Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich (1783-1844), count, Russian military man and statesman.
Born on June 23 (July 4), 1783 in St. Petersburg into a noble family, whose ancestors moved to the 16th century. from Brandenburg to Livonia. Son of H.I. Benckendorf, infantry general and military governor of Riga under Paul I, and A.Yu. Schilling von Kanstadt, childhood friend of Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Seeing the powerful ruler of a sixth of the world sitting in front of me on the bare ground with a broken shoulder, whom no one served except me, I was involuntarily struck by this visual picture of the vanity and insignificance of earthly majesty. The same thought occurred to the Emperor, and we talked about it with that religious feeling that such a moment involuntarily inspired. We had to get there on foot. (about Tsar Nicholas I)
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich
He received his education at the Jesuit boarding school of Abbot Nokol in St. Petersburg. Military service began in 1798 as a non-commissioned officer in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. In December 1798, he received the rank of ensign and became the aide-de-camp of Paul I. In 1803-1804, under the command of P.D. Tsitsianov, he took part in military operations in the Caucasus; distinguished himself during the capture of Ganja and in battles with the Lezgins; awarded with orders St. Anna 4th degree and St. Vladimir 4th degree.
In 1804 he was sent to the island. Corfu, where he formed a light infantry battalion (Albanian Legion) from the Albanians who fled here for the planned military expedition against the French in Southern Italy. In the war of the Fourth Coalition with Napoleon in 1806-1807, he served as an adjutant under the duty general P.A. Tolstoy; showed courage in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau on January 26-27 (February 7-8), 1807; awarded the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree and promoted to captain and then colonel of the Semenovsky regiment. After the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit in June 1807, he was at the Russian embassy in France.
In 1809, at his own request, he was transferred to the Moldavian army, which fought on the Danube against the Turks (Russian-Turkish War of 1806-1812); commanded separate cavalry detachments; participated in the siege of Brailov (April-May 1809) and Silistria (October 1809); for bravery in the battle of Rushchuk on June 22 (July 4), 1811, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
During the Patriotic War of 1812 he commanded the vanguard of the flying corps F.F. Vintzingerode; in the battle of Velizh on July 27 (August 8) he led a successful attack on the French positions; promoted to major general. At the end of August he became the de facto leader of the detachment. On September 14 (26), Volokolamsk was recaptured from the enemy. After Napoleon left Moscow, he was appointed temporary commandant of the city on October 10 (22). Under the leadership of P.V. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, he participated in the persecution Great Army to the Neman.
In the Foreign Campaign of 1813-1814 he commanded a separate flying cavalry detachment. During spring campaign 1813 won the battle of Tempelberg (awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree), forced the surrender of three French battalions in Furstenwald, together with the corps of A.I. Chernyshev entered Berlin, crossed the Elbe and captured Verbena. During the summer-autumn campaign of 1813 he fought as part of Northern Army allies; participated in the battles of Gross Beren on August 11 (23) and Dennewitz on August 25 (September 6), successfully covered the march allied forces to Leipzig (awarded with a golden saber studded with diamonds), commanded the left wing of F.F. Wintzingerode’s cavalry in the “Battle of the Nations” on October 4-7 (16-19) and led the vanguard during the attack on Kassel.
At the end of 1814 he was sent to Holland with his detachment; liberated Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Breda from the French. Then he invaded Belgium; took Louvain and Mechelen. During the final campaign in France in January-March 1814 he fought as part of the Silesian army; after the battle of Craon on February 23 (March 7), he skillfully covered Blucher’s retreat to Laon.
No, it is not the peasants who need to be punished, but the serving people who need to be replaced. I answer for this with my own head.
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benckendorff (born Alexander von Benckendorff) (1782-1844) - Russian military leader, cavalry general; chief of gendarmes and at the same time Chief boss III department of His Own Imperial Majesty chancellery (1826-1844).
Brother of Konstantin Benckendorff and Dorothea Lieven.
Came from noble family Benckendorffov.
Botman, Egor Ivanovich - Portrait of Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf
FIRST GENDARME OF RUSSIA
Footprints government activities The Benckendorffs are led to the Kaluga province, where they were family estates. The most famous of the gendarmes of Russia was the eldest of four children of the general from the infantry, the Riga civil governor in 1796-1799, Christopher Ivanovich Benckendorff and Baroness Anna-Juliana Schelling von Kanstadt.
His great-grandfather, the German Johann Benckendorff, was burgomaster in Riga and elevated to the dignity of nobility by King Charles of Sweden.
His grandfather Johann-Michael Benckendorff, in Russian Ivan Ivanovich, was lieutenant general and chief commandant of Revel. The Benckendorffs' approach to the Russian throne is connected with him, who died with the rank of lieutenant general.
After the death of Ivan Ivanovich, Catherine II, in memory of 25 years of “unblemished service in the Russian army,” made his widow Sophia Elizabeth, née Riegeman von Levenstern, the teacher of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich.
She remained in this role for four years, which was enough to play big role in the fate and career of future grandchildren.
Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf was born on June 23, 1783. Thanks to the palace connections of his grandmother and mother, who came to Russia from Denmark in the retinue of the future Empress Maria Feodorovna, his career was determined immediately.
At the age of 15, the young man was enrolled as a non-commissioned officer in the privileged Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. His promotion to lieutenant also followed very quickly. In this rank he became the aide-de-camp of Paul I.
However, the favorable prospects associated with the honorary position of aide-de-camp to the emperor did not last long.
In 1803, the unpredictable Pavel sent him to the Caucasus, which was not even remotely reminiscent of the diplomatic voyages to Germany, Greece and the Mediterranean, where the emperor sent the young Benckendorff.
The Caucasus with its grueling and bloody war with the mountaineers became a real test of courage and the ability to lead people, which Benckendorff passed with dignity. For the equestrian attack during the assault on the Ganji fortress, he was awarded the Orders of St. Anne and St. Vladimir, IV degree.
Caucasian battles soon gave way to European ones. In the Prussian campaign of 1806-1807 for the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, Benckendorff was promoted to captain and then to colonel.
Then followed Russian-Turkish wars under the command Cossack chieftain M.I. Platov, the hardest battles during the crossing of the Danube, the capture of Silistria.
In 1811, Benckendorff, at the head of two regiments, made a desperate foray from the Lovchi fortress to the Rushchuk fortress through enemy territory. This breakthrough brings him "George" of the IV degree.
In the first weeks of the Napoleonic invasion, Benckendorff commanded the vanguard of the Baron Vinzengorod detachment; on July 27, under his leadership, the detachment carried out a brilliant attack at Velizh. After the liberation of Moscow from the enemy, Benckendorff was appointed commandant of the devastated capital. During the period of persecution of the Napoleonic army, he captured three generals and more than 6,000 Napoleonic soldiers.
In the campaign of 1813, at the head of “flying” detachments, he defeated the French at Tempelberg, for which he was awarded “St. George” III degree, then forced the enemy to surrender Furstenwald.
Soon he and his squad were already in Berlin. For the unparalleled courage shown during the three-day cover of the passage of Russian troops to Dessau and Roskau, he was awarded a golden saber with diamonds.
Next - a swift raid to Holland and complete destruction there the enemy, then Belgium - his detachment took the cities of Louvain and Mecheln, where 24 guns and 600 British prisoners were captured from the French. Then, in 1814, there was Luttikh, the battle of Krasnoye, where he commanded the entire cavalry of Count Vorontsov.
The awards followed one after another - in addition to "George" III and IV degrees, also "Anna" I degree, "Vladimir", several foreign orders. He had three swords for his bravery.
He finished the war with the rank of major general. In this rank, in March 1819, Benckendorf was appointed chief of staff of the Guards Corps.
However, the impeccable reputation of a warrior for the Fatherland, which placed Alexander Khristoforovich among outstanding military leaders, did not bring him the glory among his fellow citizens that accompanied the participants in the Patriotic War.
Portrait of Alexander Khristoforovich Benckendorff by George Dow.
Military gallery Winter Palace, State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg)
His portrait in the famous gallery of heroes of 1812 causes undisguised surprise among many.
But he was a brave warrior and a talented military leader. Although there are many human destinies in history in which one half of life cancels the other. Benckendorff's life - bright that example.
He was one of the first to understand what the “ferment of minds” could lead to, the reasoning and thoughts that matured in officer meetings. In September 1821, a note about secret societies ah, existing in Russia, and about the “Union of Prosperity”.
It expressed the idea of the need to create a special body in the state that could keep the mood of public opinion and stop illegal activities.
The author also named by name those in whose minds the spirit of freethinking settled. And this circumstance related the note to a denunciation.
A sincere desire to prevent the disorder of an existing public order and the hope that Alexander would understand the essence of what was written was not justified.
What Alexander said about the participation of secret societies is well known: “It’s not for me to judge them.”
It looked noble: the emperor himself was free-thinking, planning extremely bold reforms.
But Benckendorf’s act was far from noble.
On December 1, 1821, the irritated emperor removed Benckendorff from command of the Guards headquarters, appointing him commander of the Guards Cuirassier Division. This was a clear disgrace. Benckendorff, in a vain attempt to understand what caused it, wrote to Alexander again.
Little did he realize that the emperor was offended by this paper and taught him a lesson.
A few months later the emperor passed away. And on December 14, 1825, St. Petersburg exploded with an uprising Senate Square. What became perhaps the most sublime and romantic page of Russian history did not seem so to the witnesses of that memorable December day.
Eyewitnesses write about the city numb with horror, about direct fire volleys into the dense ranks of the rebels, about those who fell dead face down into the snow, about streams of blood flowing onto the Neva ice. Then - about screwed-up soldiers, hanged officers, exiled to the mines.
But it was precisely those tragic days that laid the foundation for the trust and friendly affection of the new Emperor Nicholas I and Benckendorff.
On the morning of December 14, having learned about the riot, Nikolai told Alexander Khristoforovich:
"Tonight we may both be no more in the world, but at least we will die having fulfilled our duty."
On the day of the riot, General Benckendorff commanded government troops located on Vasilyevsky Island. Then he was a member of the Investigative Commission on the Decembrist case.
The cruel lesson taught to the emperor on December 14 was not in vain. Unlike his royal brother, Nicholas I carefully read the old “note” and found it very useful. After the reprisal against the Decembrists, which cost him many dark moments, the young emperor tried in every possible way to eliminate possible repetitions of this in the future. And, I must say, not in vain. A contemporary of those events, N. S. Shchukin, wrote about the atmosphere prevailing in Russian society after December 14: “The general mood of the minds was against the government, and the sovereign was not spared. Young people sang abusive songs, rewrote outrageous poems, scolding the government was considered a fashionable conversation. Some preached constitution, other republic..."
Benckendorff's project was, in fact, a program for creating in Russia political police.
In January 1826, Benckendorff presented Nikolai with a “Project on the structure of the higher police,” in which he wrote about what qualities its chief should have and the need for his unconditional unity of command. Alexander Khristoforovich explained why it is useful for society to have such an institution: “Villains, intriguers and narrow-minded people, having repented of their mistakes or trying to atone for their guilt by denunciation, will at least know where to turn.”
The system created by Benckendorff state security was not particularly complicated and practically eliminated possible malfunctions.
All government agencies and organizations were obliged to provide assistance to people “in blue uniforms.” The brain center of the entire system was the Third Department, an institution designed to carry out secret supervision of society, and Benckendorf was appointed its head.
Employees of the service entrusted to Benckendorf delved into the activities of ministries, departments, and committees. To provide the emperor with a clear picture of what was happening in the empire, Benckendorff, based on numerous reports from his employees, compiled an annual analytical report, likening it topographic map, warning where there is a swamp and where there is an abyss.
With his characteristic scrupulousness, Alexander Khristoforovich divided Russia into 8 state districts. Each has from 8 to 11 provinces. Each district has its own gendarmerie general.
In each province there is a gendarmerie department. And all these threads converged in St. Petersburg at the corner of the Moika and Gorokhovaya embankments, at the headquarters of the Third Department.
The first conclusions and generalizations soon followed. Benckendorff points the emperor to the true autocrats Russian state- on bureaucrats.
“Theft, meanness, misinterpretation of laws - this is their craft,” he reports to Nikolai. “Unfortunately, they are the ones who rule...”.
But Benckendorff not only reported, he analyzed the actions of the government in order to understand what exactly irritated the public. In his opinion, the Decembrist rebellion was the result of the “deceived expectations” of the people. Therefore, he believed, public opinion must be respected, “it cannot be imposed, it must be followed... You cannot put it in prison, but by pressing it, you will only drive it to bitterness.”
The range of issues considered by the Third Department was very wide. They also concerned state security, police investigation, matters of politics, state, and education.
In 1838, the chief of the Third Department indicated the need for construction railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, in 1841 notes big problems in the field of health care, in 1842 he warned of general dissatisfaction with the high customs tariff, in 1843 - of “murmurs about recruitment”.
After the crash of the imperial carriage near Penza, in which he was traveling with the sovereign, Alexander Khristoforovich became one of the closest dignitaries of Nicholas I, constantly accompanying him on trips around Russia and abroad.
In 1826 he was appointed commander of the Imperial Headquarters, a senator, and from 1831 a member of the Committee of Ministers.
In 1832, the sovereign elevated Alexander Khristoforovich to the title of count, which, due to the count’s lack of male offspring, was extended to his own nephew, Konstantin Konstantinovich. Nikolai had an exceptionally high regard for Benckendorff.
“He did not quarrel with anyone, but reconciled me with many,” the emperor once said. There were few people who corresponded to this description near the Russian tsars.
By nature, Count Benckendorff was amorous and had a lot of novels. About the famous actress Mademoiselle Georges, the subject of Napoleon’s own passion, it was said that her appearance in St. Petersburg from 1808 to 1812 was connected not so much with the tour, but with the search for Benckendorff, who allegedly promised to marry her.
Count A.Kh. Benckendorff with his wife
Rice. Ate. Rigby, 1840
First bad marriage Alexander Khristoforovich married Elizaveta Andreevna Bibikova at the age of 37. The count's second marriage was to Sofia Elizaveta (Sofya Ivanovna) Riegeman von Löwenstern, who was the teacher of the Grand Dukes, the future emperors Alexander and Nicholas.
Alexander Khristoforovich understood everything negative sides of your profession. It is no coincidence that he wrote in his “Notes” that during a serious illness that happened to him in 1837, he was pleasantly surprised that his house “became a gathering place for the most diverse society,” and most importantly, “completely independent in its position.” .
“Given the position that I held, this served, of course, as the most brilliant report for my 11-year management, and I think that I was perhaps the first of all the chiefs of the secret police who was feared to death...”
Benckendorff never indulged in much joy about the power he had. Apparently, both natural intelligence and life experience and the personal goodwill of the emperor taught him to be above circumstances.
One day, near Penza, at a sharp turn, the carriage in which he was traveling with the sovereign overturned. The crash was serious: the coachman and adjutant lay unconscious. Nikolai was severely crushed by the carriage. Benckendorf was thrown to the side. He ran up and lifted the carriage as much as possible so that the emperor could get out. He continued to lie there and said that he could not move: his shoulder was probably broken.
Benckendorff saw that Nikolai was losing consciousness from pain. He found a bottle of wine in his luggage, poured it into a mug, and forced him to drink it.
“Seeing the most powerful ruler sitting in front of me on the bare ground with a broken shoulder... I was involuntarily struck by this visual scene of the insignificance of earthly majesty.
The Emperor had the same thought, and we got to talking about it..."
It is known that Nicholas I volunteered to take over the censorship of Pushkin’s work, whose genius he was fully aware of.
For example, after reading negative review Bulgarin addressed to the poet, the emperor wrote to Benckendorff:
“I forgot to tell you, dear Friend, that in today’s issue of “Northern Bee” there is again an unfair and pamphlet article directed against Pushkin: therefore, I propose that you call on Bulgarin and forbid him from now on to publish any criticism of literary works Pushkin".
And yet, in 1826-1829, the Third Department actively carried out secret surveillance of the poet. Benckendorff personally investigated a very unpleasant case for Pushkin “about the distribution of “Andrei Chenier” and “Gabrieliad”.
Benckendorff's widely introduced illustration of private letters in the 1930s literally infuriated the poet.
“The police print out letters from a husband to his wife and bring them to the Tsar (a well-bred and local man) to read, and the Tsar is not ashamed to admit it...”
These lines were written as if in the expectation that both the Tsar and Benckendorff would read them. Hard service, however, powerful of the world this, and it is unlikely that the words of a man whose exceptionalism both recognized slipped past without touching either the heart or consciousness.
Hornbeam in Keile-Joe (Schloss Fall)
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf died on a ship carrying him from Germany, where he was undergoing a course of long-term treatment, to his homeland. He was over sixty.
The wife was waiting for the count in Falle, their family estate near Revel (now Tallinn). The ship had already brought a dead man. This was the first grave in their cozy estate.
In his study at Fall Castle, he kept a wooden fragment left over from the coffin of Alexander I, embedded in bronze in the form of a mausoleum.
Karl Kolman "Riot on Senate Square".
On the wall, in addition to portraits of sovereigns, hung Kolman’s famous watercolor “Riot on Senate Square.”
The boulevard, generals with plumes, soldiers with white belts on dark uniforms, a monument to Peter the Great in cannon smoke...
Something did not let go of the count if he held this picture before his eyes. There may be repentance, or there may be pride for the saved fatherland...
“The most accurate and unmistakable judgment of the public about the chief of gendarmes will be at the time when he is gone,” Benckendorff wrote about himself. But he hardly imagined how distant this time would be...
The farther the 19th century is from us, the more discoveries we are now making. Everyone for themselves! The teaching of history in schools of the USSR was set at a very high level. good level, however, very often heroes were made into villains, and villains into heroes. The current time provides an opportunity to look at the biographies of many famous personalities of the 19th century from a different perspective. "The torturer of A.S. Pushkin" - the count, head of the III department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery, chief of gendarmes, was, in the apt expression of the very exalted English artist and writer Elizabeth Rigby, who visited the Fall estate in 1840, " a man who knew and kept all the secrets of Russia "But not only: Alexander Khristoforovich was also a gallant warrior, general, hero of the war of 1812; commandant of Moscow, after Napoleon left the half-burnt and plundered city in disgrace; personal friend of Emperor Nicholas I, the only person who could speak to the monarch "you"; a traveler(!) who traveled with secret mission by the will of Emperor Alexander I" for the purpose of military-strategic inspection of the Asian and European Russia "and even looked into China; a womanizer who loved beautiful women and who does not deny himself, even if he has a legal wife, to court the opera diva that he likes, or a corps dancer, or a lady from the empress’s court retinue; and he also wrote memoirs - as many as 18 notebooks about the reign of Alexander I and Nicholas I were left to us as a legacy by this man.
Egor Botman Copy from a painting by F. Kruger. Portrait of A.Kh. Benckendorff in the uniform of the Life Guards Gendarme half-squadron 1840
Benckendorff, noble and count family, descended from knights Teutonic Order, received in early XIV centuries of land in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Centuries later, the Benckendorffs will faithfully serve Russia and for this they will receive honors and glory from the hands of the emperors themselves. Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf, elevated to the title of count in 1832 Russian Empire dignity, laid the foundation for the count branch of this family.
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf had his own life story, worthy of many articles and books being written about it. Small excerpt from the article Ancient legends of Staraya Vodolaga will tell about Him and Her, about them - the Benkendorf spouses. Well, portraits and engravings will help you see both Him and Her, and those who surrounded “the man who kept all the secrets of Russia”...
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Love story
He
The future head of the Secret Chancellery and the “strangler of freedom” was born into a family close to the throne: his mother was the best friend of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, the wife of the heir to the throne, Paul. The boy was born in Montbellian, grew up in St. Petersburg, and was brought up in a private boarding school in Bayreuth. At first he was known as an incredible fighter, and then as a passionate admirer of women, and was forced to leave the boarding school without finishing his studies, precisely for this reason. He was identified junior officer to the privileged Semenovsky regiment. The hero-lover Benckendorff did not distinguish between a society lady, a young servant or the wife of a valet, which displeased Maria Fedorovna, who patronized him. It was decided to send the young rogue on an inspection trip along the borders of the Russian Empire. Contrary to expectations, Benckendorf readily agreed, diligently kept a journal of the trip, and in the Caucasus, with the permission of the leadership, remained in order to volunteer in the Caucasian corps and “improve in martial art" From the Caucasus, already awarded two orders, he goes to the island of Corfu to defend the Greeks from Napoleon, then as a diplomat he shuttles between Paris, Vienna and St. Petersburg, not forgetting love affairs. He returns to Russia with another passion - the famous French actress Mademoiselle Georges. He even thought about marrying her, but she preferred another suitor.
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf Engraving from watercolor by P. Sokolov
Since 1809, Alexander Benckendorf has been actively involved in hostilities - first in Moldova against the Turks, and then in Patriotic War 1812. He led one of the famous “flying” (partisan) detachments, was the commandant of the newly liberated Moscow, participated in the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig and the foreign campaign of the Russian army of 1813-1814. He was awarded many orders - both Russian, Swedish, Prussian and Dutch. From the Regent of Great Britain he received a golden saber with the inscription “For the exploits of 1813.”
George Dow Portrait of General A.H. Benckendorff Gallery of 1812 in the Hermitage
A rake, a dandy, a brilliant officer and an experienced womanizer - this is how he came to Kharkov in 1816 on official business. And I heard a half-question and half-statement: “Of course, you will be with Maria Dmitrievna Dunina?” Next, we should give the floor to the descendant of the chief of gendarmes, on the one hand, and the Decembrist, on the other, Sergei Volkonsky: “ He went. They are sitting in the living room; the door opens and a woman of such extraordinary beauty enters with two little girls that Benckendorff, who was as absent-minded as he was amorous, immediately knocked over a magnificent Chinese vase. When the situation became clearer, Maria Dmitrievna found it necessary to collect information. A maid of honor to Catherine the Great and in correspondence with Empress Maria Feodorovna, she turned to no less than the highest source for information. The Empress sent an image instead of a certificate».
She
Who was she - that beauty, because of whom the Chinese vase was damaged, and, seeing whom, Benckendorf, who had seen women in his life, lost his head? Elizaveta Andreevna Donets-Zakharzhevskaya, the daughter of Maria Dmitrievna’s sister, belonged to the same local nobility.
Elizaveta Andreevna Donets-Zakharzhevskaya, after Bibikov’s first husband - future wife OH. Benckendorff
A lovely blond twenty-nine-year-old widow (her husband, Major General Pavel Bibikov, died in the War of 1812, leaving her alone with two daughters), guessing the intentions of the visiting seducer, staunchly defended herself. And he seriously fell in love. Alexander Benkendorf by this time was already thirty-four years old. Since the fortress did not surrender, there was only one way out for the old bachelor - to get married. And Elizaveta Andreevna made the right choice: Alexander Benkendorf became a real father for her two daughters - Ekaterina and Elena, who inherited her mother’s beauty and was subsequently considered the first St. Petersburg beauty.
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Elizabeth Rigby Spouses Benckendorf - Elizaveta Andreevna and Alexander Khristoforovich
They married in 1817. 10 years later, at its peak career takeoff, Benckendorf buys the Fall manor (the territory of modern Estonia) and builds a castle there, which, he hoped, will become the “family nest” of the Benckendorffs. However, he and Elizaveta Andreevna only have girls - Anna, Maria and the younger Sofia. Either the lack of sons and heirs played a role, or, following the old saying “Gray hair, devil in the rib,” the venerable head of the family again took up the old ways. Elizaveta Andreevna knew about his tricks, but remained silent, not wanting to wash dirty linen in public. She lived in Falle, a place of wondrous beauty. The famous English artist Elizabeth Rigby came there and left their portrait as a souvenir for the owners; Tyutchev stayed there, gaining poetic inspiration, the famous landscape painters Vorobyov and Fricke worked, and the famous singer Henrietta Sontag performed. Emperor Nicholas came to Fall twice and even planted several trees with his own hands. In September 1844, the body of Alexander Benkendorf was brought there - he died on the way home. Elizaveta Andreevna lived another thirteen years. Both of them are buried in Falle.
Women of his life
As mentioned above, Alexander Khristoforovich loved women very much and there were many of them in his life. Moreover, all these women were outstanding and worthy. Starting from the sister of the chief of gendarmes and ending with his daughter...
Sir Thomas Lawrence Portrait of Daria (Dorothea) Khristoforovna Lieven 1814
Liven Daria Khristoforovna (1785-1857) – countess, sister of the chief of gendarmes Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf, agent of the Russian intelligence service. Was brought up in Smolny Institute, after which she was appointed maid of honor Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I. In 1800 she married Count Christopher Andreevich Lieven (Khristofor Heinrich von Lieven), as a result of which she was in close relations with the reigning family. Since 1809, she accompanied her husband on his diplomatic assignments, where she began her intelligence career, being in constant correspondence with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Karl Vasilyevich Nesselrode (Karl Robert von Nesselrode), for example, the information she collected helped Alexander I correctly formulate Russian position at the Congress of Vienna in 1814. Her sharp mind and magical charm attracted men - for almost a decade she was the mistress of the Austrian Foreign Minister Klemens Metternich, transmitting information received from him to the Russian Court. During one of the conversations about the successes of the Third Section, Nicholas I expressed his satisfaction to the chief of gendarmes, noting that his “ over time, my sister went from an attractive girl to a statesman”.
Louis Contat and Henri-Louis Riesener Portraits of Mademoiselle Georges, actress of the Comédie Française
Fifteen-year-old Frenchwoman Marguerite-Joséphine Weimer made her debut in 1802 at the famous Comedie Française theater under the pseudonym Mademoiselle Georges, taken from her father's name. Talent, ancient beauty, luxurious figure and gorgeous voice quickly made her the queen of the stage. Her fame was so great that Napoleon himself could not resist the actress, whose mistress Georges was before meeting... with Alexander I. And she was also allegedly carried away by our hero, Alexander Khristoforovich, and according to legend, it was him that Mademoiselle Georges was looking for in Russia when in 1808 she visited St. Petersburg.
Joseph Stieler Portrait of Amalia Krüdener 1828
Amalia is the illegitimate daughter of Count Maximilian Lerchenfeld and Princess Therese of Thurn-und-Taxis. In 1825 Amalia married in Munich Russian diplomat Baron Alexander Krudener. A passionate admirer of the young baroness was Count A.Kh. Benckendorf. The employees of Section III were languishing under Amalia's yoke. Amalia's influence on Benckendorff was so great that, at her insistence, he secretly converted to Catholicism. According to the laws of the Russian Empire, where Orthodoxy was state religion, such an act was punishable by hard labor. (The secret was revealed only after the death of Alexander Khristoforovich). It was to this woman that he dedicated his beautiful poem F.I., in love with her Tyutchev... "I met you."
M. de Caraman Anna Alexandrovna Benckendorff Engraving of Wittmann from a portrait
Countess Benckendorff Anna Alexandrovna (1818-1900), married Countess Apponyi, the eldest daughter of A. X. Benckendorff. She was the ambassador's wife and lived in Paris, London, and Rome for many years. She had an amazingly beautiful voice and became the first public performer of the Russian anthem “God Save the Tsar!”
On June 25, 1826, six months after the Decembrist uprising, the highest order established the position of chief of gendarmes. Of course, the author of the police project, Lieutenant General Benkendorf, was appointed to this post. They tried not to inflate the administrative structures, knowing that the bureaucrats were only getting in the way. Therefore, under the chief of gendarmes there were only sixteen people, who very successfully and effectively managed the peace officers. There are SIXTEEN in total, and how many are sitting on your neck now? Russian people all sorts of supposedly leaders? And there are countless numbers of them.
Emperor Nicholas I
Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf
October 5 (September 23, old style) 1844, returning to Russia from abroad on sea ship on o. Dago, not far from Revel, Alexander Khristoforovich died. This is how Baron Modest Andreevich Korf, who personally knew Benkendorf, wrote about his death: " Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf died in full memory. Before his death, he bequeathed to his nephew, his aide-de-camp, Count Benckendorff, who accompanied him, to seek forgiveness from his wife for all the griefs caused to her and asks her, as a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, to remove the ring from his hand and wear it on herself, which was subsequently done . He bequeathed his entire wardrobe to the valet, but when the count died, the unscrupulous one released only a torn sheet to cover his body, in which the deceased lay not only on the ship, but also for almost a whole day in the Revel Domkirche, until the widow arrived from Fall. The first night, before her arrival, only two gendarmerie soldiers remained with the body lying in this rags, and the whole church was illuminated by two tallow candles! Eyewitnesses told me this. The last rites took place in the Orangery, because there is a Russian church in Fall, but no Lutheran one. The will of the Emperor was conveyed to the pastor to mention in the sermon how fatal he considers this year to be for himself, due to the loss of his daughter and friend! The deceased was buried in Fall in a place chosen and appointed by him during his lifetime."
Grave of A.Kh. Benckendorf at his estate in Falle, Estonia
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Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf
Russia's past was amazing, its present is more than magnificent, and as for its future, it is beyond anything that the wildest imagination can imagine.
Alexander Benkendorf
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich (1783-1844), count (1832), Russian military leader and statesman.
Born on July 4, 1783 in the family of a Livonian nobleman. He began his service in 1798 as a non-commissioned officer of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, fought in the Caucasus (1803), participated in Napoleonic Wars(1806-1807), in the Turkish campaign (1809). In the Patriotic War of 1812 he showed outstanding qualities military general, fought in a partisan detachment, received the rank of major general, and was the commandant of Moscow.
In 1819, Benckendorf was promoted to adjutant general and appointed chief of staff guards corps. In 1821, he submitted two memos to Alexander I: on secret societies and on the organization of the secret police, but the emperor ignored the reports.
On December 14, 1825, Benckendorf commanded part of the government troops, then was appointed a member of the commission of inquiry into the Decembrist case. Nicholas I appreciated Benckendorff's zeal, appointing him chief of the gendarmes and head of the created Third Department of His Imperial Majesty's own chancellery.
In addition to his various official duties, the emperor entrusted Benckendorff with censorship of the works of A. S. Pushkin. Wanting to create not a despised community of spies, but a respected and authoritative police ministry in the interests of the public good, Benckendorff invited employees from all walks of life to serve in his service. But the excessive censorship strictness and extremely harsh attitude towards everyone who seemed politically dangerous to Benckendorff did not arouse sympathy either for him or for his department.
As commander of the Headquarters, Benckendorff became confidant Nicholas I and constantly accompanied him on trips around Russia and abroad.
In 1832 Benckendorff received the title of count.
General of the cavalry, chief of the gendarmes and at the same time the Chief Head of the III Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery. Originally from Denmark.
Alexander Benkendorf He was educated at the Jesuit boarding school of Abbot Nicolas in St. Petersburg.
Repeatedly participated in wars waged by Russia.
During the Decembrist uprising, he commanded part of the government troops, and later entered
to the Investigative Commission on the Decembrist case.
“A formal reason for colleagues to look at Benckendorff from a different angle, was a clash with the commander of the Preobrazhensky regiment K.K. Kirch. Concerned about the interest that the guards youth are showing in revolutionary events, taking place in Spain, Benckendorff ordered Kirch to prepare a detailed memo on “dangerous conversations.” He refused, saying that he did not want to be an informer. The Chief of the Guards Staff angrily kicked him out the door.
The officers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment learned about what had happened, and, of course, strongly condemned Benckendorf’s initiative. There could simply be no justification for this act; not only was denunciation not in honor, but the main thing was that the spirit of freethinking brought from foreign trips, literally bubbled among people in uniforms, and even more than among civilians.
Several months passed, and the so-called “Semyonov story” broke out. Cruelty towards subordinates F.E. Schwartz, the commander of Benckendorf’s native regiment, was outraged not only by the soldiers, but also by the officers. The uprising of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment lasted only two days - from October 16 to 18, 1820, but this was enough to bury the government’s confidence in the absolute devotion of not only the guards, but also the majority of the army people.
Benckendorf was one of the first to understand what the “ferment of minds” could lead to, those reasonings, disputes and plans that matured in the core of close officer meetings. In September 1821, on the table of the emperor Alexander I a note was written about the secret societies existing in Russia, and in particular about the “Union of Welfare”. It was analytical in nature: the author examined the reasons that accompanied the emergence of secret societies, their tasks and goals. Here the idea was expressed about the need to create a special body in the state that could keep the mood of public opinion under supervision, and if necessary, then suppress illegal activities. But among other things, in it the author named by name those in whose minds the spirit of freethinking settled. And this circumstance connected the note with a denunciation.”
Tretyakova L., Another truth, magazine “Around the World”, 2001, No. 1, p. 69-70.
In 1826 OH. Benckendorf already submitted a note Nicholas I about the project for establishing a special police force, after which the Emperor appointed him chief of the gendarme corps, and a little later - head of the III department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery.
"Project Benckendorff was, in essence, a program for creating a political police in Russia. What was to be done? Study political investigation, mining necessary information, suppression of the activities of persons who oppose the regime. When the question of what exactly the political commission would do was decided, another question arose - who would do the investigation, collect information and suppress illegal actions. Benckendorff answered the king - gendarmes.
Created Benckendorf the system was not particularly complex, which, in his opinion, practically eliminated possible malfunctions and ensured maximum efficiency. Think tank- Third department with number of employees 72 Human.
Benckendorff selected them meticulously, according to three main criteria - honesty, intelligence, good-naturedness. Employees of the entrusted Benckendorff services delved into the activities of ministries, departments, and committees. The assessment of the functioning of all structures was based on one condition: they should not overshadow the interests of the state. To provide the Emperor with a clear picture of what was happening in the empire, Benckendorff, based on numerous reports from his employees, compiled an annual analytical report, likening it to a topographical map, warning where there is a swamp and where there is an abyss.
With his usual scrupulousness Alexander Khristoforovich divided Russia into 8 state districts. Each has from 8 to 11 provinces. Each district has its own gendarmerie general. In each province there is a gendarmerie department. And all these threads converged in an ocher-colored building on the corner of the Moika and Gorokhovaya embankments, at the headquarters of the Third Department. The gendarme corps was conceived as an elite one, providing solid material support.
In July 1826, the Third Department was created - an institution designed to carry out secret supervision of the society, and Benckendorff was appointed its head. In April 1827, the Emperor signed a decree organizing the Corps of Gendarmes with the rights of an army. Benckendorff became his commander.
Chief officer of the Life Guards of the Gendarmerie Half-Squadron. First quarter of the 19th century Benckendorff managed to negotiate the independence of its structure. Civil authorities Not had the right to interfere or influence the activities of local gendarmerie departments. Moreover, all government structures and organizations were obliged to provide assistance to people “in blue uniforms.” […]
Alexander Khristoforovich explained why it is useful for society to have such an institution: “Villains, intriguers and narrow-minded people, having repented of their mistakes or trying to atone for their guilt by denunciation, will at least know where to turn.”
In 1826, more than 4 thousand Human. No one was forced here; on the contrary, there were far fewer vacancies than there were applicants: only literate soldiers were selected, officers were accepted only with a good recommendation. However, those who changed their army uniform to a gendarmerie still had some doubts. How will their duties be combined with the concepts of honor of a nobleman and an officer? […]
Censors were recruited, and very noticeable people at that.
Among them F.I. Tyutchev, S.T. Aksakov, P.A. Vyazemsky. What did Mr. Benckendorff charge them with? They had to ensure that the press did not discuss persons of the imperial family and that the authors avoided such an interpretation of events that could “drag the state into the abyss of misfortune.”
Tretyakova L., Another truth, magazine “Around the World”, 2001, No. 1, p. 70-72.
In 1833 - daughter OH. Benckendorff- Anna was the first performer of the Russian anthem “God Save the Tsar!”