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 Nikolayevich Samoylov (; 1744 – 1 November 1814) was a Russian general and statesman. He distinguished himself in the
Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 and was the
prosecutor general of the Russian Empire. He was a relative of
Grigory Potemkin
Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...
.
Biography
Alexander Samoylov was born into the family of senator Nikolay Samoylov. He started his military service in 1760 as a soldier of
Leib-Guard Semyonovsky Regiment. Later he was moved to the frontline forces and took part in the
Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774 and, for his part in the taking of
Silistra
Silistra ( ; ; or ) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Silistra is the administrative center of the ...
, received the
Order of St. George
The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...
of 4th degree.
The rise to power of his relative
Prince Potemkin
Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...
led to a comital title being bestowed upon Samoilov in 1775. After that, he obtained quick promotion: in 1775 he was appointed a member of commission for the trial of
Yemelyan Pugachev. Also he was promoted to ''kamer-yunker'' (
cadet
A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...
) and became the chairman of the
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council ( rus, Госуда́рственный сове́т, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj sɐˈvʲet) was the supreme state advisory body to the tsar in the Russian Empire. From 1906, it was the upper house of the parliament under t ...
, which existed in the reign of
Catherine II
Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...
in 1776–1787. In 1783 he commanded the
Crimean
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...
Chasseur
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action.
History
This branch of the French Army o ...
Corps and was prominent in the campaign that led to the
annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire
The territory of the Crimean Khanate was annexed by the Russian Empire on . Russia had wanted more control over the Black Sea, and an end to the Crimean slave trade, and as such, waged a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire and its Cri ...
.
He was
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 the battlefield, who was normall ...
during the
Russo-Turkish War, 1787–1792, commanding five infantry regiments, two corps of chasseurs, seven
Cossack
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
regiments, and forty cannons. In 1788, he distinguished himself in the
taking of Ochakov and was awarded the Order of St. George of 2nd degree. In 1789 he took part in the taking of
Bendery
Bender (, ) or Bendery (, ; ), also known as Tighina ( mo-Cyrl, Тигина, links=no), is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under ''de facto'' control of the unrecognized Transnistria, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Rep ...
and
Kaushany, serving under Prince Potemkin. He received the
Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...
for that campaign. On 12 December 1790, he commanded the left wing of the army of
Alexander Suvorov
Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire.
Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...
in the
storm of Izmail and was awarded the
Order of St. Vladimir of 1st degree.
For his efforts in bringing about the peace treaty with the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, Catherine II personally decorated him with the
Order of St. Andrew. On 17 September 1792, he was appointed
Prosecutor General of the Russian Empire of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, replacing the seriously ill prince
Alexander Vyazemsky. Upon his accession to the throne, emperor
Paul I dismissed Samoylov.
Alexander Samoilov married princess
Troubetzkoy and had one son, Nicholas, who did not leave issue from his marriage to
Countess Yuliya Skavronsky.
General Raevsky was his nephew.
Sources
*
*
External links
*
Biography at the Official site of the Office of Public Prosecutor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samoylov, Alexander Nikolayevich
18th-century nobility from the Russian Empire
19th-century nobility from the Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Army generals
1744 births
1814 deaths
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)