Gotthard Johann von Knorring (1744/1746 – 1825; , Bogdan Fyodorovich Knorring) was a
Baltic German
Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), their resettlement in 1945 after the end ...
who was a soldier in the
Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...
, rising to become a
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 ...
.
Biography
He was born in 1744 or 1746 into the
Knorring family, as a member of the
Baltic German nobility.
Knorring grew up on
Ervita manor, in the
Governorate of Estonia
The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Esthonia (Estland) Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire. It was located in the northern Estonia with some islands in the West Estoni ...
. He was appointed general quartermaster in 1788 and had active duty during the
war against Sweden (1788–1790). In 1792–1794, he participated in the campaigns in
Poland-Lithuania (see
Polish–Russian War of 1792
The Polish–Russian War of 1792 (also, War of the Second Partition, and in Polish sources, War in Defence of the Constitution) was fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth on one side, and the Targowica Confederation (conservativ ...
and
Kościuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...
). When
Paul I started his reign, Knorring withdrew from the military for some years. He participated in the war against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1807 but was recalled due to disagreements with the commanding general,
Levin August von Bennigsen. In December 1808 he was appointed commander of the Russian forces in
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, ...
after
Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden, and under his command the Russian forces crossed the
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 ...
on the ice and
invaded Sweden proper. Shortly after, in March 1809 the command of the Russian forces transferred to
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (baptised – ) was a Russian field marshal who figured prominently in the Napoleonic Wars.
Barclay was born into a Baltic German family from Livland. His father was the first of his family to be accep ...
. He died in 1825.
See also
There was another General Knorring, his brother
Karl Knorring, who was involved in the
Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801.
References
External links
Genealogisches Handbuch der baltischen Ritterschaften
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knorring, Gotthard
1740s births
1825 deaths
People from Järva Parish
People from the Governorate of Estonia
Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Army generals
Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Russian military personnel of the Finnish War
Russian people of the Kościuszko Uprising
Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree
Bogdan
Bogdan (Cyrillic: Богдан) is a Slavic masculine name that appears in the South Slavic languages and in Polish, Romanian and Moldovan. It is derived from the Slavic words ''Bog'' (Cyrillic: Бог), meaning 'god', and ''dan'' (Cyrillic: ...