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: ...

Alexander Borisovich Buturlin (; 1694 – 1767) was a Russian general and courtier whose career was much furthered by his good looks and personal affection of Empress Elizabeth. Buturlin was born on

29 July Events Pre-1600 *587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. * 615 – K'inich Janaab' Pakal, Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. * 904 – Sa ...

1694. He came from the most senior Ratshid family, whose members had been prominent as

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

s and voevods since the 12th century. His father, who served as the Captain of the

Leib Guard The Russian Imperial Guard, officially known as the Leib Guard ( ''Leyb-gvardiya'', from German language, German ''Leib'' "body"; cf. Lifeguard (military), Life Guards / Bodyguard), were combined Imperial Russian Army forces units serving as cou ...

, sent him to the newly established naval academy, where Alexander studied

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

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

, and foreign languages for four years. He graduated from the academy in 1720 and was employed by

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 ...

as his orderly and confidant, especially on several secretive missions during the Persian Expedition. In due time he was promoted Chamberlain and attached to the "junior court" of Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna. The young officer impressed the princess so much that she was said to cherish an affection for him until her very end. It was widely rumoured that Elizabeth, then 17, lost her virginity with him. Peter II of Russia, apparently jealous of Buturlin's influence on his beloved aunt, sent him away to

Little Russia Little Russia, also known as Lesser Russia, Malorussia, or Little Rus', is a geographical and historical term used to describe Ukraine. At the beginning of the 14th century, the patriarch of Constantinople accepted the distinction between wha ...

. During the following reign Buturlin's career slowly gathered momentum, as he operated against the Turks under Münnich and governed

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

in 1735. Upon Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 1741, his fortunes soared and he was sent to defend imperial interests in Lesser Russia. He then governed

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

for a short time and commanded an army stationed in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. In 1756 he was promoted

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 ...

, and four years later he was granted the hereditary title 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: ...

. The

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

was then escalating as the Russian forces approached Berlin. At the crucial moment Buturlin, then 66, was unexpectedly appointed the commander-in-chief of the Russian army operating in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. It was said that Russian officers long refused to believe the news of his appointment, knowing Buturlin for a heavy drunkard. "His good looks are his only merit", a contemporary foreign diplomat commented on the issue. The campaign of 1760 justified uneasy apprehensions, as Buturlin's cautiousness often degenerated into timidity and the atmosphere was spoiled by his jealousy towards a more illustrious colleague, Laudon. The war over, he was recalled by Peter III to Moscow and given the task of preparing his coronation festivities. Buturlin died on 31 August 1767 and was interred in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

References

External links

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Biography by Dmitry Bantysh-Kamensky (1840)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buturlin, Alexander Buturlin, Alexander Buturlin, Alexander Buturlin, Alexander Buturlin, Alexander Buturlin, Alexander 18th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire Male lovers of Russian royalty Collegium of Little Russia (1722–1727)