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: ...

Pyotr Semyonovich Saltykov (russian: Пётр Семёнович Салтыков) (11 December 1697/1698/1700 – 26 December 1772) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

statesman and a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

officer, promoted to the rank of Field marshal on 18 August 1759.

Early life

Saltykov was born in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in the village of Nikolskoye, southwest to the

Lake Nero Lake Nero () is a shallow, highly eutrophic lake in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia. The lake has an area of 54.4 km², a maximum length of 13 km, width 8 km and depth 3.6 m. The bottom of the lake is covered with thick layer of ...

, the son of Semyon/Semjon Andreievich Saltykov (10 April 1672 - 1 October 1742), a landowner of an ancient Boyar family which rivalled the

Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...

in nobility and was descended from a sister of the first Romanov Tsar, and wife Fekla Jakowlevna Wolynskaya. He had a younger brother, Count Vladimir Semyonovich Saltykov (6 August 1705 - 5 January 1751). He was a distant cousin of

Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov Count Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov ( rus, link=no, Сергей Васильевич Салтыков, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ səltɨˈkof; c. 1726 – 1765) was a Russian officer (chamberlain (office), chamberlain) who became th ...

, first lover of Catherine the Great, and was also related to Praskovia Fyodorovna Saltykova.

Life

The year of his birth is uncertain. It is estimated as between 1697 and 1700, as in 1714 he was sent by Peter the Great to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to master the science of

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

. He remained there for much of the twenty years that followed. In 1729, Saltykov bought the estate of

Marfino Marfino (russian: Марфино) is the name of several rural localities in Russia. Astrakhan Oblast As of 2010, one rural locality in Astrakhan Oblast bears this name: * Marfino, Astrakhan Oblast, a '' selo'' in Marfinsky Selsoviet of Voloda ...

, and in 1731 he married Princess Praskovia Yuriyevna Trubetskaya (1704 - 1767), a daughter of Prince Yuri Yuriyevich Troubetzkoy by his first wife Princess Yelena Grigoriyevna Cherkasskaya, and on 19 January 1732 or 1733 his father was created a

. In 1759, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

of 1756-1763, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

and would soon win a victory at Palzig (Battle of Kay) and Kunersdorf. In 1763, Saltykov became commander-in-chief of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and was put in charge of the Moscow Senate Office. During Saltykov's time in office, he established a number of new

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

s, restored Golovinsky and Kolomensky Palaces, and a number of city gates. They also repaired most of the worn-out

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s across the

Moscow River The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centra ...

and continued dismantling the walls of the White City (

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

belt around Moscow) in order to provide building material for the construction of the OrphanageВоспитательный дом ordered by Catherine the Great and the restoration of the Arsenal. In April 1764, Saltykov reported to

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 the opening of the Moscow Orphanage. With the purpose of providing Muscovites with food, Saltykov banned the removal of imported bread from the city and arranged for wholesale purchases of bread from landowners. He also secured regular

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

deliveries to Moscow, the need for which had been estimated at 575,000 vedros. Saltykov was also fighting against

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

. In 1765, he took part in burning of books "harmful to the society" at the order of Catherine the Great. During the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

outbreak in 1771, which caused mass departure of landowners, city officials, and rich merchants from Moscow, Pyotr Saltykov asked Catherine the Great for permission to leave the city. Without waiting for her reply, he left for his

estate on the outskirts of Moscow. After a plague riot had broken out in Moscow on 16 September, Saltykov returned to the city. However, Catherine the Great relieved him of his post on 13 November 1771. A year later, he died on his estate at Marfino.

Family

By his wife Princess Praskovia Yuriyevna Trubetskaya, Saltykov had: * Countess Anastasia Petrovna Saltykova (26 November 1731 - 24 March 1830), married Pjotr Kwaschnin-Samarin (? - 19 October 1815) * Countess Warwara Petrovna Saltykova, married on 4 November 1754 as his first wife Prince Wassili Borisovich

Galitzine The House of Golitsyn or Galitzine was one of the largest princely of the noble houses in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire. Among them were boyars, warlords, diplomats, generals (the Mikhailovichs), stewards, chamberlains, the richest ...

(? - aft. 1793), later remarried, without issue from any of his marriages * Count

Ivan Petrovich Saltykov Count Ivan Petrovich Saltykov (russian: Иван Петрович Салтыков; 28 June 1730 – 14 November 1805) was a Russian Field Marshal, the Governor-General of Moscow from 1797 to 1804, and owner of the grand estate of Marfino. Bio ...

(29 June 1739 - 14 November 1805) * Countess Ekaterina/Jekaterina Petrovna Saltykova (2 October 1743 -

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 13 October 1816), married in 1762 Count Andrey Petrovich

Shuvalov The House of Shuvalov (russian: Шува́лов) is the name of a Russian noble family, which was documented since the 16th century. The Shuvalov family rose to distinction during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and was elevated to the rank of ...

(23 June 1743 - 24 April 1789), and had issue

References

External links

*
Biography
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltykov, Pyotr 1697 births 1772 deaths Field marshals of Russia Imperial Russian Army generals Governors-General of Moscow Politicians of the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Seven Years' War Russian nobility People of the Silesian Wars Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)