Count Peter Ivanovich Ivelich or Peter Ivelich IV (Russian: Пётр Ивелич, also known as Pyotr Ivanovich Ivelich IV; 1772 - after 1851) was a Serb Montenegrin who ranks among the most important Russian generals who fought during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. His portrait was added to the

Military Gallery of the Winter Palace The Military Gallery (russian: Военная галерея) is a gallery of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The gallery is a setting for 332 portraits of generals who took part in the Patriotic War of 1812. The portraits were pain ...

along with other participants in 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 ...

. His uncles are count

Marko Ivelich Count Marko Konstantinovich Ivelić (1740–1825) was a Serbian born Russian general from Risan who rose to prominence in Russian military service during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Prince-Bishop Petar I Petrović-Njegoš of Mon ...

(Ivelich I), major-general Ivan Konstantinovich Ivelich (Ivan Ivelich III) and colonel Simeon Konstantinovich Ivelich (Simeon Ivelich II).

Biography

Ivelich was born to a Serbian family in

Risan Risan ( Montenegrin: Рисан, ) is a town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor. Lying in the innermost portion of the bay, the settlement was pro ...

in the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

(now

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

) in 1772. He was the nephew of Count

. As a captain in the army of the

, he transferred to the

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 ...

n military service on 15 June 1788 as a lieutenant in the Nasheburg Infantry Regiment. In three months he was promoted to captain on 9 September 1788 for recruiting 186 Slav volunteers, and transferred to the Finnish Chasseurs Corps and, on 25 March 1793, to the Shirvan Infantry Regiment. He served in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787 and continued to rise through the ranks. He was promoted to the rank of major and appointed the commander of the Shirvan Musketeer Regiment on 17 January 1799. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 10 August 1800. He fought the French in Austria (1805) and Prussia (1807). On 24 August 1806, he was appointed ''chef'' of the Brest Musketeer Regiment. Ivelich fought the French in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

during the

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...

and then against the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

in the

Finnish War The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic ...

of 1808, during which he was promoted to Major General and was awarded the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

for bravery. He participated in the Battle of Lemo against the Swedes (1808-1809); based on merit, on 18 October 1808, he was elevated 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 ...

. He participated in the

and served in multiple major battles, including

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...

, at which he was severely wounded. In 1812, as a

, he participated in battles at

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

, and Valutino. In the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

, he sustained bullet wounds in the right shoulder and on the right side. After recovery, he participated in more battles. In the campaign of 1813, he fought near Dresden and

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

. He participated in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. Between May 1813 and February 1815 he was put on a medical recovery list. In 1815 he became Brigade Commander in the 17th Infantry Division. On 12 December 1816 (

Old Calendar Old Calendarists (Greek language, Greek: ''palaioimerologitai'' or ''palaioimerologites''), also known as Old Feasters (''palaioeortologitai''), Genuine Orthodox Christians or True Orthodox Christians (GOC; ), are traditionalist groups of Easte ...

), he took his military retirement on medical grounds, left the service with the uniform and full salary, and joined uncle

in a business venture with the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс� ...

. The emperor granted him a large plot of land with serfs in the

Tobolsk Governorate Tobolsk Governorate (russian: Тобольская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and RSFSR located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. It existed from 1796 to 1920; its ...

. He died at Tara,

, sometime after 1850.

Ranks, decorations, and awards

Russian Ranks * Lieutenant - 15 June 1788 * Captain - 9 September 1788 * Major - 17 January 1799 * Lieutenant Colonel - 22 April 1799 * Colonel - 10 August 1800 * Major General - 18 October 1808 Decorations and awards *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

References

* Adapted and translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at Ивелич, Пётр Иванович {{reflist 1772 births Year of death uncertain Imperial Russian Army generals Counts of the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent

Biography

Ranks, decorations, and awards

See also

References