Avram Petrovich Ratkov (21 October 1773 – 26 December 1829) was a Russian general of Serbian descent who participated in many battles, including the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...

where he commanded the reserve military force with the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Biography

He was a descendant of a Serbian Orthodox priest who settled in Russia in today's

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

from the so-called Transcarpathian territories of the Habsburg monarchy's

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and ...

during the reign of Empress Catherine the Great. His biography states that he comes from nobles of

Belozersk Belozersk (russian: Белозе́рск), known as Beloozero (russian: Белоозеро, label=none) until 1777, is a town and the administrative center of Belozersky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the southern bank of Lake Belo ...

Novgorod Governorate Novgorod Governorate (Pre-reformed rus, Новгоро́дская губе́рнія, r=Novgorodskaya guberniya, p=ˈnofɡərətskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə, t=Government of Novgorod), was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Ru ...

and that he entered the service on the 1st of January 1783 in the Revel Garrison Regiment. On 10 November 1796, he was transferred to the famed

Semyonovsky Regiment The Semyonovsky Lifeguard Regiment (, ) was one of the two oldest guard regiments of the Imperial Russian Army. The other one was the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 2013, it was recreated for the Russian Armed Forces as a rifle regiment, its nam ...

. That year (1796) Ratkov was awarded the Order of Saint Anna, 2nd degree, elevated to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

and

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

for his past military services against the enemies of the Empire.

Military career

After the

Battle of Friedland The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by Count von Bennigsen. Napoleon and the French obtain ...

in 1807, Ratkov was promoted

(12 December 1807) and awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th class with a bow for bravery exhibited under fire in the major engagement between the French and Russian forces. Also, he was appointed ''chef'' of the Kazan Musketeer Regiment located in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. On 11 November 1809, he took leave from the army for four years. On 10 November 1813, he accepted to serve in the military and remain in the Reserve Army as a major general. In 1814 he was with the divisional commander of the 10th Infantry Division in the Napoleonic Wars over the next couple of years until

Napoleonic France The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

was defeated. He was appointed the commander of the 3rd Brigade of the

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *6th Division (Australia) *6th Division (Austria) * 6th (United Kingdom) Division *Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) * Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) *6th Division (Reichswehr) * 6th Division ...

on 19 March 1816. In August 1822, he was appointed the commander of the 1st Garrison Battalion and Brigadier commander of the Life Guards, but two years later (27 July 1824), he was removed from the battalion command at his own request but remained in the post of the Brigade command of the Life Guards. In August 1826, he was awarded the Order of Saint Anna, 1st degree "For excellent, diligent, long-term service." In November 1826, he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class. He died on 26 December 1829.

Awards and decorations

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

, 2nd degree (9 November 1796) *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

, 4th degree with a bow (12 December 1807) * Order of St. George, 4th class (26 November 1826) *

, 1st degree (22 August 1826)

Bibliography

Russian biographical dictionary in 25 volumes - Ed. under the supervision of the chairman of the Imperial Russian Historical Society A. A. Polovtsev. - St. Petersburg: Type. I. N. Skorokhodova, 1896–1918.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratkov, Avram 1773 births 1829 deaths Imperial Russian major generals People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent Russian people of Serbian descent

Biography

Military career

Awards and decorations

Bibliography

See also

References