Who is the Russian commander? The largest Russian commanders and naval commanders of the 18th century

Generals and statesmen Lucius Vitellius (Lucius Vitellius) exclaimed, congratulating (Emperor) Claudius on the centenary games: “I wish you to celebrate them more than once!” (Plutarch. “Vitellius”, 3, 1) (138, p.247)

Famous pillars In Eastern Siberia, on the high bank of the Yenisei, there are amazing rocks that seem to support the sky. These are the famous Krasnoyarsk Pillars. Tall and narrow, they really look like pillars. Nature created these strange sculptures around 450

Famous fat people The ancient Greeks and Romans, who amazed the world with their beauty and strength, fought against obesity and ridiculed fat people. Soldiers, for example, were not allowed to exceed the established body weight, and cavalrymen with a tendency to be overweight had their saddles confiscated. Hippocrates

Great commanders AGRIPPA MARK VIPSANIUS (63–12 BC). Roman commander and statesman, son-in-law and friend of Emperor Octavian Augustus. Agrippa played a significant role in the military successes of the emperor, who himself did not possess the abilities of a great commander. So, at 36

Generals and statesmen Lucius Vitellius [Lucius Vitellius] exclaimed, congratulating [Emperor] Claudius on the centenary games: “I wish you to celebrate them more than once!” (Plutarch. “Vitellius”, 3, 1) Hannibal * After the defeat in the Second Punic War Hannibal fled to Syria.

All their contemporaries knew their names, and their armies were a terrible scourge for any opponents. Whether they were heroes of antiquity and the Middle Ages or commanders of the Great Patriotic War, every outstanding military leader left a noticeable mark on the history of mankind. The biographies of the best of them are fascinating stories about the talent and heroism of those who chose the army as their life's calling.

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC) is the greatest commander of antiquity. He was revered by all the military leaders of subsequent centuries from Genghis Khan to Napoleon. At the age of twenty, Alexander became king of the small state of Macedonia, located in northern Greece. As a child, he received a Hellenic education and upbringing. His teacher was the famous philosopher and thinker Aristotle.

The heir's father, Tsar Philip II, taught him the art of war. Alexander first appeared on the battlefield at the age of sixteen, and he won his first independent victory at the head of the Macedonian cavalry in 338 BC. e. at the Battle of Chaeronea against the Thebans. In that war, Philip II sought to conquer key Greek cities. Having conquered Athens and Thebes with his son, he began to plan a campaign in Persia, but was killed by the conspirators.

Alexander continued his father’s work and increased his successes. He made the Macedonian army the most well-equipped and trained in the entire ancient world. The Macedonians were armed with spears, bows and slings; their army included heavily armed cavalry, siege and throwing engines.

In 334 BC. e. the greatest commander of his time began a campaign in Asia Minor. In the first serious battle on the Granik River, he defeated the Persian governors of the satraps. The king, then and later, invariably fought in the thick of the army. Having conquered Asia Minor, he moved to Syria. Near the city of Issa, Alexander's army clashed with the army of the Persian king Darius III. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Macedonians defeated the enemy.

Later, Alexander annexed all of Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt and Persia to his empire. On a campaign to the east, he reached India itself and only then turned back. The Macedonian made Babylon the capital of his empire. He died in this city at the age of 33, struck down by an unknown disease. In a fever, the king did not appoint a legitimate successor. Within just a few years of his death, Alexander's empire was divided among his many companions.

Hannibal

Another famous military leader of antiquity is Hannibal (247 - 183 BC). He was a citizen of Carthage, a city in modern Tunisia, around which a large Mediterranean state had developed at that time. Hannibal's father Hamilcar was a nobleman and military man who commanded troops on the island of Sicily.

In the 3rd century. BC e. Carthage fought with the Roman Republic for leadership in the region. Hannibal was to become a key figure in this conflict. At the age of 22, he became a cavalry commander in the Iberian Peninsula. A little later, he led all the troops of Carthage in Spain.

Wanting to defeat Rome, the greatest commander of antiquity decided on an unexpected daring maneuver. Previous wars between rival states took place in border areas or on isolated islands. Now Hannibal himself invaded exclusively Roman Italy. To do this, his army needed to cross the difficult Alps. A natural barrier protected the republic every time. In Rome, no one expected an enemy invasion from the north. That is why the legionnaires did not believe their eyes when in 218 BC. e. The Carthaginians did the impossible and overcame the mountains. Moreover, they brought with them African elephants, which became their main psychological weapon against the Europeans.

The greatest commander Hannibal waged a successful war with Rome for fifteen years, while being far from his own homeland. He was an outstanding tactician and knew how to make the most of the forces and resources given to him. Hannibal also had diplomatic talent. He enlisted the support of numerous tribes who were also in conflict with Rome. The Gauls became his allies. Hannibal won several victories over the Romans at once, and in the battle on the Ticinus River he defeated his main opponent, commander Scipio.

The main triumph of the hero of Carthage was the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. e. During the Italian campaign, Hannibal marched through almost the entire Apennine Peninsula. His victories, however, did not break the republic. Carthage stopped sending reinforcements, and the Romans themselves invaded Africa. In 202 BC. e. Hannibal returned to his homeland, but was defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama. Carthage asked for a humiliating peace, although the commander himself did not want to stop the war. His own fellow citizens turned their backs on him. Hannibal had to become an outcast. For some time he was sheltered by the Syrian king Antiochus III. In Thebonia, fleeing from Roman agents, Hannibal took poison and of his own free will said goodbye to life.

Charlemagne

In the Middle Ages, all the great commanders of the world sought to revive the once fallen Roman Empire. Every Christian monarch dreamed of restoring a centralized state that would unite all of Europe. The king of the Franks, Charlemagne (742 - 814) from the Carolingian dynasty, succeeded most in implementing this idea.

It was possible to build a new Roman Empire only through force of arms. Karl fought with almost all his neighbors. The first to submit to him were the Lombards who inhabited Italy. In 774, the ruler of the Franks invaded their country, captured the capital of Pavia and captured King Desiderius (his former father-in-law). After annexing Northern Italy, Charlemagne went with the sword against the Bavarians, Saxons in Germany, Avars in Central Europe, Arabs in Spain and neighboring Slavs.

The Frankish king explained the wars against numerous tribes of various ethnic groups as a struggle against the pagans. The names of the great commanders of the Middle Ages were often associated with the defense of the Christian faith. We can say that Charlemagne was the pioneer in this matter. In 800 he arrived in Rome, where the Pope proclaimed him emperor. The monarch made the city of Aachen (in the west of modern Germany) his capital. Throughout the subsequent Middle Ages and Modern times, the great commanders of the world tried to at least somehow resemble Charlemagne.

The Christian state created by the Franks was called the Holy Roman Empire (as a sign of the continuity of the ancient empire). As in the case of Alexander the Great, this power did not long outlive its founder. Charles's grandchildren divided the empire into three parts, which eventually formed modern France, Germany and Italy.

Saladin

In the Middle Ages, not only Christian civilization could boast of talented commanders. An outstanding military leader was the Muslim Saladin (1138 - 1193). He was born several decades after the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and founded several kingdoms and principalities in formerly Arab Palestine.

Saladin vowed to cleanse the lands taken from Muslims from infidels. In 1164, he, being the right hand of Nur-zh-din, liberated Egypt from the crusaders. Ten years later he carried out a coup d'état. Saladin founded the Ayubit dynasty and proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt.

What great commanders did not fight against internal enemies no less furiously than against internal ones? Having proven his leadership in the Muslim world, Saladin came into direct conflict with Christians in the Holy Land. In 1187, his army of twenty thousand men invaded Palestine, which was completely surrounded by the Sultan's dominions. Almost half of the army consisted of horse archers, who became the most effective combat unit in the fight against the crusaders (the arrows of their long-range bows pierced even heavy steel armor).

The biography of great commanders is often the biography of reformers of military art. Saladin was just such a leader. Although he always had many people at his disposal, he achieved success not by numbers, but by his intelligence and organizational skills.

On July 4, 1187, Muslims defeated the Crusaders near Lake Tiberias. In Europe, this defeat went down in history as the Massacre of Hatta. The master of the Templars, the king of Jerusalem, was captured by Saladin, and in September Jerusalem itself fell. In the Old World, the Third Crusade was organized against the Sultan. It was led by the King of England, Richard the Lionheart. A new stream of knights and ordinary volunteers poured into the east.

The decisive battle between the armies of the Egyptian Sultan and the English monarch took place near Arsuf on September 7, 1191. The Muslims lost many people and were forced to retreat. Saladin concluded a truce with Richard, giving the crusaders a small coastal strip of land, but retaining Jerusalem. After the war, the commander returned to the Syrian capital Damascus, where he fell ill with a fever and died.

Genghis Khan

The real name of Genghis Khan (1155 - 1227) is Temujin. He was the son of one of the many Mongol princes. His father was killed during a civil war when his son was only nine years old. The child was taken prisoner and a wooden collar was put on him. Temujin fled, returned to his native tribe and grew into a fearless warrior.

Even 100 great commanders of the Middle Ages or any other era could not create such a great power as this steppe dweller built. First, Temujin defeated all the neighboring hostile Mongol hordes and united them into one terrifying force. In 1206, he was proclaimed Genghis Khan - that is, the Great Khan or King of Kings.

For the last twenty years of his life, the ruler of the nomads waged wars with China and the neighboring Central Asian khanates. Genghis Khan's army was built according to the decimal principle: it consisted of tens, hundreds, thousands and tumens (10 thousand). The most severe discipline prevailed in the steppe army. For any violation of generally accepted rules, a warrior would face severe punishment. With such orders, the Mongols became the embodiment of horror for all the sedentary peoples they met along the way.

In China, the steppe people mastered siege weapons. They destroyed the cities that resisted to the ground. Thousands of people fell into slavery. Genghis Khan was the personification of war - it became the only meaning in the life of the king and his people. Temujin and his descendants created an empire from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Alexander Nevskiy

Even the great Russian commanders did not become church saints. Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky (1220 - 1261) was canonized and during his lifetime acquired a genuine aura of exclusivity. He belonged to the Rurik dynasty and became the prince of Novgorod as a child.

Nevsky was born in fragmented Rus'. She had many problems, but they all faded before the threat of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. Batu's steppe inhabitants swept through many principalities with fire and sword, but fortunately did not touch Novgorod, which was too far to the north for their cavalry.

Nevertheless, Alexander Nevsky faced many trials even without the Mongols. In the west, the Novgorod land was adjacent to Sweden and the Baltic states, which belonged to the German military orders. After Batu’s invasion, the Europeans decided that they could easily defeat Alexander Yaroslavovich. The seizure of Russian lands in the Old World was considered a fight against infidels, since the Russian Church did not submit to Catholic Rome, but depended on Orthodox Constantinople.

The Swedes were the first to organize a crusade against Novgorod. The royal army crossed the Baltic Sea and in 1240 landed at the mouth of the Neva. The local Izhorians have long paid tribute to Mr. Veliky Novgorod. The news of the appearance of the Swedish flotilla did not frighten the seasoned warrior Nevsky. He quickly gathered an army and, without waiting for the blow, went to the Neva. On June 15, the twenty-year-old prince, at the head of a loyal squad, struck the enemy camp. Alexander wounded one of the Swedish jarls in a personal duel. The Scandinavians could not withstand the onslaught and hastily returned to their homeland. It was then that Alexander received the nickname Nevsky.

Meanwhile, the German crusaders were preparing their attack on Novgorod. On April 5, 1242, they were defeated by Nevsky on the frozen Lake Peipus. The battle was dubbed the Battle of the Ice. In 1252, Alexander Yaroslavovich became Prince of Vladimir. Having protected the country from Western invaders, he had to minimize damage from the more dangerous Mongols. The armed struggle against the nomads was still ahead. The restoration of Rus' took too long for one human life. Nevsky died while returning to his homeland from the Horde, where he was conducting regular negotiations with the Golden Horde Khan. He was canonized in 1547.

Alexey Suvorov

All the military leaders of the last two centuries, including the great commanders of the war of 1941 - 1945. bowed and bowed before the figure of Alexander Suvorov (1730 - 1800). He was born into the family of a senator. Suvorov's baptism of fire took place during the Seven Years' War.

Under Catherine II, Suvorov became a key commander of the Russian army. The wars with Turkey brought him the greatest glory. In the second half of the 18th century, the Russian Empire annexed the Black Sea lands. Alexander Suvorov was the main creator of that success. All of Europe repeated his name after the siege of Ochakov (1788) and the capture of Izmail (1790) - operations that had no equal in the history of the then military art.

Under Paul I, Count Suvorov led the Italian campaign against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won all the battles in the Alps. There were no defeats at all in Suvorov’s life. Shortly. The military leader died surrounded by the international fame of an invincible strategist. According to his will, despite numerous titles and ranks, the laconic phrase “Here lies Suvorov” was left on the commander’s grave.

Napoleon Bonaparte

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. all of Europe plunged into international war. It began with the Great French Revolution. The old monarchical regimes tried to stop this plague of love of freedom. It was at this time that the young military Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821) became famous.

The future national hero began his service in the artillery. He was a Corsican, but despite his deep provincial origins, he quickly advanced through the ranks thanks to his abilities and courage. After the revolution in France, power changed regularly. Bonaparte joined the political struggle. In 1799, as a result of the coup of the 18th Brumaire, he became the first consul of the republic. Five years later, Napoleon was proclaimed French Emperor.

During numerous campaigns, Bonaparte not only defended the sovereignty of his country, but also conquered neighboring states. He completely subjugated Germany, Italy and the numerous other monarchies of continental Europe. Napoleon had his own brilliant commanders. The Great War could not be avoided with Russia either. In the campaign of 1812, Bonaparte occupied Moscow, but this success did not give him anything.

After the Russian campaign, a crisis began in Napoleon's empire. In the end, the anti-Bonapartist coalition forced the commander to abdicate power. In 1814 he was sent into exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. The ambitious Napoleon escaped from there and returned to France. After another “Hundred Days” and defeat at Waterloo, the commander was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena (this time in the Atlantic Ocean). There, under the guard of the British, he died.

Alexey Brusilov

The history of Russia has developed in such a way that the great Russian commanders of the First World War were consigned to oblivion after the establishment of Soviet power. Nevertheless, among the people who led the tsarist army in battles against the Germans and Austrians there were many outstanding specialists. One of them is Alexey Brusilov (1853 - 1926).

The cavalry general was a hereditary military man. His first war was the Russian-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878. Brusilov took part in it on the Caucasian front. With the outbreak of the First World War, he found himself on the Southwestern Front. A group of troops commanded by the general defeated the Austrian units and pushed them back to Lemberg (Lvov). The Brusilovites became famous for the capture of Galich and Ternopil.

In 1915, the general led the battles in the Carpathians. He successfully repulsed Austrian attacks and launched counter-offensives. It was Brusilov who took the powerful fortress of Przemysl. However, his successes were reduced to zero due to a breakthrough of the front in a sector for which other generals were responsible.

The war became positional. Month after month dragged on, and victory did not come closer to either side. In 1916, the headquarters, which included Emperor Nicholas II, decided to launch a new general offensive. The most triumphant episode of this operation was the Brusilovsky breakthrough. During the period from May to September, the general's army took control of all of Bukovina and Eastern Galicia. Several decades later, outstanding commanders of the Great Patriotic War tried to repeat Brusilov’s success. His victories were brilliant, but useless due to the actions of the authorities.

Konstantin Rokossovsky

Many dozens of talented military leaders became famous on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. After the victory over Germany, the great Soviet commanders were awarded the titles of Marshals of the Soviet Union. One of them was Konstantin Rokossovsky (1896 - 1968). He began serving in the army at the very beginning of the First World War, from which he graduated as a junior non-commissioned officer.

Almost all commanders of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945. Due to their age, they were hardened on the fronts of the imperialist and Civil wars. Rokossovsky in this sense was no different from his colleagues. During civilian life, he commanded a division, a squadron and, finally, a regiment, for which he received two Orders of the Red Banner.

Like some other outstanding commanders of the Great Patriotic War (including Zhukov), Rokossovsky did not have a specialized military education. He rose to the top of the army ladder in the turmoil of battles and many years of fighting thanks to his determination, leadership qualities and the ability to make the right decisions in a critical situation.

Due to Stalin's repressions, Rokossovsky was briefly imprisoned. He was released in 1940 at the request of Zhukov. There is no doubt that the commanders of the Great Patriotic War were always in a vulnerable position.

After the German attack on the Soviet Union, Rokossovsky began to command first the 4th and then the 16th Army. It was regularly moved from place to place depending on operational tasks. In 1942, Rokossovsky was at the head of the Bryansk and Don fronts. When a turning point occurred and the Red Army began to advance, Konstantin Konstantinovich ended up in Belarus.

Rokossovsky reached all the way to Germany. He could have liberated Berlin, but Stalin put Zhukov in charge of this final operation. Great commanders 1941 - 1945 were rewarded in different ways for saving the country. Marshal Rokossovsky was the only one to take part in the climactic Victory Parade a few weeks after the defeat of Germany. He was Polish by origin and with the advent of peace in 1949 - 1956. also served as Minister of Defense of socialist Poland. Rokossovsky is a unique military leader; he was the marshal of two countries at once (USSR and Poland).

He fought on the front of the Great Patriotic War from March 1942 to May 1945. During this time, he was wounded 2 times near the city of Rzhev, Kalininsky district.

He met victory near Koenigsberg with the rank of senior sergeant as commander of the 7th section of the Motorized Reconnaissance Company (participated in 21 reconnaissance operations).

Awarded:
-Order of Glory, 3rd degree, for courage and courage shown in the fight against the German invaders;
-medal “For victory over Germany in the Second World War 1941-1945”;
- “Excellent Scout” badge.

Kutuzov M.I.

Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, famous Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, savior of the Fatherland. He first distinguished himself in the first Turkish company, but then, in 1774, he was seriously wounded near Alushta and lost his right eye, which did not prevent him from remaining in service. Kutuzov received another serious wound during the second Turkish company during the siege of Ochakov in 1788. Under his command, he takes part in the assault on Ishmael. His column successfully captured the bastion and was the first to break into the city. He defeated the Poles in 1792 as part of Kakhovsky's army.

He proved himself to be a subtle diplomat while carrying out assignments in Constantinople. Alexander I appoints Kutuzov military governor of St. Petersburg, but in 1802 he dismisses him. In 1805 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The failure at Austerlitz, when Russian soldiers turned out to be only cannon fodder for the Austrians, again brought disfavor to the sovereign, and before the start of the Patriotic War, Kutuzov was in a supporting role. In August 1812, he was appointed commander-in-chief instead of Barclay.

Kutuzov's appointment lifted the spirit of the retreating Russian army, although he continued Barclay's retreat tactics. This made it possible to lure the enemy deep into the country, stretch its lines and make it possible to strike the French from two sides at once.

The father of Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, famous for the exploits of the Russian commander, was the youngest son. He was an appanage prince and carried out diplomatic service; he soon died of the plague forty days before the birth of his son Vladimir, who was later nicknamed the Brave for his military merits. The young Prince Vladimir was raised by Metropolitan Alexei, who sought to raise the boy as a faithful and obedient “young brother” for the Grand Duke, in order to subsequently avoid civil strife in the Principality of Moscow.

Vladimir made his first military campaign as an eight-year-old child and even then showed incredible endurance and courage. At the age of ten, he takes part in another campaign, gains experience, and gets used to the hard military life (1364). The new war (1368) affects the interests of Vladimir Andreevich: his Serpukhov inheritance is in danger from the powerful Prince of Lithuania and Russia, Olgerd Gedeminovich. But the Serpukhov regiment managed on its own, driving “Lithuania” home. Subsequently, Prince Olgerd concludes a peace treaty with Moscow and even marries his daughter Elena to Vladimir Andreevich (1372).

Chroniclers talk about many military campaigns of Prince Vladimir: he fights against Russian princes, Livonian crusaders, and the Tatars of the Golden Horde. But the famous Battle of Kulikovo (September 8, 1380) brought him glory and fame. Before the battle there was a large military council, where the battle plan with his participation was discussed.

Born in a small old Russian town called Tarusa, Kaluga province. His family was poor: his father, Grigory Efremov, an ordinary tradesman, had a small mill, and that’s how they lived. So young Mikhail would have remained working at the mill all his life, until one day a Moscow merchant named Ryabov, who owned a manufacturing factory in Moscow, paid attention to him and took him on as an apprentice. The young man's military career began in the Russian Imperial Army, where he graduated from the ensign school in Telavi. He spent his first battle as an artilleryman on the Southwestern Front, as part of which the Brusilovsky breakthrough was made on the territory of Galicia. In battles, Mikhail showed himself to be a brave warrior and a commander respected by the soldiers. Returning to Moscow after the First World War, he got a job at a factory.

However, soon, in the midst of clashes between supporters of the Soviet regime and supporters of the provisional government, he enlisted in the ranks of the Zamoskvoretsky Workers' Detachment, where he was appointed instructor of the Red Guard detachment. In October he took part in the famous uprising in Moscow. Later he was appointed commander of the Moscow infantry brigade. After the start, he fought as a commander on the Caucasian and Southern fronts, for which he received two orders: the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Banner of the Azerbaijan SSR “For Baku.” These were not his last awards, later he was awarded a personalized golden saber, a crystal vase framed with precious stones and another Order of the Red Banner of the Azerbaijan SSR, but already “For Ganja” Such a case is typical in the life of Mikhail Grigorievich. During the breakthrough to the Ugra River on April 2, 1942, in order to get out of the German encirclement, the general received a leaflet from the Germans, which outlined an offer to Efremov and his troops to surrender, signed by the Military Command of the Third Reich itself.

There are such people in the history of great Russia based on their biography and contribution to history; one can trace the dramatic path of development and formation of the state.

Fyodor Tolbukhin is just from this list. It would be extremely difficult to find another person who would symbolize the most difficult path of the Russian army in the previous century from the double-headed eagle to red banners.

The great commander, who will be discussed today, fell into two world wars.

The plight of a forgotten marshal

Born into a large peasant family on July 3, 1894. An interesting fact is that the date of his birth coincides with the date of his baptism, which may indicate inaccuracy in the information. Most likely, the exact day of birth is unknown, which is why the date of baptism is recorded in the documents.

Prince Anikita Ivanovich Repnin - commander during the reign of Peter the Great. Born into the family of Prince Ivan Borisovich Repnin, who was titled as a close boyar and respected at court under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet). At the age of sixteen, he was assigned to the service of 11-year-old Peter the Great as a sleeping man, and fell in love with the young Tsar. After 2 years, when the Amusement Company was established, Anikita became a lieutenant in it, and after another 2 years - a lieutenant colonel. Served Peter faithfully when the mutiny of the Streltsy took place in 1689, accompanied him on the campaign against Azov, and showed courage in taking it. In 1698 Repnin became a general. On behalf of the tsar, he recruited new regiments, trained them, and took care of their uniforms. Soon he received the rank of general from the infantry (corresponding to the rank of general-in-chief). When the war with the Swedes began, he headed to Narva with his troops, but on the way he received the royal order to transfer the army under the leadership of Field Marshal Golovin, and to go to Novgorod himself to recruit a new division. At the same time, he was appointed Novgorod governor. Repnin carried out the order, then participated in the Battle of Narva, supplemented and equipped his regiments. Then, during various military operations, he repeatedly demonstrated his talent as a commander, tactical cunning and the ability to correctly take advantage of the situation.

The name of Mikhail Borisovich Shein, boyar and governor, is inextricably linked with the seventeenth century. And his name was first found in 1598 - it was his signature on the letter of election to the kingdom. Unfortunately, very little is known about the life of this man. He was born at the end of 1570. Basically, all historians, including Karamzin, describe only two significant events from Shein’s life - his courageous two-year confrontation in besieged Smolensk.

When he was a governor in this city (1609 - 1611) and already during his reign in 1632 - 1934, when he failed to return the same Smolensk from the Poles, for which, in fact, Mikhail Borisovich was accused of high treason and executed. In general, Shein Mikhail Borisovich was the scion of a very old boyar family, he was the son of a okolnichy.

He fought near Dobrynichi in 1605, and distinguished himself so much in battle that it was he who had the honor of going to Moscow with the news of the victory. Then he was awarded the title of okolnichy, and he continued his service for the benefit of the state as a governor in the city of Novgorod-Seversky. In 1607, Mikhail Borisovich, by royal grace, was elevated to the rank of boyar and appointed governor of Smolensk, which Sigismund the Third, the Polish king, had just decided to go to war with.

Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky descended from a branch of the princes of Chernigov, more precisely, from the third son of Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov - Semyon. Back in the middle of the fifteenth century, his great-grandson named Fedor received the city of Vorotynsk for appanage use, which gave the surname to the family. Mikhail Ivanovich (1516 or 1519-1573) is the most famous descendant of Fyodor in history.

Despite the fact that the military commander Vorotynsky possessed considerable courage and bravery, despite the fact that for the capture of Kazan he received the rank of boyar, as well as “that which is given from the sovereign, and that name is more honorable than all boyar names,” namely - the highest rank of the tsar's servant, the fate of Mikhail Ivanovich was difficult and, in many ways, unfair. He served as the grand-ducal governor in the city of Kostroma (1521), and was a governor in Belyaev, and in, and in the Moscow state.

Daniil Vasilyevich was a noble scion of the family of the Gediminovichs themselves, the Lithuanian princes. His great-grandfather was hospitably received in the Principality of Moscow after his departure from Lithuania in 1408. Subsequently, Shchenya's great-grandfather laid the foundation for several Russian noble families: Kurakin, Bulgakov, Golitsyn. And the son of Daniil Vasilyevich, Yuri, became the son-in-law of Vasily the First, who, in turn, was the son of the famous Dmitry Donskoy.

Shchenya's grandson, Daniel, named after the famous grandfather-commander, turned out to be related to and with the Lithuanian prince Gediminas. In the service of John the Great, Schen first held minor roles, for example, he was in the retinue of Grand Duke John the Third during the campaign against Novgorod in 1475, then - as a diplomat - he participated in negotiations with the imperial ambassador Nikolai Poppel. The future military associate was born in the city of Gusum in 1667, in the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, located in northern Germany. He faithfully and faithfully performed military service to the Emperor of Saxony for fifteen years, and then, in 1694, he transferred to the Swedish service with the rank of cornet. Rodion Khristianovich served in Livonia in a recruited regiment under the command of Otto Wehling.

And then, in the fall of 1700, on September thirtieth, the following happened: Captain Bauer fought a duel with his fellow soldier.

As you know, during the entire existence of man, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of battles, both small and large, took place, in which a lot of people died. Perhaps in the entire history of man there will be only a few years that passed without war at all - imagine, only a few years out of several thousand... Of course, wars are sometimes a necessity, sad truth, but a necessity - and almost always there are winners, and there are defeated. The side that usually wins is the one that has a leader, a military leader capable of extraordinary actions and decisions. Such people are capable of leading their army to victory, even if the enemy’s technical equipment is much better and the number of soldiers is greater. Let's see which of the military leaders of different times and different nations we could call military geniuses.

10. Georgy Zhukov

As you know, Zhukov led the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War. He was a man whose ability to conduct military operations can be called super-outstanding. In fact, this man was a genius in his field, one of those people who ultimately led the USSR to victory. After the fall of Germany, Zhukov led the military forces of the USSR that occupied this country. Thanks to the genius of Zhukov, perhaps you and I have the opportunity to live and rejoice now.

9. Attila

This man led the Hun Empire, which at first was not an empire at all. He was able to conquer a vast territory stretching from Central Asia to modern Germany. Attila was an enemy of both the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He is known for his brutality and ability to conduct military operations. Few emperors, kings and leaders could boast of capturing such a vast territory in such a short time.

8. Wilgelm the conqueror

Duke of Normandy, who invaded England in 1066 and conquered that country. As you know, the main military event of that time was the Battle of Hastings, which led to the coronation of William himself, who became the sovereign ruler of England. Anglia was conquered by the Normans by 1075, thanks to which feudalism and the military-feudal system appeared in this country. In fact, the state of England itself in its current form is indebted to this man.

7. Adolf Gitler

Actually, this man cannot be called a military genius. Now there is a lot of debate about how a failed artist and corporal could become, albeit for a short time, the ruler of all of Europe. The military claims that the “blitzkrieg” form of warfare was invented by Hitler. Needless to say, the evil genius Adolf Hitler, through whose fault tens of millions of people died, was indeed a very capable military leader (at least until the start of the war with the USSR, when a worthy opponent was found).

6. Genghis Khan

Temujin, or Genghis Khan, was a brilliant military leader who was able to create the enormous Mongol Empire. It is amazing how capable nomads, leading an almost prehistoric lifestyle, were capable of warfare. Genghis Khan first united all the tribes, and then led them to victory - until the end of his life he conquered a huge number of countries and peoples. His empire occupied most of Eurasia.

5. Hannibal

This commander was able to take the Roman Empire by surprise by crossing the Alps. No one expected that such a huge army would actually be able to overcome the mountain range and actually find itself at the gates of the greatest state of that time, considered invincible.

4. Napoleon Bonaparte

Bonaparte's genius manifested itself very early - and therefore it is not surprising that such a purposeful man, with pronounced abilities for conducting military campaigns, became a great conqueror. Luck did not leave him until Bonaparte decided to go to war against Russia. This ended the series of victories, and almost for the first time in his entire military career, Napoleon had to experience the full bitterness of defeat. Despite this, he was and remains one of the most famous military leaders of all times.

3. Gaius Julius Caesar

This man defeated everyone and everything until he himself was defeated. True, not during a battle, not during a fight, but simply stabbed to death in the Senate. The man Caesar considered a friend, Brutus, was the one who inflicted one of the first fatal wounds.

2. Alexander the Great

The ruler of a very small country was able to conquer most of the then known world in a short time. Moreover, he did this before his thirtieth birthday, destroying the armies of the Persians, which significantly outnumbered his troops. Alexander's conquests became one of the main factors that influenced the further history of our civilization. One of the main military discoveries of this military genius was the specific formation of regiments.

1. Cyrus the Great

The reign of Cyrus the Second, or the Great, lasted 29 years - at the beginning of his reign, this outstanding man was able to become the leader of the Persian settled tribes, and formed the basis of the Persian state. In a short time, Cyrus the Great, who had previously been the leader of a small, little-known tribe, was able to found a powerful empire that stretched from the Indus and Jaxartes to the Aegean Sea and the borders of Egypt. The Persian leader was able to found an empire that remained so even after his death, and did not disintegrate, as was the case with most “bubbles” founded by other conquerors (the same Genghis Khan).