Count Peter Ivanovich Ivelich or Peter Ivelich IV (Russian: Пётр Ивелич, also known as Pyotr Ivanovich Ivelich IV; 1772 - after 1851) was a Serb Montenegrin who ranks among the most important Russian generals who fought during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. His portrait was added to the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace along with other participants in 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 ...

. His uncles are count

Marko Ivelich Count Marko Konstantinovich Ivelić (also spelled Ivelich; 1740–1825) was a Montenegrin born Russian general who rose to prominence in Russian military service during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Prince-Bishop Petar I Petrovi� ...

(Ivelich I), major-general

Ivan Konstantinovich Ivelich Ivan Konstantinovich Ivelich (c. 1745 – after 1810) was a major general in Imperial Russian service, originating from Boka Kotorska region (now Montenegro). He was a member of the family, and the youngest brother of Marko Ivelich and Semen Kons ...

(Ivan Ivelich III) and colonel Simeon Konstantinovich Ivelich (Simeon Ivelich II).

Biography

Ivelich was born to a Serbian family in

Risan Risan ( Montenegrin: Рисан, ) is a town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor. Lying in the innermost portion of the bay, the settlement was prot ...

in the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

(now

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

) in 1772. He was the nephew of Count

. As a captain in the army of the

, he transferred to the

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 * ...

n military service on 15 June 1788 as a lieutenant in the Nasheburg Infantry Regiment. In three months he was promoted to captain on 9 September 1788 for recruiting 186 Slav volunteers, and transferred to the Finnish Chasseurs Corps and, on 25 March 1793, to the Shirvan Infantry Regiment. He served in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787 and continued to rise through the ranks. He was promoted to the rank of major and appointed the commander of the Shirvan Musketeer Regiment on 17 January 1799. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

on 10 August 1800. He fought the French in Austria (1805) and Prussia (1807). On 24 August 1806, he was appointed ''chef'' of the Brest Musketeer Regiment. Ivelich fought the French 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, ...

during the

War of the Fourth Coalition The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, ...

and then against the

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

in the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

of 1808, during which he was promoted to major general and 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 ...

for bravery. He participated in the Battle of Lemo against the Swedes (1808-1809); based on merit, on 18 October 1808, he was elevated to major general. He participated in the

and served in multiple major battles, including

Borodino The Battle of Borodino ( ) or Battle of Moscow (), in popular literature also known as the Battle of the Generals, took place on the outskirts of Moscow near the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812 during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. T ...

, at which he was severely wounded. In 1812, as a major general, he participated in battles at

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

, and Valutino. In the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino ( ) or Battle of Moscow (), in popular literature also known as the Battle of the Generals, took place on the outskirts of Moscow near the village of Borodino on 7 September 1812 during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. ...

, he sustained bullet wounds in the right shoulder and on the right side. After recovery, he participated in more battles. In the campaign of 1813, he fought near Dresden and

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin (), until 1868 ''Budissin'' in German, is a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree (river), Spree river, is the eighth most ...

. He participated in the battles of the Great Patriotic War. Between May 1813 and February 1815 he was put on a medical recovery list. In 1815 he became Brigade Commander in the 17th Infantry Division. On 12 December 1816 ( Old Calendar), he took his military retirement on medical grounds, left the service with the uniform and full salary, and joined uncle

in a business venture with the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the c ...

. The emperor granted him a large plot of land with

serfs 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 dur ...

in the

Tobolsk Governorate Tobolsk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and Russian SFSR located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. It existed from 1796 to 1920; its seat was in the city of Tobolsk, ...

. He died at Tara,

, sometime after 1850.

Ranks, decorations, and awards

Russian Ranks * Lieutenant - 15 June 1788 * Captain - 9 September 1788 * Major - 17 January 1799 * Lieutenant Colonel - 22 April 1799 * Colonel - 10 August 1800 * Major General - 18 October 1808 Decorations and awards *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; 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 Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

References

* Adapted and translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at Ивелич, Пётр Иванович {{reflist 1772 births Year of death uncertain Republic of Venice people Imperial Russian Army generals Counts of the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent

Biography

Ranks, decorations, and awards

See also

References