Patrick Leopold Gordon of Auchleuchries (31 March 1635 – 29 November 1699) was 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 ...

and rear admiral in Russia, of Scottish origin. He was descended from a family of

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, holders of the estate of Auchleuchries, near Ellon. The family was connected with the noble branch of Haddo. As a result of his distinguished service for Sweden, Poland and Russia he rose in ranks from trooper to full general, and became a principal advisor and close friend of

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

. Gordon assumed the additional Christian name of Leopold when confirmed as a Roman Catholic shortly before his death.

Life

Gordon was born in Auchleuchries,

, Scotland and brought up and remained a lifelong

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, at a time when adherents of that faith were persecuted in Scotland, which had become officially

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

. After an education at the parish schools of Cruden and Ellon, at age of fifteen he entered the Collegium Hosianum at Braunsberg (Braniewo), in the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

; however, his character did not tolerate well the strict and sombre way of life at the school, and he soon decided to return home. He changed his mind, however, before re-embarking on the journey back to Scotland, and after journeying on foot in several parts of Poland, in 1655 he enlisted at

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

into the military service of Sweden. In the course of the next five years he served alternately for Poland and Sweden and was taken prisoner by both. At the Battle of Chudnov in 1660, Gordon was wounded.Fedosov, Dmitry "Cock of the East: A Gordon Blade Abroad" pages 1-10 from ''Russia War, Peace and Diplomacy'' edited by Ljubica and Mark Erickson, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004 page 6. Upon hearing of the

Stuart restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

, Gordon left the Polish service, but found himself unable to obtain military employment in Scotland or

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1661, after further experiences as a soldier of fortune, he joined the Russian army under

Aleksei I, and in 1665 was sent on a special mission to England. After his return he distinguished himself in several wars against the Turks and

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

in southern Russia. Gordon disliked the Russian service, complaining of the corruption and venality of Russian officials, which left him, in his own words, "almost at wits end with vexation". However, in recognition of his service he was promoted to major-general in 1678, was appointed to the high command at

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

in 1679, and in 1683 was made

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 ...

. He was not the only Scottish soldier in the Tsar's service; his compatriots Paul Menzies, Alexander Livingston and many others were among those from lesser houses, or who had little chance of a claim to inheritance, seeking to make a name for themselves. Gordon visited England and Scotland in 1686. In 1687 and 1689 he took part in expeditions against the Tatars in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, being made a full

. Later in 1689 a coup broke out in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, and with the troops under his command Gordon virtually decided events in favour of

,Fedosov, Dmitry "Cock of the East: A Gordon Blade Abroad" pages 1-10 from ''Russia War, Peace and Diplomacy'' edited by Ljubica and Mark Erickson, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004 page 9. and against the

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Tsarevna Tsarevna (, ) was a title given to the daughters of tsars in Russia before the 18th century. The male equivalent was ''tsarevich''. All of them died unmarried with the exception of the daughters of Ivan V. Notably, his daughter Catherine marrie ...

Sophia Alekseyevna. Consequently, he was for the remainder of his life in high favour with the Tsar, who confided to him the command of his capital during his absence from Russia. In 1696, Gordon's design of a "moveable rampart" played a key role in helping the Russians take Azov. One of Gordon's greatest achievements was securing permission from the Tsars to establish the first permanent Roman Catholic church and school in Muscovy, of which he remained the main benefactor, and headed the Catholic community in Russia until his death. For his services his second son James, brigadier of the Russian army, was created Count of the Holy Roman Empire in 1701. The Tsar employed him in organizing his army according to the West European system; and raised him to the rank of full general. He died in

, Russia on 29 November 1699. At the end of his life the Tsar, who had visited Gordon frequently during his illness, was with him when he died, and with his own hands closed his eyes. Originally buried in the Foreign Quarter, his remains were reinterred in 1877, with an inscription in German which mistakenly gives his rank as ''Oberst'', Colonel. Gordon left behind him a uniquely detailed diary of his life and times, written in English. This is preserved in

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

in the Russian State Military Archive in Moscow. An incomplete and faulty German translation, edited by Dr Moritz Posselt (''Tagebuch des Generals Patrick Gordon'') was published, the first volume at Moscow in 1849, the second at

St 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 ...

in 1851, and the third at St Petersburg in 1853; and ''Passages from the Diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries'' (1635–1699), was printed, under the editorship of Joseph Robertson, for the Spalding Club, at

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland, 1859. A new full scholarly edition of Gordon's Diary in English was published by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies in Aberdeen (6 vols, 2009–2016), as well as its translation into Russian. His daughter Catherine was married firstly to the German-Russian Colonel Rudolf Strasburg, and then from 1698 to his kinsman in the Russian service Alexander Gordon of Auchintoul, author of ''The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia''. She lived until 1739.Alexander Gordon, ''The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia: A short account of the Author's Life'' (1755
page 10
/ref>

References

Diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries 1635–1699, Vol. I: 1635–1659 (Aberdeen, 2009)Vol. II: 1659–1667 (Aberdeen, 2010)Vol. III: 1677–1678 (Aberdeen, 2012)Vol. IV: 1684–1689 (Aberdeen, 2013)Vol. V: 1690–1695 (Aberdeen, 2014)Vol. VI: 1696–1698 (Aberdeen, 2016).
*
Diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries 1635-1699
link to Volume 1, available open access, can access further volumes through the sidebar
Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699

: 1859
Contacts and Integration: Some Scottish examples
Paul Dukes *Fedosov, Dmitry "Cock of the East: A Gordon Blade Abroad" pages 1–10 from ''Russia War, Peace and Diplomacy Essays in Honour of John Erickson'' edited by Ljubica and Mark Erickson, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004 . *P. Dukes, "Patrick Gordon and his Family Circle, some unpublished Letters" in Scottish Slavonic Review, X, 1988.

Notes

External links

* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8037674.stm BBC news article and photograph {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon of Auchleuchries, Patrick 1635 births 1699 deaths 17th-century Scottish nobility 17th-century Russian military personnel 17th-century Russian nobility Russian people of Scottish descent 17th-century soldiers Military personnel of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Scottish generals Generals of the Tsardom of Russia Expatriates in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Expatriates in the Tsardom of Russia Expatriates from the Kingdom of Scotland Patrick Scottish Roman Catholics Military personnel from Aberdeenshire Scottish mercenaries Writers about Russia Burials at Vvedenskoye Cemetery