Paul Demetrius Graf von Kotzebue (russian: Па́вел Евста́фьевич Коцебу́, tr. ; 10 August 1801 – 19 April 1884) was a Baltic German statesman and general who was in the service 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. ...

. One of 18 children of the famous German dramatist August von Kotzebue, P. D. Kotzebue was most notable for his military career, especially during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

as he gained a reputation as a capable and orderly commander. However, Kotzebue was criticised by Russian historians for being highly Germanophile and had an certain level of condescension toward the Russians since he was German. In additions to his achievements, he was elevated to

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

in 1874. He was Governor-General of Novorossiysk-Bessarabia and commander of the

Odessa Military District The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Operat ...

from 1862 to 1874, and also

Governor-General of Warsaw The Namiestnik (or Viceroy) of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, namiestnik Królestwa Polskiego, russian: наместник Царства Польского) was the deputy of the Emperor of Russia who, under Congress Poland (1815–1874), styled himse ...

and commander of the

Warsaw Military District The Warsaw Military District ( pl, Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy, WOW) was one of three military districts in Poland, the other two being the Pomeranian Military District and the Silesian Military District. It was the regional executive body of the M ...

from 1874 to 1880. That Germans like Kotzebue should hold the highest position in Russian Poland was not strange: "Germans in Russia were noted for traditional German orderliness, discipline, frugality, and calculation. Germans in high government positions were noted for their efficiency and incorruptibility – both characteristics in sharp contrast with Russian officials."

References

1801 births 1884 deaths Military personnel from Berlin Baltic-German people Imperial Russian Army generals Russian military personnel of the Crimean War Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Namestniks of the Kingdom of Poland Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Governors-General of Novorossiya {{Russia-politician-stub