Burkhard Christoph Graf von Münnich (,
tr. ; – ) was a
German-born army officer who became a
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
and
political figure in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War ...
. He carried out major reforms in the
Russian Army and founded several elite military formations during the reign of Empress
Anna of Russia
Anna Ioannovna (russian: Анна Иоанновна; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much ...
(). As a statesman, he is regarded as the founder of Russian
philhellenism. Like his father, Münnich was an engineer and a specialist in
hydrotechnology. He had the rank of
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 ...
of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
of the German Nation.
Early career
Münnich was born at
Neuenhuntorf in the Grand
Duchy of Oldenburg in the military family of Anton Günther Mönnich (since 1688 ''von Münnich'', an east-Frisian nobility). Besides the knowledge of the native
Low German language he also learned the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
and
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
s. He entered the French service at 17. Thence he transferred successively to the armies of
Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse be ...
and of
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...
where he earned the rank of a
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 ...
and later
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 ...
.
In 1721, he was invited by the Russian ambassador in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
Alexey Grigoryevich Dolgorukov
Alexey Grigoryevich Dolgorukov (russian: Алексей Григорьевич Долгоруков; died 1734 in Beryozov) was a Russian politician and member of the Supreme Privy Council under Peter II. He is a cousin of Vasily Lukich Dolgoruko ...
for engineering projects of the newly acquired northern territories. Around that time his father has died. Upon arrival to Russia he presented
Peter I Peter I may refer to:
Religious hierarchs
* Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus
* Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint
* Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholicos ...
plans for the fortification of
Kronstadt fortress, which pleasantly surprised the Russian emperor, and the
Annenkrone
Annenkrone (''St Anne's Crown'', russian: Анненские укрепления, ''Annenskiye ukrepleniya'', fi, Pyhän Annan kruunu) is an early 18th century fortification in Vyborg, Russia. It is located outside the town in the island of Tv ...
fortification in
Vyborg
Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ...
. He was promoted to the
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...
in 1722. Among his first undertakings was the completion of the costly
Ladoga Canal
The Ladoga Canal (russian: Лaдожский канал, Ladozhsky Canal) is a historical water transport route, now situated in Leningrad Oblast, linking the Neva and the Svir River so as to bypass the stormy waters of Lake Ladoga which lies ...
, which had been under construction for more than a decade. For his engineering and military-engineering achievements he was promoted to the rank of the
General-in-Chief, in 1726 by
Catherine I, and awarded the
Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky. In 1727, Münnich was appointed the Governor of
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 ...
city while the Imperial court was temporarily transferred to Moscow by
Peter II. From 1728 to 1734, he was a General-Governor of
Ingria,
Karelia
Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance fo ...
, and Finland as well as was awarded the title of a
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 ...
. During his governorship, Münnich improved the local ports, reinforced the newly established
Peter and Paul Fortress (1703), and was thinking of building a bridge towards
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
.
Russian army reformer
Upon the coronation of
Anna of Russia
Anna Ioannovna (russian: Анна Иоанновна; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much ...
(1730), he was instructed to prepare the city for the return of Imperial court. After successfully accomplishing that Münnich was promoted to a
General-Fieldmarshal, was appointed to the position of president of Russian
War Collegiate in 1732 as well as given an order to re-organize the
Russian army. Münnich became a founder of the
Russian Imperial Guard, known as Leib-Guard Cavalry Regiment of the
Izmaylovsky Regiment, and the Shlyakhetskiy
Cadet Corps which was destined to supply the future generations of officers.
Münnich also reformed numerous other military formations as well as the War Collegiate itself. He established a new formation for the Russian army at that time, the Corps which consisted of 12 regiments
Cuirassier Cavalry as well as the first
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 ...
regiments. Münnich revised the table of ranks and evened the salary of the Russian officers with the invited foreign military specialists. He was the first to introduce the
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparin ...
regiments to the Russian army as well as founded the Engineer School for Officers. During his administration some 50 other fortresses were erected which substantially improved the well-being of the Russian Armed Forces at that time. Due to the
Andrey Osterman affairs, he was released of his duties.
Ottoman campaign of 1734–1739
In 1734, by the reference of
Ernst Johann von Biron
Ernst Johann von Biron (german: Ernst Johann von Biron; russian: link=no, Эрнст Иоганн Бирон; (german: link=no, Bühren); ) was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1737–1740 and 1763–1769) and briefly regent of the Russian E ...
he was sent to take the city of Danzig (
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
) and after
a prolonged siege and evasion of
Stanisław Leszczyński was heavily reproached. However, after that in 1733, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War ...
was able to install
Augustus III of Poland as the King of Poland (ratified in 1736).
In 1736, as the commander of the Russian army, he headed the
Turkish campaigns, besieging the important ports of
Azak
Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak,
is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population:
History
Early settlements in the vicinity
The mout ...
and
Özi. On 21 May 1735 he stormed and sacked
Or Qapı penetrating into the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
peninsula. Münnich destroyed the important Tatar cities of
Kezlev
Yevpatoria ( uk, Євпаторія, Yevpatoriia; russian: Евпатория, Yevpatoriya; crh, , , gr, Ευπατορία) is a city of regional significance in Western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative ...
,
Aqmescit
Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, it is ...
, and
Bakhchisaray
Bakhchysarai ( crh, Bağçasaray, italic=yes; russian: Бахчисара́й; ua, Бахчисара́й; tr, Bahçesaray) is a town in Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine and annexed by Russia as the ...
. He was forced out of the peninsula due to poor logistics and battle fatigue of his formations, while another general, Count
Peter von Lacy, took
Azak
Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak,
is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population:
History
Early settlements in the vicinity
The mout ...
, earning himself a rank of the
general field marshal. Münnich refused to resume the campaign the very next year, but he returned to the lower
Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...
steppes in 1737, and on 2 July took the fortress of
Özi with the help of the Russian artillery. During the sack of Özi, he manually raised the regimental banner of the Izmailovsky Regiment on one of the towers of fortress after a successful attack. The siege of Özi was also later mentioned in the humorous stories about
Baron Munchausen, based on the adventures of the
page to
Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick, Hieronymus von Münchhausen. Due to the heavy losses, the campaign was paused again while conducting negotiations in
Nemirov (
Podolie) without much result. In 1739, Münnich won the
Battle of Stavuchany, took
Khotyn
Khotyn ( uk, Хотин, ; ro, Hotin, ; see other names) is a city in Dnistrovskyi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine and is located south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It hosts the administration of Khotyn urban hromada, one of ...
two days later, and established himself firmly in
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
. His victory in this campaign was later mentioned in one of the Lomonosov's odes, considered to be the first poem of Russian literature. Threatening to burn down the capital of
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
, the city of
Iași, he forced the Moldavian boyars to sign the annexation of Moldavia. After the Ottoman war he was awarded the
Order of St. Andrew and the Golden Weapon for Courage. Due to military losses of the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
and worsening of the relationship with the
Swedish Hats, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War ...
had to sign the
Treaty of Niš by which it had to return the newly acquired Nogai steppes while keeping the fortress of Azak.
Downfall
Marshal Münnich now began to take an active part in political affairs, the particular tone of which was given by his rivalry with
Biron,
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...
of
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia ...
, whom Münnich had arrested in 1740.
Münnich's activity was brought to a close in 1741 by the
Elizabeth of Russia
Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...
; he was arrested on his way to the border, and condemned to death. Brought out for execution, and withdrawn from the
scaffold, he was later sent to
Pelym
Pelym (russian: Пелым) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
* Pelym, Ivdel, Sverdlovsk Oblast, a work settlement under the administrative jurisdiction of the city of Ivdel, Sverdlovsk Oblast
;Rural l ...
,
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
, where he remained for several years, until the accession of
Peter III brought about his release in 1762.
Catherine II
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
, who soon displaced Peter, employed the old field marshal as director-general of the
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
ports.
Münnich died four years later in
Tartu and was buried at his estate nearby.
Legacy
Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
will say of him "'' If Münnich is not one of the children of Russia, he is one of the fathers ''".
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
professes great admiration for his exploits and calls him "Prince Eugene of the Muscovites".
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...
wrote for his part: '' It was Prince Eugene of the Muscovites; he had the virtues and vices of the great generals: skilful, enterprising, happy; but proud, superb, ambitious, and sometimes too despotic, and sacrificing the lives of his soldiers for his reputation.
Franz Lacy,
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons i ...
,
Löwendal, and other skilful generals, were training in his school ''.
According to
Hermann von Manstein, his aide-de-camp: '' The Count of Münnich is a real contrast of good and bad qualities. Polite, rude, human, carried away, in turn, nothing is easier for him than winning the hearts of those who deal with him. But suddenly, an instant later, he treats them so harshly that they are forced to hate him, so to speak. In certain conditions, we saw him generous, in others of a sordid greed. He is the man of the world who has the highest soul and yet we have seen him do mean things. Pride is a dominant vice. Constantly devoured by an excessive ambition, he sacrificed everything to the world to satisfy it. One of the best engineers in Europe, he was also one of the greatest captains of his century. Often reckless in his businesses, he has always ignored what the impossible is. With a tall and imposing stature, and a robust and vigorous temperament, he seems to have been born general. ''
Ernst Gideon von Laudon
Ernst Gideon von Laudon, since 1759 Freiherr von Laudon (originally Laudohn or Loudon; 13 February 171714 July 1790), was a Baltic German-born Austrian generalisimo and one of the most successful opponents of the Prussian king Frederick the Great ...
and Franz Lacy did their apprenticeship under his orders in front of Otchakov and
Khotin
Khotyn ( uk, Хотин, ; ro, Hotin, ; see other names) is a city in Dnistrovskyi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine and is located south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It hosts the administration of Khotyn urban hromada, one of th ...
.
Burckhardt de Münnich is buried in his land of Lunia in
Livonia.
[''Literary archives of Europe, or, Mixtures of literature, history and philosophy'', ] Despite his role as builder of modern Russia, his tomb was desecrated and partly destroyed by the Soviets.
The Imperial Russia
37th Dragoons Regiment used to bear his name.
Heritage
*
Christine Lucretia von Witzleben (1685–1727), his wife.
*
Barbara Juliana, Baroness von Krüdener was his great granddaughter.
* Count Johann Ernst Munnich (Sergei Khristoforovich Minikh) (1707–1788), his son, Russian statesman, diplomat, writer, studied jurisprudence, languages, and philosophy.
Further reading
* Burkhard Christoph von Münnich. (1874
Notes of Field Marshal Count Münnich(Записки фельдмаршала графа Миниха) at
Runivers.ru
Runivers ( rus, Руниверс) is a site devoted to Russian culture and history. Runivers targets Russian speaking readers and those interested in Russian culture and history.
Runivers is an online library aimed to provide free access to aut ...
in
DjVu and
PDF formats
References
;Attribution
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muennich, Burkhard Christoph Von
1683 births
1767 deaths
17th-century German people
German emigrants to the Russian Empire
18th-century German military personnel
Military leaders of the Russian Empire
Field marshals of Russia
Russian military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession
German military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession
Governors of Saint Petersburg
Philhellenes
Lower Saxon nobility
Nobility from the Russian Empire
People from Oldenburg (state)
People from Wesermarsch
Municipal police chiefs of the Russian Empire
Commissioners of the Saint Petersburg Police
Cabinet ministers of the Russian Empire
Internal exiles from the Russian Empire
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
Counts of the Holy Roman Empire