Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Vasily Vasilyevich Vyazemsky (russian: Василий Васильевич Вяземский; c. 1775–1812) was a Russian military regimental and divisional commander during the French invasion of Russia. He was also the General of the Imperial Russian Army.

Early life

Vyazemsky was born in December 1775 in the village of Klimovo, which at the time was part of the Kolomna Uyezd (later Bronnitsky Uyezd, now the territory of

Ozyorsky District, Moscow Oblast Ozyorsky District (russian: Озёрский райо́н) was an administrativeLaw #11/2013-OZ, revision prior to May 5, 2015 and municipalLaw #75/2005-OZ district (raion) in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It was located in the south of the oblast ...

). He was born from

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and his father was a court councilor. He lost his parents at a young age, after which his elder sister and her husband took care of him. Vyazemsky was educated at Moscow University Boarding School and later enrolled at Mining University.

Career

In 1786, Vyazemsky was admitted to the

Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment The Preobrazhensky Life-Guards Regiment (russian: Преображенский лейб-гвардии полк, ''Preobrazhensky leyb-gvardii polk'') was a regiment of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Russian Army from 1683 to 1917. The P ...

as a sergeant, but his actual military service only began in 1790. Since 1792, Vyazemsky served as an orderly of

Alexander Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

and took part in the Kościuszko Uprising. The following year, he was promoted to the rank of prime major, and was sent to serve in field regiments. On October 1, 1799, he became a colonel. On July 13, 1800, Vyazemsky was entrusted with the command of the 11th Jaeger Regiment, and on July 27 of the same year, he took the post of chief of the 13th Jaeger Regiment. On November 23, 1803, Vyazemsky acceded to the rank of Major General. He participated in an expedition to the

Septinsular Republic The Septinsular Republic ( el, Ἑπτάνησος Πολιτεία, Heptanēsos Politeia; it, Repubblica Settinsulare) was an oligarchic republic that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islan ...

in a campaign to Naples, where he fought with the Montenegrins at New Ragusa against the army of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. His courage during the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812 was noted by the command, and he was awarded the

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 ...

of the 1st degree. During the French invasion of Russia, the regiment Vyazemsky commanded was a part of the 3rd brigade of the 15th Infantry Division, which was part of the Yevgeni Markov's corps of the 3rd Reserve Observatory Army. He fought in battles, including the

battle of Kobrin The Battle of Kobryn was a battle that took place on 27 July 1812 between the Russian and Saxon forces in the city of Kobryn at the initial stage of the French invasion of Russia. The battle was a clear victory of the Russian forces. Backgr ...

and the

battle of Gorodechno The Battle of Gorodechno was a battle between an army of the Austrian and Saxon allies of Napoleonic France under the command of the Prince of Schwarzenberg and Russian troops under Alexander Tormasov at Gorodechno, a town in Kobryn Uyezd, Gro ...

. On November 9, 1812, Vyazemsky was mortally wounded during the assault of Borisov. He died in the Minsk military hospital on December 5. No portrait of Vyazemsky got into 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 ...

Sources

* Alexander Podmazo
''Dictionary of Russian generals, participants in military operations against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812-1815.''
TriTe studio, 1996, ISNN 0869-20011 * Sergey Shumikhin - ''Military diaries'', Soviet Russia, 1990, {{DEFAULTSORT:Vyazemsky, Vasily Vasilevich 1775 births 1812 deaths Imperial Russian Army generals Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Nobility from the Russian Empire Russian people of the Kościuszko Uprising Russian people of the Napoleonic Wars Military personnel of the Russian Empire killed in action Military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars