Prince Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky (; ) was an Imperial Russian military commander, General-

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 ...

(1843), Adjutant General to

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 ...

, member of the State Council (1821).

Biography

Pyotr Volkonsky was born in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

in 1776. Volkonsky participated in the plot to remove Paul I from the throne and became one of the closest advisors to

. On the day of his baptism, he was enlisted as a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, from which he was transferred as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

to the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. He entered military service as a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment (March 10, 1783). Transferred to the

Semenovsky 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 na ...

(January 13, 1784). Appointed

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

(January 1, 1793),

junior lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, comparable to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In East Germany's National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956 and used until German reunification in 1990. Eastern Europe ...

(January 1, 1794),

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(November 11, 1796), and staff captain (April 22, 1796). Adjutant to Grand Duke Alexander I (November 7, 1797). Soon after Alexander I ascended the throne, he was made assistant chief of the Military Field Office of His Imperial Majesty, which at that time centralized all military management in the state.

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(1799),

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 ...

(May 27, 1800). Awarded the rank of major general with appointment as general-adjutant (September 15, 1801). In the

Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, France and its client states under Napoleon I and its ally Spain opposed an alliance, the Th ...

, he served as duty general and general quartermaster first in the army of F. W. Buxhoeveden (September 1805), and then in Mikhail Kutuzov's army (October 1805). He distinguished himself in the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

when he seized the standard of the Fanagoria Regiment, striking at the enemy that was attacking Kamensky's brigade, thereby throwing the opponent into confusion; during the counterattack, two cannons were recaptured. For this battle, he was awarded the

Order of Saint 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 ...

, 3rd class. After the

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...

, he was sent to France to study the organization of the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

and its

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

. Upon his return, he was appointed manager of the Suite of His Imperial Majesty for quartermaster affairs (1810), and from that time on, P. M. Volkonsky became one of the leading figures in 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, ...

. Prince Pyotr Volkonsky is considered the founder of the Russian General Staff: in 1810, he conducted a thorough analysis of all recent wars involving Russia and contemporary European wars, concluding that a unified structure for military planning and management (which had been dismantled by Paul I in 1796) needed to be restored. At that time, this body became the Office of the Manager of the Suite of

His Imperial Majesty Imperial Majesty (''His/Her Imperial Majesty'', abbreviated as ''HIM'') is a style used by Emperors and Empresses. It distinguishes the status of an emperor/empress from that of a King/Queen, who are simply styled Majesty. Holders of this style ...

(significantly expanded and transformed into the Main Staff in 1815). Under his leadership, the responsibilities of the

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

officials in peacetime and wartime were urgently developed; regulations governing the service of quartermaster officers were drafted and approved; the officer staffing system of the Suite was organized; Suite officials were assigned to all

armies An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

, and

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

; and, in collaboration with the

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

Barclay de Tolly, he developed the "Regulations for the Management of the Large Active Army." In those years, the

also owes the establishment of a column leader school, which became the basis for staffing the general staff, and the creation of a military-topographic map depot. In 1811, he sought the emperor's permission to create a library for the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

and, as a start, donated 500 books on

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

and

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

from his personal library; in response,

allocated a substantial sum for its further development (now the General Staff Library). During the

French invasion of Russia 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 Continenta ...

, he served directly under the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

and rendered important services several times. At his suggestion, Emperor

agreed to the retreat of Russian troops from the fortified camp near Drissa, which was poorly situated. During the foreign campaign of 1813–1814, he served with the emperor as chief of the main staff. For his distinction in the battle of Lützen, he was promoted to

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 ...

(April 20, 1813). After the war, he traveled with the emperor to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

for the

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

(August 1814), and when the congress sessions were interrupted by the news of Napoleon's escape from the island of

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

, he was entrusted with all orders concerning the movement of the

from the Vistula to the Rhine. Upon his return to

, he was appointed chief of the Main Staff (1815) and director of the Military-Topographic Depot (1816–1823). He was promoted to

general of infantry General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...

(December 12, 1817). Together with Count (later Prince of the Most Serene and

) M. S. Vorontsov, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the English Order of the Bath (1819). He became a member of the State Council (June 5, 1821). He was a close friend and patron of his brother-in-law S. G. Volkonsky. He was evidently aware of some plans of the members of the Southern Society. He supported the budget for the 2nd army prepared by A. P. Yushnevsky, which significantly exceeded its actual needs (early 1823). Due to a conflict with A. A. Arakcheev regarding this budget, he was dismissed from his position as chief of the Main Staff (April 25, 1823) and went on an overseas leave. He was a knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (December 12, 1823). He returned to St. Petersburg (1824) and served with

He was an Ambassador to the Coronation in Reims of

Charles X of France Charles X (Charles Philippe; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother of reigning kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported th ...

in 1825. Afterwards, he was Minister of Imperial Court and Properties between 1826 and 1852.

Legacy

The mineral volkonskoite was named in honor of him in 1831.

References

* *
Рассказы князя П. М. Волконского, записанные с его слов А. В. Висковатовым в январе 1845 г.
/ Публ. К. А. Висковатова // Русская старина, 1876. — Т. 16. — No. 5. — С. 176–190.
Письмо князя П. М. Волконского к А. А. Закревскому о кончине императора Александра Павловича
/ Сообщ. А. Ф. Бычковым // Русский архив, 1870. — Изд. 2-е. — М., 1871. — Стб. 627–630. * *

External links

The ancestors and descendants Serene Highness Prince Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky

Notes

* Almagro (1843) notice sur le familles principales de la Russie {{DEFAULTSORT:Volkonsky, Pyotr Mikhailovich 1776 births 1852 deaths Pyotr Mikhailovich Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Field marshals of the Russian Empire Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Cabinet ministers of the Russian Empire Military personnel from Saint Petersburg Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Louis Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Knights of Malta Paul I of Russia