Cornelius Cruys ( no, Niels Creutz, i=no, russian: Корнелий Крюйс, i=no; 14 June 1655 – 14 June 1727) was a Norwegian–Dutch admiral of the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

, and the first commander of the

Russian Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

Early life and career

He was born as Niels Olufsen in Stavanger, Norway, in 1655. His parents were Oluf Gudfastesen and Apelone Nielsdatter Koch. It is uncertain when Niels Olufsen ( nl, Cornelis Roelofsz) emigrated to the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

and changed his name to Cornelis Cruys ("Kornelius Krøys" or "Cornelis Cruijs"). However, according to several municipal sources, Cruys lived in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

for at least eighteen years before he joined the Russian Navy. The first known record about Cruys was produced by the local administration of Amsterdam in 1681. That year he married the nineteen-year-old Catharina Voogt. She was born in Amsterdam and was the daughter of Claas Pieterszoon Voogt, a Dutch captain of a merchantman, and Jannetje Jans. In the civil registration of his marriage, Cruys was called a sailor from Amsterdam, 24 years old, an orphan. In December of that year, about seven months after his marriage, Cruys was officially registered as a citizen or ''poorter'' of Amsterdam. In 1680 Cruys became the captain of a Dutch merchantman. Until 1696, he sailed to Portugal, Spain, and the Caribbean. In July 1696, he joined the

Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

. He was appointed ''onder-equipagemeester'' at the naval dockyard of the Amsterdam Admiralty. In less than two years he would leave the United Provinces for the Russian Navy.

Service in Russia

In 1697, Russian Tsar

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), Catholico ...

travelled incognito with a large Russian delegation – the so-called

Grand Embassy The Grand Embassy (russian: Вели́кое посо́льство, translit=Velíkoye posól'stvo) was a Russian diplomatic mission to Western Europe from 9 March 1697 to 25 August 1698 led by Peter the Great. Description In 1697 and 1698, Pe ...

. He visited the

to study the latest inventions, especially in shipbuilding. Thanks to the mediation of Nicolaas Witsen, mayor of

and expert on Russia ''par excellence'', the tsar was given the opportunity to gain practical experience in the largest private shipyard in the world, belonging to the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

in Amsterdam, for a period of four months. The tsar helped with the construction of an East Indiaman, the frigate ''Peter en Paul''. During his stay in the Dutch Republic, the tsar engaged, with the help of Russian and Dutch assistants, many skilled workers such as builders of locks, fortresses, shipwrights and seamen. They had to help him with his modernization of Russia. The best-known sailor who made the journey from the Netherlands to Russia was Cornelis Cruys. Cruys accepted the tsar's generous offer to enter into his service as vice-admiral. He emigrated to Russia in 1698 and became the tsar's most important adviser in maritime affairs. Cruys performed well in Russia and came be regarded as the architect of the Russian Navy. After his return to Russia the Tsar put his

Azov Flotilla The Azov Flotilla or Azov Naval Flotilla was the name given to several Russian naval forces operated on the Sea of Azov as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, by both the Soviets and the White Russians during the Russian Civil War, and as part of ...

under the command of Admiral

Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin Count Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin (russian: Фёдор Алексеевич Головин; 1650 – ) was the last Russian boyar and the first Chancellor of the Russian Empire, he was also a field marshal, and general admiral (1700). He was ...

, a Russian nobleman who was the successor of the Swiss

Franz Lefort Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) Franz is a German name and cognate of the given name Francis. Notable people named Franz include: Nobility Austria-Hungary * Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–1765) * Francis II, Holy ...

. Golovin was assisted by Vice-Admiral Cruys and Rear-Admiral Jan van Rees. Cruys became the first "Russian" mayor of

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog Th ...

from 1698 to 1702. In 1711, he made the first maps of Azov Sea and

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

. He was commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet from 1705, and masterminded the construction of

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for " crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city ...

fortress, which was essential in the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

against Sweden and many years later against the German Kriegsmarine during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Cruys worked for the tsar for more than 25 years and reached the highest Russian naval rank of admiral in 1721. He died at

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 ...

in 1727. The historic

Kotomin House Kotomin House (russian: Дом Котомина) is a historical landmark building located at Nevsky Prospekt 18 (between Bolshaya Morskaya Street and Moika River embankment) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. History The first building at the moder ...

Nevsky Prospect Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is the main street (high street) in the federal city of St. Petersburg in Russia. It takes its name from the Alexander Nevsky La ...

, built from 1812 to 1815, was constructed on the site of the former residence of Cornelius Cruys.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Aase, Roy Lauritz (1997) ''Admiral Cornelius Cruys: sjøhelten fra Stavanger'' (Erling Skjalgssonselskapet) * Koningsbrugge, Hans van ed. (2009) ''Life and deeds of Admiral Cornelius Cruys'' (Groningen: Nederlands-Russisch Archiefcentrum) * Titlestad, Torgrim (1999) ''Tsarens admiral: Cornelius Cruys i Peter den stores tjeneste'' (Erling Skjalgssonselskapet)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruys, Cornelius 1655 births 1727 deaths 17th-century Dutch military personnel 18th-century Dutch military personnel Admirals of the navy of the Dutch Republic Baltic Fleet Burials at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam Dutch people of Norwegian descent History of Taganrog Imperial Russian Navy admirals Norwegian admirals Norwegian emigrants to the Dutch Republic Military personnel from Amsterdam Russian military personnel of the Great Northern War Russian nobility Russian people of Norwegian descent Dutch military personnel of the Nine Years' War