Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Pyotr Semyonovich Saltykov (; 21 December 1698 – 6 January 1773) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...

and a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

officer, promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on 18 August 1759. Saltykov is one of the finest commanders in Russian history. The experience of Saltykov's military art was adopted and developed by Pyotr A. Rumyantsev, who served in his troops.

Early life

Saltykov was born in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in the village of Nikolskoye, southwest to the Lake Nero, the son of Semyon Andreievich Saltykov (10 April 1672 - 1 October 1742), a landowner of an ancient

Boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

family which rivalled the

Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russia. Nic ...

in nobility and was descended from a sister of the first Romanov Tsar, and wife Fekla Yakovlevna Volynskaya. He had a younger brother, Count Vladimir Semyonovich Saltykov (6 August 1705 - 5 January 1751). He was a distant cousin of Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov, first lover of

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 ...

, and was also related to Praskovia Fyodorovna Saltykova. The year of his birth is uncertain. It is estimated as between 1697 and 1700, as in 1714 he was sent by

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 ...

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to master the science of

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

. He remained there for much of the twenty years that followed. In 1729, Saltykov bought the estate of Marfino, and in 1731 he married Princess Praskovia Yuriyevna Trubetskaya (1704 – 1767), a daughter of Prince Yuri Yuriyevich Troubetzkoy by his first wife Princess Yelena Grigoriyevna Cherkasskaya, and on 19 January 1732 or 1733 his father was created a

Seven Years' War

During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

of 1756–1763, he took part in the capture of

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

, seized Elbing, and fought at Zorndorf (1758). In 1759, he was appointed commander-in-chief 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, ...

and would soon win victories at Paltzig (Battle of Kay) and Kunersdorf. In the latter he operated also with the Austrian contingent. According to contemporaries, few believed that this "gray-haired, small and simple old man" could be able to successfully resist the troops of the famous

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

. Russian

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians ...

Dmitry Fyodorovich Maslovsky wrote about Saltykov:

"A broad, direct and correct view of military affairs, purely Russian devotion to Russia and love for the soldier were the qualities inherent in the new commander-in-chief."

Later life

In 1763, Saltykov became commander-in-chief of

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 was put in charge of the Moscow Senate Office. During Saltykov's time in office, he established a number of new

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

s, restored Golovinsky and Kolomensky Palaces, and a number of city gates. They also repaired most of the worn-out

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

s across the

Moscow River The Moskva (, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river that flows through European Russia, western Russia. It River source, rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk Oblast, Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through central M ...

and continued dismantling the walls of the White City (

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

belt around Moscow) in order to provide building material for the construction of the OrphanageВоспитательный дом ordered by Catherine the Great and the restoration of the

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. In April 1764, Saltykov reported to

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 ...

on the opening of the Moscow Orphanage. With the purpose of providing Muscovites with food, Saltykov banned the removal of imported

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

from the city and arranged for wholesale purchases of bread from landowners. He also secured regular

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

deliveries to Moscow, the need for which had been estimated at 575,000 vedros. Saltykov was also fighting against

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

. In 1765, he took part in burning of books "harmful to the society" at the order of

. During the plague outbreak in 1771, which caused mass departure of landowners, city officials, and rich merchants from Moscow, Pyotr Saltykov asked Catherine the Great for permission to leave the city. Without waiting for her reply, he left for his Marfino estate on the outskirts of Moscow. After a plague riot had broken out in Moscow on 16 September, Saltykov returned to the city. However, Catherine the Great relieved him of his post on 13 November 1771. After his retirement, the universally forgotten famous

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

field marshal did not live for long and a year later died on his estate at Marfino. 1000 Saltykov

Family

By his wife Princess Praskovia Yuriyevna Trubetskaya, Saltykov had: * Countess Anastasia Petrovna Saltykova (26 November 1731 – 24 March 1830), married Pyotr Kvashnin-Samarin (? – 19 October 1815) * Countess Varvara Petrovna Saltykova, married on 4 November 1754 as his first wife Prince Vasily Borisovich

Galitzine Galitzine is an alternative romanization of Golitsyn, a surname chiefly associated with members of the House of Golitsyn of Lithuanian-Russian origin. Notable people with the surname include: House of Golitsyn * Alexandra Pavlovna Galitzine ...

(? – aft. 1793), later remarried, without issue from any of his marriages * Count Ivan Petrovich Saltykov (29 June 1739 – 14 November 1805) * Countess Ekaterina Petrovna Saltykova (2 October 1743 –

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, 13 October 1816), married in 1762 Count Andrey Petrovich

Shuvalov The House of Shuvalov () is the name of a Russian noble family, which was documented since the 16th century. The Shuvalov family rose to distinction during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and was elevated to the rank of count on 5 September 174 ...

(23 June 1743 – 24 April 1789), and had issue

Notes

References

External links

*
Biography
*

*
Battles and victories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltykov, Pyotr 1698 births 1772 deaths Field marshals of the Russian Empire Imperial Russian Army generals Governors-general of Moscow Politicians from the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Seven Years' War Nobility from the Russian Empire People of the Silesian Wars Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Saltykov family