Yakov Petrovich Kulnev (russian: Яков Петрович Кульнев; 6 August 1763 – 1 August 1812) was, along with
Pyotr Bagration
Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration (10 July 1765 – 24 September 1812) was a Georgian general and prince serving in the Russian Empire, prominent during the Napoleonic Wars.
Bagration, a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, was born in Tbilisi. His ...
and
Aleksey Yermolov
Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov (russian: Алексе́й Петро́вич Ермо́лов, p=jɪrˈmoləf; – ) was a Russian Imperial general of the 19th century who commanded Russian troops in the Caucasian War. He served in all the Ru ...
, one of the most popular
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n military leaders at the time of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
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 Râmnicu Sărat, Rymnik, C ...
's admirer and participant of 55 battles, he lost his life during
Napoleon's invasion of Russia
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 ...
.
Early campaigns
Kulnev's father was a Russian Cavalry officer of lesser noble background who served in the
Kargopol Regiment of Dragoons
Kargopol (russian: Ка́ргополь) is a town and the administrative center of Kargopolsky District in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on both sides of the Onega River, several miles north of Lake Lacha, in the southwestern corner of ...
. The future general was born in
Ludza
Ludza (; pl, Lucyn, german: Ludsen, russian: Лудза, ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre o ...
(present-day
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
), of which his father was afterwards a Mayor, and matriculated at the Infantry School for Nobility in 1785.
He joined a
hussar
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
regiment and, under
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 Râmnicu Sărat, Rymnik, C ...
's command, took part in the
Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792 and the
Polish Campaign of 1794-1795. The following decade of his life is obscure.
In 1807 Kulnev was put in charge of the regiment of
Hrodna
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
hussars fighting against
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 ...
. He made a name for himself at
Heilsberg and
Friedland, in which he famously fought his way out of an encirclement.
Finnish campaign
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 ...
against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, Kulnev led
Buxhoevden's vanguard. For his part in the storm of
Jakobstad
Jakobstad (; fi, Pietarsaari) is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of () and covers a land area of . The population density is . Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The ...
he was awarded a golden sabre. He encouraged
guerrilla fighting and fought with distinction at
Lapua
Lapua (; sv, Lappo) is a town and municipality of Finland.
It is located next to the Lapua River in the region of South Ostrobothnia. The town has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which is water. The population density is . The mun ...
,
Kuortane
Kuortane is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The neighboring municipalities of Kuortane are Al ...
,
Oravais
Oravais ( fi, Oravainen) is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia (region), Ostrobothnia regions of Finland ...
— three engagements which earned him
Order of Saint 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 ...
and the rank of Major General.
Denis Davydov
Denis Vasilyevich Davydov ( rus, Дени́с Васи́льевич Давы́дов, p=dʲɪˈnʲis vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪdʑ dɐˈvɨdəf, a=Dyenis Vasilyevich Davydov.ru.vorb.oga; – ) was a Russian soldier-poet of the Napoleonic Wars who in ...
, who fought under his command in Finland, described Kulnev's exploits in his memoirs.
Kulnev crowned the campaign by leading
Bagration's vanguard across the frozen
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
towards the
Åland Islands
Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populati ...
and thence to
Grisslehamn
Grisslehamn is a locality and port located on the coast of the Sea of Åland in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. The locality had 249 inhabitants in 2010.
The name Grisslehamn was first mentioned in a document from 1376 about t ...
, within 70 km from the Swedish capital,
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. This daring manoeuvre forced the Swedes to seek peace at any cost.
Turkish campaign
Awarded for his courage with
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, Kulnev was invited to take charge of the vanguard of the Danube Army which fought against the Turks in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
.
During the
Turkish Campaign of 1810, Kulnev was one of Russia's ablest generals. His bold leadership made itself felt at
Shumla
Shumen ( bg, Шумен, also romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the tenth largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province.
Etymology
The city was first mentioned as ''Šimeonis'' in 1153 by t ...
,
Nikopol,
Rousse
Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; bg, Русе ) is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, approximately south of ...
, and
Batin, giving the campaign a character of decision it had been lacking heretofore.
A conflict with the commander-in-chief,
Nikolay Kamensky
Count Nikolay Mikhailovich Kamensky (russian: Никола́й Миха́йлович Каме́нский; 27 December 1776 – 4 May 1811) was a Russian general who outlived his father, Field Marshal Mikhail Kamensky, by two years.
Life and ca ...
, forced him to leave the army, however.
War of 1812
After
Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, Kulnev was entrusted with defending the roads leading to the capital,
Saint Petersburg
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 ...
. On July 3, his detachment took prisoner a French general and 200 cavalrymen.
On 18 July, he led 5,000 cavalrymen — who formed a vanguard of
Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrians, Austrian-British people, British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy o ...
's corps — against Marshal
Oudinot
Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers, ...
in 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) ...
. Taking prisoner 900 enemy soldiers, Kulnev crossed the
Drissa River and clashed with a major French contingent. As the Russians came under heavy artillery fire, Kulnev was struck in the legs by a cannonball and lost both limbs. He died from the effects of wounds received at this engagement.
Assessment
Although he did not live to take part 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 ...
and other famous battles of the Patriotic War, Kulnev was long remembered as a tough, impetuous, hot-tempered fighter. In 1830, the spot of his death was marked by a monument, with
Zhukovsky's epitaph inscribed on it. In 1909, a hussar regiment was given his name. He died five days before his 49th birthday.
A typical
Romantic hero
The Romantic hero is a literary archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has themselves at the center of their own existence. The Romantic hero is often the protagonist in ...
of the Napoleonic Wars, he emancipated his serfs and was reputed to live in poverty, in order to emulate the soldiers of Roman antiquity that were his ideal. It has been suggested that
Dubrovsky, a protagonist of
Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's eponymous novel, was modeled on Kulnev: Dubrovsky is described in the text as "a dark, swarthy 35-year-old, with a moustache and a beard, a genuine portrait of Kulnev". The Russian general is also the subject of
Runeberg's poem ''Kulneff'' (1848), which is part of ''
The Tales of Ensign Stål
''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , fi, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Fin ...
'':
The Russian host could vaunt the name
Of many a seasoned veteran
Recorded on the scroll of fame
Before our war
''Our War'' ( it, La nostra guerra) is a 2016 Italian-American documentary film directed by Bruno Chiaravalloti, Claudio Jampaglia and Benedetta Argentieri. It premiered out of competition at the 73rd edition of the Venice Film Festival
The ...
began.
Barclay, Kamensky, Bagration,
Were household names to every son
of Finland. When they hove in sight,
We could expect a fight.
But Kulnev's name was new to all
Before the flame of war was blown
And he came rushing like a squall,
Scarce dreamed of before known.
He struck like lightning from the blue
So terrible and yet so new,
But ne'er to be forgot, we felt,
From the first blow he dealt.
English translation by Charles Wharton Stork
Charles Wharton Stork (12 February 1881 – 22 May 1971) was an American literary author, poet, and translator.
Life
Charles Wharton Stork was born in Philadelphia on 12 February 1881 to Theophilus Baker and Hannah (Wharton) Stork. He gradu ...
Further reading
*Жизнь, характер и военные деяния храброго генерал-майора Якова Петровича Кульнева в Польше, Германии, Швеции, Турции и в достопамятную Отечественную войну 1812 года в России. Писанная А.Н.Н-м.
'Life, Character and Military Actions of Valiant Major General Yakov Petrovich Kulnev in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and in the Memorable Patriotic War of 1812 in Russia'' Parts 1-2. SPb, 1815.
*Дух генерала Кульнева или черты и анекдоты, изображающие великие свойства его и достопамятные происшествия, как из частной, так и из военной его жизни...
'The Ethos of General Kulnev, or Traits and Anecdotes Representing His Great Qualities and Memorable Incidents from His Private and Military Life'' SPb, 1817.
*Яков Петрович Кульнев. 1763-1812. Очерк его боевой жизни. Письма к брату. Могила Якова Петровича Кульнева.
'Yakov Petrovich Kulnev (1763-1812): Outline of His Military Career. Letters to His Brother. The Tomb of Yakov Petrovich Kulnev'' Moscow, 1887.
*Елец Ю.Л. Кульнев. (К столетию Отечественной войны).
elets Yu.L. ''Kulnev. To the Centenary of the Patriotic War'' SPb, 1912.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulnev, Yakov
1763 births
1812 deaths
People from Ludza
Imperial Russian major generals
Hussars
Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Russian military personnel of the Finnish War
Russian people of the Kościuszko Uprising
Russian Imperial Hussars officers
French invasion of Russia
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree
Military personnel of the Russian Empire killed in action
Military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars