Russian aristocrat and Field Marshal
Count
, then
Prince
Nikolay Ivanovich Saltykov
(
Russian
:
Николай Иванович Салтыков
, 31 October 1736 – 28 May 1816), a member of the
Saltykov
noble family, was a
Russian
Imperial
Field Marshal
and
courtier
best known as the tutor of the eventual Tsar
Paul I of Russia
and his two sons,
Constantine
and
Alexander
.
He was the head of the Russian Army as the
president of the War Collegium
in 1791?1802. He was also the interim head (Lieutenant Grand Master) of the
Order of Malta
between 1801 and 1803.
[1]
Life
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]
His parents were general Ivan Alexeyevich Saltykov (himself the nephew of
Anna I of Russia
) and countess Anastasia Petrovna Tolstoy. He spent a short time in the Semyonovsky Regiment, of which he became a permanent member in 1748. In 1747, he and his father took part in the Russian advance to the
River Rhine
. During the
Seven Years' War
he distinguished himself in several battles against Prussian forces. After the victory at
Kunersdorf
over
Frederick II of Prussia
, Nikolay was sent to
Saint Petersburg
to deliver news of the victory to the commander in chief - for that service, he was made a colonel.
In 1761, under the command of
Pyotr Rumyantsev
, he fought at
Kolberg
.
Peter II of Russia
made Saltykov a major general and in 1763 he was given command of the troops stationed in Poland, where he took part in the
Russo-Turkish War (1768?1774)
. In 1769 he aided
Prince Alexander Golitsyn
in the siege and occupation of the city of
Chotyn
, which Russian troops entered on 10 September that year. For fighting with distinction in these battles he was made a lieutenant-general and a member of the
Order of Alexander Nevsky
, but due to ill health he was forced to leave the campaign in order to travel abroad in search of a cure. During this time, he spent three years visiting Europe, most notably visiting
Berlin
and
Paris
. After he returned to Russia,
Catherine II of Russia
made him vice-president of Russia's Military Council. Simultaneously, Catherine made him
hofmeister
of the court. He became tutor to Grand Duke Paul, with whom he again visited Berlin in 1776 before accompanying Paul on a
grand tour
across Europe in 1781 and 1782.
On 24 November 1782, Catherine made Saltykov a member of the
Order of Saint Andrew
, a senator and a member of the high court council. In the following years Catherine made Saltykov permanent tutor to her grandsons Alexander (the future
Alexander I of Russia
) and
Konstantin
. In June 1789, Saltykov introduced Catherine to the young
Platon Zubov
, in an effort to supplant Catherine's favourite (and Saltykov's rival)
Prince Potemkin
. Zubov would become the last of Catherine's favourites, accumulating an enormous fortune, despite becoming widely reviled for corruption and cruelty.
In 1790, during the celebrations of the peace with Sweden, Saltykov was made a Count of the Russian Empire, and granted 5,000 serfs in Russian Poland and an annual pension of 125 rubles. On Paul's accession to the throne, Saltykov was made field marshal general on 8 November 1796 and then president of the Military Council of State. Alexander I, during the celebrations of his coronation, gave Saltykov his portrait decorated with diamonds.
At the start of the
Napoleonic Wars
, Saltykov was instructed to look after military reports and to be head of state while Alexander was away leading the Russian army in 1813 and 1814. On Alexander's return to Saint Petersburg, Saltykov was promoted to Prince of the Russian Empire, with the title of Excellency. He was also made Lieutenant Grand Master of the
Order of Malta
from 1801 to 1803 on behalf of Alexander, who had been elected Grand Master but could not carry out his official duties.
Prince Saltykov and his family occupied
a large Neoclassical townhouse
at the crossing of the
Millionnaya Street
and the
Palace Embankment
in St Petersburg. His grandson
Alexei Saltykov
was known for his travels in
India
and
Persia
.
References
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