A. G. Orlov-Chesmensky, General-in-Chief, Knight of St. George, bought the village of Mikhailovskoye, Khatun Volost, Serpukhov District (now Domodedovo District), which he loved. Then the count often drove into the village on trotters (Orlovsky!), Walked and rode through the beautiful Mikhailovsky fields and copses, visited the banks of the Mikhailovsky pond, located in the center of the village, and, perhaps, swam in it.
The Orlov brothers became famous during the reign of Empress Catherine II. Each of the five Orlov brothers: Ivan, Grigory, Alexei, Fedor and Vladimir distinguished himself in the enlightened and restless age of Catherine. The fate of everyone deserves special attention. All of them, who arrived in the capital from a remote province, became soldiers of the guard, and Gregory became the favorite of Empress Catherine II.
The fate of Alexei Orlov, a sergeant of the guard, a participant in the palace coup in 1762, which forced Emperor Peter III to sign an act of abdication, is special. Immediately after the accession of Catherine II, the sergeant of the guard received the rank of major general.
Alexei Orlov was born on September 21, 1735 and was the most energetic figure in the Palace conspiracy in favor of Catherine. On June 28, 1762, Sergeant of the Guard Alexei Orlov entered the Empress's bedroom and said that everything was ready for him. Having beaten the guards in Peterhof, he rode to Oranienbaum and arrested Emperor Peter III. For which he subsequently received the title of count and eight hundred serfs.
Catherine II repeatedly admitted to her loved ones that Alexei Orlov was the most terrible person, and was afraid of him: as if he would not kill her. And she showered him with orders, gold, ranks and estates. Catherine remembered that no one could resist Alyosha Orlov in a fist fight. She knew that the Orlov brothers were powerful and fearless, like lions. Only the big man of the life company Shvanvich could overpower one of the Orlovs, but no one could overpower two brothers.
Once in a tavern, where A. Shvanvich was playing billiards, Grigory and Alexei Orlovs, drunk, burst into the tavern. After drinking all the Schwanwich wine, they pushed him out of the tavern. On the street, Shvanvich waited for the offenders, and when Alexei was the first of them to appear in the yard, Shvanvich slashed him on the head with his saber. Bloodied Alexei Orlov fell to the ground.
The scar from the saber strike remained with A. G. Orlov for life. Staying then for many years in glory, the Orlovs never took revenge on Shvanvich, realizing that his act was forced on that ill-fated evening.
Russia in 1768, after the announcement of another war by Turkey, began to prepare for the defense of its southern borders. The Council of State decided to wage an offensive war against the Ottomans. The favorite of Empress Catherine II, Grigory Orlov, proposed sending several ships to the Mediterranean Sea and from there delivering a preemptive strike on the enemy from the rear. For such audacious plan all five Orlov brothers performed. With the approval of Empress Catherine II, Alexei Orlov left with his younger brother Fedor to carry out this plan. Studying the situation on the coast mediterranean sea, the Orlov brothers began to act. The Greeks and South Slavs, who did not stop fighting the Turkish yoke, saw Russia as their intercessor.
Empress Catherine II, by her decision of January 29, 1769, instructed Alexei Orlov to lead the fighting. In July 1769, the squadron of Admiral G. A. Spiridov left Kronstadt, followed by the squadron of Rear Admiral Englishman John Elphinstone. The squadrons moved slowly around the whole of Europe. Rear Admiral Elphinstone was an arrogant man and could not establish business relations neither with Orlov, nor with Spiridov, which forced A. G. Orlov to declare himself the chief commander of both squadrons according to the rescript of Empress Catherine II.
On the battleship "Three Hierarchs" at 2 pm on June 12, 1770, the flag of the commander-in-chief (Kaiser flag) was raised as a sign that A. G. Orlov assumed full responsibility for the Russian fleet.
In front of the Mediterranean squadron A.G. Orlov had the task of preventing the Turkish fleet from escaping through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara and, having overtaken it, force it to accept a general battle. Despite the significant superiority, the Turkish fleet avoided battle.
This naval battle would eventually facilitate the struggle of the Russian land army on the Black Sea plains.
The ships of the Greek rebels under the command of Panaioti and Alexiano Palicutti, Ruzo and others joined the Russian fleet. With the help of the Greek rebels, who knew the waters of the archipelago well, it was possible to establish that the enemy fleet went north from the island of Paros. One of the Greek reconnaissance ships brought the news: the entire Turkish fleet is between the island of Chios and the coast of Asia Minor. A.G. Orlov sent Rear Admiral S. Greig for detailed reconnaissance on the 66-gun ship Rostislav with two small frigates. Greig returned to the squadron with the news that the entire Turkish fleet was in the strait.
Commander-in-chief - cavalry general A.G. Orlov decided to attack the Turks in the morning. The Russian squadron had 9 battleships, 3 frigates, 1 bombing ship, 17 auxiliary ships and transports, and 820 guns. The Turkish squadron had 16 battleships, 6 frigates and up to 50 small ships and 1430 guns under the command of an experienced naval commander Hassan Bey Dzhezairli. The ships of the Turkish fleet were anchored in the Chios Strait half a mile from the coast. The Turkish fleet had almost double superiority.
A.G. Orlov wrote to Empress Catherine II the following report: “Seeing this building, I was horrified and was in the dark what I should do; but the courage of the troops, the zeal of all, forced me to decide and, in spite of superior strength, to dare to attack - fall or destroy the enemy.
On June 24, 1770, Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlov convened a military council on the flagship, which adopted Admiral Spiridov’s plan to attack under sail with short distance Turkish fleet, deliver a concentrated strike on the flagship "Real Mustafa" and thereby disrupt the control of the Turkish fleet. The plan was bold and daring. A.G. Orlov approved it.
On the morning of June 24, 1770, the Russian fleet entered the battle, the commander in chief on the flagship was in the middle of the wake column. A.G. Orlov ordered not to open fire until approaching the distance of a pistol shot. On a ship sailing under the flag of Admiral G.A. Spiridov, music suddenly burst out, raising the spirits of the sailors. At half past twelve in the afternoon, the Russian avant-garde approached the distance of three cables from the Turkish fleet. The Turks, unable to withstand the silent movement of the Russians on them, opened fire. The entire Turkish armada was illuminated by the fires of shots and found itself in clouds of smoke. The Russian squadron approached at close range, and the vanguard fired its first volley, followed by the second ...
The Russian ship "Saint Eustathius Plakida" approached the Turkish flagship almost very close and opened artillery fire, causing serious damage. Admiral Spiridov commanded the battle with a sword in his hand. Following the avant-garde, the rest of the Russian ships entered. The ship "Three Hierarchs" under the flag of Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlova unleashed his fire on the 100-gun Turkish ship.
The duel between the Russian ship "Saint Eustathius Plakida" and the Turkish flagship "Real Mustafa" lasted two hours. "Real Mustafa" caught fire, confusion swept the Turkish team. Russian sailors went on boarding. A short hand-to-hand fight ended in a complete victory for the Russian sailors. At this time, the fire from the Turkish flagship was transferred to the Russian ship. The fire was unsuccessful to put out, and Admiral Spiridov with F.G. Orlov transferred their flag to the ship "Three Saints".
The death of Real Mustafa caused a great panic among the Turks. All Turkish ships rushed to the Chesme Bay to take refuge in it. It was half past two in the afternoon. By order of A.G. Orlov, all Russian ships set off in pursuit and pursued the Turkish ships to the Chesma Bay itself, blocking the fleet there.
For the final defeat of the Turkish fleet, A.G. Orlov convened on the ship "Three Hierarchs" ship commanders for a military council, at which Admiral Spiridov's plan was again adopted: to destroy the Turkish fleet with a combined strike of artillery and firewalls.
In an order dated June 25, A.G. Orlov wrote: "... defeat and ruin the fleet" around midnight on June 26 after artillery salvos from Russian ships. A fire broke out on the Turkish ships, fire-ships went on the attack. The flames of the burning ships favored the attack of the fireships. By 3 o'clock in the morning, the fire engulfed the entire Turkish fleet. The entire Chesme Bay turned into a fiery cauldron. Burned more than 40 Turkish ships. The ships exploded one by one. By 10 o'clock in the morning, 15 battleships, 6 frigates and 40 small ships burned down. The Turks lost more than ten thousand sailors dead.
In the Chesme naval battle, the Turkish fleet was completely destroyed. It was the greatest victory of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.
Russia celebrated the Chesme victory. In honor of the Chesme victory, the Chesme column was erected in Tsarskoye Selo, and the Chesme church was built in St. Petersburg.
In memory of the Chesme victory, a bronze medal was issued, on one side of which A.G. was depicted. Orlov, and on the other - a plan of the Chesme battle with the words: “And to be Russia is joy and fun. Chesma, June 24 and 26, 1770.
The battle of Chesme was the largest in history sailing fleet.
Commander-in-Chief of all Russian troops A.G. Orlov was awarded the highest military order of George 1st degree. "For the brave and reasonable leadership of the fleet and the victory of the famous victory over the Turkish fleet on the shores of Assia and completely destroyed it." He was awarded the rank of general-in-chief, and "Chesmensky" was added to his surname.
Russian Navy was replenished with a new ship "Memory of Eustace" in honor of the gloriously deceased "Saint Eustace of Placis" in 1770.
Came to Alexei Grigorievich Orlov world fame. Songs, poems, legends were composed in his honor. Europe was amazed at the victory of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.
After the Chesme victory, the Russian squadron returned home in a roundabout way. And through the sultry deserts of the countries of the Middle East and the Black Sea, the Arabs led to Russia under an armed escort a herd of oriental horses purchased by A.G. Orlov for breeding high-bred horses (“Orlov horses” by the name of the count). An amazing stallion of the Arabian breed "Smetanka" was led for two years.
Time fled, and the era of the Orlovs was ending. Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky entered the historical stage. He began to frequent imperial court attracted the attention of the empress. Having removed her favorite Grigory Orlov from Catherine, Potemkin took his place. Following the resignation of Grigory Orlov, all the Orlov brothers were also dismissed from service.
But life did not end - life went on. A.G. Orlov's main passion in life was a passion for horses. The life of a brilliant livestock specialist began.
After his retirement, Alexei Orlov lived and spent time in the Neskuchny Palace near the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. In the Moscow region - in the villages of Ostrov, Khatun and Mikhailovskoye, he began to breed breeding foals. In the village of Ostrov on the Moskva River, located in the near Moscow region, a dozen and a half kilometers from Tsaritsyno, A.G. Orlov founds a stud farm. The village was located on a hill among endless fields, which favored the breeding of horses. In 1776 A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky bred a new breed of horse, called the "Orlov trotter". From the Moscow region in 1778 A.G. Orlov transferred his stud farm to the Khrenovo estate, which was located in the Voronezh steppes. There, the magnificent master Gilardi built a gigantic complex of stables. To service the stables, the count resettled thousands of peasants, built a hospital and a school for them. It was in Khrenov A.G. Orlov brought out the famous trotter named Ferocious, who later became the ancestor of many "Orlov trotters". The count forbade his male grooms to beat the horses. The count himself personally gave a name to each newly appeared horse. The names of the stallions: Aviator, Fly, Bars, Bis, Bogatyr, Cahors, Swan, Muzhik, Riesling, Octopus, Dancemaster, Ermine, Cheater, Clever and others. Names of mares: Atelier, Bravo, Sinusoid, Subsidy, Tactics, Evolution. The names of the horses were given according to their merits. Sometimes the names changed. So, for example, at the stallion Muzhik, on which the count once rode and, paying attention, said: “How smoothly he runs, as if measuring canvases, to be his Strider.”
Almost a hundred years later, L.N. Tolstoy made Kholstomer the main character of his story.
In Russian life A.G. Orlov introduced races and races, hippodromes. Until his death, he personally participated in races and races of horses, betting on ruddy rolls.
Alexei Orlov was already close to fifty when he married the young Lopukhina. Love was short-lived, his wife died early, leaving him a daughter, Annushka, who had to be raised. Even during the life of his wife, the count complained about her to his friends: “It sticks into the icon, and that's it. No, it's not for me."
Daughter Anna took a lot from her mother: the same fear of God, faith and prayer. Kindness came from her sympathetic and loving soul. Her father did not pay much attention to her, he had his own worries. But he also had vents, then he caressed his daughter, carried her in his arms, gently kissed and amused the child.
The Englishwoman Balmont at one of these moments asked the count: “Whose charming child is this?”. The count replied: “Do you know? Ran here yesterday from the street, and stayed. Don't throw it away. Let him live!
The count treated the grown-up daughter harshly. He made her do the dirty work. He often taught: “Yes, you don’t do that! Do not be lazy. It’s not for you to pray to God.”
The count liked his old "self-proclaimed princess" Maria Bakhmetova, with whom he lived in endless divorces.
In 1796, when Russian throne Paul I entered, who extracted A. Orlov's notes from the archive of Catherine II, relating to the palace coup, Count Orlov drove off abroad. For five years, from 1796 to 1801, Count Orlov lived abroad with his Marya Bakhmetova: in winter in Dresden and Leipzig, and in summer in Karlsbad and Teplice. Europe loved and revered Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky.
Only in the spring of 1801 A. Orlov and Bakhmetova returned to Russia: Emperor Alexander I came to the throne.
Count A.G. Orlov survived his beloved Generalissimo Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov. In 1805, the count, having received news of the defeat of the Russian troops at Austerlitz, began to cry, he remembered the Chesme victory.
The count's earthly life was drawing to a close. December 24, 1807, on Christmas Day, Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky died in Moscow. The count was buried in the temple of the "Provision of the Robe of the Lord", and buried in his estate Ostrov. Daughter A.G. Orlova-Chesmensky Anna Alekseevna moved to St. Petersburg in 1820 and left the Ostrov estate. Ashes of Count A.G. Orlov is transported to the village of Semenovskoye (Serpukhov district, Moscow province). Grigory Orlov gave this village to his younger brother Vladimir, who built a church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on a high mountain, and below - closer to the banks of the Lopasni River - a house. The estate was named "Otrada". A mausoleum made of wood is also being built there - the tomb of the Counts Orlovs. The youngest of the Orlov brothers, Vladimir Grigorievich, dies in 1831. In 1832-1835, a stone mausoleum was built in Otrada according to the project of the architect D. Gilardi, and the construction was carried out by his cousin A. Gilardi.
Since 1831, the Otrada estate passed into the possession of the grandson of V.G. Orlov - V.P. Davydov (since 1856 he was called V.P. Orlov-Davydov).
In November 1831, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya filed a petition addressed to the sovereign, Metropolitan of Novgorod and to the Synod for permission to transfer the ashes of her father, A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, and his brothers in the Novgorod Yuriev Monastery. The countess was allowed, without opening the coffin, to transport the ashes of her father, Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, and his brothers, Grigory and Fyodor Orlov, to the Yuryev Monastery.
In January 1832, the ashes of the Orlov brothers, accompanied by the icon of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, were transferred to the Yuryev Monastery and interred under the porch of St. George's Church.
In 1816, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya filed a petition for the construction of a stone church in the village of Mikhailovskoye, which had belonged to her since 1807. The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was built in 1822-1823 and consecrated in 1824. Countess Anna Alekseevna uses the legacy of her father for charitable deeds, for churches, for monasteries, for funeral services for her father and his brothers.
Perhaps in afterlife Alexei Orlov understood how lucky he was in earthly life with his wife, who gave him unexpected joy - daughter Annushka, a prayer book for her father and his brothers and who showed touching care for their ashes.
For more than sixty years, the ashes of eminent associates of Empress Catherine Great Gregory, Alexei and Fedor lived in the Yuriev Monastery, And in 1896, on the centennial anniversary of the death of Empress Catherine II, the great-grandson of the Orlovs - A.V. The solemn ceremony of the reburial of the ashes of the Orlovs took place on February 24, 1896.
In the mausoleum, in the Otrada estate, on the medallions, according to the seniority of the Orlov brothers, it is written: Count Ivan Grigoryevich Orlov (September 3, 1733 - September 18, 1791), captain of the Life Guards. Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (March 6, 1734 - April 13, 1783), general feldzeugmeister. Count Alexei Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky (September 25, 1735 - December 24, 1807, 72 years old), General-in-Chief and all Russian orders cavalier. Count Fyodor Grigoryevich Orlov (February 8, 1741 - May 17, 1796), general-in-chief. Count Vladimir Grigoryevich Orlov (1742 - 1831), lieutenant general.
The Orlov brothers in the southern Moscow region owned the villages of Semenovskoye, Khatun, Mikhailovskoye, Shcheglyatievo, the estates "Otrada", "Nerastannoye". Count Orlov-Chesmensky owned the villages of Khatun and Mikhailovskoye.
In 1924, a fatal year for the Otrada estate, the remains of the Counts Orlovs, which have been in the pantheon since 1896 - the family burial vault of the Counts Orlovs, were disturbed, looted and burned by a sent special team. (This was reported by the well-known local historian Alexander Nefedov. "Monuments of the Fatherland", No. 31, 1-2, 1994). So dealt with the ashes of the counts. But it is impossible to erase the life and work of the Orlov brothers from history. IN. Klyuchevsky said about the Orlov brothers: "... dashing heads, like the Orlov brothers, who only knew how to decide, and not think."
On August 27, 1995, in the city of Voronezh, a monument was unveiled to the outstanding military leader and livestock breeder of the 18th century, Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov-Chesmensky.
Voronezh land is the birthplace of the "Oryol trotters". Russia remembers Count A.G. Oplov-Chesmensky. We, Domodedovo residents, will also remember that on our land the village of Mikhailovsky was owned and often visited in the last years of his life by the Chesme hero Alexei Orlov, a holder of all Russian orders then available.
Local historian Nikolai Chulkov. From the cycle "History of the region in faces".
Orlov-Chesmensky, Alexey Grigorievich, general-in-chief, associate of Empress Catherine II; comes from noble family, leading its origin from Lukyan Ivanovich Orlov, a landowner of the Bezhetsk district of the Tver province, where he owned the Village of Lyutkino - the cradle of the Orlov family. Count Alexy Grigoryevich was the third son of a real state councilor and Novgorod governor Grigory Ivanovich Orlov and his wife Lukerya Ivanovna, born Zinoviev. He was born on September 24 1737 (according to other sources in 1735).
Information about the initial life of Count Alexei Grigorievich, as well as about his first steps in military service, is very scarce, it is only known for certain that in 1749. A. Orlov entered the Life Guards in Preobrazhensky Regiment. Distinguished by good health, strong and courageous character, Alexei Grigorievich stood out from among his brothers and was the most gifted and energetic of them. Before the accession to the throne of Empress Catherine, he did not have to show his abilities, and the Orlov brothers at that time gained loud fame in society; only by their exuberant lifestyle in military environment, and physical strength, and would hardly have advanced to the state field soon if they had not accidentally fallen into a close circle of people who were close to the wife of the heir to the throne, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Having taken an ardent part in the family turmoil of the Grand Duchess, the Orlovs began to recruit adherents of the young Empress among the youth of the Guards and soon found themselves at the head of a large party, consisting mainly of the military, who wanted to enthrone the queen, unloved by her husband.
Alexei Grigorievich was the soul of this party. Catherine was obliged to his energy, composure and diligence for the successful implementation of her plans; he managed to keep the secret of the impending coup until the last days, and when suspicion arose and Passek was arrested, Alexei Grigorievich boldly, ahead of the appointed time, carried out the planned coup.
On the night of June 27-28, while Emperor Peter III was in Oranienbaum Castle in the company of his entourage, Guards Sergeant Alexei Orlov galloped to Peterhof and informed the Empress of Passek's arrest, declaring that it was necessary to immediately take decisive action; Petersburg, the soldiers were already prepared in advance for upcoming events and only waited for the appearance in the capital of the disgraced wife of the emperor. At the insistence of Alexei Orlov.
Catherine decided to act immediately, and in the early morning of June 28 1762., accompanied by Alexy Orlov and V.I. Bibikov, with Grigory Orlov and Prince F.S. Baryatinsky, who joined him along the way, left the Peterhof Palace in a hired private carriage.
At about eight o'clock in the morning, she unexpectedly appeared in St. Petersburg and drove straight to the Izmailovsky regiment, located at the outpost. Enthusiastically greeted by the Izmailovtsy, the empress proceeded further to the Kazan Cathedral, and Orlov, ahead of the royal train, was the first at the Kazan church to proclaim the young empress an autocratic empress in front of the assembled crowd. The clergy, led by Archbishop Dmitry, met Catherine and greeted her as the Empress of All Russia. On the same day, the emperor, in a locked carriage, surrounded on all sides by a strong detachment under the command of Alexei Orlov, was taken from Peterhof, where he signed the act of abdication, to Ropsha. Here he soon died.
The Orlovs were showered with favors from the new empress; Alexy Orlov was promoted to major general and on June 29, 1762 was granted the second major of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment; in Moscow, on the day of the coronation of the Empress, he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and during the coronation celebrations 800 souls; in addition, together with his brothers Grigory and Fedor, he was granted the village of Obolenskoye (Ilyinskoye) with 2929 souls and a large sum of money in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow province. In addition to these awards, all five brothers were elevated to the dignity of a count, moreover, in the rescript about this award it was said: “they (i.e. Orlovs) were the first of those faithful sons of Russia who raised this Empire from the strange and unbearable yoke and the Greek Orthodox Church from ruin and the all-ending fall approaching her by raising us (i.e. Catherine II) to the all-Russian imperial the throne was vacated, which the Orthodox cause and truly by their insight, reason, courage and wisdom for the benefit and well-being of the Fatherland and in the joy and pleasure of the natural allies of the entire empire, to their immortal glory, really and safely brought to perfection ".
The Orlovs soon gained enormous prestige at court. Thus began a new reign, which opened the way for the Orlovs to high honors. The leading place among the brothers undoubtedly belonged to Count Alexei Grigorievich; he openly declared that the empress owed him the throne alone, and brother Gregory was in his hands nothing more than an instrument for the fulfillment of his bold plans. Not having, however, the opportunity to play the role of a favorite, however, at all the time of his brother’s favor, he had tremendous influence in public affairs, although he personally did not participate in any important events. public life, and for the first years his name was mostly found only in descriptions of various celebrations and the Highest outputs.
At the end 1765. gr. A. G. Orlov, with the rank of lieutenant general, was sent to Moscow with a secret assignment to comprehensively and rigorously investigate the unrest that had arisen in central Russia. These disorders arose among the Don Cossacks, whose hetman sympathized with the dissatisfaction of the Cossacks with the government; the Cossacks, having entered into relations with the Tatars, intended to help them attack the Ukraine and raise an uprising there. Many Tatars began to gather near the border of Ukraine and things threatened to take a dangerous turn. General Melgunov reported to the Empress about the danger of an imminent invasion of rebels and about the flight of two-thirds of the new Serbian colonists. This was the situation when Catherine decided to send Count Alexei Grigorievich to Moscow; he had a very difficult task to prevent an armed clash with Turkey, which patronized the Tatars. Clothed with the full confidence of the Empress. Orlov energetically got down to business and, in order to stop the unrest among the Tatars, traveled to Kazan and other places, collecting the necessary information everywhere, and finally calmed the ferment that had begun.
In January 1767. gr. A. G. Orlov was elected a member of the commission of deputies, although he did not take any serious part in its meetings.
At the end 1767. gr. Orlov fell dangerously ill; the doctors sentenced him to death, but the intervention in the treatment of a certain paramedic Erofeich, who soon became known throughout Russia, is said to have saved the count: he recovered so much that he could take trip abroad. Shortly before leaving (April 21, 1768), c. Alexei Grigorievich was granted the Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called; in addition, the Empress, who was very sympathetic to Count Orlov during his illness, ordered to give him 200,000 rubles for travel and treatment. Accompanied by his brother, Mr. F. G. Orlova, gr. A. G. went incognito through Berlin and Vienna to Italy, where he stayed on long time, driving around everywhere and for a long time without stopping at the same place.
Shortly after the Orlovs went abroad, in the same 1768. Turkey, instigated by the French government and the Polish confederates, imprisoned our envoy Bulgakov in the Seven-Tower Castle, breaking diplomatic relations with Russia.
The war has begun. Russian troops moved into Turkey. The Empress decided to restore Greece and free Egypt from the power of the Porte. These broad plans were inspired by the Empress Count Alexei Grigorievich, who followed the course of hostilities with keen interest and, having learned during his stay in Italy that the Turkish Slavs, as well as the Greeks, were dissatisfied with their government and were disposed towards Russia, invited Catherine II to send a squadron to the Archipelago and the Levant. This squadron, according to Orlov, could, on the one hand, excite the Greeks to revolt against the Turks, and, on the other hand, significantly reinforce the military forces of our ground forces, diverting Turkey to places where it could least expect attacks. The whole plan of military naval operations against Turkey gr. A.G. Orlov compiled it himself in Italy and offered himself as the head of this enterprise. In response to this proposal, Mr. Orlov received the Imperial rescript dated January 29 1769., in which the Empress, expressing her full confidence in Orlov’s abilities and her ardent desire to serve for the benefit of Russia, willingly agreed to entrust and give completely at his discretion "preparation, orders and guidance of all this feat". Soon, Russian squadrons under the command of Spiridov and Elphinston set off from Arkhangelsk and Kronstadt to the Mediterranean Sea.
On June 3, 1769, Alexei Grigorievich was promoted to General-in-Chief and began to openly direct the military operations of the Russian fleet. In addition to commanding the fleet, he had the difficult task of rousing the Balkan Christians against the Turkish yoke.
December 1769. the count was in Pisa, from where he aroused the Greeks and Balkan Slavs to revolt. For this, Prince Dodgoruky was sent to Montenegro, who went to Cetinje and swore Montenegrins there to the Empress. However, soon he had to secretly withdraw from there, as the Turks were advancing from all sides, and the Russian squadrons arrived rather late. The squadron of Admiral Spiridov arrived first (in November 1769), while the second appeared in the Mediterranean Sea only in April of the following 1770.
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Brilliant 18th century
29 June 1762 Alexei Orlov, a young sergeant of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, as they say, woke up a celebrity. Not just a noble rich man, count and second major, but also a historical figure!
On the eve, he, together with his brother Gregory, committed an act unheard of in their audacity. Two sergeants forced the emperor III sign an act of abdication in favor of his wife Catherine II.
Well, let's say for Russia is not such an unheard of act. There has already been a precedent. Only in the same way, on the bayonets of officers devoted to her, did Peter III's aunt E.
But this time the situation was even more acute. Elizabeth was the daughter of Peter the Great, and therefore legitimate. Catherine II essentially had no rights to the throne. Such an adventure could not have been carried out without the support of such adventurers as the Orlov brothers.
Of course, Grigory Orlov's career was then brilliant: handsome, reveler, dandy. He became the lover of the Empress and tastefully enjoyed all the benefits of his position.
But the fate of Alexei Orlov was, perhaps, more interesting. He was a completely non-secular person, to shine at palace receptions - this was not his sphere.
No wonder the well-known legend ascribes to him the murder of Peter III. What, allegedly, he later wrote a penitential letter to Catherine II. Modern researchers believe that this letter is a fake, worked out later in order to hush up the possible participation of Catherine herself in this.
Science to him, a brave warrior, was given very tight, foreign languages he couldn't win. But at the same time, he had great respect for scientists. Both the scientific works of Lomonosov and the literary works of Fonvizin saw the light thanks to his support.
He did not pursue ranks and titles. He simply did what he was capable of: he fought for the good of the state. In 1768 he prepared and headed sea voyage to Turkey, which ended with a brilliant victory for the Russian fleet in the Chesme Bay in the Aegean Sea.
By what criterion should the performance of a commander be judged? Maybe in terms of losses? The Turkish fleet lost about ten thousand sailors in this battle, and the Russian fleet lost only 11 people!
For this grandiose victory General-in-Chief Alexei Orlov received a new name - Chesmensky. His feat is immortalized in Tsarskoye Selo by the Chesme Column.
Aleksey Orlov also made a very interesting contribution to Russian culture. It was he who brought the gypsy chapel from the Turkish campaign. And since then, Russian people have accepted the gypsy romance as part of their mysterious soul!
Among the exploits of Alexei Orlov for the glory of Russia was one of a very romantic nature.
In 1774, the famous adventurer Princess Tarakanova appeared in Europe, who declared herself the daughter of Elizabeth. That is, the legitimate heir to the throne. Her claims were a real threat to the image of Catherine II, which the Empress so lovingly created and supported.
And Alexei Orlov received a secret task to bring Princess Tarakanova to Russia. For this, Count Orlov-Chesmensky, an old soldier, did not knowing the words love, I had to enter the role of a lover in love and offer my hand and heart to the adventurer. Difficult task. But an order is an order! And Alexei Orlov plays falling in love so skillfully that the cunning and clever Princess Tarakanova finds herself in a trap. On a ship in the city of Livorno, she is imprisoned and brought to St. Petersburg to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
This was the final chord in the fate of Count Orlov. Literally a year later, his brother Grigory lost the love of the Empress in favor of the successful Prince Potemkin, and General-in-Chief Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky was dismissed.
Alexei Orlov lived for several years in oblivion on his own estate. He no longer wanted to return to politics and social life. But fate prepared for him the last test.
After the death of Catherine II, her son Paul I, who hated his mother, demanded that the remains of his father Peter III be reburied. And on his orders, the alleged killers were to carry the crown of the murdered emperor and all his regalia: Alexei Orlov, Pavel Baryatinsky and Pyotr Passek.
After that, Alexei Orlov left Russia with his daughter and lived in Germany until the death of Paul I.
Count Orlov
Alexey Grigorievich
Battles and victories
Outstanding Russian military and statesman, Count Chesmensky, general-in-chief (1769), associate of Catherine II.
Count Orlov-Chesmensky ranks with the greatest Russian commanders of his time - despite the fact that military operations occupy a relatively modest place in the biography of Alexei Grigorievich, 3-4 years. And glory to him, a land officer, brought a naval battle!
Count Orlov-Chesmensky is probably one of the most famous figures from the time of Catherine II - and the most controversial, if we look at the ratings that he was given. These assessments are diametrically opposed.
“One of the greatest scoundrels on earth” (Prince E.R. Dashkova, D. Diderot) and “there is no such crime that the extravagant Alexei Orlov was not capable of” (Castera, French historian and diplomat).
“Our zealous friend and zealous son of the Fatherland” (Catherine II) and “the type of Russian person: mighty in body strength, mighty in spirit, he was at the same time accessible, hospitable, benevolent, fair” (S. Zhikharev, Moscow memoirist).
Of course, these reviews depend on the position and origin of their authors; of course, they depend on the assessment of the role of Orlov in the initial period of Catherine's reign and in Russian foreign policy during the Russian-Turkish war.
O loud age of military disputes,
Witness to the glory of the Russians!
You saw how Orlov, Rumyantsev and Suvorov,
Descendants of the formidable Slavs,
Perun Zeusov stole the victory,
Their bold deeds, fearful, marveled at the world!
Derzhavin and Petrov sang a song to the heroes
With the strings of thunderous lyres.
And this is a young lyceum student Alexander Pushkin. Under his pen, Orlov stands in a row with the greatest Russian commanders of that time, occupying the first place in this row - despite the fact that military operations occupy a relatively modest place in the biography of Count Alexei Grigorievich, some three or four years!
Indeed, the career of A.G. Orlov to the Archipelago expedition - this is an exemplary career of an adventurer and conspirator. Let us recall its main stages. Alexei was the middle of the five Orlov brothers, the sons of Grigory Ivanovich Orlov, who died in the office of the Novgorod governor. Ivan and Grigory were older than him, Fedor and Vladimir were younger. The future Count Chesmensky was born on September 24 (October 5), 1737 (or, according to other sources, in 1735). He received a good education for that time - he studied in the Land Gentry Corps, then entered the service of a private in the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and at the beginning of 1762 was already a sergeant.
In society, the Orlov brothers acquired at that time loud fame for their violent lifestyle and physical strength. There were no other virtues for them, and they would hardly have advanced in the state field if they had not accidentally fallen into a close circle of people who were close to the wife of the heir to the throne, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. The Orlovs took her difficult family situation to heart and began to agitate among the young guards in her favor; they soon found themselves at the head of a large party which consisted for the most part from the military, who wanted to elevate the queen unloved by her husband to the throne. Alexei Grigorievich was the soul of this party. Catherine was obliged to his energy, composure and diligence for the successful implementation of the planned coup.
Peter III
Artist L.K. Pfanzelt
He was one of those conspirators who wrested abdication from the deposed Peter III; he guarded the deposed emperor in Ropsha - and he is also accused of regicide. This version was repeated in different ways by all his enemies (“He was a regicide at heart. It became something like bad habit”, - said N.K., who knew him. Zagryazhskaya), although modern historians express doubts about the authenticity of a note that has not come down to us, in which Orlov allegedly admits to a crime committed.
After the coup, Alexei, like his brothers, was showered with favors: he was promoted to major general and on June 29, 1762 was granted the second major of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment; in Moscow, on the day of the coronation of the Empress, he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and during the coronation celebrations 800 souls; in addition, he, along with his brothers Grigory and Fedor, was granted the village of Obolenskoye (Ilyinskoye) with 2929 souls and a large sum of money in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow province.
In addition to these awards, all five brothers were elevated to the dignity of a count, moreover, in the rescript about this award it was said:They were the first of those faithful sons of Russia who liberated this Empire from a strange and unbearable yoke and the Greek Orthodox Church from ruin and the ever-ending fall approaching it by raising us to the All-Russian imperial throne, which the Orthodox cause and truly their insight, reason, courage and wisdom to the benefit and well-being of the Fatherland and to the joy and pleasure of the natural allies of the entire empire, to their immortal glory, really and safely brought to perfection.
In the future, Alexei carried out a number of responsible assignments assigned to him by the Empress and was a member of the commission for the development of a new Code (although he did not take a particularly active part in its work). In 1767, he fell dangerously ill and went on a trip abroad to improve his health. Catherine, as a sign of mercy, awarded him the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and ordered to give 200 thousand rubles for treatment. Accompanied by his brother F.G. Orlov, Alexey went incognito through Berlin and Vienna to Italy, where he stayed for a long time, traveling everywhere and not stopping at the same place for a long time. Meanwhile, Turkey declared war on Russia, and Orlov found himself at the epicenter of events, near the Mediterranean Sea and the Balkans, in which Russian diplomacy had long shown an interest.
The first Russian ship appeared in the Mediterranean Sea during the reign of Peter the Great, in 1717-1719. Over the next 50 years, the Russians appeared twice more in the Mediterranean Sea - in 1725 a small squadron of three ships reached the shores of Spain, and at the very beginning of Catherine's reign, in 1764, the frigate "Hope of Prosperity", which later participated in the Archipelago expeditions.
At the same time, the activities of Russian agents in the Balkans intensified. They visited the Morea (Peloponnese) and established contact with the local residents - the Minots. According to the plans of the Russian government, they and the other Orthodox population should be raised to revolt against the Turks. Evidence of the importance that Russia had for local peoples, was the appearance in Montenegro on the eve of the Russian-Turkish war of the impostor Stephen the Small, who gained power by proclaiming himself the surviving Russian Tsar Peter III.
At the end of 1768, Alexei and Fyodor Orlov arrived in Italy and settled in Venice, which had close contacts with the Balkans. According to Rulière's story, here they visited Orthodox churches every day, and at the exit from the churches they were always surrounded by a crowd of people, to whom money was generously distributed. If we discard the author's rhetoric, it becomes obvious that they probed the mood of the Orthodox population in order to recruit potential supporters. According to Yu.V. Dolgorukov, “Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, talking with the Slavs, Venetian subjects and our co-religionists, was convinced that they were dissatisfied with their rule; also their Montenegrin neighbors, Turkish subjects. And all the Greeks in the Archipelago are devoted to the Russian cause.” After evaluating all this, he sent a report to St. Petersburg, “so that these peoples and circumstances should be given their attention, and he provides his services if a fleet and an army are sent.”
However, the memoirist (whom many serious scholars consider the Russian analogue of Baron Munchausen) somewhat simplifies the events. Far-reaching plans appeared even before the arrival of the Orlov brothers in Venice. For the first time, the idea to send a squadron to the shores of the Aegean Sea, to raise and support the uprising of the Orthodox peoples living there against the Turks, was expressed by Grigory Orlov in early November 1768, even before the signing of the manifesto declaring war. It is likely that Gregory simply voiced his brother's ideas and conveyed them to Catherine.
Alexei Orlov wrote to Grigory about the tasks of such an expedition and the entire war:If we are going to go, then go to Constantinople and free all the Orthodox and the pious from the heavy yoke. And I’ll say it the way Emperor Peter I said in his letter: and drive their unfaithful Mohammedans into the sandy steppes to their former dwellings. And here piety will start up again, and let's say glory to our God and the Almighty.
In a report to the Empress, Alexei Orlov insisted on sending the expedition as soon as possible: “Our squadron of eight to ten ships of the line, and on which several of our troops will be planted, will cause great fear to the Turks if it reaches our places; the sooner, the better. Hearing about the malfunction of the Turkish sea power, about their weakness on this side, I can reliably convey that it will not only cause great obstacles to them in military preparations, will cause great ruin, inflict horror on all Mohammedans, in courage and approval of the Orthodox, and it is more terrible for them to be maybe than the entire land army.
When submitting the draft expedition to the Council under the Empress, Grigory Orlov formulated his proposal as follows: “Send, in the form of a voyage, several ships to the Mediterranean Sea and from there to sabotage the enemy.”
On November 12 (23), 1768, at a meeting of the Council, Grigory Orlov already detailed his opinion on the expedition to the Mediterranean Sea. The proposal was accepted, albeit without great enthusiasm, under pressure from the empress. Alexei Orlov was appointed commander of the expedition in the position of General-in-Chief. In the rescript given by G.A. Spiridov, the goals of the entire expedition were defined as follows: “Since the main goal of this plan of ours is to raise the peoples subject to them against the Turks, therefore, all other operations should give way to this first place; Your expedition naturally belongs to the last of these, the first subject is and should always be the land operations of Count A. Orlov. Spiridov was instructed “to conduct ground forces with an artillery park and other military projectiles to assist c. Orlov to form a whole corps of Christians to inflict sabotage on Turkey in the most sensitive place.
An indicator of the importance that Catherine attached to actions in the Mediterranean is the total number of Russian forces sent there during the years of the war. In total, five squadrons were sent - 20 battleships, 6 frigates, 1 bombing ship, 26 auxiliary ships, over 8 thousand landing troops; personnel the entire expedition was over 17 thousand people. To this, several frigates and bombardment ships were bought in Britain and Greece.
After Spiridov's squadron arrived in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the plan of A.G. Orlov's part of the ships was supposed to follow him to Livorno, where he was then, and the other part of them to follow to the Maina peninsula, whose inhabitants (minots) were known for their militancy and readiness to revolt against the Turks. To implement this plan, the squadron left Port Mahon in January 1770 and then split up: a detachment under the command of S.K. Greig (the battleship "Three Hierarchs", the frigate "Hope of Prosperity" and the packet ship "Postman") went for the commander-in-chief, the rest of the ships moved to the coast of the Morea. However, active operations of the fleet were not supposed: according to the plans of A. G. Orlov, the landing force was to act, which was supposed to raise the Greeks to revolt, and the ships were assigned only a transport role.
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From a military point of view, this plan was untenable. Orlov, being a land officer, could not yet appreciate the significance of actions at sea. The whole calculation was based on the uprising of the Greeks - however, they, who enthusiastically responded to Russian calls and participated in the political game, were brave fighters, but completely unorganized, unable to resist regular troops. In addition, the Turks dominated the sea communications, which means that they could easily transfer forces to those places where the uprising would be especially successful and dangerous.
In February 1770, the squadron, which included Fedor Orlov, representing his brother, reached the shores of the Morea Peninsula. On 17 (28) February, troops landed in Vittulo Bay. The purpose of the landing was to occupy the Turkish fortified points in Morea and support the Greek Minot rebels. Two detachments were supposed to act, magnificently named by F. Orlov "Eastern Spartan Legion" (commander - Captain Barkov) and Western Spartan Legion (commander - Major Dolgorukov). However, the loud names were hidden by extremely limited forces: in each detachment there were only 12 Russian soldiers, the rest of them were supposed to be Greek rebels.
Barkov's detachment, which quickly gained strength and already numbered up to 1200 people, mostly minots, on February 26 (March 8) approached the town of Berdon, whose garrison fled in panic, and the next day blocked the Misitra fortress, located 5 km from ancient Sparta. The position of the Turks was aggravated by the fact that there was no water in the fortress - and after 9 days of blockade, they were forced to capitulate. This success could be important for the success of the entire uprising, many Turkish garrisons were ready to surrender voluntarily, but Barkov did not have the strength to prevent the massacre of prisoners by the Minots who hated the Turks. In a report, Barkov said: “In this case, I could not keep the Minots from impudence and bloodshed, in which, in violation of surrender, more than 1000 Turks were killed in the suburbs and the estates were plundered. With great difficulty and danger, I barely managed to save the chiefs with the remnants of the captive garrison, which was distributed from me to the houses of the inhabitants of the Greeks until a further resolution about them.
Remaining in Misitra, Barkov prepared for further actions for three weeks. On March 26, he, by order of F.G. Orlov, went to the town of Leontari. On the way, he received another 20 soldiers and 6 bombardiers with two guns to reinforce himself, and in addition, numerous Greeks stuck to his detachment. Leontari was occupied without a fight and the detachment continued to move towards Tripolitsa in Arcadia. It was a town with a fairly significant population and a garrison headed by Selim Pasha. This Turkish commander left the Russian ultimatum unanswered, and when Barkov decided to attack them, the Turks, bypassing the Russian guns, fell upon the Greeks, who almost immediately fled. The Russian detachment was saved only by the courage of its commander: “I was left with only Russian soldiers, so that, having made a battalion-square, I was forced to retreat, making my way through the crowds of the surrounding enemy, who, raiding the front, tried to smash apart, making a fierce firing from all parties." The square was small, 8-9 soldiers per front, but the captain "tried as much as possible to encourage the remnant, exhausted by work and wounds," and in the end, having lost 11 people and being himself wounded, he managed to lead the detachment to safe place. Such was the end of the East Spartan Legion.
Even less were the successes of the Western Legion: it took a number of points in Arcadia. Moreover, his path was marked by robberies and violence, which the Greeks perpetrated first against the Turks, and then simply over the population of the villages that came across on the way. In the end, not having achieved great success, the detachment moved to Navarino.
Meanwhile, the main Russian forces were operating in the west of the peninsula against the fortresses of Navarin, Modon and Koron. The last of these points became the object of the main attack. Siege work was carried out by landing forces of 600 people, the fleet covered them with bombardment from the sea and blocked the delivery of food supplies to the fortress. The siege lasted a month and a half and was lifted on April 15 (26), after the Turks discovered and destroyed the tunnel under the walls, which had been under construction for three weeks.
The Navarino operation was much more successful. A.G. himself arrived here from Livorno. Orlov and approached the Western Legion, which participated in the landing operation under the leadership of artillery foreman I.A. Hannibal. As a result of a successful multi-day shelling of the fortress, which destroyed part of the wall, its garrison capitulated on April 10 (21).
As for the Modon fortress, it was important for the Russian fleet as the fortress closest to Navarino, without control over which it was impossible to equip a long-term base in Navarino Bay. To capture Modon, Orlov sent on April 18 (29) Prince Yu.V. Dolgorukov with a detachment of 1300 people (mainly Greeks and Albanians) with 4 cannons and two unicorns. To besiege the fortress from the sea, Orlov sent S.K. Greig on the battleship "Three Hierarchs" and with two frigates "Saint Nicholas" and "Hope of Prosperity". 22 large guns were transported from the ships to the shore and two batteries were set up on the shore and another one on the island located to the east of the fortress. From April 29 (May 9) to May 5 (16), the Russians constantly fired at the fortress, as a result, a significant gap was formed in it. However, during this time, it became known about the offensive of significant Turkish forces led by Pasha Morei. Against them, Dolgorukov put up a barrier of Greek rebels, who fled at the first onslaught of the enemy (“I sent to our Greeks, of whom there were up to seven hundred people ... but I received a report that not a single Greek was left, and everyone left at night!”, - wrote prince in his "Notes"). The Russian landing held out for about 5 hours, but he could not fight against 8 thousand Turkish troops. The Turks took possession of the coastal battery, the Russian detachment retreated to Navarino. During the retreat, all guns were lost, more than 200 people were killed (including 5 officers), more than 300 were wounded (including Prince Dolgorukov himself and 16 officers). The next day after the departure of the landing force, the ships that participated in the siege of Modon also crossed to Navarino.
This failure forced Orlov "to leave the fortress of Navarino and all the land commissions there" "because this unfavorable day turned all circumstances and took away all hope of success on earth." So, land attacks based on the rebels failed, and Orlov, in his letters to the Empress, blamed the cowardly and disorganized Greeks for everything.
In a rescript dated September 3, Catherine noted:Although we now see that the Marine expedition did not correspond with its consequences to the courageous opening of it from you, due to the cowardice, frivolity and betrayal akin to the Greeks, which, especially near Modon, caused so much dirty tricks, however ... and here it serves Us with particular pleasure to hear from you that all, under your leadership, the former ranks, from young to old, courageously, zealously and with extreme willingness fulfilled the duty of the true sons of the Fatherland ...
One could console oneself as much as one wanted with references to the lack of courage among the Greeks, but the further conduct of hostilities required a serious analysis of the reasons for the failure. Some conclusions of A.G. Orlov made for himself. First of all, the hopes that the popular uprising would cover a significant territory turned out to be in vain - it turned out that it quickly flared up and quickly died out. Whatever the personal courage of individual rebel commanders, their detachments could not resist the Turkish troops, and the Russians clearly lacked the strength to effectively support them. In addition, the perniciousness of underestimating actions at sea became clear. It was now that the close interaction between Orlov and Spiridov began, which led to the largest Russian successes.
After the approach of the second Russian squadron under the command of D. Elphinstone and the quarrel that occurred between the two admirals, A.G. Orlov took over command of the combined squadron. This was a completely justified measure: although he had no maritime experience, he was in those conditions the only authority who could ensure proper coordination of actions. At the same time, the deplorable results of actions on land forced the count to be more attentive to the opinion of the sailors. The results were not long in coming: Chesma brought not only the honorary name "Chesmensky" to the commander in chief, but also what it was necessary to start with the conquest - the dominance of the Russian fleet at sea.
Feelings caused by this victory, A.G. Orlov vividly expressed in a letter to his brother:Sir, brother, hello! I'll tell you a little about our voyage: They were forced to leave the Sea, lighting a fire everywhere; with the fleet they went after the enemy, reached him, approached him, grabbed, fought, defeated, defeated, broke, drowned and turned to ashes.
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However, having been taught by bitter experience, Orlov now did not pin much hopes on the uprising of the Christian peoples (although support was provided for uprisings that broke out here and there), giving Special attention naval blockade of the Turkish coast. In his letter to Catherine, no euphoria is felt: “It is regrettable for me, Great Empress, that I cannot, and henceforth have no hope, congratulate Your Majesty on a land, equal to sea, victory ... now there is no other way for me but to try to lock up the supply to Tsargrad and try, if possible, to reimburse the state for the expenses spent on this expedition.
After Chesma, the question arose about the further actions of the fleet. Some historians, including such a major connoisseur of events as E.V. Tarle, they talk about Orlov's intention to force the Dardanelles. On the contrary, foreign historians, beginning with Rulière, reproach him for not advancing on Constantinople. However, these accusations are unfounded. Indeed, the option of access to the Dardanelles - the Sea of Marmara - the Bosporus - the Black Sea after Chesma was discussed, but the initiator of this plan was not Orlov, but the sailors. D. Elphinstone was especially zealous, and Greig and Spiridov also supported him. In their opinion, it was necessary to act immediately, using surprise and not taking into account the deplorable state of the squadron, which is supposedly compensated by this surprise. Orlov had the courage not to be led by the sailors and not to be deceived by the brilliant triumph that they had just achieved.
Indeed, there were relatively few Russians in the squadron, among them there were many wounded and sick. Those locals, who were taken on ships, had neither training, nor experience, nor discipline, and, as recent events have shown, it was impossible to rely on them. Even if the fleet had broken through the fire of coastal batteries in the Dardanelles, it would hardly have had the strength for effective operations against Istanbul, well fortified from the sea; actions against him on land with such forces were out of the question. So, from a military point of view, this rather adventurous plan did not give anything, and the fact that "this would not only be a radical solution to the issue of this war, but, perhaps, the Eastern question in general," seems extremely unlikely. Taking a risk, one could lose all the achievements, and Orlov prudently did not take this risk.
But to carry out the blockade of the Dardanelles was quite realistic. On June 28, the fleet left Chesma and moved towards the strait. Orlov well took into account the effectiveness of this measure: uprisings broke out in Egypt and Syria, depriving Istanbul of the delivery of grain by land; a naval blockade, if successful, could starve the Turkish capital. On July 15, the blockade was established. This task was entrusted to D. Elphinstone, who led a squadron of three battleships, two frigates and several transports. Orlov himself and Spiridov took care to find a base for the Russian fleet that could become a support for a long blockade. His choice fell on the island of Lemnos. It was located close to the Dardanelles, and its possession promised great tactical advantages. Therefore, a landing force of 500 people was landed on the island, which, with the support of the fleet, began the siege of the main fortress of the island - Pelari (Litodi). The Turks were not inclined to surrender, this demonstrates the duration of the resistance. The siege began on July 19, and only by September 25 did the garrison "ripen" to capitulation. However, it was not necessary to capitulate, and D. Elphinstone was to blame for this.
On September 5, he sailed from the Dardanelles to Lemnos, either obeying the order of Orlov, who called him to him, or arbitrarily leaving his post to sort things out with the commander in chief. He went on his own big ship Russian squadron, "Svyatoslav", which crashed on September 7 on the East Lemnos Reef. Elphinstone, to save the ship, requested all the large ships of his squadron and by this, in fact, lifted the blockade of the Dardanelles. The Turks immediately took advantage of this miscalculation and, on 22 ships escorted by several galleys and semi-galleys, transferred reinforcements of about 3.5-5 thousand people to Lemnos. The Russians had to hurriedly leave the island (and this was on the very day when the Pelari garrison was already ready to sign a surrender!), Remove weapons from the Svyatoslav and burn the ship itself, and look for another base, no longer caring about the convenience of the blockade.
Thus, the Lemnos fleet operation ended in failure largely due to a fatal combination of circumstances. Orlov blamed the failure on Elphinstone, who was sent to Petersburg, and Greig was appointed in his place. However, the commander-in-chief also bears his part of the blame, who has already repeatedly encountered the ambitions and obstinacy of the Englishman, but, nevertheless, gave such a responsible assignment to a man whose plan of operation in these places was rejected and who, because of this, was gnawed by wounded ambition!
The base of the Russian fleet eventually became the port of Auza on the island of Paros. It was from here that cruise ships departed, reinforcements from Kronstadt came here, embassies from the islands of the Archipelago arrived. Russian victories led to the fact that almost three dozen islands passed into Russian citizenship and became known as the "Archipelagic Grand Duchy." Orlov himself, leaving G.A. Spiridov, with the approach of winter, he went to Livorno, and from there to Petersburg. The capital greeted him as a hero, awards rained down on him and other commanding persons of the expedition. By the way, Orlov was granted the right to keep the Kaiser flag for life and even include it in his coat of arms - i.e. he, who did not even have the rank of midshipman in the fleet, received the status of an irremovable supreme commander at sea! But the main result of the trip was the agreement future plans hostilities, since the previous plans clearly failed.
In a rescript dated March 22, the empress noted: "... We find that the long-term preservation of the surface you acquired in Turkish waters is very necessary and important for dividing the attention and forces of the Ottoman Port." The rescript recognized the prudence of that path "which you, in place, by your own perspicacity, by the way and at the time, so skillfully, happily and gloriously invented for yourself, due to changed circumstances in the reasoning of the Greek peoples."
In accordance with this, the blockade of the Dardanelles was recognized main goal squadron, in order to "multiply in the local people depravity, excitement and grief against the government for the continuation of the hated war."
The second goal was to force the Turks to consider the islands of the Archipelago lost to themselves until the end of the war. The third is the creation of a base on some island (in fact, this item consolidated the real state of affairs, since Auza was just such a base). In general, this rescript reflected a new realistic concept of warfare in the Archipelago, which replaced the old ambitious dreams.
AT summer campaign In 1771, the main actions of the Russian fleet were aimed at attacking Turkish food stores and supply points for troops. So, in August, two squadrons of the Russian fleet destroyed the provisions depots of Turkish troops on the island of Euboea. The landing party took possession of the store, from which 3085 sacks of wheat were transported to the squadron. However, the biggest event of the year was the somewhat unsuccessful attack on Mytilene on the island of Lesvos. At the end of October, intelligence reported that the Turks were building two 74-gun ships and a shebek in this city. November 2 (13) Russian ships in two detachments, one of which was personally commanded by A.G. Orlov, and to others - G.A. Spiridov, bombarded the city, and then landed troops under the command of General Dolgorukov and Colonel Tolya. This landing captured the Admiralty, burned the ships under construction and took out everything that was possible. However, when the squadron left the Bay of Mytilene, the frigates Archipelago and Santorin ran aground, and Santorin could not be saved, he drifted ashore, sat on stones and was burned by the Turks, and most of the crew was taken prisoner.
On the whole, however, the squadrons performed their tasks, and Catherine, in a rescript to Orlov dated December 18 (29), 1772, stated: “Our fleet separates the enemy forces and notably reduces them main army. The port, so to speak, is forced, not knowing where our intention is heading, to strew with military people all its coastal places, both in Asia and in Europe, it loses all the benefits from the Archipelago and from its trade previously received, it is forced to divide the rest of its naval forces between the Dardanelles and the Black Sea, and consequently an obstacle causes her to operate both on the Black Sea and on the very Crimean shores with reliability, not to mention the fact that many Turkish cities, and Tsar Grad himself, not without trepidation, sees our fleet in such a close distance from them.
By the beginning of 1772 Ottoman Empire there were no warships in the Aegean, but there were still ships on the periphery. The Turkish plan for this year's campaign was to unite all these fleets into a single squadron and further destroy the Russian fleet in the Archipelago. The most significant of the Turkish forces was the so-called "dulcinite" squadron, named after its base - the city of Dulcinho in Montenegro and consisted of 47 frigates and shebeks with artillery from 16 to 30 guns, with transports carrying up to eight thousand soldiers. The second major squadron of the Ottoman Empire was the Tunisian "Barbary" squadron of six 30-gun frigates and six 16-gun shebeks with 3,000 soldiers. The third Turkish squadron was military and transport ships off the island of Rhodes. This squadron was supposed to connect with military courts and pick up troops in the city of Bodrum on the coast of Asia Minor and go towards the island of Chios, where it planned to connect with the Algerian squadron. It was planned that after the unification, these squadrons would strike at Auz and destroy the Russian fleet.
Aleksey Orlov was well aware of these preparations and understood their meaning. However, he could not strike immediately because of the truce concluded for the duration of the peace negotiations. However, as soon as the truce ended, he sent several squadrons in different directions of the archipelago. On October 18, 1772, the detachment of Rear Admiral S.K. Greiga attacked the fortress of Chesma, burned the Turkish ships in the harbor and destroyed the fortress to the ground. On October 21, at the mouth of the Nile, a detachment of Lieutenant Alexiano (the frigate "St. Paul" and one polakra), under heavy fire from the batteries of the fortress of Damieta, entered the harbor, where they burned two large ships and captured several small ships. At the exit from the harbor, he met another ship, on which was the important Turkish commander Selim Bey, who was carrying the banner of the Prophet to Damieta. After the capture of Selim Bey, the commandant of the fortress of Alexandria ordered to sink all the ships in the harbor, fearing an attack by Alexiano.
The main blow was dealt at the fortress of Patras, in the Gulf of Patras. On October 25, the combined detachments of Captain 1st Rank M.T. Konyaev and Major I. Voinovich (2 battleships, 2 frigates, 1 shebeks and 2 polecras) discovered Mustafa Pasha's squadron here, which was part of the Dulcinite squadron and included 25 ships (9 frigates and 16 shebeks). October 26 Konyaev attacked this squadron. The Turks lost 1 ship and 2 shebeks and retreated under the protection of the guns of the fortress of Patras. On October 27, due to contrary winds, the Russian squadron was unable to complete the rout of the Turks, but the next day they approached the fortress and the squadron and began bombing at 11.30. By 13 o'clock the Turkish fleet was on fire, the Turks in a panic rushed into the water and fled to the shore. The remnants of it were finished off on October 29, only six shebeks managed to escape. From now on, the Russian fleet dominated the Mediterranean undividedly, the Turks no longer made any attempts to organize resistance to it.
The battles at Patras and Damieta actually ended military activity A.G. Orlov, although the war lasted another year and a half. All this time, the Russian fleet continued to follow the plans that had been developed under Orlov. During the war, he captured 365 Turkish ships and 300 ships neutral countries who smuggled with Turkey. This was a powerful factor in pressure on Turkey, especially after it became clear that the Russians had seized the Archipelago for a long time. “It is very difficult for a respectable fleet to spend even one winter in the Archipelago. Meanwhile ... the enemy for three years in a row, in winter and summer, staggered through these dangerous waters without much difficulty and even found means to lock the Dardanelles with his squadron, so that not a single of our ships could leave the strait, ”the Turkish minister Resmi-efendi was indignant.
The merit in all this of Alexei Orlov was extremely great. Despite the fact that in the first period of the war the 32-year-old commander in chief, who had absolutely no combat experience, made a number of miscalculations and mistakes, he surprisingly quickly moved from grandiose geopolitical plans (which, however, for all their fantasticness, determined one of the most important geopolitical priorities Russian Empire and a legacy from which for the entire XIX century. remained Eastern question) to the solution of practical military-political problems. The idea of a blockade of the Dardanelles made its way not without difficulty; her opponent was N.I. Panin, who in every possible way prevented him from “starving Constantinople”, and Alexei Grigorievich cost a lot of strength to overcome this resistance. The action plans of the Russian squadron also justified themselves - they played a significant role in the development of the terms of the peace treaty. The defeat of the remnants of the Turkish fleet at Damyet and Patras shows that A.G. Orlov learned to unravel the plans of the enemy and inflict crushing blows on him.
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov-Chesmensky lived for another 33 years after the end of the Russian-Turkish war. He never again held command positions in the army or navy (although in 1787 Catherine offered him to lead a new expedition to the Mediterranean), but the glory of the hero Chesma remained with him, for his contemporaries, and even descendants, he was ...
... an eagle from that high flock,
G.R. Derzhavin
Which floated in the air
In front of the light-eyed Minerva,
When she walked from Olympus;
The eagle that is under Chesma
He flew before the fleet of Russians ...
..........
Alas! Where, where is it under the sun today lad?
Where are his traces on the seas?
Where stormy thunders aspiration
And fiery reins between the clouds?
Where fast all seeing eyes
And the chest full of courage?
Everything, everything was hidden by the darkness of eternal night
Only glory remains!
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SMYKOV E.V., Ph.D., Saratov State University
them. N.G. Chernyshevsky
Literature
History of the Russian army and navy. Ed. A. S. Grishinsky, V. P. Nikolsky, N. L. Clado. M., 1912. Issue. eight
Russian biographical dictionary. Published under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsev. SPb., 1905. T. 12
Tarle E.V. Battle of Chesma and the first Russian expedition to the Archipelago. Tarle E.V. Works in 12 t. M., 1959. T. 10
Chernyshov A.A. Great battles of the Russian sailing fleet. M., 2010
Plugin V.A.. Alekhan, or the Scarred Man: A Biography of Count Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky. M., 1996
Internet
Rurikovich Yaroslav the Wise Vladimirovich
He devoted his life to defending the Fatherland. Defeated the Pechenegs. He approved the Russian state as one of the greatest states of his time.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Soldier, several wars (including World War I and World War II). past path to Marshal of the USSR and Poland. Military intellectual. not resorting to "obscene leadership." he knew tactics in military affairs to the subtleties. practice, strategy and operational art.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
The greatest commander of the Second World War. Two people in history were awarded the Order of Victory twice: Vasilevsky and Zhukov, but after the Second World War, it was Vasilevsky who became the Minister of Defense of the USSR. His military genius is unsurpassed by ANY military leader in the world.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He was the Supreme Commander of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War! Under his leadership, the USSR won Great Victory during the Great Patriotic War!
Dokhturov Dmitry Sergeevich
Defense of Smolensk.
Command of the left flank on the Borodino field after the wounding of Bagration.
Tarutino battle.
Olsufiev Zakhar Dmitrievich
One of the most famous commanders of the Bagrationovskaya 2nd Western army. He always fought with exemplary courage. He was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd degree for heroic participation in the Battle of Borodino. He distinguished himself in the battle on the Chernishna (or Tarutinsky) River. The award to him for participating in the defeat of the vanguard of Napoleon's army was the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd degree. He was called "general with talents". When Olsufiev was captured and was delivered to Napoleon, he said to his entourage the famous words in history: "Only Russians know how to fight like that!"
Alekseev Mikhail Vasilievich
Outstanding Employee Russian Academy General Staff. The developer and executor of the Galician operation - the first brilliant victory of the Russian army in the Great War.
Saved from the encirclement of the troops Northwestern Front during the Great Retreat of 1915.
Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in 1916-1917
Supreme Commander Russian army in 1917
Developed and implemented strategic plans offensive operations 1916 - 1917
Continued to advocate the need to preserve Eastern Front and after 1917 (the Volunteer Army is the backbone of the new Eastern Front in the ongoing Great War).
Slandered and slandered in relation to various so-called. "Masonic military lodges", "conspiracy of generals against the Sovereign", etc., etc. - in terms of emigrant and modern historical journalism.
Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich
01/28/1887 - 09/05/1919 life. Head of a division of the Red Army, participant in the First World War and the Civil War.
Cavalier of three St. George's crosses and the St. George medal. Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner.
On his account:
- Organization of the county Red Guard of 14 detachments.
- Participation in the campaign against General Kaledin (near Tsaritsyn).
- Participation in the campaign of the Special Army against Uralsk.
- An initiative to reorganize the Red Guard detachments into two regiments of the Red Army: them. Stepan Razin and them. Pugachev, united in the Pugachev brigade under the command of Chapaev.
- Participation in battles with the Czechoslovaks and the People's Army, from whom Nikolaevsk was recaptured, renamed in honor of the brigade in Pugachevsk.
- Since September 19, 1918, the commander of the 2nd Nikolaev division.
- From February 1919 - Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Nikolaevsky district.
- From May 1919 - brigade commander of the Special Alexander-Gai Brigade.
- From June - head of the 25th rifle division, who participated in the Bugulma and Belebeev operations against the army of Kolchak.
- The capture by the forces of his division on June 9, 1919 of Ufa.
- The capture of Uralsk.
- A deep raid by a Cossack detachment with an attack on the well-guarded (about 1000 bayonets) and located in the deep rear of the city of Lbischensk (now the village of Chapaev, West Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan), where the headquarters of the 25th division was located.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
To a person to whom this name does not say anything - there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something - and so everything is clear.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belarusian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that of the army general - but before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
He liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Keniksberg.
One of the few who pushed back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. largely determined the fate of the reflection German offensive to Leningrad. He kept Voronezh. Freed Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943. Having formed the top of the Kursk Bulge with his army. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. Take Kyiv. Repelled Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out the operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured by his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly marched through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
Russian admiral who gave his life for the liberation of the Fatherland.
Scientist-oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late XIX - early XX centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, full member of the Imperial Russian geographical society, chief white movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
For my short military career practically did not know failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovsk and "Tushino" troops. Ability to line up efficient army practically "from scratch", train, use Swedish mercenaries in place and during time, select successful Russian command personnel for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and the liberation of central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in the fight against the magnificent Polish -Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little known of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
If someone has not heard, write to no avail
Vatutin Nikolai Fyodorovich
Operations "Uranus", "Little Saturn", "Jump", etc. etc.
A true war worker
Gurko Joseph Vladimirovich
Field Marshal General (1828-1901) Hero of Shipka and Plevna, Liberator of Bulgaria (a street in Sofia was named after him, a monument was erected). In 1877 he commanded the 2nd Guards cavalry division. To quickly capture some of the passes through the Balkans, Gurko led an advance detachment, composed of four cavalry regiments, an infantry brigade and a newly formed Bulgarian militia, with two batteries of horse artillery. Gurko completed his task quickly and boldly, won a series of victories over the Turks, ending with the capture of Kazanlak and Shipka. During the struggle for Plevna, Gurko, at the head of the troops of the guard and cavalry of the western detachment, defeated the Turks near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish, then again went to the Balkans, occupied Entropol and Orkhanie, and after the fall of Plevna, reinforced by the IX Corps and the 3rd Guards Infantry Division , despite the terrible cold, he crossed the Balkan Range, took Philippopolis and occupied Adrianople, opening the way to Constantinople. At the end of the war, he commanded military districts, was a governor-general, and a member of the state council. Buried in Tver (settlement Sakharovo)
Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich
In 1612, the most difficult time for Russia, he headed the Russian militia and liberated the capital from the hands of the conquerors.
Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky (November 1, 1578 - April 30, 1642) - Russian national hero, military and political figure, head of the Second People's Militia, which liberated Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. With his name and with the name of Kuzma Minin, the exit of the country from the Time of Troubles, which is currently celebrated in Russia on November 4, is closely connected.
After Mikhail Fedorovich was elected to the Russian throne, D. M. Pozharsky played a leading role in the royal court as a talented military leader and statesman. Despite the victory of the people's militia and the election of the tsar, the war in Russia still continued. In 1615-1616. Pozharsky, at the direction of the tsar, was sent at the head of a large army to fight against the detachments of the Polish colonel Lisovsky, who besieged the city of Bryansk and took Karachev. After the struggle with Lisovsky, the tsar instructed Pozharsky in the spring of 1616 to collect the fifth money from the merchants to the treasury, since the wars did not stop, and the treasury was depleted. In 1617, the tsar instructed Pozharsky to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the English ambassador John Merik, appointing Pozharsky as governor of Kolomensky. In the same year, the Polish prince Vladislav came to the Moscow state. The inhabitants of Kaluga and neighboring cities turned to the tsar with a request to send them D. M. Pozharsky to protect them from the Poles. The tsar fulfilled the request of the people of Kaluga and ordered Pozharsky on October 18, 1617 to protect Kaluga and the surrounding cities with all available measures. Prince Pozharsky fulfilled the tsar's order with honor. Having successfully defended Kaluga, Pozharsky received an order from the tsar to go to the aid of Mozhaisk, namely, to the city of Borovsk, and began flying units disturb the troops of Prince Vladislav, inflicting significant damage on them. However, at the same time, Pozharsky fell seriously ill and, at the behest of the tsar, returned to Moscow. Pozharsky, barely recovering from his illness, took an active part in the defense of the capital from the troops of Vladislav, for which Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich rewarded him with new estates and estates.
Momyshuly Bauyrzhan
Fidel Castro called him a hero of World War II.
He brilliantly put into practice the tactics developed by Major General I.V. Panfilov of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, which later received the name "Momyshuly's spiral".
Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich
Comrade Stalin, in addition to the atomic and missile projects, together with General of the Army Alexei Innokentevich Antonov, participated in the development and implementation of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Second World War, brilliantly organized the work of the rear, even in the first hard years war.
Minich Burchard-Christopher
One of the best Russian generals and military engineers. The first commander who entered the Crimea. Winner at Stavucany.
Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich
Perhaps the most talented commander of the entire Civil War, even if compared with the commanders of all its sides. A man of powerful military talent, fighting spirit and Christian noble qualities - a real White Knight. Kappel's talent and personal qualities were noticed and respected even by his opponents. The author of many military operations and exploits - including the capture of Kazan, the Great Siberian Ice Campaign, etc. Many of his calculations, which were not evaluated in time and missed through no fault of his own, later turned out to be the most correct, which was shown by the course of the Civil War.
Svyatoslav Igorevich
Grand Duke of Novgorod, from 945 Kyiv. Son of Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich and Princess Olga. Svyatoslav became famous as a great commander, whom N.M. Karamzin called "Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history."
After the military campaigns of Svyatoslav Igorevich (965-972), the territory of the Russian land increased from the Volga region to the Caspian Sea, from North Caucasus to the Black Sea, from the Balkan Mountains to Byzantium. Defeated Khazaria and Volga Bulgaria, weakened and frightened Byzantine Empire, opened the way for trade of Russia with Eastern countries
Uvarov Fedor Petrovich
At the age of 27 he was promoted to general. Participated in the campaigns of 1805-1807 and in the battles on the Danube in 1810. In 1812 he commanded the 1st artillery corps in the army of Barclay de Tolly, and later - the entire cavalry of the combined armies.
He was a consistent champion of strict discipline, but an enemy of shouting. Rudeness in general was organically alien to him. True military intellectual, b. colonel in the imperial army.
Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich
Outstanding commander World War I, founder of the new school of strategy and tactics, who introduced huge contribution in overcoming the positional impasse. He was an innovator in the field of military art and one of the most prominent military leaders in Russian military history.
Cavalry General A. A. Brusilov showed the ability to manage large operational military formations - the army (8th - 05.08. 1914 - 03.17. May 21, 1917), a group of fronts (Supreme Commander-in-Chief - May 22, 1917 - July 19, 1917).
The personal contribution of A. A. Brusilov manifested itself in many successful operations of the Russian army during the First World War - the Battle of Galicia in 1914, the Carpathian battle of 1914/15, the Lutsk and Czartoryi operations of 1915 and, of course, in the Offensive Southwestern Front 1916 (the famous Brusilov breakthrough).
Generals of Ancient Russia
Since ancient times. Vladimir Monomakh (fought with the Polovtsy), his sons Mstislav the Great (campaigns against Chud and Lithuania) and Yaropolk (campaigns against the Don), Vsevood the Big Nest (campaigns against the Volga Bulgaria), Mstislav Udatny (battle on Lipitsa), Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (defeated knights of the Order of the Sword), Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Vladimir the Brave (the second hero of the Mamaev battle) ...
Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlo in-Chesmensky (September 24 (October 5), 1737 - December 24, 1807 (January 5, 1808)) - Russian military and statesman, general-general (1769), count (1762), associate of Catherine II, brother of her favorite Grigory Grigorievich Orlov.
Biography
Orlov Aleksey Grigoryevich was born on September 24 (October 5), 1737 in the village of Lyublino, Bezhetsky district, Tver province, in the family of a nobleman G. I. Orlov (died in 1807), who by the end of his life became Novgorod governor. He was educated in the land gentry corps. He began his service as a soldier of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, at the beginning of 1762 he was a sergeant.
Distinguished during Seven Years' War, was wounded at Zorndorf.
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov was one of the leaders of the palace coup on June 28, 1762, as a result of which Empress Catherine II ascended the Russian throne. He was one of the conspirators who forced Emperor Peter III to sign an act of abdication. He, according to the common version, killed the deposed emperor. (However, there is no reliable confirmation of this version; the well-known “repentant letter” from Ropsha to Ekaterina, in which A.G. Orlov confessed to being involved in the murder of Pyotr Fedorovich, is called a fake by some of the recent studies).
Shortly after Catherine's accession to the throne, he received the rank of major general. Like all the Orlov brothers who participated in the coup, Alexei was granted the title of count.
Reburial of Peter III in 1796. Funeral procession (detail). Against the background of the procession, the royal baton and scepter and the Great Imperial Crown stand out, which, on the orders of Paul I, were carried by Count A. Orlov, Prince P. B. Baryatinsky and P. B. Passek - participants in the assassination of the emperor.
Orlov did not receive good education and education, he did not know foreign languages, and his bad manners shocked the ladies of the court. Despite this, he was interested in science, patronized M. Lomonosov and D. I. Fonvizin, and corresponded with J. J. Rousseau. He was one of the founders of the Free Economic Society and its first elected chairman.
Without occupying formally prominent positions, Alexei Grigorievich Orlov long time exerted a strong influence on state affairs. In 1768-1769, he developed a plan for a military operation against Turkey in the Mediterranean (First Archipelago Expedition). In 1769 he received command of a squadron of the Russian fleet; for the victory in Chesme battle in 1770 he received the right to add the name of Chesmensky to the surname.
In 1772, he traveled as a plenipotentiary ambassador to Focsani for a peace congress, but, having lost his patience there, interrupted the negotiations, which caused the displeasure of the empress. He received an order from Empress Catherine II to deliver Princess Tarakanova to Russia, which he did, pretending to be her supporter and offering her his hand. On his orders, she was arrested by Admiral Greig in Livorno in May 1775. In 1775, Orlov was dismissed (by this time his brother Grigory had lost Catherine's favor).
After the death of Catherine, Paul I arranged for the reburial of Peter III. By order of Paul, Alexei Orlov carried the imperial crown in front of the coffin. Contemporaries recalled that, having received this order, the count “went into a dark corner and wept sobbing. With difficulty found, and with with great difficulty convinced him to take the crown in trembling hands. After that, Alexei Orlov left Russia and went abroad, taking his daughter with him. With the accession of Emperor Alexander I, the count and his daughter returned from Dresden to Moscow, where they settled in the Alexandria Palace near the Donskoy Monastery.
At the Khrenovsky stud farm, owned by Count A.G. Orlov, one of the most famous Russian horse breeds in the world, the Orlovsky trotter, was bred.
