Louis Adolf Peter, 1st Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg-Berleburg (; ; ''Pyotr Christianovitch Wittgenstein''; – 11 June 1843), better known as Peter Wittgenstein in English, was a prince of the German dynasty of

Sayn-Wittgenstein Sayn-Wittgenstein was a county of medieval Germany, located in the Sauerland of eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. History Sayn-Wittgenstein was created when Count Salentin of Sayn-Homburg (1314-1392), a member of the House of Sponheim, married ...

and

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 ...

in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He was nicknamed the ''Saviour of

Saint-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 ...

''.

Early life

Born Ludwig Adolf Peter Graf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg-Berleburg, he was descended from a family of ruling German Counts whose seat was in Berleburg (present day

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

). His parents were Count Christian Louis Casimir of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg and his first wife, Countess Amalie Ludowika Finck von Finckenstein (1740–1771).

Military career

Enrolled as a sergeant in the Semyonovsky Regiment of the

at the age of 12 in 1781, Wittgenstein began actual military service as a

Wachtmeister (Wm; German for 'master-sentinel' or 'watch-master') is a military rank of non-commissioned officers (NCO) in Austria and Switzerland. It is also used in civil authorities in German-speaking countries (police, judiciary, customs service, bord ...

in the Life Guard Horse Regiment in 1789. In 1793 he gained promotion to Major in the Ukrainian light cavalry regiment. He fought with the unit in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794. Promoted to the rank of colonel in 1798, and to major general in 1799, in 1800 he took command of the Mariupolski Hussars Regiment. In 1805 he fought at Austerlitz, in 1806 against the Turks, and in 1807 against

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 ...

at Friedland and against the Swedes 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, ...

. In the

war of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

he commanded the right wing of 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, ...

in the First and Second battle of Polotsk, as well as at Chashniki and Smolyany. The fighting at Polotsk decided the fate of

Saint 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 ...

and earned Wittgenstein the title of "Saviour of Saint-Petersburg". Emperor

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 ...

awarded him the Order of St. George. He tried to combine with Pavel Chichagov at the

Battle of Berezina The Battle of (the) Berezina (or Beresina) took place from 26 to 29 November 1812, between Napoleon's and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Peter Wittgenstein, Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov, Chichagov. Napoleon was retre ...

(November 1812), and later combined with the Prussian army corps under Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg. In the campaign of 1813 in January, he took over the command of the Russian army after Kutuzov's death in April 1813, and commanded the Russian army at Möckern, Lützen 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 ...

. But after the defeats of the Spring campaign (Lützen and Bautzen), he laid down this command and led an army corps during the Battle of Dresden (August 1813) and the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

(October 1813). In the campaign of 1814, he led the 6th Corps under Schwarzenberg and was severely wounded at Bar-sur-Aube (27 February 1814). In 1823 he was promoted

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 ...

, and in 1828 he was appointed to command the Russian army in the war against Turkey. But ill-health soon obliged him to retire. In 1834 King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

granted him the title of Fürst (Prince) zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Family

On 27 June 1798 he married Polish noblewoman Antonia Cäcilie Snarska (1779–1855) and had in this marriage 11 children. He died on 11 June 1843 in

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, where he looked after estates of his son Ludwig. One of his daughters-in-law was Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Gallery

File:Pjotr-christianowitsch-wittgenstein by unknown.jpg, H1 of the 19th c. File:Wittgenstein Peter Christianovich.jpg, H1 of the 19th c. File:Pyotr Wittgenstein by Wesley - Borodino museum.jpg, H1 of the 19th c. File:Портрет. Пётр Христианович Витгенштейн. рис.1810-е гг ГИМ e1t3.jpg, 1813 File:Pjotr-christianowitsch-wittgenstein by Kruger.jpg, 1853 File:Ботман - Портрет фельдмаршала князя П. Х. Витгенштейна.jpg, between 1860 and 1879 File:Crossing the Berezina River, by Peter von Hess.jpg, '' Crossing the Berezina River'' by Peter von Hess, 1844. Wittgenstein is on the right in the foreground. File:Памятник в Сиверском.jpg, Siversky File:VitgenshteinPH.JPG, Pechory File:Stroiesti - Monument Turnul vânturilor.jpg, Stroiești

References

Attribution

External links

Kamenka, Wittgenstein's paradise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wittgenstein, Peter 1769 births 1843 deaths People from Pereiaslav Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Russian people of the Napoleonic Wars Field marshals of the Russian Empire

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Russian people of the Kościuszko Uprising Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree French invasion of Russia Ethnic German people from the Russian Empire