Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich (russian: Депрерадович, Николай Иванович; sr, Никола Прерадовић; Novorossiya,

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, 23 October 1767 –

St. Peterburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, 16 December 1843) was one of the most decorated Russian generals who fought against

Napoleonic France The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eur ...

. He was a

general of the cavalry General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers o ...

and adjutant general who took part both in Napoleonic Wars and Finnish Wars. His family, with roots in Serbian lands, moved to

in 1752. He played an important role with Illarion Vasilyevich Vasilchikov (1776–1847) in the grand strategy of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

after

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

ascended the throne.

Biography

He was a Serb originally from an old border officer's family that moved from what was then part of the Austrian Empire's

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and l ...

Slavo-Serbia Slavo-Serbia or Slaveno-Serbia ( uk, Слов'яносербія, Slov'ianoserbiia; russian: Славяносербия, Slavyanoserbiya; sr, Славеносрбија / or / ; Slavonic-Serbian: Славо-Сербія or Славено-Се� ...

in Imperial Russia. His brother, Leontii Depreradovich, came close to achieving the same success if it were not for a scandal that got him dismissed from the army. At the age of ten, Depreradovich enlisted as a cadet in the Volozh Hussar Regiment on 12 December 1777. He rose to sub-lieutenant in 1782 at 15. He fought in the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1791) at Koushani, Akkerman, and Bender, and commanded the Semyonovsky Regiment, from 1799 to 1807. Depreradovich participated in the last wars of Empress

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

against the Turks and Poles. He was one of the officers involved in the conspiracy against

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

in favor of the son, Alexander I. On May 16, 1803, he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and appointed commander of the Chevalier Guard Regiment. In this position, he served during all the wars with Napoleon. On 26 November 1804, he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th class. Commanding the chevalier-guardsmen, he led a brilliant attack near

Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to: History * Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte Places * Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz an ...

, giving the guard the opportunity to retreat. The regiment lost 15 officers and 200 privates during the attack. On 24 February 1806, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd class. Depreradovich participated in all the major battles of the Eylau Campaign of 1806–1807. In 1810, he was appointed the commander of the 1st Cuirassier Division, which at the beginning of the

Patriotic War of 1812 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

was part of the 1st Western Army. In this capacity, Depreradovich participated in the Patriotic War of 1812 and foreign campaigns. On 30 August 1813, he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. Depreradovich especially distinguished himself in the battles of Kulm and Fère-Champenoise. At

Fère-Champenoise Fère-Champenoise () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It was the site of the Battle of Fère-Champenoise in March 1814. Population See also *Communes of the Marne department *Fershampenuaz Fershampenuaz (russian: ...

, it was Depreradovich's actions that decided the outcome of the battle. He rose to

and adjutant general on 3 September 1826 and commanded the Guard Reserve Cavalry Corps between 14 April 1833 and 12 March 1835. He died on 28 December 1843. He was 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Depreradovich, Nikolay Imperial Russian Army generals Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent Russian people of Serbian descent 1767 births 1843 deaths Russian nobility