Pavlovsky Guard Regiment (russian: Павловский лейб-гвардии полк) was a Russian Imperial Guard infantry regiment. It was formed out of 2 battalions of the Moscow Grenadiers in November 19, 1796. They were given the title of Pavlovsky Life-Guard on April 13, 1813 for their deeds during the 1812 Patriotic war.

History

1796-1813

The Pavlovsky Grenadiers were formed from 2 detached battalions of the Moscow Grenadiers in November 19, 1796. The basis of their formation was the 77th Tengisky infantry regiment who possessed a similar uniform. They were sent as part of the expedition to Holland in 1799. They were sent to Hanover as part of the

Hanover Expedition The Hanover Expedition, also known as the Weser Expedition, was a British invasion of the Electorate of Hanover during the Napoleonic Wars. Coordinated as part of an attack on France by the nations of the Third Coalition against Napoleon by W ...

in 1805 and participated in 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, ...

as well. They're noted to have taken part in battles such as

Battle of Czarnowo The Battle of Czarnowo on the night of 23–24 December 1806 saw troops of the First French Empire under the eye of Emperor Napoleon I launch an evening assault crossing of the Wkra River against Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Oster ...

, where they repulsed the 2nd French attack and under the command of Major Palibin and Lieutenant Colonel Lokhov recaptured a height on the Russian left, dislodging the French in hand-to-hand fighting and recapturing a light battery. The battle of Czarnowo is also where the regiment is known to have distinguished themselves in the fighting. Their participation in the

Battle of Eylau The Battle of Eylau, or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, was a bloody and strategically inconclusive battle on 7 and 8 February 1807 between Napoléon's ''Grande Armée'' and the Imperial Russian Army under the command of Levin August von Bennig ...

included flanking the French under Major Makhov and Captain Panov, utilising a battalion and 2 companies respectively. They turned back a cavalry charge from Murat's horsemen and captured multiple prisoners, and went on to repulse attacks from Moran, Saint-Illaire and Gudin's divisions. With the regiment's battalions effectively dispersed across the 3rd Infantry corps under Tuchkov's 1st Western Army and the 32nd infantry division, they fought in numerous battles. The

Battle of Klyastitsy The Battle of Klyastitsy, also called Battle of Yakubovo, was a series of military engagements that took place on 30-31 July 1812 and 1 August 1812 near the village of Klyastitsy (russian: Кля́стицы) (Drissa uyezd, Vitebsk guberniya) ...

is among their distinguishing moments. Under Captain Kyrlov led the 2nd battalion to pursue the dislodged French, who had set fire to the only bridge across the Nischu. They stormed the bridge regardless and continued a pursuit of the French infantry, routing them off the field at bayonet point. Their contributions to 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 ...

were made in the fight against

V Corps (Grande Armée) The V Corps of the ''Grande Armée'' was a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was originally formed in 1805 and was reorganized several times until it was dissolved in 1814. History From 1805–1807, the co ...

, initially repulsing them from the Utitska village and heavily damaging a French column in the fighting. On the day of April 13, 1813, they were given the title of Pavlovsky Life-Guard for the courage rendered in the Patriotic war.

Campaigns

;1799–1813 : Napoleonic Wars ;1828–1829 :

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...

;1831 : Polish campaign ;1863–1864 : Polish campaign ;1877–1878 :

;1914–1917 : First World War

Commanders

Dmitry Neverovsky Dmitry Petrovich Neverovsky (1771–1813) was a Russian military officer and general who served in the Russo-Turkish War and the Napoleonic Wars. He served in the Battle of Smolensk, Battle of Borodino, and Battle of Leipzig, where he was mortall ...

Richard Troyanovich Meves Richard Troyanovich Meves (Ричард Троянович фон Мевес) (1839–1901) was a Lieutenant general in the Imperial Russian Army who fought in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). Career Born in 1839, Meves studied with th ...

Memorials

Memorial to the Pavlovsky regiment at Borodino's fields.

References

{{Reflist, refs=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/103072/Memorial-Pavlovsky-Grenadiers.htm, liststyle=circle

Sources

* Gorokhoff, Gerard. ''Russian Imperial Guard''. 2002. * ''Handbook of the Russian Army 1914'' by the British General Staff. Battery Press reprint edition, 1996. * Govault O.X. ''History of the Life-Guard Pavlovsky Regiment.'' 1852. Russian Imperial Guard Infantry regiments of the Russian Empire Saint Petersburg Governorate Guards regiments of the Russian Empire