Adam Adamovich Veyde or Weyde (; 1667 – January 26, 1720) was a Russian

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

general and a close associate of

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

Military career

Adam Veyde began his military career in the so-called ''

poteshnye voiska The toy army of Peter the Great (), initially called Peter's regiment (), was a collection of young Peter the Great, Peter I of Russia's playmates, the sons of noblemen, and attendants from his father Alexis of Russia, Aleksey's court. Histo ...

''. He participated in both of the

Azov campaigns Azov (, ), previously known as Azak (Turki/Cuman language, Kypchak: ), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River (Russia), Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name ...

, being a major of Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment in charge of engineer works during the siege of the

Azov Azov (, ), previously known as Azak ( Turki/ Kypchak: ), 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. The population is History Early settlements in the vici ...

fortress. Enjoying Peter the Great's great confidence, Adam Veyde was frequently sent abroad on different important assignments and accompanied the

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

during all of his trips. For example, Veyde was dispatched to

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

in 1696 to notify their leaders of the falling of Azov. In 1698, he was sent to France and England to study military science. Upon his return, Adam Veyde presented a military charter composed by him (; also known as the Veyde Charter), in which he had set forth administrative and military rules for infantry regiments under formation, responsibilities of all military ranks (from

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

to commander-in-chief inclusively), the rules of conduct for all ranks under any circumstances, and

drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a drill bit for making holes, or a screwdriver bit for securing fasteners. Historically, they were powered by hand, and later mains power, but cordless b ...

procedures. Adam Veyde composed his charter under the influence of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

's legal provisions of military nature and organization of

Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

's army, which had already earned fame by that time. The Veyde Charter formed the basis for the Peter the Great's Charter of 1716. Upon the disbandment of the

streltsy The streltsy (, ; , ) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively kno ...

regiments, General

Avtonom Golovin General Avtonom Mikhailovich Golovin () (October 7, 1667 – July 3, 1720) was a Russian military leader and an associate of Peter the Great. Biography When tsar Peter I of Russia was a young boy, Avtonom Golovin served him as a room stolnik. ...

and Adam Veyde were ordered to form 18 infantry and 2

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

regiments in Moscow in the fall of 1699. Also, Veyde was put in charge of teaching the marching drill to

stolnik Stolnik (, , , , ) was a court office in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia, responsible for serving the royal table, then an honorary court title and a district office. It approximately corresponds to English term wikt:pantler, "pantler". S ...

s, ''stryapchiys'' (

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

s), and ''zhiltsys'' (lowest category of the

service class people Service class people () were a class of free people in Russia in the 14th to the 17th centuries, obliged to perform military or administrative service on behalf of the state. Background There were two main groups of service people: * ''hered ...

). During the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, Adam Veyde was assigned to command one of the 10-regiment

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

as part of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Charles Eugène de Croÿ's army in 1700. After having approached

Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...

, Veyde's inexperienced division succumbed to the attacks of the

Swedish army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

, albeit it managed to keep battle formation the longest among other Russian units. Adam Veyde himself was taken prisoner and sent to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, where he would remain until 1710 and then be exchanged for General Niels Jonsson Stromberg. While in captivity, Veyde observed the

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

and the way their army was organized. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1710–1711, Adam Veyde commanded an 8-regiment division. In 1714, he was put in charge of 7 infantry and 3

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiments and dispatched to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. There, Veyde participated in the

Battle of Gangut The Battle of Gangut (; ; Finland Swedish: ''Slaget vid Rilax''; ) took place on 27 July Jul./ 7 August 1714 Greg. during the Great Northern War (1700–1721), in the waters of Riilahti Bay, north of the Hanko Peninsula, near the site of the mo ...

and commanded a

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

with Peter the Great on board. For this victory, Adam Veyde was awarded the

Order of St. Andrew The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First-Called () is the highest order conferred by both the Russian Imperial Family (as an order of chivalry) and by the Russian Federation (as a state order). Established as the first and highest order ...

and appointed commander of a

grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

regiment. Also, he assisted Peter the Great in his composing of the Military Charter of 1716 and two years later was appointed president of

College of War The College of War (sometimes War Collegium, or similar, but not to be confused with other institutions of the same name) was a Russian executive body (or Collegium (ministry), collegium), created in the Government reform of Peter I, government ...

, for which he would elaborate the table of organization and charter.

Death

Adam Veyde died in 1720. Although he was

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, Peter the Great ordered his interment at the Lazarevskoe Cemetery in the

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alexa ...

and attended his funeral personally.

References

Sources

External links

Musketeer manual from 1698 – Regulation of General Adam Veide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veyde, Adam 1667 births 1720 deaths Generals of the Tsardom of Russia Russian military writers Military theorists Russian military personnel of the Great Northern War Russian prisoners of war Russian Lutherans Burials at Lazarevskoe Cemetery (Saint Petersburg) 17th-century Russian writers