Count Alexey Andreyevich Arakcheyev or Arakcheev (; b. in Garusovo – d. in Gruzino) was an Imperial Russian

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and statesman during the reign of Tsar Alexander I. He served under Tsars Paul I and Alexander I as an army commander and Inspector of Artillery. He had a violent temper, but was a competent artillerist, and is known for his reforms of Russian artillery known as the "System of 1805". When Alexander was succeeded by Nicholas I, he lost all his offices.

Early years

Count Arakcheyev was born on his father's estate in Garusovo, in Vyshnevolotsky Uyezd (at the time a part of Novgorod Governorate, from 1796 part of Tver Governorate). He was educated in arithmetic by a priest, and though he shone at arithmetic, he never mastered writing and grammar. In 1783, with the help of General Peter Ivanovich Melissino, Arakcheyev enrolled in the Shlyakhetny artillery school in

Saint-Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. By 1787 he had become a lieutenant instructor, and gave artillery and fortification lessons to Prince Nicholas Saltykov's sons. In 1791 he became the school's assistant director. In 1792 Saltykov recommended Arakcheyev to Tsesarevich Paul, son of Tsarina

Catherine the Great 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 I ...

and heir to the throne, who was searching for a capable artillery officer. Arakcheyev became chief artillery officer to the military commandant of Paul's residence, Gatchina Palace.

Paul I's reign

Arakcheyev became noted for his ruthless manners and zealousness, and by 1794 he was artillery inspector at Gatchina. Two years later, he became infantry inspector of the army, promoted by Catherine. Catherine died in 1796, and Arakcheyev was at Tsar Paul's side during his accession. On November 7, 1796, Arakcheyev was promoted from colonel to major-general and appointed as commandant of the garrison of

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

.Jenkins, p 55 In April 1797, he was promoted to quartermaster-general, and received the title of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

from the Tsar. A year later, after an officer, Colonel Lehn, committed suicide, he was temporarily retired with the rank of

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 ...

. In 1799 he was reinstated as Inspector-general of Artillery position and quartermaster-general and given the 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: ...

. He was disgraced and retired in 1800 after hiding misdeeds by his subordinates. His name had become synonymous with despotism, known in Russian as ''Arakcheyevshchina'' ('Arakcheyevism').

Alexander I's reign

In May 1803, the new Tsar Alexander I restored his position as Inspector of Artillery. During the first years he reorganized the artillery units, improved officer training, and issued new regulations. After the lessons learned at the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

, where Russian artillery had performed poorly, Arakcheyev devised the "System of 1805". Under this arrangement, 6- and 12-pounder guns were employed throughout the army, as well as 2-, 10-, and 18-pounder licornes. Under the new system, a single Russian division had as much artillery as an entire French corps. A foot artillery battalion was composed of two light and two heavy companies. A light foot artillery company consisted of four 10-pounder licornes, four light and four medium 6-pounder guns. A heavy artillery company had four light and four heavy 12-pounder guns and four 18- and two 2-pounder licornes. Six light 6-pounder guns and six 10-pounder licornes made a company of

horse artillery Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing field artillery that consisted of light cannons or howitzers attached to light but sturdy two-wheeled carriages called caissons or limbers, with the individual crewmen riding on h ...

. Licornes were usually deployed on the flanks of the batteries. All these guns used a screw elevating mechanism instead of the old system of wedges and had an improved sighting apparatus. Promoted in January 1808 to Minister of War and inspector-general of all infantry and artillery, he once more reorganized the army and the grading of the army staff. In 1808 he created a publication called the "artillery periodical". During the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

of 1808–9, Alexander ordered the army to invade Sweden across the frozen

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

; only Arakcheyev was willing to undertake this task. By 1810, Arakcheyev had resigned as War Minister and was sitting on the board of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

as chairman in military science. During the

Patriotic War of 1812 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...

, he oversaw recruitment and management of army supplies. He introduced several useful military reforms, which proved themselves during the wars of 1812–1814. Throughout his service, Arakcheyev was known for his meticulous following of the will of the tsar. Starting in 1816, he organized military-agricultural colonies, an idea initially conceived by Alexander I. At first Arakcheyev tried to oppose them, but when he agreed, he did so with unrelenting rigor. The hardships of military service combined with the hardships of peasant life created terrifying conditions in those settlements. The ruthlessness he exhibited in the military extended to his home. The women peasants in Arakcheyev's own Gruzino estate near

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

were required to produce one child each year. Arakcheyev even ordered the hanging of all cats, on account of his fondness for

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird which is best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, ...

s. From 1815 to Tsar Alexander's death, Arakcheyev was near the tsar as member of the State Council, and was an influential voice in the tsar's entourage. During Alexander I's journeys abroad, Arakcheev would follow, giving his accord to every law passed. By 1823, he was 'at the height of his power' and was able to plot the downfall of his rival, Education Minister Prince Alexander Golitsyn, by enlisting the support of a firebrand priest, Archimandrite Photius, who accused Golitsyn of apostasy. He also forced the resignation of Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky

Later years

After Alexander I was succeeded by Nicholas I, Arakcheyev was dismissed from all positions in the government, including his seat in the State Council and Inspector of Artillery and Infantry. He was removed from the court and exiled to his estate, Gruzino, near

. There he lived until his death in 1834, when he was interred in a local church. Furthermore, after Arakcheyev's death, the tsar requisitioned his land and property due to the inability to find legal heirs.

Personal life

Arakcheyev purchased the Gruzino estate near Novgorod in 1788. He was in his thirties when he married 18-year-old Anastasia Vasilievna Khomutova. She liked parties and dances; he did not, was intensely jealous of her, and gave the servants a list of addresses forbidden to her. In the second year of the marriage, she left him and they never met again. Arakcheyev also had a long-term mistress, Nastasia Fedorovna Minkina. During his absence from their estate, she bore a son who had red hair and blue eyes, and resembled neither her nor Arakcheyev. The boy was named Mikhail Shumsky, and grew to be a troublesome drunkard. Minkina was so tyrannical that she was murdered by resentful servants. Arakcheyev was grief-stricken and unable to function at court for some time. There was also an 'unofficial peasant wife' who bore him two illegitimate sons, sent to be educated in the Corps des Pages.

Temper and "''Arakcheevshchina''"

Arakcheyev is said to have executed two junior officers by having them buried up to their necks and leaving them to die of starvation and thirst. On another occasion he is said to have personally cut off another officer's head with his sword after a perceived infraction. "Arakcheevshchina" (), roughly translated as "the Arakcheev régime", became a derogatory term for a military state, denoting "the atmosphere of reactionary repression closing over Russian society".

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

writers routinely applied this term to characterize a regime of reactionary oppression. For instance, in 1950,

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

described the situation fostered by Ivan Meshchaninov in the Soviet Institute of Language and Thought as "''Arakcheevshchina''".

In popular culture

Arakcheyev features in

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

's novel '' War and Peace'', when in 1809 Prince Andrei has an audience with him. Tolstoy portrays him as rude, abrupt, ungrammatical, with 'scowling brows, dull eyes, and an overhanging red nose'. He is also discussed prominently in the book's epilogue, where he is negatively associated with the Russian government's perceived problems.

Notes

References

* Dukes, Paul (1974) ''A History of Russia'', McGraw-Hill Book Company. * Jenkins, Michael (1969) ''Arakcheev: Grand Vizier of the Russian Empire'', The Dial Press, Inc. * Jenkins, Michael. "Arakcheev and the Military Colonies in Russia." '' History Today'' (Sep 1969) Vol. 19 Issue 9, pp 600-607, covers 1800 to 1825; online. * Pipes, Richard E. "The Russian military colonies, 1810-1831." ''Journal of Modern History'' 22.3 (1950): 205-21
online