Zakhar Grigoryevich Chernyshev (; 172231 August 1784) was a Russian noble,

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

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 ...

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 ...

officer, and Imperial Russian politician in the 18th century. After made a courtier to then-Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1744, Chernyshev remained a favorite of the future Russian monarch into the 1770s. An Imperial Russian Army officer 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 ...

, Chernyshev retired in 1764, and would be ultimately promoted to general field marshal by Catherine II. At her appointment, Chernyshev led the College of War from 1764 to 1774, served as her

governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

and Mogilev Governorates, and was the

mayor of Moscow The Mayor of Moscow () is the head and the highest-ranking official of Moscow, who leads the Government of Moscow, the main executive body of the city. Moscow is both a city and separate federal subject, according to the Constitution of ...

until his death.

Personal life

Born a Russian

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: ...

in 1722, Zakhar Grigoryevich Chernyshev () was the older brother of Ivan and Andrei Chernyshev. By 1744, Chernyshev spoke Russian, French, and German. When Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst was betrothed to Peter III of Russia in 1744, Chernyshev was chosen by Empress

Elizabeth of Russia Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (; ) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular List of Russian rulers, Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, ...

as one of three nobles to join the princess' personal court as a gentleman of the chamber. In 1745, Chernyshev's mother begged Empress Elizabeth to send her son away because she feared his infatuation with the Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseievna of Russia; Chernyshev was given a diplomatic assignment. When he returned 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 ...

six years later, Chernyshev began actively courting the then-grand duchess: flattering Catherine, sending love letters, and finding occasion to recreate with the royal. Chernyshev died unexpectedly on 31 August 1784 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 ...

Military

At the age of 13, Chernyshev joined the

in 1735, and was promoted to ''kapitan'' in 1741. In 1748, he was assigned to a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

in Moscow, and in 1750, he was promoted to the ranks of '' polkovnik'' and general-major. As an Imperial Russian

general officer 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 ...

, Chernyshev commanded soldiers in the

. In 1757, he was at the Battle of Kolín, and in 1758, he joined forces with the Austrian army. For his leadership in the 1758 Battle of Zorndorf and the 1760 occupation of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

—capital of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, Chernyshev was awarded the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky. In early 1762, then-General Chernyshev commanded a Russian

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 ...

of 16,000

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

that was attached to the Austrian army, fighting the Prussian kingdom. With the 1762 Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Peter III withdrew from the war and instead threw Russia's lot in with Prussia. Chernyshev was given command of the Russian forces now attached to the Prussian Army, and the Prussian monarch ( Frederick the Great) awarded him the Order of the Black Eagle. When Emperor Peter III was replaced by Empress Catherine II later that year on 28 June, one of her first orders was to Chernyshev: immediately return to Russia with his corps, and if King Frederick interfered, "join the nearest army corps of her Imperial Roman Majesty, the empress of Austria ." Upon this change in alliances, Catherine II awarded Chernyshev with the Order of St. Andrew. In November 1762, Chernyshev was one of ten military commanders convened by Catherine II for the purposes of reforming the Imperial Russian military. Chernyshev retired from the military in early 1764, citing "weak health and straitened finances."

Politics

In 1742, Kapitan Chernyshev was sent to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

city of

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. ...

, where he worked under the Russian ambassador there, Ludovic Lanczynski. At his mother's urging, Empress Elizabeth next sent Chernyshev as her representative to the

sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The General Sejm (, ) was the bicameral legislature of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was established by the Union of Lublin in 1569 following the merger of the legislatures of the two states, the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland and the ...

in 1745. On 4 March 1764, Catherine II appointed Chernyshev to the College of War's top post of vice-president. He was a Governing Senator in March 1765 when he was awarded by Catherine II for his governmental service. When it first met on 4 November 1768, Chernyshev was on Catherine II's advisory council for the Russo-Turkish War, and in autumn 1773, he was appointed to the new position of War College president, along with a commiserate promotion to general field marshal, and advised Catherine II regarding Pugachev's Rebellion. Having lost Catherine II's favor 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 normall ...

Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...

, Chernyshev resigned from the College of War in August 1774.

Administration

Upon the 1772

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

, the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition (), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The Russian ac ...

consisted mostly of former

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

territory in the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

river: that became the

and Mogilev Governorates. On 28 May 1772, Chernyshev was appointed these new governorates'

. He still held this office in May 1780 when Catherine II met with Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II in

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

. In 1782, Chernyshev was recalled to Moscow to serve as that city's mayor. He commissioned Matvey Kazakov, and had a luxury home built on

Tverskaya Street Tverskaya Street ( rus, Тверская улица, p=tvʲɪrˈskajə ˈulʲɪt͡sə), known between 1935 and 1990 as Gorky Street (), is the main radial road, radial street in Moscow. The street runs Northwest from the central Manezhnaya Squ ...

that would house Muscovite mayors into the 20th century. During his tenure, he "renewed nddecorated the ancient capital with many buildings". For his service, he was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir by Catherine II.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernyshev, Zakhar 1722 births 1784 deaths 18th-century diplomats of the Russian Empire 18th-century regents counts of the Russian Empire court of Catherine the Great courtiers from the Russian Empire Field marshals of the Russian Empire mayors of Moscow people of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir Russian military personnel of the Seven Years' War