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: ...

Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky (; 19 May 1738 – 12 August 1809) was a Russian nobleman, a noted

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 ...

who distinguished himself in the Catherinian wars and the Napoleonic campaigns.

Biography

Mikhail Kamensky served as a

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

in the French army in 1758-1759. He then took part in 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 ...

. In 1783, Kamensky was appointed

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

and

Tambov Tambov ( , ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna ...

guberniyas. During the war with Turkey, in 1788, he defeated the Turks at the Moldavian settlement of Gangur. In the previous war with the Turks, he had helped

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 ...

, who had earned a reputation as one of Russia's great generals, to win the victory at Kozludzha, which ended the war. When 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 ...

fell ill and entrusted his command of the army to Mikhail Kakhovsky, Kamensky refused to subordinate himself, referring to his seniority. For this, he was discharged from military service. On 5 April 1797, Emperor Paul I granted Kamensky the title of

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and made him retire. In 1806,

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

appointed him commander-in-chief of the Russian army 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, ...

, which had been fighting the French armies of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. After six days of being in command, on the eve of the battle of Pułtusk, he transferred the command to Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Buxhoeveden under pretence of illness and left for his estate near

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, , ɐˈrʲɵl, a=ru-Орёл.ogg, links=y, ), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, situated on the Oka Rive ...

Death

Kamensky was notorious for his maltreatment of his

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

s, and he was killed by one of them on 12 August 1809, at the age of 71. His death occasioned a sentimental poem by Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky, Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in

Russian literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia, its Russian diaspora, émigrés, and to Russian language, Russian-language literature. Major contributors to Russian literature, as well as English for instance, are authors of different e ...

in the first half of the 19th century.

Descendants

He was married to Princess Anna Pavlovna Shcherbatova (1749-1826), the daughter of Prince Pavel Nikolaevich Shcherbatov (1722-1781) and his wife, Princess Maria Feodorovna Golitsyna (1709-1769). He was the father of two Russian Generals: Sergei Mikhailovich Kamensky and Nikolai Mikhailovich Kamensky. Through his son Sergei, British actress and

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

winner,

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

, DBE and her cousin,

Tania Mallet Tania Mallet (19 May 1941 – 30 March 2019)''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' was an English actress and model, best known for playing Tilly Masterson in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'' (1964). Early life an ...

, an actress, model and former

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest, female companion or (occasionally) an adversary of James Bond in a novel, film, or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or sexual puns, such as Plenty O' ...

are also among his direct descendants.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamensky, Mikhail Fedotovich Field marshals of the Russian Empire Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Counts of the Russian Empire Russian murder victims 1738 births 1809 deaths People murdered in the Russian Empire Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree People of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Governors-general of Saint Petersburg