ribas covered the troops from the rear (and provided them with supplies). After crossing, the Russian troops covered 32 miles during the night and attacked the Turks on June 28 (July 9), 1791.
Diagram of the Battle of Machin from Sytin's Military Encyclopedia, 1914.
The Battle of Machin lasted for 6 hours and ended with the complete defeat of the Ottoman army. The Turks counterattacked, and their horsemen even cut into the ranks of the Novgorod regiment of Golitsyn's corps, and also tried to strike from the rear - from the direction of Brailov. However, in the end, the Ottoman troops retreated in disarray to another fortified camp, to which other troops of the Grand Vizier were approaching at that time. The pursued Turks crushed them and dragged them along to Girsovo. In addition, the Danube flotilla of De Ribas attacked the Turkish one, destroying six enemy ships. The losses of Repnin's army amounted to about 600 people, the Turks lost about 4 thousand and left 35 artillery pieces.
The vizier, shocked by this defeat, sent parliamentarians to Repnin the next day, who signed the preliminary conditions of a new peace treaty on his behalf. And Nikolai Repnin was awarded the Order of St. George, 15st class, on July 26 (1791), 1.
F. Shubin. Bust of N. Repnin, 1791.
Meanwhile, on July 31 (August 11), 1791, F. Ushakov’s squadron defeated the Turkish fleet in the battle at Cape Kaliakra.
Intravital portrait of Admiral F.F. Ushakova. Unknown artist. Hermitage. 1807 g
The Battle of Kaliakra is interesting because the Ottoman fleet included ships of Maghreb pirates – their squadron was led by the famous Algerian admiral Seydi Ali, who by that time had earned the nicknames “Crocodile of the Seas” and “Lion of the Crescent”. Ushakov did not lose a single ship, sinking 28 enemy vessels. According to eyewitnesses, the sight of the Turkish and Maghreb ships entering the harbor of Constantinople was both pitiful and terrible. Seydi Ali’s flagship, the Mukkaddime-i Nusret, sank before the eyes of the shocked city residents. Some claim that the unlucky Algerian admiral himself was put in the iron cage that Seydi Ali prepared for Ushakov. And Kapudan Pasha Hussein did not show himself to the Sultan for a long time.
Two major defeats in a row – at Machin and at Kaliakra – literally broke the will to resist of the Sultan and his closest entourage. And Grigory Potemkin, having received news of the victory at Kaliakra, tore up the almost ready peace treaty – and on December 29, 1791 (January 9, 1792) a new, more advantageous one was signed in Iasi.
The last years of Nikolai Repnin's life
After the end of this war, Repnin lived for some time in his estate, on the territory of which Moscow's Vorontsov Park is now located. Here, in memory of the victories over the Ottomans, a "Turkish fortress" was built by his order. One of its towers was later converted into a church, which was named the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. Incidentally, it was here in 1812 that Franz Leppich tried to build his hot air balloon.
On September 30 (October 11), 1792, Nikolai Repnin received a new appointment – he became Governor-General of Riga.
In 1794, during another Polish uprising, which began with the mass murder of unarmed Russian soldiers during church services (Warsaw Matins, April 17, 1794), he was already appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian Imperial Army in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on April 20 (May 1), 1794. However, the actual leadership of the troops was carried out by A. Suvorov, who very quickly suppressed this rebellion. In one of his letters, Repnin complained to Catherine II:
“I no longer know whether I am the one commanding or whether I am being commanded.”
This time the Poles achieved the third and final division of their country. Repnin was entrusted with the management of the lands that had ceded to Russia, and he also served as the Governor-General of Livonia and Estonia.
On November 8 (19), 1796, Paul I granted Repnin the rank of Field Marshal General and added to his previous posts the position of Inspector of Infantry of the Lithuanian and Livonian Divisions. In 1797-1798, Nikolai Repnin again acted as a diplomat: he travelled to Prussia and Austria to negotiate the creation of an anti-French coalition. No results were achieved, and on November 30 (December 11), 1798, N.V. Repnin was dismissed. He died in Moscow in May 1801. At that time, he was 67 years old.
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