The year is 1796. A funeral cortege is slowly moving through St. Petersburg, frozen in cold and horror. The remains of the unfortunate Emperor Peter III, removed from the grave, are being transported. Ahead of everyone, with the imperial crown in his hands, walks the tall, powerful, now, in his old age, more like a bear than ever, “Master of Moscow” Alexey Orlov. He is in his early sixties. The Emperor purses his lips, looking at the old man. The seventh decade has changed - and what! Orlov catches his gaze and grins back, barely noticeable, but at the same time not hiding his grin. Paul I looks away with irritation.
Glory, power, exploits - everything went to him! Even best horses in Russia - and those from Oryol. He could, by the way, bow to the new emperor with a gift - send a ride of Oryol trotters. Well, no...
Looking ahead, let's say that when another emperor, Alexander I, wanted to have a ceremonial team of Oryol trotters, the heiress of Count Orlov sent him four... geldings. A risky step, but both under the count and under his descendants, stallions were not released from the stud to the side...
Alexei Orlov is the killer of Peter, about whom it is still not completely known: did he kill? No? On purpose? Accidentally? And Paul, the son of Peter, about whom it is still not known exactly: is he a son? If Peter were alive, he would not recognize Paul as his son. But he is dead - and no one can stop the current emperor from expressing filial feelings. And louder, so that everyone can hear: we, the All-Russian Emperor, are carrying the ashes of our father! Did everyone hear?! Father! And only the damned old man keeps grinning. How dare he? How is he not scared? “Is it really him?” “It can’t be!” “They beat me, I stabbed him with a fork!” Orlov grins. He is sure that no one will ever know the truth. Not now, not years later. Only complete confidence in success can motivate him to do something risky. of course he was too careful to kill Peter! The empress's position was still quite precarious, and such a death could greatly undermine her prestige. Of course he didn’t kill him! However, the dissatisfied could always unite around the overthrown emperor - even Peter III, deprived of power, remained a figure on the political board. Is it worth the risk? Tempt both your own dissatisfied people and the West? Orlov was careful, too careful to leave the deposed emperor alive. Of course he killed!
Accident? Intent? Killed? Did you take on someone else's guilt? Neither contemporaries nor descendants will know the truth. Surprisingly little is known about him anyway. He was brought up as if in the Ground Cadet Corps, participated in Seven Years' War, was wounded... But the formal list says nothing about wounds received in the Seven Years' War.
Youth. Service in the Semenovsky regiment. Cheerful poverty. He entered service in the regiment at the age of fifteen as a private. And before? The house of the father - the vice-governor of Novgorod, a provincial town at that time? Cadet Corps? But such a long past has already been covered with ashes, and only the beginning of St. Petersburg life is remembered - lack of money, wine, gambling. The frosty air pricks the old scar on my cheek. Grinning, the old man recalls the old tavern “pact” concluded between the Orlov brothers and Shvanvich - the only strong man like them, or even stronger. Any of the Orlov brothers should have yielded to Shvanvich, having met him alone, but two brothers had a complete advantage over him. So they once agreed to stop the constant tavern “fights”. However, the “truce” did not last long. Having once met Fyodor Orlov in a tavern, Shvanvich demanded his wine, billiards and girls. Fedor was forced to give in, but then Alexey appeared - Alekhan, as his brothers called him, and two Orlovs took the girls, wine and billiards back. It was then that the enraged Shvanvich waylaid Alekhan at the gate of the tavern and slashed him with a saber... From then on, until the end of his days, Alekhan was given the nickname Le Balafre - “The Marked One”. But he still did not take revenge on Shvanvich. He even helped me get a position - later, when the unknown guards sergeant Orlov became the all-powerful Count Orlov.
The life of the cheerful Semyonovtsy ended on June 28, 1762. The rank of major general, 800 souls of peasants, the Order of Alexander Nevsky... A second life began - the life of Count Orlov.
Money, lands, titles. Lieutenant Colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. one and a half thousand souls. Society. And Grishka, brother, favorite of the Mother Empress, never learned to understand French. However, the Orlovs’ star was at its zenith, and no one would want to take liberties with the manners or education of the former guardsmen.
But such a life is boring, and from boredom Alexei was crippled by a “stomach disease”, the treatment of which required (by the highest order of Empress Catherine) an immediate trip “to the waters”, abroad. Türkiye caused the count’s “stomach disease.” “Proxies of the Ostrov brothers,” as they and Gregory called themselves during this trip, visit Morea, Montenegro, Greek colonies in Venice and Trieste.
Having gained an idea of the mood of the Greeks and South Slavs, who, for their part, with the support of Russia, were ready to oppose the Porte, Orlov wrote to Catherine and received the broadest powers: unlimited credit for the purchase of weapons, the right to give titles Russian army foreigners - those who take part in the fight against the Turks. Two squadrons enter the Mediterranean Sea - Admiral Spiridov and Rear Admiral Elphinston - and both come under the command of Count Orlov.
The year is 1769. Europe laughs! The Kaiser flag on the flagship of the Russian squadron was raised by Count Orlov, a general... from the cavalry. Look out, Türkiye! They will trample.
It is only after that that historians will begin to argue: “If the mast of the Turkish flagship had not caught fire, and had not fallen on the frigate “Efstafia”, and the cruise camera on the “Efstafia” had not caught fire, and the frigate would not have exploded together with the Turkish flagship...” Orlov’s victory in They began to attribute the Chesme Bay to chance, inspiredly considering what the count received for it: a sword with diamonds, but no, not a sword - a cane with a compass in the knob, a ring with a portrait of the empress... Meanwhile, forgetting that it was he who prepared the entire Mediterranean campaign from the very beginning . But that’s after, and then Europe applauded the hero of Chesma.
In Livorno, he staged a demonstration battle so that everyone could witness a real naval battle: he declared the frigate “Thunder” by the “Turkish fleet”, and sank it - with a Russian, merchant scale, in Europe, where sophistication reigns, where exquisite dresses are just coming into fashion flea leg color.
And in Russia, in honor of the victory, they knocked out a medal, erected the Chesme Obelisk, and renamed the Kekereksinen Palace (or, in simple terms, “Frog Swamp”). The palace began to be called Chesmensky. Count Alexei Orlov also began to be called Chesmensky, adding this title to his own surname.
Alexey performs wonders in Italy, accepts congratulations in Russia, but the Orlovs’ star is already declining. Gregory was replaced in the empress's boudoir by Potemkin, the brothers received their resignation... In 1774, Alexei returned to Italy without any desire.
Then a shameful stain was added to his biography, almost erasing his entire previous reputation. The old man remembers, and a smile freezes like a shadow on his lips. As far as Peter III was concerned, there were witnesses, but they all remained silent until the end of their days. They took the secret of the emperor's death to the grave, but still there were people who knew what really happened. About what happened then in Italy, only Ribas had any idea - a Spanish nobleman, a rogue, who in 1772 went into the service of Orlov from the Neapolitan army, Joseph Jose de Ribas (the future Osip Mikhailovich Ribas, the future founder of Odessa, in whose honor, by the way, , and named Deribasovskaya street). But no one knew. And he will never know.
...She called herself the daughter of Elizabeth, the legitimate contender for the Russian throne, Princess of Vladimir, Sultana Selima and half a dozen other names. We called her Princess Tarakanova. The appearance of the impostor greatly alarmed Catherine, and Alexey Orlov received orders to seize the adventuress. And then things get weird.
Instead of officially, on behalf of the Russian Empire, demanding the extradition of an impostor - but the permission was “to use threats, and if punishment is necessary, then you can throw several bombs at the city”; instead of sending trusted people and simply seizing Tarakanova, “and if there is a way to get it without noise, then I agree to this,” - instead of all this, Orlov assures the princess that he is ready to take her side, feigns ardent love - and all this in public! To then lure her onto a Russian ship, capture her and send her to St. Petersburg. And urgently write a letter to the Empress, before any rumors of possible betrayal reach her, before the heads of the brothers fly.
Was he really going to betray him? Peter III - Pugachev, seemingly the “brother” of the self-proclaimed princess, who is backed by the Polish Confederates and Austria secretly supporting them, has been walking around the Urals for many years now, and if we add the Mediterranean fleet to this... Who knows what will happen? Perhaps Orlov was going to support her, but abandoned his plans at the last moment?
Or was there still some kind of force behind Tarakanova, about which now, after centuries, we know nothing? Perhaps Orlov had information that someone very powerful was ready to support Tarakanova and it was not possible to capture her - openly or in a bandit raid? After all, this brilliant adventurer was counting on something when she called herself a contender for Russian throne? It is unlikely that the help of the Poles alone will help. Or did the rogue simply deceive the rogue, and Alexey Orlov did not see anything shameful in his intrigue? And yet he risked that rumors of “betrayal” would reach Catherine before the truth.
It seems that this mystery cannot be solved, even with a time machine. With its help you can briefly become a contemporary, but not a member of a narrow circle of initiates.
In the cathedral, Paul I ordered all the old people who took part in the coup to kiss the skull and bones of Peter, whom they killed. Orlov bent over the open coffin and kissed the yellow bone. He straightened up. Grin, grin! Or is it an old scar that tightens the skin on your face?
21 years in disgrace, in Moscow idleness, forgotten, unnecessary - and he grins!
Orlov returned to Russia in 1775. Having received complete resignation, he retired to Moscow, where his third life began, leaving us all with more than the previous two.
Revelry and luxurious idleness are no longer obliged to serve anyone as a fantastically rich man. At 48, he marries twenty-year-old Lopukhina. From that moment on, his entire life was devoted to his home and estates, his wife (who unfortunately died early), his only beloved daughter and, of course, horse breeding. But his breeding talents were not limited to horses alone: at one time Oryol canaries, Oryol homing pigeons and even... Oryol fighting geese were deservedly prized.
And he imported more than just horses to Russia from abroad: Oryol, or Gilyan, chickens, which the Count brought to Russia from Persia, were widespread in many provinces.
By upbringing, he was still far from aristocratic circles, and his tastes, according to his contemporaries, were “truly popular.” Well, his tastes later became the tastes of all of Russia: it was Alexei Orlov who brought the first gypsy choir to Moscow from Moldova, and without him, it is likely that there would not have been the once famous restaurant “Yar”, nor the current theater “Romen”, nor “ Gypsy girls”, nor “The Return of Budulai”...
And there would be no (what can we talk about) the world fame of the domestic horse breeding - the Oryol trotter.
And the first races and races in Russia were also Count Orlov... He not only acted as an organizer, but also awarded prizes to the winners. However, the role of the organizer did not prevent him from playing at the races himself, making bets.
Did he regret his resignation? Hardly. The only time he came to St. Petersburg was to introduce his own daughter to the empress, and, among other things, he did not fail to express to the empress his dissatisfaction with Russian policies. Could a person who dreams of returning to military or military service behave this way? diplomatic service? He was not eager to go to sophisticated Europe either; however, he had to leave Russia again, but only under the pressure of circumstances. No, he did not feel either disgraced or deprived, he, who placed Catherine on the throne, who brought one of the most remarkable victories to the Russian fleet, was an all-powerful nobleman and a penniless guardsman - the Russian d'Artagnan...
...And Paul retreated. In front of him, in a slightly old-fashioned doublet, stood terrible era Catherine. Revenge failed. The old man did not hide his eyes, just as on the day when, “without showing the slightest movement of cowardice or meanness,” he swore allegiance to Emperor Paul I.
By personal decree of December 31, 1796, Paul deprived Count Orlov-Chesmensky, one of the richest nobles of Russia... of his pension.
Alekhan will outlive this emperor, just as he outlived his father. He spent the entire time of Paul's short reign abroad. In the spring of 1801, having received a handwritten letter from Alexander I, Orlov returned to Russia.
On October 26, 1807, Count Orlov-Chesmensky received the order Vladimir I degrees for organizing a militia, which, however, did not happen to take part in the hostilities in connection with the conclusion of the Tilsit Peace. This happened 58 days before the count's death.
And yet, Count Orlov’s fighters entered into battle with the French. During the War of 1812, the gypsies of the famous “Oryol” choir joined Civil uprising... ZM
A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, General-in-Chief, Knight of St. George, bought the village of Mikhailovskoye, Khatunsky volost, Serpukhov district (now Domodedovo district), which he loved. Then the count often rode into the village on trotters (Orlovsky!), walked and rode through the beautiful Mikhailovsky fields and copses, visited the shore of the Mikhailovsky pond, located in the center of the village, and, perhaps, swam in it.
The Orlov brothers became famous during the reign of Empress Catherine II. Each of the five Orlov brothers: Ivan, Grigory, Alexei, Fedor and Vladimir distinguished themselves in the enlightened and turbulent age of Catherine. The fate of everyone deserves special attention. All of them, who arrived in the capital from the remote provinces, became soldiers of the guard, and Gregory became the favorite of Empress Catherine II.
The fate of Alexei Orlov, a sergeant of the guard, a participant in the palace coup in 1762, which forced Emperor Peter III to sign an act of abdication, is special. The sergeant of the guard received the rank of major general immediately after the accession of Catherine II.
Alexei Orlov was born on September 21, 1735 and was the most energetic figure in the Palace conspiracy in favor of Catherine. Guard Sergeant Alexei Orlov entered the Empress’s bedroom on June 28, 1762 and announced that he had everything ready. Having beaten the guard in Peterhof, he galloped to Oranienbaum and arrested Emperor Peter III. For which he subsequently received the title of count and eight hundred serfs.
Catherine II more than once admitted to her loved ones that Alexei Orlov was the most terrible person, and was afraid of him: lest he kill her. And she showered him with orders, gold, ranks and estates. Catherine remembered that in a fist fight no one could resist Alyosha Orlov. She knew that the Orlov brothers were powerful and fearless, like lions. Only the big life-company Shvanvich could overpower one of the Orlovs, but no one could overpower the two brothers.
One day, drunken Grigory and Alexey Orlov burst into the tavern where A. Shvanvich was playing billiards. Having drunk all of Shvanvich's wine, they pushed him out of the tavern. On the street, Shvanvich waited for the offenders, and when Alexey was the first of them to appear in the yard, Shvanvich slashed him in the head with a saber. Bloody Alexei Orlov fell to the ground.
The scar from the saber strike remained with A.G. Orlov for the rest of his life. Later remaining in glory for many years, the Orlovs never took revenge on Shvanvich, realizing that his act was forced on that ill-fated evening.
Russia in 1768, after Turkey declared another war, began to prepare for the defense of its southern borders. The State Council decided to wage an offensive war against the Ottomans. The favorite of Empress Catherine II, Grigory Orlov, proposed sending several ships to the Mediterranean Sea and from there launching a preemptive strike on the enemy from the rear. All five Orlov brothers supported such a daring plan. With the approval of Empress Catherine II, Alexei Orlov and his younger brother Fedor left to carry out this plan. Having studied the situation on the banks Mediterranean Sea, the Orlov brothers began to act. The Greeks and southern Slavs, who did not stop fighting the Turkish yoke, saw Russia as their intercessor.
Empress Catherine II, by her decision of January 29, 1769, instructed Alexei Orlov to lead the military operations. The squadron of Admiral G. A. Spiridov left Kronstadt in July 1769, followed by the squadron of Rear Admiral the Englishman John Elphinstone. The squadrons moved slowly around the whole of Europe. Rear Admiral Elphinstone was an arrogant man and was unable to establish business relations with either Orlov or Spiridov, which forced A.G. Orlov to declare himself the chief military commander of both squadrons according to the rescript of Empress Catherine II.
On the battleship "Three Hierarchs" at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on June 12, 1770, the flag of the commander-in-chief (Kaiser flag) was raised as a sign that A.G. Orlov assumed full responsibility for the Russian fleet.
Before the Mediterranean squadron A.G. Orlov’s task was to prevent the Turkish fleet from escaping through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara and, having caught up with it, force it to accept a general battle. Despite significant superiority, the Turkish fleet avoided battle.
This naval battle would ultimately ease the struggle of the Russian ground army on the Black Sea plains.
The Russian fleet was joined by ships of Greek rebels under the command of Panaioti and Alexiano Palikutti, Ruzo and others. With the help of the Greek rebels, who knew the waters of the archipelago well, it was possible to establish that the enemy fleet went north from the island of Paros. One of the Greek reconnaissance ships brought news: the entire Turkish fleet was located between the island of Chios and the Asia Minor coast. A.G. Orlov sent Rear Admiral S. Greig for detailed reconnaissance on the 66-gun ship Rostislav with two small frigates. Greig returned to the squadron with the news that the entire Turkish fleet was in the strait.
Commander-in-Chief - General of the Cavalry A.G. Orlov decided to attack the Turks in the morning. The Russian squadron had 9 battleships, 3 frigates, 1 bombardment ship, 17 auxiliary ships and transports and 820 guns. The Turkish squadron had 16 battleships, 6 frigates and up to 50 small ships and 1430 guns under the command of the experienced naval commander Hasan Bey Jezairli. The ships of the Turkish fleet were anchored in the Chios Strait half a mile from the coast. The Turkish fleet had almost double superiority.
A.G. Orlov wrote the following report to Empress Catherine II: “When I saw this structure, I was horrified and was in the dark about what I should do; but the bravery of the troops, the zeal of everyone, forced me to decide and, despite superior forces, to dare to attack - to fall or destroy the enemy.
On June 24, 1770, Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlov convened a military council on the flagship ship, which adopted Admiral Spiridov’s plan to attack the Turkish fleet under sail from a short distance, deliver a concentrated blow to the flagship Real Mustafa and thereby disrupt the control of the Turkish fleet. The plan was bold and daring. A.G. Orlov approved it.
On the morning of June 24, 1770, the Russian fleet entered the battle, the commander-in-chief on the flagship was in the middle of the wake column. A.G. Orlov ordered not to open fire until they came within pistol range. On a ship sailing under the flag of Admiral G.A. Spiridov, music suddenly burst out, raising the spirits of the sailors. At half past eleven in the afternoon, the Russian vanguard came within three cables of the Turkish fleet. The Turks, unable to withstand the silent movement of the Russians towards them, opened fire. The entire Turkish armada was illuminated by gunfire and found itself in a cloud of smoke. The Russian squadron approached close quarters, and the vanguard fired its first salvo, followed by the second...
The Russian ship St. Eustathius Placida came almost close to the Turkish flagship and opened artillery fire, causing serious damage. Admiral Spiridov, sword in hand, commanded the battle. Following the vanguard, the remaining Russian ships entered. The ship "Three Hierarchs" under the flag of Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlova brought his fire down on the 100-gun Turkish ship.
The duel between the Russian ship "Saint Eustathius Plakida" and the Turkish flagship "Real Mustafa" lasted two hours. Real Mustafa caught fire and confusion engulfed the Turkish team. Russian sailors went on board. A short hand-to-hand fight ended in complete victory for the Russian sailors. At this time, fire from the Turkish flagship was transferred to the Russian ship. It was unsuccessful in putting out the fire, and Admiral Spiridov and F.G. Orlov transferred their flag to the ship “Three Saints”.
The death of Real Mustafa caused severe panic among the Turks. All Turkish ships rushed to Chesme Bay to take refuge in it. It was half past two in the afternoon. By order of A.G. Orlov, all Russian ships set off in pursuit and pursued the Turkish ships all the way to Chesma Bay, blocking the fleet there.
For the final defeat of the Turkish fleet A.G. Orlov convened ship commanders on the ship “Three Hierarchs” for a military council, at which Admiral Spiridov’s plan was again adopted: to destroy the Turkish fleet with a combined strike of artillery and fire ships.
In the order dated June 25, A.G. Orlov wrote: “...defeat and destroy this fleet” around midnight on June 26 after artillery salvoes from Russian ships. A fire started on the Turkish ships, and fire ships went on the attack. The flames of the burning ships favored the attack of the fireships. By 3 a.m. the fire had engulfed the entire Turkish fleet. The entire Chesme Bay turned into a cauldron of fire. More than 40 Turkish ships were burning. The ships exploded one after another. By 10 o'clock in the morning, 15 battleships, 6 frigates and 40 small vessels had burned down. The Turks lost more than ten thousand sailors.
In the Chesme naval battle, the Turkish fleet was completely destroyed. This was the greatest victory of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.
Russia celebrated the Chesma victory. In honor of the Chesme victory, the Chesme Column was erected in Tsarskoe Selo, and the Chesme Church was built in St. Petersburg.
In memory of the Chesme victory, a bronze medal was issued, on one side of which A.G. was depicted. Orlov, and on the other - a plan Battle of Chesma with the words: “And Russia will be joy and joy. Chesma, June 24 and 26, 1770."
The Battle of Chesma was the largest in the history of the sailing fleet.
Commander-in-Chief of all Russian troops A.G. Orlov was awarded the highest military Order of George, 1st degree. “For the brave and reasonable leadership of the fleet and the victory over the Turkish fleet, famous on the shores of Assia, and completely destroyed it.” He was given the rank of general-in-chief, and “Chesmensky” was added to his surname.
Russian Navy replenished with a new ship “Memory of Eustathius” in honor of the gloriously deceased “Saint Eustathius Placida” in 1770.
World fame came to Alexei Grigorievich Orlov. Songs, poems, and legends were composed in his honor. Europe was amazed at the victory of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.
After the Chesma victory, the Russian squadron returned home in a roundabout way. And through the sultry deserts of the countries of the Middle East and the Black Sea, the Arabs led a herd of oriental horses purchased by A.G. to Russia under armed escort. Orlov for breeding high-breed horses (“Orlov horses” after the count’s surname). The amazing stallion of the Arabian breed “Smetanka” was bred for two years.
Time fled, and the Orlov era was ending. On historical scene Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky entered. He began to visit often imperial court, attracted the attention of the empress. Having removed her favorite Grigory Orlov from Catherine, Potemkin took his place. Following the resignation of Grigory Orlov, all the Orlov brothers were dismissed from service.
But life did not end - life continued. At A.G. Orlov’s main passion in life was a passion for horses. The life of a brilliant livestock specialist began.
After his resignation, Alexei Orlov lived and spent time in the Neskuchny Palace near the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. In the Moscow region - in the villages of Ostrov, Khatun and Mikhailovskoye, he began breeding breeding foals. In the village of Ostrov on the Moscow River, located in the near Moscow region, fifteen kilometers from Tsaritsyno, A.G. Orlov founded a stud farm. The village was located on a hill among endless fields, which was favorable for horse breeding. In 1776 A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky developed a new breed of horse, called the “Orlov Trotter”. From the Moscow region in 1778 A.G. Orlov moved his stud farm to the Khrenovo estate, which was located in the Voronezh steppes. There, the magnificent master Gilardi built a gigantic complex of stables. To maintain the stables, the count resettled thousands of peasants and built a hospital and school for them. It was in Khrenov A.G. Orlov bred the famous trotter named Fierce, who later became the ancestor of many “Orlov trotters”. The count forbade his grooms from beating horses. The count himself personally gave each newly appeared horse a name. The names of the stallions: Aviator, Zaletai, Leopard, Bis, Bogatyr, Cahors, Swan, Muzhik, Riesling, Octopus, Dancemaster, Ermine, Cheater, Umnitsa and others. Mares' names: Atelier, Bravo, Sinusoida, Subsidy, Tactics, Evolution. The horses were named according to their merits. Sometimes the names changed. So, for example, the stallion Muzhik, on which the Count once rode and, paying attention, said: “How smoothly he runs, as if he were measuring canvases, he should be a Canvasser.”
Almost a hundred years later, L.N. Tolstoy made Kholstomer the main character of his story.
Into Russian life A.G. Orlov introduced racing and horse racing, hippodromes. Until his death, he personally participated in races and races, placing bets on ruddy rolls.
Alexei Orlov was already approaching fifty when he married young Lopukhina. The love was short-lived; his wife died early, leaving him with a daughter, Annushka, who had to be raised. Even during his wife’s life, the count complained about her to his friends: “He bumps into an icon, and that’s all. No, that’s not for me.”
Daughter Anna took a lot from her mother: the same fear of God, faith and prayer. Kindness came from her sympathetic and loving soul. Her father did not pay much attention to her; he had his own worries. But he also had outlets, then he caressed his daughter, carried her in his arms, kissed her tenderly and amused the child.
The Englishwoman Balmont at one of these moments asked the count: “Whose charming child is this?” The count replied: “Would you really know?! I popped in from the street yesterday and stayed there. Don't throw it away. Let him live!”
The count treated his grown-up daughter harshly. Forced her to do menial work. He often lectured: “You’re doing it wrong! Do not be lazy. It’s not for you to pray to God” -
The Count liked his old “self-proclaimed princess” Maria Bakhmetova, with whom he lived in endless divorces.
In 1796, when Paul I ascended the Russian throne and retrieved A. Orlov’s notes relating to the palace coup from the archives of Catherine II, Count Orlov went abroad. For five years, from 1796 to 1801, Count Orlov lived with his Marya Bakhmetova abroad: in the winter in Dresden and Leipzig, and in the summer in Carlsbad and Teplitz. Europe loved and revered Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky.
Only in the spring of 1801 did A. Orlov return to Russia with Bakhmetova: Emperor Alexander I ascended the throne.
Count A.G. Orlov outlived his beloved Generalissimo Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. In 1805, the count, having received news of the defeat of the Russian troops at Austerlitz, began to cry; he remembered the Chesme victory.
The count's earthly life was coming to an end. December 24, 1807, on Christmas Day, Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky died in Moscow. The count was buried in the Church of the Order of the Robes of the Lord, and buried in his Ostrov estate. Daughter of A.G. Orlova-Chesmensky Anna Alekseevna moved to St. Petersburg in 1820 and left the Ostrov estate. Ashes of Count A.G. Orlov is transported to the village of Semenovskoye (Serpukhov district, Moscow province). Grigory Orlov gave this village to his younger brother Vladimir, who built a church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on a high mountain, and lower down, closer to the bank of the Lopasni River, a house. The estate was named "Otrada". A wooden mausoleum is also being built there - the tomb of the Counts Orlovs. The youngest of the Orlov brothers, Vladimir Grigorievich, dies in 1831. In 1832-1835, a stone mausoleum was built in Otrada according to the design of the architect D. Gilardi, and the construction was carried out by his cousin A. Gilardi.
Since 1831, the Otrada estate came into the possession of the grandson of V.G. Orlova - V.P. Davydov (since 1856 he was called V.P. Orlov-Davydov).
In November 1831, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya submitted a petition to the sovereign, the Metropolitan of Novgorod and the Synod for permission to transfer the ashes of her father, A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, and his brothers to the Novgorod Yuryev Monastery. The Countess was allowed, without opening the coffin, to transport the ashes of her father, Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, and his brothers, Grigory and Fyodor Orlov, to the Yuriev Monastery.
In January 1832, the ashes of the Orlov brothers, accompanied by the icon of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, were transported to the Yuryev Monastery and interred under the porch of the St. George Church.
In 1816, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya submitted a petition for the construction of a stone church in the village of Mikhailovskoye, which had belonged to her since 1807. The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was built in 1822-1823 and consecrated in 1824. Countess Anna Alekseevna uses her father's inheritance for charitable works, churches, monasteries, and funeral services for her father and his brothers.
Perhaps in the afterlife, Alexey Orlov realized how lucky he was in earthly life with his wife, who gave him unexpected joy - his daughter Annushka, a prayer book for her father and his brothers and who showed touching care for their ashes.
For more than sixty years, the ashes of the outstanding associates of Empress Catherine the Great, Gregory, Alexei and Fyodor, lived in the Yuryev Monastery, and in 1896, on the centenary anniversary of the death of Empress Catherine II, the great-grandson of the Orlovs, A.V. Orlov-Davydov (applied for permission to transport the ashes of the Orlovs to the family estate "Otrada" to their former resting place. Permission was received. The solemn ceremony of reburial of the ashes of the Orlovs took place on February 24, 1896.
In the mausoleum, in the Otrada estate, on the medallions, according to the seniority of the Orlov brothers, it is written: Count Ivan Grigorievich Orlov (September 3, 1733 - September 18, 1791), captain of the Life Guards. Prince Grigory Grigorievich Orlov (March 6, 1734 - April 13, 1783), General Feldzeichmeister. Count Alexey Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky (September 25, 1735 - December 24, 1807, 72 years old), general-in-chief and holder of all Russian orders. Count Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov (February 8, 1741 - May 17, 1796), General-in-Chief. Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov (1742 - 1831), lieutenant general.
The Orlov brothers in the southern Moscow region owned the villages of Semenovskoye, Khatun, Mikhailovskoye, Shcheglyatyevo, and the estates “Otrada” and “Nerastnoe”. Count Orlov-Chesmensky owned the villages of Khatun and Mikhailovskoye.
In 1924, a fatal year for the Otrada estate, the remains of the Counts Orlovs, located since 1896 in the pantheon - the ancestral tomb of the Counts Orlovs, were disturbed, looted and burned by a special team sent. (This was reported by the famous local historian Alexander Nefedov. “Monuments of the Fatherland”, No. 31, 1-2, 1994). This is how they dealt with the ashes of the counts. But it is impossible to erase the life and work of the Orlov brothers from history. IN. Klyuchevsky said about the Orlov brothers: “...dashing heads, like the Orlov brothers, who only knew how to decide, and not think.”
On August 27, 1995, a monument was unveiled in the city of Voronezh to an outstanding military leader and the 18th century livestock breeder Count Alexei Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky.
Voronezh land is the birthplace of the “Oryol trotters”. Russia remembers Count A.G. Oplov-Chesmensky. We, Domodedovo residents, will also remember that on our land he owned the village of Mikhailovsky and often visited it in the last years of his life Chesme hero Alexey Orlov, holder of all Russian orders available at that time.
Local historian Nikolai Chulkov. From the series "History of the region in faces."
Brilliant 18th century
29 June 1762 Alexey Orlov, a young sergeant of the Life Guards Regiment, as they say, woke up as a celebrity. Not just a noble rich man, a count and a second major, but also a historical figure!
The day before, he and his brother Gregory committed an act unheard of in their audacity. Two sergeants forced the emperor III sign an act of abdication in favor of his wife Catherine II.
Well, let’s say this is not such an unheard of act for Russia. There has already been a precedent. Only in the same way, on the bayonets of officers devoted to her, did Peter III’s aunt E. ascend the throne.
But this time the situation was even more acute. Elizabeth was the daughter of Peter the Great, and therefore legitimate. Catherine II essentially had no rights to the throne. Such an adventure could not have been carried out without the support of such adventurers as the Orlov brothers.
Of course, the career of Grigory Orlov was brilliant later: handsome, revelry, dandy. He became the empress's lover and enjoyed all the benefits of his position with taste.
But the fate of Alexei Orlov was, perhaps, more interesting. He was a completely non-secular person; to shine at palace receptions was not his sphere.
It is not without reason that the famous legend attributes the murder of Peter III to him. About which, allegedly, he later wrote a letter of repentance to Catherine II. Modern researchers believe that the letter is a fake, created later to hush up the possible participation of Catherine herself in this.
The sciences were very difficult for him, a brave warrior, foreign languages he could not overcome it. But at the same time he had great respect for scientists. Both Lomonosov’s scientific works and Fonvizin’s literary works saw the light of day thanks to his support.
I didn’t chase ranks and titles. He simply did what he was capable of: he fought for the good of the state. In 1768, he prepared and led a naval campaign against Turkey, which ended brilliant victory Russian fleet in Chesme Bay in the Aegean Sea.
By what criterion should the activity of a commander be assessed? Maybe in terms of the scale of losses? The Turkish fleet lost about ten thousand sailors in this battle, and the Russian fleet only 11 people!
For this grandiose victory, Chief General Alexey Orlov received a new name - Chesmensky. His feat is immortalized in Tsarskoye Selo by the Chesme Column.
Alexey Orlov contributed and very interesting contribution into Russian culture. It was he who brought the gypsy chapel from the Turkish campaign. And since then, Russian people have accepted the gypsy romance as part of their mysterious soul!
Among the exploits of Alexei Orlov for the glory of Russia there was one of a very romantic nature.
In 1774, the famous adventurer Princess Tarakanova appeared in Europe, declaring herself the daughter of Elizabeth. That is, the legal heir to the throne. Her claims were a real threat to the image of Catherine II, which the Empress so lovingly created and supported.
And Alexei Orlov received a secret mission to bring Princess Tarakanova to Russia. For this, Count Orlov-Chesmensky, an old soldier, did not one who knows words love, I had to take on the role of a loving admirer and offer my hand and heart to the adventuress. Difficult task. But an order is an order! And Alexey Orlov plays out falling in love so skillfully that the cunning and intelligent Princess Tarakanova finds herself in a trap. On a ship in the city of Livorno, she is arrested and brought to St. Petersburg to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
This was the final chord in the fate of Count Orlov. Literally a year later, his brother Grigory lost the love of the Empress in favor of the successful Prince Potemkin, and Chief General Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky received his resignation.
Alexey Orlov lived for several years in oblivion on his own estate. I no longer wanted to return to politics and social life. But fate was preparing his last test.
After the death of Catherine II, her son Paul I, who hated his mother, demanded that the remains of his father Peter III be reburied. And by his order, the crown of the murdered emperor and all his regalia were to be carried by the alleged murderers: Alexei Orlov, Pavel Baryatinsky and Pyotr Passek.
After this, Alexey Orlov and his daughter left Russia and lived in Germany until the death of Paul I
Orlov-Chesmensky, Alexey Grigorievich
General-in-Chief, associate of Empress Catherine II; came from noble family, originating from Lukyan Ivanovich Orlov, a landowner of the Bezhetsk district of the Tver province, where he owned the Village of Lyutkino - the cradle of the Orlov family. Count Alexey Grigorievich was the third son of the actual state councilor and Novgorod governor Grigory Ivanovich Orlov and his wife Lukerya Ivanovna, née Zinovieva. He was born on September 24, 1737 (according to other sources, in 1735). Information about the initial life of Count Alexei Grigorievich, as well as about his first steps in military service, is very scarce; all that is known for certain is that in 1749 A. Orlov entered the Preobrazhensky Regiment as a soldier of the Life Guards. Distinguished by his heroic health, strong and courageous character, Alexey Grigorievich stood out from among his brothers and was the most gifted and energetic of them. Before the accession to the throne of Empress Catherine, he did not have to show his abilities, and the Orlov brothers at that time acquired great fame in society only for their violent way of life in a military environment, and physical strength, and would hardly have soon advanced into the public sphere if not for They accidentally fell into a close circle of people who were close to the wife of the heir to the throne, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Taking an active part in family troubles Grand Duchess, The Orlovs began to recruit supporters of the young empress among the guard youth and soon found themselves at the head of a large party, consisting mainly of military personnel who wanted to elevate the queen, unloved by her husband, to the throne. Alexey Grigorievich was the soul of this party. Catherine was indebted to his energy, composure and management for the successful implementation of her plans; he managed to keep the secret of the impending coup until last days, and when suspicion arose and Passek was arrested, Alexey Grigorievich boldly, ahead of the appointed time, carried out the planned coup. On the night of June 27-28, while Emperor Peter III was in the company of his entourage in Oranienbaum Castle, Guard Sergeant Alexei Orlov rode to Peterhof and notified the empress of Passek’s arrest, stating that it was necessary immediately take decisive action; in St. Petersburg, the soldiers were already prepared in advance for the upcoming events and were just waiting for the disgraced wife of the emperor to appear in the capital. At the insistence of Alexei Orlov, Catherine decided to act immediately, and in the early morning of June 28, 1762, accompanied by Alexei Orlov and V.I. Bibikov, with Grigory Orlov and Prince F.S. Baryatinsky joining them on the way, in a hired private carriage, left the Peterhof Palace. At about eight o'clock in the morning she unexpectedly appeared in St. Petersburg and drove straight to the Izmailovsky regiment, located at the outpost. Enthusiastically greeted by the Izmailovites, the empress proceeded further to the Kazan Cathedral, and Orlov, ahead of the royal train, was the first at the Kazan Church to proclaim the young empress an autocratic empress in front of the assembled crowd. The clergy, led by Archbishop Dmitry, met Catherine and greeted her as the Empress of All Russia. On the same day, the emperor, in a locked carriage, surrounded on all sides by a strong detachment under the command of Alexei Orlov, was taken from Peterhof, where he signed the act of abdication, to Ropsha. Here he soon died.
The Orlovs were showered with favors from the new empress; Alexey Orlov was promoted to major general and on June 29, 1762 he was granted second major of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment; in Moscow, on the day of the coronation of the Empress, he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and during the coronation celebrations 800 souls; in addition, he, together with his brothers Grigory and Fedor, was granted the village of Obolenskoye (Ilyinskoye) with 2929 souls and a large sum of money in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow province. In addition to these awards, all five brothers were elevated to the rank of count, and in the rescript of this award it was said: “they (i.e., the Orlovs) were the first of those faithful sons of the Russians who saved this Empire from the strange and intolerable yoke and the Orthodox Greek confession, the church was freed from ruin and its approaching final fall by the elevation of us (i.e. Catherine II) to the All-Russian imperial throne, which is an Orthodox cause and truly their insight, reason, courage and wisdom for the benefit and well-being of the Fatherland and to the joy and pleasure of natural allies the whole empire, to their immortal glory, has truly and safely been brought to perfection." The Orlovs soon acquired enormous authority at court. Thus began a new reign, which opened the way for the Orlovs to high honors. The leading place among the brothers undoubtedly belonged to Count Alexei Grigorievich; he openly declared that the empress owed the throne to him alone, and brother Gregory was in his hands nothing more than an instrument for carrying out his bold plans. Without, however, the opportunity to play the role of a favorite, he, however, throughout his brother’s favor had enormous influence in government affairs, although I did not personally participate in any important events state life, and in the first years his name is mostly found only in descriptions of various celebrations and the Highest exits.
At the end of 1765 gr. A.G. Orlov, with the rank of lieutenant general, was sent to Moscow with a secret assignment to comprehensively and strictly investigate the unrest that had arisen in middle lane Russia. These riots arose among Don Cossacks, whose hetman sympathized with the Cossacks’ dissatisfaction with the government; the Cossacks, having entered into relations with the Tatars, intended to help them attack Ukraine and raise an uprising there. Many Tatars began to gather near the Ukrainian border and things threatened to take a dangerous turn. General Melgunov reported to the Empress about the danger of an imminent invasion by the rebels and the flight of two-thirds of the Novoserbian colonists. This was the situation when Catherine decided to send Count Alexei Grigorievich to Moscow; he had a very difficult task ahead of him to prevent an armed conflict with Turkey, which patronized the Tatars. Endowed with the full confidence of the Empress, Orlov energetically set to work and, to stop the unrest among the Tatars, traveled to Kazan and other places, collecting the necessary information everywhere, and finally calmed the ferment that had begun.
In January 1767 gr. A.G. Orlov was elected as a member of the commission of deputies, although he did not take any serious part in its meetings.
At the end of 1767 gr. Orlov fell dangerously ill; the doctors sentenced him to death, but the intervention in the treatment of a certain paramedic Erofeyich, who soon became famous throughout Russia, is said to have saved the count: he recovered so much that he could undertake a trip abroad for his final recovery. Shortly before leaving (April 21, 1768), gr. Alexey Grigorievich was awarded the Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called; In addition, the Empress, who was very sympathetic to Count Orlov during his illness, ordered 200,000 rubles to be given to him for travel and treatment. Accompanied by his brother, gr. F. G. Orlova, gr. A.G. went incognito through Berlin and Vienna to Italy, where he stayed for a long time, traveling everywhere and not stopping for a long time in the same place.
Soon after the Orlovs left abroad, in the same 1768, Turkey, incited by the French government and Polish confederates, imprisoned our envoy Bulgakov in the Seven Tower Castle, breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia. The war has begun. Russian troops moved into Turkey. The Empress decided to restore Greece and free Egypt from the rule of the Porte. These broad plans were suggested to the Empress by Count Alexey Grigorievich, who followed the progress of military operations with keen interest and, having learned during his stay in Italy that the Turkish Slavs, as well as the Greeks, were dissatisfied with their government and were disposed towards Russia, he suggested that Catherine II send a squadron to the Archipelago and Levant. This squadron, according to Orlov, could, on the one hand, incite the Greeks to revolt against the Turks, and on the other, significantly strengthen the military forces of our ground forces, diverting Turkey to places where it could least expect attacks. The entire plan of military naval operations against Turkey c. A.G. Orlov compiled it himself in Italy and offered himself to be the leader of this enterprise. In response to this proposal, Mr. Orlov received the Highest Rescript dated January 29, 1769, in which the Empress, expressing complete confidence in Orlov’s abilities and ardent desire to serve for the benefit of Russia, willingly agreed to entrust and completely at his discretion “preparations, orders and direction of this entire feat.” Soon Russian squadrons under the command of Spiridov and Elphinston set off from Arkhangelsk and Kronstadt to the Mediterranean Sea. On June 3, 1769, Alexei Grigorievich was promoted to general-in-chief and began to openly direct the military operations of the Russian fleet. In addition to commanding the fleet, he had the difficult task of raising Balkan Christians against the Turkish yoke. In December 1769, the count was in Pisa, from where he incited the Greeks and Balkan Slavs to revolt. Prince Dolgoruky was sent to Montenegro for this purpose, going to Cetinje and bringing the Montenegrins there to swear the oath to the Empress. However, he soon had to secretly leave there, since the Turks were advancing from all sides, and the Russian squadrons arrived quite late. The first to arrive was the squadron of Admiral Spiridov (in November 1769), the second appeared in the Mediterranean Sea in April of the following 1770. The squadron of Admiral Spiridov, with which gr. Fyodor Grigorievich Orlov, entered Turkish possessions and reached the shores of the Morea; On February 17, 1770, she arrived at Porto Vitello, where the Russian troops were joined by the Greek rebels, who had been waiting for them for a long time, and then by the entire available Greek army. Arcadia was soon taken, and the uprising spread throughout the Morea, where the number of rebel Greeks reached sixty thousand people. Meanwhile, the fleet from Vitello went to Coron, which was taken by gr. Eagle attack. On April 14, Count arrived at Coron. Alexey Grigorievich; shortly before that book. Dolgoruky and the Albanians approached the Navarino fortress. He could not, however, take it, since he needed a fleet, which was sent there by Fedor Orlov in the amount of two ships and one frigate with a landing party under the command of Brigadier Hannibal, to whom Navarin surrendered on April 10. The difficult task lay ahead of keeping Navarin in his hands; For this, the forces there were not enough, and Alexey Orlov, who arrived at Coron, moved the entire fleet there, which on April 18 approached the walls of the fortress. Count Alexey Grigorievich arrived at Navarino on a battleship and took command of the land and naval forces, who were there, with the rank of admiral general and commander in chief. Following this, he ordered the prince. Dolgoruky, sent with a detachment of troops to Modon, took possession of this city, since otherwise it would have been difficult to retain Navarino. But a strong Turkish detachment that came there to the rescue forced the prince. Dolgoruky lift the siege and hastily retreat to Navarino, abandoning all guns. Then, approaching Navarino and strongly pressing him, the Turks finally forced the commander-in-chief of the gr. Orlov blew up the fortress on the night of May 23, and on the 26th the ships left the bay. Meanwhile, Elphinstone's squadron, on the way to Morea, met the Turkish fleet heading to Navarino, and between them at Fr. Spezio and then in the Gulf of Napoli di Romagna a battle took place, after which the Turks fled under the walls of the fortress. Spiridov, notified of this, also came with his squadron to Fr. Spezio and the Turks, not wanting to accept the battle, withdrew, but Fr. Hydra found them moving from Navarino. A.G. Orlov, who, having united with the squadrons of Spiridov and Elphinston and took command of the fleet, decided to give the Turks a battle, which soon (June 24) took place near the port of Chesma. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Russian fleet, although not without losses on its part, forced the Turks to take refuge in the harbor, which killed them. By order of gr. A.G. Orlov, it was decided to attack the Turkish fleet; the attack was entrusted to Greig, who, with four ships and fireships, attacked the Turks on the night of June 26 and, despite strong fire, directed against him by the enemy, brilliantly carried out the assignment: the Turkish fleet burst into flames, and the Russian squadron, standing under cover, opened fire, making it impossible to either extinguish the fire or escape; almost the entire Turkish fleet was burned, the surviving crew and surviving ships were taken prisoner. For this victory gr. Alexey Grigorievich was awarded the Order of George, 1st class, in addition, the Empress allowed him to keep the Keizer flag with him for the rest of his life and raise it on ships, as well as place it in her coat of arms. News about Chesme victory made a huge impression not only in Turkey, but throughout Europe. In Turkey, they began to expect with horror the appearance of the Russian fleet in the Dardanelles, since Orlov sent Admiral Elphinstone to the island of Tenedos to invest the Dardanelles; another squadron was sent to Athens. Elphinstone, having captured the island of Tenedos, began to blockade the Dardanelles, which brought such fear to Turkey that the enemy squadron was afraid to leave the Dardanelles. The remaining ships of the Russian fleet began to maneuver between Candia and Zirich, collecting tribute from the islands of the Archipelago, a tribute that they had been paying until that time Ottoman Porte. In addition, Russian ships captured all ships carrying food and military supplies to the Turks and completely paralyzed the activities of the fleet. Turkey's position and military prestige immediately fell; internal turmoil weakened it even more. In some cities that lived mainly by transportation from the sea, due to the war, disease and famine began. In addition to all this, a “pestilence” was discovered in Smyrna, which, spreading quickly, with a lack of food supplies and the constant expectation of an attack from the Russians, brought the inhabitants to an extreme degree of despondency and poverty. In desperation, they finally decided to send to gr. Alexei Grigorievich Christian consuls, who were supposed to convey to him about the terrible situation of the inhabitants and ask him to spare their city, not allowing people to die of hunger; gr. Orlov assured them of complete safety from the Russian fleet. Dominating the sea, gr. Orlov captured many Egyptian, Algerian, Tunisian and Trypillian ships, which, not knowing about the defeats of the Turkish fleet, came to his aid. Gr. Alexey Grigorievich took possession of almost the entire Archipelago. Lemnos, Mytilene, Paros, Tan, Porto Cavello and others submitted to Russia. other islands. In view of such unfavorable conditions and the possibility of the appearance of a Russian fleet near Constantinople, the Turkish government made concessions and decided to ask for peace; it sought the mediation of other powers and he managed to achieve this from the Prussian king: Prince Henry of Prussia was sent to St. Petersburg for speedy reconciliation. Meanwhile, Alexey Grigorievich, feeling a strong deterioration in his health, together with his brother Fyodor, who was dangerously ill, left for Italy on the ship “Three Hierarchs” on November 12, 1770, surrendering command of the fleet to Admiral Spiridov; Leaving his brother in Messina, A.G. headed to Livorno. Here he had to stock up on everything necessary for the Russian fleet, in anticipation of a new campaign. Then, through Naples, he went to Prussia, where they were very interested in him and greeted him as a famous commander. Then he traveled to St. Petersburg, where he arrived on March 4, 1771. Solemnly received by the Empress, he was showered with her favors; By the way, she ordered a medal to be knocked out in his honor, on which, under the count’s portrait, was the inscription: “Gr. A.G. Orlov, winner and destroyer of the Turkish fleet.” The purpose of Orlov's trip was to change the plan peaceful conditions with Turkey, since Alexey Grigorievich found these conditions not profitable enough for Russia. Already on March 24 of the same year, Alexei Orlov unexpectedly left St. Petersburg. Having traveled through Austria to Italy, he, together with his brother Fedor, was received at the Cortona Academy, to which he donated much of the precious booty that the Russians received after the Battle of Chesme. Arriving in Livorno, gr. Orlov was soon forced to go to the Archipelago and on June 28 already arrived at the island of Paros with two ships and several small vessels. The fact is that the events that began at this time peace talks with Turkey, as a result of the intrigues of France, were interrupted by the Turkish government, but new successes of Russian weapons on land and successful actions of the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Spiridov, during the absence of gr. Orlov, forced Turkey to ask for peace again; Negotiations began, but had no success and were soon interrupted. Meanwhile, gr. reappeared in the Archipelago with a squadron. Alexey Grigorievich and the Russian fleet began to act even more energetically; By the way, in early November the Russians captured the Mytilene fortress. November 6 gr. A.G. Orlov returned to Paros and soon left for Livorno; Having stayed here for a short time, he left for Florence and, after visiting Pisa and Siena, came to Rome.
At the request of Turkey, the Empress agreed to begin peace negotiations again, for which a peace congress was opened in Focsani. At the same time, a truce was declared with Turkey. Taking advantage of this truce, the Turks began to heavily arm themselves, strengthen coastal points and adapt transport ships for military operations. Gr. Orlov, although he soon learned about all these preparations, did not take any hostile actions, not wanting to violate the truce. Meanwhile, the Turks, under the pretext of pacifying the rebellion near Damascus, equipped the Tunisian and Dulcinio squadrons, heavily armed the warships stationed in Rhodes, assembled large detachments at Chesma and along the Morean coast and prepared a large fleet for military operations in the Dardanelles. All this clearly showed that the peace negotiations started by Turkey were only an excuse to strengthen themselves during the truce and start a war again. Finally, gr. Orlov, having received news on September 19 about the breakdown of peace negotiations in Focsani and the end of the truce, immediately went to the fleet, deciding to prevent the Dulciniotsky enemy squadron from setting out at sea; To carry out this plan, he sent several armed ships to the Adriatic coast under the command of Major Gr. Voinovich; He instructed another small squadron, under the command of Captain von Desen, to occupy the island of Samos; in addition, several small ships went to Rhodes, Cyprus and the Egyptian shores to observe the enemy. Soon, Rear Admiral Greig landed near the Chesma fortress, attacked it from the sea, burned the suburb and took away all the ships found in the harbor. In turn, gr. Voinovich sent Captain Konyaev to meet the Dulciniotsky squadron, instructing him to prevent the connection of this squadron with the Tunisian one and not to let it into the Archipelago. Konyaev, having learned that the Dulciniots squadron, consisting of 24 frigates, was in the Gulf of Patros, immediately went there and, attacking, first inflicted a severe defeat on it and little by little, in a few days, completely destroyed it. Simultaneously with the destruction of the Dulciniot squadron, the Turks were defeated at Cairo and Bayrut. Türkiye was again forced to ask for peace. This time Catherine agreed to peace negotiations, which were resumed in Bucharest. The Congress convened on this occasion was also unsuccessful, mainly due to the intrigues of foreign powers, like Focsani. Military operations, however, soon resumed, although there were no major clashes during 1773 and 1774, until the conclusion (July 10, 1774). ) Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace, the Russian fleet only tried to disturb the Turks in the Archipelago. The Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace finally stopped hostilities between Russia and Turkey. Gr. A.G. Orlov remained very dissatisfied with the terms of the peace treaty. He dreamed of paving the way to the Dardanelles Strait and destroying Constantinople, but these bold plans were not destined to come true. Russian military leaders were generously awarded by the Empress. At the end of 1773 gr. Alexey Grigorievich arrived in St. Petersburg, on December 25 he left for Moscow and only at the beginning of March of the next year he returned from there to again go to the fleet in the Archipelago. After the conclusion of peace, gr. Alexei Orlov received for the victories he won four thousand souls of peasants for the Battle of Chesma, and the next year, on the anniversary of the conclusion of peace, 60,000 rubles of money, a silver service, a sword decorated with diamonds; in addition, he was allowed to add the nickname Chesmensky to his surname; in conclusion of all, in honor of the victories of gr. Alexei Grigorievich, an obelisk made of solid Ural marble was erected in Tsarskoye Selo, and a church was built seven miles from St. Petersburg in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist, celebrated on June 24 (the day of the extermination of the Turkish fleet); At this church, a magnificent building was built, called “Chesme”, which currently houses the Chesme almshouse. While military complications were gradually leading to favorable and beneficial results for Russia, the Empress was alarmed by the appearance of a dangerous impostor abroad. In December 1773, abroad, one adventurer began to pose as the daughter of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna from her marriage to Razumovsky. This news greatly alarmed Empress Catherine II, who, at the end of the war with Turkey, entrusted gr. Alexey Grigorievich to capture the dangerous impostor at all costs. This is the order of gr. Orlov received under the following circumstances. When the importance of the Orlovs at the court of the Empress began to decline, the party hostile to them began to set up networks of intrigue in which they wanted to catch the gr. Alexey Grigorievich. By the way, in September 1774, he received in Pisa from the so-called Princess of Vladimir a letter with an attached manifesto, marked August 7, 1774. This letter, together with the manifesto of gr. Orlov immediately sent it to the Empress, and she ordered the count to “catch the one who has put a name on herself at all costs” and deliver her to St. Petersburg; and since, according to rumors, the impostor was in Ragusa, the Empress allowed Orlov to approach Ragusa with a fleet and demand the extradition of the adventurer, and if the Senate of the Ragusa Republic refused this, then bombard the city. However, the capture went off without any complications. With the help of one of his agents, Mr. Orlov picked up the trail of the impostor in Rome; here she received from gr. Orlov's assurance that he recognizes her as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna; at the same time, she was informed that gr. Orlov allegedly offers her his hand and promises, having overthrown Empress Catherine, to elevate her to the Russian royal throne. Succumbing to false assurances, the impostor came on a date with gr. Orlov to Pisa, from where she was lured by cunning to Livorno, where the Russian squadron was stationed; under the pretext of showing the maneuvers of the fleet, the impostor was transported (February 20, 1775) to the admiral's ship "Three Hierarchs", on which she was arrested and taken to Kronstadt. Gr. A.G. Orlov did not remain in Italy for long after this: his cunning course of action caused displeasure among the Italians, and he, not without reason, feared attempts on his life; he soon left command of the fleet (without asking the Empress's permission in advance), left Italy and arrived in St. Petersburg by land on the day of the celebration of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace. At the Court of gr. Orlov was received coldly, since by that time the Empress had generally begun to move away from the Orlovs; She, in particular, lost interest in gr. A.G. Orlova for his mediation in marriage. book Pavel Petrovich with the Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt. This is a cooling of the Empress and, in general, a change in circumstances not in favor of the gr. Alexei Grigorievich was forced in November 1775 to turn to the Empress with a request for dismissal; On December 2 of the same year, he was dismissed “forever from all service,” and he was awarded a pension. Orlov went to Moscow and lived there the life of a disgraced nobleman. Having retired from service, Alexey Grigorievich devoted himself to economic activities, focusing his main attention on the stud farm that soon became famous. To St. Petersburg gr. Orlov came rarely, since his appearance there was unpleasant for those around the Empress and gave rise to rumors that were undesirable for him. With his brothers gr. Orlov maintained the most friendly relations and carried on extensive correspondence with them. In the summer of 1780, together with his brother Grigory and his wife, Alexey Grigorievich went abroad and settled in Spa. In 1782, he decided to marry E.N. Lopukhina, which he informed the Empress, who, in a handwritten letter dated April 28, congratulated him on his upcoming marriage. The wedding was solemnly celebrated in the count's village "Ostrov" near Moscow on May 6, 1782. Orlov's married life was short-lived: in 1786. his wife died, leaving him with one young daughter, the later famous Countess Anna Alekseevna. In 1787, when the second Turkish War , The Empress proposed gr. Alexei Grigorievich to take command of the fleet destined for departure to the Mediterranean Sea. Gr. Orlov refused such a flattering offer, citing his ill condition, but, however, on November 30 he arrived in St. Petersburg, where he was well received by the Empress and then visited Kronstadt, inspected the fleet, ready to sail; after that, he gave the Empress some instructions regarding the upcoming campaign, to which, however, the Empress reacted rather coldly. In January 1788, Alexey Grigorievich went back to Moscow. When news of the successes of the Russian fleet reached gr. Orlov, he congratulated the Empress on her victories. In 1791 gr. Orlov again arrived in St. Petersburg and attended the celebration of the day of accession to the Throne. In 1796, Alexey Grigorievich arrived in St. Petersburg, planning to go abroad from here. He stayed here, however, for quite a long time due to the illness of his brother Fyodor Grigorievich. This delay changed the count's life for several years, since while he was in St. Petersburg, Empress Catherine II unexpectedly died. The trip abroad had to be postponed, since Emperor Paul, who ascended the Throne, belonged to the gr. Orlov is very unfavorable. By order of the Emperor, gr. When transferring the body of Emperor Peter III from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Alexei Grigorievich had to carry the crown of the Emperor he had overthrown. Soon after this, Mr. Orlov, however, managed to go abroad, where he lived throughout the short reign of Emperor Paul. He settled in Leipzig, from where he often traveled to Carlsbad, where he sometimes stayed for a long time. Not considered an emigrant, he maintained relations with Russia, disposing of his numerous estates; he was, however, deprived of his pension and, despite persistent requests for it, they responded to them with silence. In 1801, with the onset of a new reign, gr. Alexey Grigorievich returned to Moscow and settled near the Donskoy Monastery in his Neskuchny. He lived quietly the rest of his days in Moscow and on his estates near Moscow; By the way, in the year of his death he took over the zemstvo militia of several provinces under his command. He showed a lot of energy in the formation of the militia of the fifth region and received a favorable rescript from the Emperor on October 26, 1807. However, he was not destined to bear the responsibilities of commander-in-chief of the V Region for long, since on December 24 of the same 1807 he died in terrible agony in Moscow. He was buried on his estate near Moscow, from where, a long time later, his daughter Countess Anna Alekseevna transported his ashes to the Novogorod Yuryev Monastery and only in 1896, thanks to the petition of Count. A.V. Orlov-Davydov, his remains were transported to the Otrada estate, Serpukhov district, Moscow province.
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