Nikolai Ivanovich Depreradovich (; ;

Novorossiya Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

, 23 October 1767 –

St. Peterburg 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 ...

, 16 December 1843) was one of the most decorated Russian generals who fought against

Napoleonic France The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

. He was a

general of the cavalry General of the Cavalry () was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers of equivalent rank were called ...

and adjutant general who took part both in Napoleonic Wars and Finnish Wars. His family, with roots in Serbian lands, moved to

in 1752. He played an important role with Illarion Vasilyevich Vasilchikov (1776–1847) in the grand strategy of 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 ...

after

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

ascended the throne.

Biography

He was a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

originally from an old border officer's family that moved from what was then part of the Austrian Empire's

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна крајина, Vojna krajina, sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна граница, Vojna granica, label=none; ; ) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and later the Austrian and Austro-Hungari ...

Slavo-Serbia Slavo-Serbia or Slaveno-Serbia was a territory of Imperial Russia from 1753 to 1764. It was located to the south of the Donets River, between the Bakhmutka River and Luhan River. This area today is located within present-day Luhansk Oblast a ...

in Imperial Russia. His brother, Leontii Depreradovich, came close to achieving the same success if it were not for a scandal that got him dismissed from the army. At the age of ten, Depreradovich enlisted as a cadet in the Volozh Hussar Regiment on 12 December 1777. He rose to sub-lieutenant in 1782 at 15. He fought in the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

(1787–1791) at Koushani, Akkerman, and Bender, and commanded the

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 name ...

, from 1799 to 1807. Depreradovich participated in the last wars of Empress

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 ...

against the Turks and Poles. He was one of the officers involved in the conspiracy against

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

in favor of the son, Alexander I. On May 16, 1803, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the

Chevalier Guard Regiment The Chevalier Guard Regiment () was a Russian heavy cavalry guard regiment, created in 1800 by the reformation of the Chevalier Guard corps, itself created in 1764 by Catherine the Great. As other Russian heavy cavalry guard regiments (the Life ...

. In this position, he served during all the wars with Napoleon. On 26 November 1804, he was awarded 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 ...

4th class. Commanding the chevalier-guardsmen, he led a brilliant attack near Austerlitz, giving the guard the opportunity to retreat. The regiment lost 15 officers and 200 privates during the attack. On 24 February 1806, he was awarded the

, 3rd class. Depreradovich participated in all the major battles of the Eylau Campaign of 1806–1807. In 1810, he was appointed the commander of the 1st Cuirassier Division, which at the beginning of 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 ...

was part of the 1st Western Army. In this capacity, Depreradovich participated in the Patriotic War of 1812 and foreign campaigns. On 30 August 1813, he was promoted to 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 norma ...

. Depreradovich especially distinguished himself in the battles of Kulm and Fère-Champenoise. At Fère-Champenoise, it was Depreradovich's actions that decided the outcome of the battle. He rose to

and adjutant general on 3 September 1826 and commanded the Guard Reserve Cavalry Corps between 14 April 1833 and 12 March 1835. He died on 28 December 1843. He was 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Depreradovich, Nikolay Imperial Russian Army generals Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent 1767 births 1843 deaths Nobility from the Russian Empire People from Bakhmutsky Uyezd

Biography

See also

References