Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich (1783-1844), count, Russian military 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.
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 the Order of 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 St. Anna 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 ( Russo-Turkish War 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 Traveling abroad 1813-1814 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.
In August 1814 he was appointed commander of the 2nd brigade of the 1st Lancer Division, in April 1816 - commander of the 1st Lancer Division. In 1816-1818 he was a member Masonic lodge"United Friends" In March 1819 he became chief of staff guards corps, in July - adjutant general of Alexander I. In October 1820 he led the suppression of the uprising of the Semenovsky regiment. In May 1821, he submitted two memos to the emperor - on the existence of secret societies in Russia (the Union of Welfare, etc.) and on the need to create a secret police - which were left “without consequences.” In September 1821 he was promoted to lieutenant general, and in December he took the post of chief of the 1st cuirassier division. During the flood in St. Petersburg on November 7 (19), 1824, together with M.A. Miloradovich, he supervised the rescue of people and the liquidation of the consequences natural disaster; temporarily (until March 1825) served as governor of Vasilyevsky Island.
Played important role during the accession of Nicholas I. During the uprising on December 14 (26), 1825, he commanded part of the government troops. On December 17 (29), he joined the Investigative Commission in the case of the Decembrists; December 25 (January 6, 1826) awarded the Alexander Ribbon. On June 25 (July 7), 1826 he was appointed chief of the Corps of Gendarmes, on June 26 (July 8) - the chief chief of the III Department of His Majesty's Own Chancellery, created on his initiative; became the head of the system political investigation in the Empire.
Under his command were the Gendarmerie Regiment (military police service under the troops) and gendarmerie units of the Corps internal guard(local bodies of the III Division). The main task of A.H. Benckendorf was to supervise the maintenance of order in society and the administration, combat anti-government activities and abuses of officials, as well as inform supreme power about what is happening in the country.
In addition to purely police duties, Section III had censorship and even some judicial functions, conducting investigations in cases public hearing which in ordinary courts could undermine the authority of the state; in addition, it also performed the role of counterintelligence, monitoring all foreigners arriving in Russia. A.H. Benckendorf sought to take control of the spiritual life of society, to force literature to serve the good of the state; For this purpose, censorship and pressure on prominent representatives Russian culture (A.S. Pushkin, P.Ya. Chaadaev), bribery of journalists and writers (even foreign ones); the creation of official literature was encouraged, the channels for which were the magazines “Northern Bee” by F.V. Bulgarin and the Polish “Tygodnik”.
If in the second half of the 1820s the sphere activities III The department was limited to the cause of the Decembrists, supervision of in printed words and surveillance of individual “unreliable” individuals and circles, then after Polish uprising 1830-1831 it expanded significantly, affecting a wide variety of social and ethnic groups.
Was a personal friend of Nicholas I and his confidant. He constantly accompanied the emperor on his trips around Russia and abroad. In December 1826 he became a senator, in 1827 - an honorary member St. Petersburg Academy Sci. In April 1829 he was awarded the rank of cavalry general and the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st degree. In February 1831 he was appointed a member of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. In November 1832 he was elevated to the dignity of count. In 1837 he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In 1840 he became a member of the committees for the affairs of courtyard people and for the transformation of Jewish life. In 1841 he led the suppression of agrarian unrest in the Baltic states.
From the late 1830s he began to lose his influence. His broad powers, which invaded the sphere of competence of other departments, especially the judiciary, often led to conflicts with senior functionaries. In the early 1840s, due to deteriorating health, he actually transferred management III Department of L.V. Dubelt, chief of staff of the Corps of Gendarmes. In 1844 he went for treatment to Baden. On September 23 (October 5), 1844, he died suddenly on board the steamship Hercules, returning from Amsterdam to Revel (modern Tallinn). He was buried in his estate Fall near Revel.
According to his convictions, A.H. Benckendorff was a conservative monarchist, who considered imperial power to be the unifying principle of Russian society, and monarchical Russia- a pillar of the European order. He viewed any criticism of the existing system as a crime, and the education of the people as a source of freethinking. In his opinion, the good of the state is higher than personal well-being and even laws. In the eyes of many of his contemporaries, this brilliant cavalry general, hero Patriotic War, became an odious figure, a symbol of the protective Nikolaev system.
Cavalry general, senator, member of the State Council; eldest son of Christian Ivanovich, b. in 1783, d. September 23, 1844. He began his service in the 15th year (1798), joining the Life Guards as a non-commissioned officer. Semenovsky regiment, where in the same year, on December 31, he was promoted to ensign, with the appointment of aide-de-camp to Emperor Paul. In 1803, he joined the detachment of Prince Tsitsianov operating in Georgia and participated with distinction in the capture of the outskirts of the Gandzhi fortress and on January 1 next year- in the battle with the Lezgins; For the courage shown in these matters, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna and St. Vladimir 4th Art. In 1804, he was sent to the island of Corfu, where he formed, under the command of General Anrep, a legion of 600 Souliots and 400 Albanians. During the war with the French of 1806-1807. Benckendorff, being under the duty general Count Tolstoy, took part in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree and the rank of captain, and after 2 weeks he was promoted to colonel. At the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit, he was at the embassy of Count Tolstoy in Paris. In 1809, Benckendorff went as a hunter to the army operating against the Turks and, being in the vanguard throughout the entire campaign, always became the head of the most risky and difficult assignments. The special distinction that brought Benckendorf the Order of St. George 4th degree, were his actions near Rushchuk, where, with a swift attack of the Chuguev lancers, he overthrew a significant detachment of Turks that threatened the rear of our left flank. In 1812, Benckendorff commanded the vanguard of the troops of General Winzengerode and in the first battle of Velizh (July 27), for a brilliant attack against the enemy, he was promoted to major general. Following this, he was entrusted with a dangerous task - to open communications main army with the corpus of Count Wittgenstein. Having set off with 80 Cossacks, Benckendorff managed to pass in the rear and between the detachments French troops, capture more than 500 prisoners. With the beginning of the retreat of our forces, Benckendorf took command of the rearguard in the detachment of General Winzengerode, and from Zvenigorod to Spassk he commanded the entire detachment. Having joined his forces two Cossack regiment, he made a bold and skillful movement towards Volokolamsk, attacked enemy parties, defeated them and captured more than 8,000 people. Being the commandant of the capital after occupying Moscow, he managed to capture 3,000 French and recapture 30 guns; while pursuing the Napoleonic army to the Neman, being in the detachment of Lieutenant General Kutuzov, he captured three French generals and more than 6000 different ranks. In 1813, Benckendorf was entrusted with a separate flying detachment. Acting between Berlin and Frankfurt on the Oder, he defeated a strong enemy party in Tempelberg, for which he received the Order of St. George 3rd degree, then forced the city of Fürstenwald to capitulate, occupied Berlin, together with detachments of generals Chernyshev and Tetenborn, and, continuously fighting from Jüterbock to Dresden, captured up to 6,000 French. From Dresden, stopped by the corps of Marshal Davout, he retreated to Havelsberg, crossed the Elbe and captured the enemy post in Verbena. The occupation of Lüneburg, under the command of General Dernberg, brought Benckendorff the Order of St. Anna 1st degree. His further actions in the campaign were marked by participation in the battle of Grosberen, the pursuit and ousting of French troops from Juterbock, and three-day cover of Count Vorontsov’s corps against enemy movements. The last feat delivered him a gold sword with diamonds. In the battle of Leipzig, he commanded the left wing of the Winzengorod corps, after which, when the latter moved to Kassel, he was sent to Holland with a separate detachment. Here, at the very short term, Benckendorff managed to clear Utrecht and Amsterdam from the enemy, forced the surrender of the fortresses of Havel, Munden and the Gelder battery and occupied Rotterdam, Dortrecht, Gosuvot, the fortresses of Gertrudenberg, Breda, Wilhelmstadt, taking more than a hundred guns and many prisoners. Following this, Benckendorff rushed to Belgium and occupied the cities of Leuven and Mecheln in battle, and in Düsseldorf again joined Winzengorod. These exploits brought Benckendorf the order: St. Vladimir 2nd degree, Grand Cross of the Swedish Sword and Prussian - "Pour le mérite", from the Dutch king a sword, with the inscription "Amsterdam and Breda" and from the British regent - a golden saber with the inscription "for the exploits of 1813." In 1814, after crossing the Rhine, Benckendorff took part in the battle of Craon, where he commanded the entire cavalry of Count Vorontsov’s corps, and then in the battles of Laon and Saint-Dizier, after which he commanded the rearguard of the corps as it moved to Chalons. Awarded with diamond insignia of the Order of St. Anna 1st degree, Benckendorf returned to Russia and here on April 9, 1816 he was appointed head of the 2nd Dragoon Division, and in 1819 - chief of staff of the Guards Corps. On July 22 of the same year he was awarded the rank of adjutant general, on September 20, 1821 he was promoted to lieutenant general and on December 1 he was appointed head of the 1st cuirassier division. In the same year, Benckendorf presented Alexander Pavlovich with a detailed memorandum, in which he detailed and with great knowledge of the matter the information he had collected on his own initiative about the organization, goals and composition of the secret “Union of Welfare.” Pointing out the main figures of this alliance, Benckendorff spoke out for the need now, while the evil has not yet grown, to put a limit to it, eliminating the main distributors of bold plans. The Emperor considered it best to leave Benckendorff’s report without consequences, but the events that took place four years later proved Benckendorff’s foresight, and the new Sovereign, on July 25, 1826, appointed him to the post of chief of gendarmes, commander of the Imperial Main Apartment and chief head of the III Department of His Own Imperial Majesty Chancellery, and on December 6 he was granted the rank of senator. In 1828, he accompanied the Sovereign on the Turkish campaign and was at the siege of Brailov, during the crossing of the Danube, in the battle near Satunov, during the conquest of Isakchi, in the battle of Shumla, where he commanded two squares that formed the cover of the Sovereign's Person, and then during the siege and capture Varna fortress. At the end of the campaign, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 1st degree, Benckendorf on April 21, 1829, was promoted to cavalry general, and on February 8 was appointed a member of the State Council; November 10, 1832 Benckendorf was elevated to the title of count Russian Empire dignity and on April 22, 1834 awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Since 1828, Benckendorff repeatedly accompanied Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich on trips around Russia, to Warsaw and abroad; in 1841 he was sent to Livonia to pacify the unrest that was taking place there among the peasants, and in 1842 - to Riga, to be present at the opening of noble meetings on the establishment of rules for the peasants. - Count Benckendorff was married to Elizaveta Andreevna Zakharzhevskaya (in her first marriage to P. G. Bibikov, from December 12, 1824, a cavalry lady of the Order of St. Catherine, from March 25, 1839 - a lady of state, died in January 1858), but no male children had, and the count's dignity was transferred to his nephew, Konstantin Konstantinovich Benkendorf. The personality of Count A. X. Benckendorf is especially memorable in Russia and St. Petersburg society for his activities in the rank of chief of gendarmes and chief commander of the III Department. Some of his contemporaries associated stories of severity with the memory of him. former leader detective part, but the number of defenders good name Benckendorff and his love for humanity were always much more significant. Best rating His activities are inspired by the words of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, expressed by him at the bedside of the dying count: “For 11 years, he did not quarrel with anyone, but reconciled me with many.” Benckendorff's immediate care was, by the way, entrusted by the Sovereign to A.S. Pushkin, who, however, bitterly complained about this guardianship. - Count A. X. Benkendorf left notes, an excerpt from which was published in the Russian Archive in 1865 (No. 2); He also authored articles published in the Military Journal of the Guards Headquarters: “Description of the military actions of the detachment under the command of Baron Wintzengerode in 1812.” and "Actions of Major General Benckendorff's detachment in Holland."
K. Borozdin, "Experience of historical genealogy of nobles and counts of Benckendorff." - Service records kept by the Senate and State Council. - "Russian Invalid" 1823 No. 196; 1837 No. 308. - "Northern. Bee" 1844 No. 218. - "Fatherland Notes" 1824, part XX, p. 351. - "Journal for reading education. Military Training Department." Vol. IX, p. 98; XVIII, p. 373; XX, pp. 335, 436. - "Historical Vestn." 1887 vol. XXX p. 165 last. - "Rus. Star." 1871 Vol. III, 1874 Vol. IX and X, 1881 Vol. XXXI. - "Russian Arch." 1866, 1872, 1874 - "Readings of the Imp. Ob. history and ancient growth." 1871, vol. I, pp. 197-199). - Schilder, "Emperor Alexander I". - “The experience of the Bible for military people” by V. Sots. St. Petersburg 1826 2nd ed. p. 352. - Dictionaries: Starchevsky, Zeddeler, Berezin, Gennadi, Andreevsky and Leer.
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Benkendorf, Count Alexander Khristoforovich
(born in 1783, † in 1844) - in 1798 promoted to ensign of the Life Guards. Semenovsky regiment with the appointment of aide-de-camp to Emperor Paul; in the war of 1806-1807. was under the duty general gr. Tolstoy and participated in many battles; in 1809 he went as a hunter to the army operating against the Turks, and was often in the vanguard or commanded separate detachments; in the battle of Rushchuk on June 20, 1811, for outstanding achievements he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree. During the Patriotic War of 1812, B. first commanded the vanguard of the detachment of Baron Winzengerode; On July 27 he made a brilliant attack in the case of Velizh, and after Napoleon left Moscow and occupied it in Russia. troops was appointed commandant of the capital. While pursuing the enemy, he was in the detachment of Lieutenant General Kutuzov, was involved in various matters and captured 3 generals and more than 6,000 lower ranks. During the campaign of 1813, B. commanded flying squad, defeated the French at Tempelberg (for which he received the Order of St. George, 3rd class), forced the enemy to surrender the city of Furstenwald and, together with the detachment of Chernyshev and Tetenborn, invaded Berlin. Having crossed the Elbe, B. took the city of Vorben and, being under the command of the general. Dornberg, contributed to the defeat of Moran's division in Luneburg. Then, with his detachment in the Northern Army, he took part in the battles of Gros Veren and Dennewitz. Having entered under the command of gr. Vorontsov, for 3 days in a row he, with one of his detachments, covered the movement of the army towards Dessau and Roslau and was awarded for this a golden saber decorated with diamonds. In the battle of Leipzig, B. commanded the left wing of the bar cavalry. Winzengerode, and during the movement of this general to Kassel he was the head of his vanguard. Then, with a separate detachment, he was sent to Holland and cleared it of the enemy. Replaced there by Prussian and English troops, B. moved to Belgium, took the cities of Louvain and Mecheln and recaptured 24 guns and 600 English prisoners from the French. During the campaign of 1814, B. especially distinguished himself in the case of Lüttich; in the battle of Krasnoye he commanded the entire cavalry of the gr. Vorontsov, and then covered the movement of the Silesian army to Laon; at Saint-Dizier he commanded first the left wing, and then the rearguard. Emperor Nicholas, who was very disposed towards B., appointed him in 1826 as chief of the gendarmes, commander of the Imperial main apartment and head of the III department of his own e.v. office. In 1828, when the sovereign left for the active army in Turkey, B. accompanied him; was at the siege of Brailov, the crossing of the Russian army across the Danube, the conquest of Isakchi, the battle of Shumla and the siege of Varna; in 1829 he was promoted to cavalry general, and in 1832 he was elevated to the rank of count.
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Benkendorf, Count Alexander Khristoforovich
From 1826 to 1844, he was the chief of the gendarmes and the head of the III Own E.V. Office of the department, in which police and political investigation matters were concentrated. Although B. considered his task to be “the establishment of the well-being and tranquility of all classes in Russia and the restoration of justice,” his institution, as is known, aroused fear and mistrust in society. However, towards the Jews he did not show any severity at all; observing, as a member of the Jewish Committee (established in 1840 to transform the life of Jews), the activities of Hasidic and Orthodox circles, so that they did not incite the population against educational reforms, B. did not take drastic measures against them; and in 1844, taking advantage of his position, he rendered a great service to the Jewish Mstislav society, which was subjected to severe punishment as a result of Governor Engelhard’s message about Jewish resistance to a military detachment; through his agents, B. achieved the truth, and the matter ended (after B.’s death) with the acquittal of the Jews and the removal of the governor. See Mstislav riot. - Wed: S. Dubnov, “From the chronicle of the Mstislav community”, “Voskhod”, 1899, book. IX; archival materials.
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Benkendorf, Count Alexander Khristoforovich
Adjutant General, b. in 1783, B.'s service sharply splits into two periods: specifically military and court-administrative. In 1803, B., sent to Georgia, to Prince. Tsitsianov, participated in the capture of the fortress. Ganji and in matters with Lezgins. During the war of 1806-07. B. took part in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, and then took part in the war with Turkey and in the battle of Ruschuk on June 22, 1811, at the head of Chuguevsk. st. n. rushed at the enemy, who had bypassed our flank, and overthrew him; for this feat B. was awarded an order. St. George 4th Art. In the wars of 1812-14. B. showed outstanding qualities as a fighting cavalry. general Commanding the vanguard in the Winzengerode detachment, B. took part in the battle of Velizh, and then established contact with 80 Cossacks. our forces with Wittgenstein's corps and made a bold and skillful movement towards Volokolamsk, attacking the enemy and capturing more than 8 thousand people. By back lesson Moscow, having been appointed its commandant, he captured 3 thousand French prisoners and recaptured 30 guns. When pursuing the French. army before the Neman, he was in the detachment of Adjutant General Kutuzov and captured more than 6 thousand people. and 3 generals. In 1813, B. was given command separately. volatile detachment with which in Tempelberg defeated the enemy party and captured 48 of. and 750 lower. rank, for which he was awarded an order. St. George 3rd Art. Having forced the city of Furstenwalde to capitulate, B. crossed the Elbe at Havelberg, took Verben and occupied Luneburg. For three days covering the corps with his detachment, gr. Vorontsova B. received. gold from diamond sword. In the battle of Leipzig, B. was commanded by a lion. wing of the Winzengerode corps, and after it he was sent with a separate detachment to Holland, where he quickly cleared Utrecht and Amsterdam of the enemy and took a number of fortresses and more than a hundred guns. After Holland was liberated from the enemy, B. moved to Belgium and occupied Leuven and Mecheln. In the battle of Craon, B. commanded the entire cavalry, and at Saint-Dizier - the lion. wing In 1816, B. was appointed head of the 2nd dredge. division, in 1819 - promoted to adjutant general, in 1820 - appointed chief of staff of the Guards. corps, in 1821 - promoted to lieutenant general. and appointed head of the 1st Cuirassier. divisions. With the accession of the Emperor. Nicholas I official activity B. changes, and from a combat commander he turns into an administrative figure; from 1826 until his death in 1844, he was chief of the gendarmes and commander of the Imperial. Main apartment, being one of the most trusted. and persons close to the Emperor. B. left behind notes, of which only a small part has been printed to this day (Russian Arch. 1865, No. 2). His articles in the "Military Journal" belong to Peru: "Description of the military actions of the detachment that was under the command of General Winzengerode in 1812." (1827, III) and “Actions of Major General Benckendorff’s detachment in Holland” (1827, VI).
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Benkendorf, Count Alexander Khristoforovich
Adjutant General, Member of the State Court. council, chief of gendarmes; R. 1783, † 11 Sep. 1844 Left notes.
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Benkendorf, Count Alexander Khristoforovich
(1783-1844) - one of the main employees of Nicholas I in his reactionary politics. Came from Baltic Germans. B. presented Alexander I with a report on secret societies and a note about the secret police to monitor the mood of minds, left by Alexander without consequences. With the accession of Nicholas, to whom B. had been close before, he makes a fast career. On December 14, he commanded troops on Vasilyevsky Island, then took an active part in the investigation of the Decembrists and voluntarily attended the execution of five of them. Since 1826, B. was the chief of the gendarmes and the head of the Third Department. His energy is directed, ch. arr., to combat “free thoughts” in literature. Thus, B. was entrusted by Nicholas I with the censorship of Pushkin’s works. With his nagging, B. poisoned last years the life of the great poet and indirectly was one of the culprits of his death. All matters concerning the smallest details of the life of the exiled Decembrists passed through him. Basic principle of B.: “Laws are written for subordinates, not for superiors.” Other popular expression B.: “Russia’s past is amazing, its present is more than magnificent; as for the future, it is above everything that the most ardent imagination can imagine,” formulated the theory of the so-called. " official nationality"created by the ruling circles in Nicholas era. B.'s police brutality was combined with external softness and a sentimental style of speech. Accompanying Nicholas I on all his trips, B. enjoyed his exceptional love (during Benckendorff’s serious illness, Nicholas cried at his bedside). In the last years of his life, B.'s position weakened somewhat.
Lit.: Lemke, M.K., Nikolaev gendarmes and literature of 1826-55, St. Petersburg, 1908.
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Benkendorf, Alexander Khristoforovich- Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf. BENKENDORF Alexander Khristoforovich (1781 or 1783 1844), one of the closest associates of Emperor Nicholas I, count (1832), cavalry general (1832). Since 1826 chief of gendarmes and main boss Third... ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1781 or 1783 1844), count, chief of the gendarme corps and head of the III department, general. adjutant. In Jan. 1836 L. was returned 2nd ed. drama “Masquerade” with B.’s recommendations to change the ending, where instead of “glorification of vice” it would show “triumph... ... Lermontov Encyclopedia
- (1781 or 1783 1844) count (1832), Russian statesman, cavalry general (1832). Participant in the suppression of the Decembrist uprising. Since 1826, the chief of gendarmes and the chief commander of the Third Department... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
This person's name for a long time symbolized the arbitrariness and lawlessness of those in power. There is a lot of truth in this point of view - Count Benckendorff was a revolutionary on the contrary, completely convinced that any lawlessness is acceptable if it leads to the strengthening of the state and existing system. But there are other pages in his biography.
War Hero
Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf (life: 1782-1844) belonged to that breed of Russian Germans who made real patriots of Russia. His father was a prime major; Alexander Khristoforovich himself was brought up in a prestigious private boarding school and already in 1798 he became an ensign of the Semenovsky regiment (it simply couldn’t be better) and adjutant of Paul I.
Further, Benckendorff for almost 30 years did brilliant and highest degree worthy military career. He took part in the wars with Napoleon in 1805-1806; V . In 1812, as an aide-de-camp, he was responsible for the emperor’s communications with, then became a commander, and took personal part in clearing the Kremlin of mines after the French left Moscow. Next in Benckendorff's biography were the wars in Belgium and Holland; he took part in.
The Count was certainly distinguished by his enormous personal courage. During wars, he regularly found himself in the most dangerous places and received many well-deserved awards (including 2 Orders of St. George). It is known that in 1824, having witnessed another flood in St. Petersburg, he, already a general, swam to help the drowning people and then took an active part in rescue work.
Investigator December 14
“Gendarme” career of A.Kh. Benckendorf began in 1825, immediately after. The general took part in the investigation into this case. He contributed to the arrest and punishment of many, but did not show excessive cruelty. It is known that he was against applying to the Decembrists death penalty and even saved the Volkonsky family from confiscation of property.
After this, he proposed to Nicholas 1 to create a special secret police for "state" affairs. The Tsar appreciated the idea and in 1826 appointed Benckendorff chief of gendarmes and head of the notorious III Department of the Imperial Chancellery.
Revolutionary in reverse
Of course, Benckendorff, as the chief of gendarmes, resolutely suppressed any dissent in the country. He personally supervised Pushkin’s “good intentions.” WITH with good reason he can be considered the “father” of mass viewing of correspondence as a means of searching for “sedition.” The general himself, in personal correspondence, openly stated that laws exist for subordinates, and not for leadership, and the persecuted do not dare refer to them in their defense.
But in the practice of the department there was a more useful direction than the arrests of publicists and bans on book publishers. Among other things, it was engaged in the fight against corruption. This is a phenomenon in Russia XIX century was no less common than in the current one. Benckendorff personally had a very low opinion of officials, and a significant part of his department’s affairs were devoted to the fight against bribery, embezzlement and abuse of official position. An “auditor from St. Petersburg with a secret order” was usually sent to the provinces by the department.
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf (1782-1844) - Russian statesman, military leader, cavalry general; chief of the gendarmes and at the same time the Chief Head of the III Department of E. I. V.’s Own Chancellery (1826-1844). Brother of Konstantin Benckendorff and Dorothea Lieven. Came from ancient noble family Benckendorffov.
Alexander Benckendorff was born on June 23 (July 4), 1782 (according to other sources - 1781) in the family of Prime Major Christopher Ivanovich Benckendorff and Anna Juliana, née Baroness Schilling von Kanstadt.
He was brought up in the prestigious boarding school of Abbot Nicolas. In 1798, he was promoted to ensign of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment with the appointment of aide-de-camp to Emperor Paul I.
In the war of 1806-1807. was under the duty general Count Tolstoy and took part in many battles. In 1807-1808 was at the Russian embassy in Paris.
In 1809, he went as a hunter (volunteer) to the army operating against the Turks, and was often in the vanguard or commanded separate detachments; For outstanding distinction in the battle of Rushchuk on June 20, 1811 he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, Benckendorf was first an aide-de-camp to the emperor and liaised with the main command with Bagration’s army, then he commanded the vanguard of General Wintzingerode’s detachment; On July 27, he carried out an attack in the case of Velizh, and after Napoleon left Moscow and its occupation by Russian troops, he was appointed commandant of the capital. While pursuing the enemy, he was in the detachment of Lieutenant General Kutuzov, was involved in various matters and was captured three generals and more than 6,000 lower ranks.
In the campaign of 1813, Benckendorff commanded a flying detachment, defeated the French at Tempelberg (for which he received the Order of St. George, 3rd class), forced the enemy to surrender the city of Fürstenwald and, together with the detachment of Chernyshev and Tetenbork, invaded Berlin. Having crossed the Elbe, Benckendorff took the city of Worben and, under the command of General Dornberg, contributed to the defeat of Moran's division in Luneburg.
Then, with his detachment in the Northern Army, he took part in the battles of Gros Veren and Dennewitz. Having entered under the command of Count Vorontsov, for 3 days in a row he and one of his detachments covered the movement of the army towards Dessau and Roslau and was awarded for this a golden saber decorated with diamonds. At the battle of Leipzig, Benckendorff commanded the left wing of General Winzingerode's cavalry, and when this general moved to Kassel, he was the head of his vanguard.
Then, with a separate detachment, he was sent to Holland and cleared it of the enemy. Replaced there by Prussian and English troops, Benckendorff moved to Belgium, took the cities of Louvain and Mechelen and recaptured 24 guns and 600 British prisoners from the French.
In the campaign of 1814, Benckendorff especially distinguished himself in the case of Lüttich; in the battle of Craon he commanded all the cavalry of the gr. Vorontsov, and then covered the movement of the Silesian army to Laon; at Saint-Dizier he commanded first the left wing, and then the rearguard. 1824 when it was in St. Petersburg flood, he stood on the balcony with the sovereign Emperor Alexander I. And he threw off his cloak, swam to the boat and saved the people all day together with the military governor of St. Petersburg M.A. Miloradovich.
Emperor Nicholas I, who was very favorable towards Benckendorff after his active participation in the investigation into the Decembrist case, appointed him on June 25, 1826 as chief of the gendarmes, and on July 3, 1826 as the chief head of the III department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery and commander of His Imperial Majesty's Main Apartment.
Allegedly at institution III department, when asked by A.H. Benckendorf about the instructions, Nicholas I handed a handkerchief and said: “Here are all the instructions for you. The more you wipe away your tears with this handkerchief, the more faithfully you will serve my purposes!”
The Tsar entrusted Benckendorf with supervision. According to N. Ya. Eidelman, “Bencendorff sincerely did not understand what this Pushkin needed, but he clearly and clearly understood what he, the general, needed, and supreme authority. Therefore, when Pushkin deviated from the right way Luckily, the general wrote him polite letters, after which he didn’t want to live or breathe.”
In 1828, during the departure of the sovereign to the active army for military operations against Ottoman Empire, Benckendorff accompanied him; was at the siege of Brailov, the crossing of the Russian army across the Danube, the conquest of Isakchi, the battle of Shumla and the siege of Varna; On April 21, 1829, he was promoted to cavalry general, and in 1832 he was elevated to the dignity of count of the Russian Empire.
Benckendorff was involved in a number of financial ventures. So, for example, A.Kh. Benckendorff was listed among the founders of the society “for the establishment of double steamships” (1836); his share was to be 1/6 of the initial issue of shares, or 100,000 silver rubles at par. According to some reports, he lobbied for the interests of one of the largest insurance companies in Russia in the mid-19th century - the “Second Russian Society from Fire”.
He was a member of the special Committee established for the construction of Nikolaevskaya railway along with other government officials. The road was built in 1842-1851 between St. Petersburg and Moscow.
In 1840, Benckendorff was appointed to attend the committees on the courtyard people and on the transformation of Jewish life; in the latter he treated Jews favorably.
Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf died on September 23, 1844 on a ship carrying him from Germany, where he was undergoing a course of long-term treatment, to his homeland. He was over sixty. His wife was waiting for him in Falle, their estate near Revel (now Tallinn). The ship had already brought a dead man.
Benckendorff family:
He was married since 1817 to the sister of St. Petersburg commandant G. A. Zakharzhevsky Elizaveta Andreevna Bibikova (09/11/1788-12/07/1857), the widow of Lieutenant Colonel Pavel Gavrilovich Bibikov (1784-1812), who died in the battle near Vilna. Having been widowed, she lived with her two daughters in the Kharkov province with her aunt Dunina, where she met Benckendorff. Later a lady of state and a cavalry lady of the Order of St. Catherine.
The marriage had three daughters:
Anna Alexandrovna (1819-1899), had in a beautiful voice and was the first public performer of the Russian anthem “God Save the Tsar!”. In 1840 she married Austrian Ambassador Count Rudolf Apponyi (1817-1876), after his death she lived in Hungary on the Lengyel estate. Her daughter Elena was married to Prince Paolo Borghese, owner of the famous villa.
Maria (Margarita) Alexandrovna (1820-1880), maid of honor, was the first wife of Prince Grigory Petrovich Volkonsky (1808-1882) from 1838.
Sofya Alexandrovna (1825-1875), in her first marriage to Pavel Grigorievich Demidov (1809-1858), in her second, from 1859, to Prince S.V. Kochubey (1820-1880).
His two stepdaughters, the Bibikovs, were brought up in the family of A. Kh. Benkendorf:
Ekaterina Pavlovna (1810-1900), Dame of the Order of St. Catherine, was married to Baron F. P. Offenberg.
Elena Pavlovna (1812-1888), one of the first secular beauties, maid of honor, lady of state and chief chamberlain. Since 1831 she has been married to Prince E. A. Beloselsky-Belozersky. Having been widowed, in 1847 she married for the second time the archaeologist and numismatist Prince V.V. Kochubey (1811-1850).
Benkendorf, Alexander Khristoforovich- Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf. (1781 or 1783 1844), one of the closest associates of Emperor Nicholas I, count (1832), cavalry general (1832). Since 1826, the chief of gendarmes and the chief commander of the Third... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1781 or 1783 1844), count, chief of the gendarme corps and head of the III department, general. adjutant. In Jan. 1836 L. was returned 2nd ed. drama “Masquerade” with B.’s recommendations to change the ending, where instead of “glorification of vice” it would show “triumph... ... Lermontov Encyclopedia
BENKENDORF Alexander Khristoforovich- (1781 or 1783 1844) count (1832), Russian statesman, cavalry general (1832). Participant in the suppression of the Decembrist uprising. Since 1826, the chief of gendarmes and the chief commander of the Third Department... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich-, Russian statesman, count (since 1832), one of the main conductors of the reactionary domestic policy Nicholas I. Participant in the wars with France (1805‒07), Turkey (1806‒12), the Patriotic War of 1812 and ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich- (1781 or 1783 1844), statesman, cavalry general (1829), count (1832), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1827). He was brought up in St. Petersburg in the Jesuit boarding school of Abbot Nicolas, from 1798 he served in the Semenovsky Life Guards... ... St. Petersburg (encyclopedia)
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich- (1781 or 1783 1844), statesman, cavalry general (1829), count (1832), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1827). He was brought up in St. Petersburg in the Jesuit boarding school of Abbot Nicolas, from 1798 he served in the Semenovsky Life Guards... ... Encyclopedic reference book"Saint Petersburg"
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich- (1783 1844), count (1832), Russian statesman, cavalry general (1832). Participant in the wars with France (1805-1815). Led the pacification of unrest in life guard Semenovsky regiment (1820). Participated in the suppression of the Decembrist uprising... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
BENKENDORF Alexander Khristoforovich- A.H. Benckendorf... Collier's Encyclopedia
Benkendorf Alexander Khristoforovich- ... Wikipedia
Benkendorff Alexander Khristoforovich (Benkendorff)- Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf, see the article by Benkendorf (A.Kh., K.Kh.) ... Biographical Dictionary
Books
- Benkendorf, Oleinikov Dmitry Ivanovich. Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf played the role of an anti-hero for too long national history. Historians and literary scholars, writers and screenwriters have endowed him with all sorts of negative... Buy for 438 rubles
- Benckendorf. Series: Life of remarkable people, Dmitry Ivanovich Oleynikov. 400 pp. Alexander Khristoforovich Benkendorf played the role of an anti-hero in Russian history for too long. Historians and literary scholars, writers and screenwriters have endowed him with all sorts of...