Emperor Paul I and his favorite Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov. Kutaisov I

Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov (1759 – 1834)

Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov is a courtier during the reign of Paul I. His childhood years remained unknown, since he was born in Turkey, his name was Kutay. At the age of ten, he was captured by Russian troops during the capture of the Bendery fortress. General N.V. Repnin bought it for a fairly large sum and sent it as a gift to Empress Catherine the Great. Upon arrival at the court, Kutai was named Ivan and given the surname Kutaisov. The future courtier grew up at the court of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, serving as his personal valet and barber. Communicating with the future emperor, Ivan was able to achieve significant influence on the heir to the throne. When Pavel Petrovich became the ruler of the Russian Empire, he promoted his valet first to baron and then to count. I.P. Kutaisov was awarded the orders of St. Anne, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. John of Jerusalem, and St. Andrew the First-Called. In addition, the emperor granted him large plots of land, which were mainly in Courland, and serfs - more than 5,000 souls.

Several times Paul I lost interest in his favorite, but this did not in the least affect Kutaisov’s influence on the court and the emperor, nor on his career and financial well-being.

Upon the accession of Paul I to the throne, I.P. Kutaisov made a very fast and successful career, which aroused the envy of the rest of the courtiers. Almost everyone around the emperor disliked him and awarded him with very dissonant characteristics, often accusing him of greed, love of wealth and other vices. Part of the hatred that the emperor received passed on to I.P. Kutaisov himself. It is quite natural that after the murder of Pavel Petrovich he retired and was forced to leave St. Petersburg.

Quite often, a legend is raised according to which it follows that the day before the murder of Pavel Petrovich, I.P. Kutaisov received a letter in which an unknown person warned him about an impending assassination attempt, but he was too lazy to open the envelope, which is why he was unable to save his benefactor. Immediately after the coup d'état took place on March 11, 1801, I.P. Kutaisov fled from the Mikhailovsky Castle, but some time later he was caught and taken into custody. A little later he was released, and he went to Europe, where he lived for several years.

After returning to Russia, Kutaisov settled in the Rozhdestveno estate near Moscow. In 1810 - 1823 he built a new estate and the Church of the Nativity here.

The right to fish on the Volga, which was granted to I.P. Kutaisov, was taken away from him in favor of the state by the new Russian Emperor Alexander I the Blessed, but the former favorite managed to retain all his other property.

In retirement, Ivan Pavlovich became interested in agriculture, and in the winter from time to time he traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg for balls.

Kutaisov became very attached to his estate and after some time began its thorough reconstruction. Soon a monument of wooden Russian architecture appeared on this estate. According to the memoirs of Archimandrite Kavelin, in his estate Kutaisov collected a fairly large library of rare books, in addition to which it also contained the personal archives of Count I.P. Kutaisov himself, and later the archive of Prince A.N. Golitsyn was added to them.

The architectural ensemble erected by the count fit well into the English park, which was laid out on a hilly area. The park had many alleys, paths and gazebos. A linden alley led to the main house of the estate, the sides of which were decorated with vases made of white marble.

On the slope of a steep ravine, a romantic grotto was built, made in the Italian spirit. At the entrance there were pointed arches made of brick with layers of natural stone.

On the main compositional axis of the estate, by order of I.P. Kutaisov, a temple was built in the name of the Nativity of Christ, in which there were chapels of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In the right aisle of this temple there were the tombs of the Kutaisov spouses.

The most interesting of them was the tomb of I.P. Kutaisov himself. One of its sides was equipped with a coat of arms in an oval with a motto, and this coat of arms was made entirely of bronze, and on the other side there was a high relief depicting the head of Jesus Christ in a crown of thorns.

The wife of I.P. Kutaisov was Countess Anna Petrovna Kutaisova (nee Rezvaya), who came from a family of “eminent citizens” of St. Petersburg. In their marriage, they had four children - two sons and two daughters.

Anna Petrovna was a deeply religious woman. Her brother, Major General of Artillery D.P. Rezvoy, who was an associate of A.V. Suvorov and M.I. Kutuzov, visited the Rozhdestveno estate quite often. It was along his path that the youngest son of I.P. Kutaisov, Alexander Ivanovich, followed, who fell in the battle on the Borodino field. Maria Kutaisova (daughter of the favorite) married Count V.F. Vasilyev, and Nadezhda became the wife of Prince A.F. Golitsyn, who was later promoted to Privy Councilor.

Pavel Ivanovich Kutaisov, the eldest of the sons, managed to achieve the same government ranks as his father. He rose to the rank of mayor in 1834, became an actual privy councilor, and was also a member of the Supreme Criminal Court, which dealt with the Decembrist case. P. I. Kutaisov was also known for his social activities: he was on the board of the imperial theaters, the committee for the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, and was the chairman of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists.

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Kutaisov Alexander Ivanovich was born on August 30, 1784 in the family of Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov (1759-1834). Alexander Ivanovich's father is a Turk, captured in Bendery and given to Paul I, who eventually became the emperor's favorite and in 1799 received the title of count.

Alexander Ivanovich received an excellent education, wrote poetry, drew, and knew six languages.

The young count was registered for military service in the guard at the age of ten. In 1796, he was promoted to sergeant of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment and almost immediately appointed captain in the Velikolutsky Infantry Regiment. At the end of 1796, he was already the Chief Provision Master at the headquarters. From 1799 to May 1803 - adjutant to the inspector of all artillery, General A.I. Korsakov. From June 1803 he was assigned to the 2nd Artillery Regiment.

In the campaign of 1806, the young general showed himself to be a talented military leader. Alexander Ivanovich's military abilities were especially evident in the battles of Golymin, Preussisch-Eylau and Friedland. It was here that he gained respect and fame.

Smart and talented, he continued his education all the time, studied a lot, studied Arabic and Turkish, mathematics, artillery, and fortification. Taking advantage of a slight lull, he goes to Austria and France to study artillery. In the summer of 1811, he was appointed a member of the commission for drawing up military regulations and regulations. He met the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812 as the chief of artillery of the 1st Western Army under the command of Barclay de Tolly. He distinguished himself in the battles of Ostrovno and Smolensk.

In the Battle of Borodino, M.I. Kutuzov entrusted Kutaisov with command of all Russian artillery. The same Kutuzov often convinced him “not to go into unnecessary danger,” but it was in vain. On the Borodino field, Kutaisov rushed with bayonets at the head of the left wing infantry to recapture Raevsky’s battery from the enemy. Kutaisov's body was not found. The death of the general deprived the Russian artillery of overall command, and some historians believe that this was also the reason for the failure to supply the Russian army with ammunition.

In the biography of Alexander Ivanovich Kutaisov there is an order issued by him on the eve of the Battle of Borodino: “Confirm from me in all companies that they do not withdraw from their positions until the enemy sits astride the guns. To tell the commanders and all officers that by bravely holding on to the closest shot of grapeshot, we can only achieve the point that the enemy will not yield a single step of our position. Artillery must sacrifice itself; let them take you with the guns, but fire the last shot of grapeshot at point-blank range, and the battery, which will be captured in this way, will cause harm to the enemy, which will completely atone for the loss of the guns.”

"...And you, Kutaisov, the young leader...
Where are the charms? Where is youth?
Alas! He is visible and soul
He was beautiful, like joy;

Did he appear in armor, formidable?
The Peruns threw death;
He struck the strings of the harp
The strings were animated..."
These are lines from the poem "The Singer in the Camp of Russian Warriors"
written by Lieutenant of the Moscow militia Vasily
Andreevich Zhukovsky in September 1812, during
stay of the Russian army in the Tarutino camp

By the Napoleonic era, artillery had become a branch of the military that often decided the outcome of battles. It is clear how much responsibility lay on those who commanded the most destructive of that time. Count Alexander Ivanovich Kutaisov was a commander and administrator whose talent was certainly recognized by both the Russians and the French.

It would be wrong to start a story about Alexander Kutaisov without a brief excursion into the biography of his father.

Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov was captured as a child during the capture of the Turkish fortress of Bendery. The 11-year-old Turkish boy was given by Catherine II to her son Pavel. At baptism he received the name Ivan. Subsequently, growing up, Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov became a close associate of Paul I, who ascended the throne, and in a short four years made a dizzying career, rising to Class II on the Table of Ranks - actual Privy Councilor. Within 3 months, Kutaisov received baronial and then count dignity, and with it hereditary nobility. The flow of orders and ranks was followed by much more material rewards: estates, serfs, cash awards... By 1800, Ivan Pavlovich owned a huge fortune of 5,000 souls and more than 50,000 acres of land in the Duchy of Courland.

Portrait of Alexander Ivanovich Kutaisov
George Dow's workshop. Military Gallery of the Winter Palace, State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg)

Of course, all this could not but affect the careers of the children of the Kutaisov family. On January 6, 1793, 9-year-old Alexander Ivanovich was enlisted in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment; at 15, already a colonel, he began active service in the first separate artillery unit - the Life Guards Artillery Battalion. Most likely, the appointment took place not without the participation of Kutaisov Jr.’s uncle, D.P. Rezvoy.

Alexander Kutaisov, having received a high position at a young age, behaved completely atypically for a representative of the noble (read: “golden”) youth. Despite the patronage, he began to actively comprehend military science in general and artillery craft in particular, trying to comply with the post.

Natural talent and curiosity allowed young Kutaisov to master the necessary knowledge in a short time. Impeccable service as an adjutant under Arakcheev himself, who liked to say that his worst enemy is the one who performs his duties poorly, became an excellent school for Alexander. In addition, the fact that he remained the adjutant of the new artillery inspector (from 1799 Arakcheev was removed by Paul I) General A.I. Korsakov speaks in favor of the young officer.

In 1801, Alexander Kutaisov was included in the military commission headed by Count Arakcheev. She was supposed to outline ways to reform the army. The subcommittee in which Kutaisov worked dealt, as you might guess, with artillery. With the direct participation of Alexander Ivanovich, a comprehensive artillery supply system was developed. From unified production of tools to training crews.

Two years later, Kutaisov was transferred to the 2nd Artillery Regiment, commanded by Dmitry Petrovich Rezvoy, Kutaisov’s uncle. In 1805, the regiment arrived in the active army, several days late for the Battle of Austerlitz. The troops returned to Russia, but peace with Napoleonic France was not signed.

On September 11, 1806, Kutaisov received the rank of major general and became the chief of an artillery regiment, which, as part of General Buxhoeveden’s corps, set out for Prussia. Here, near Golimin, Count Kutaisov received his baptism of fire. In the very first battle, he proved himself to be an excellent commander, calmly and confidently directing artillery fire.

The next significant, but sometimes controversial episode of Kutaisov’s military career was the battle of Preussisch-Eylau. Observing the battle in the center, Kutaisov quickly got his bearings in the situation and figured out Napoleon’s maneuver - to tie up the center in battle, and with the main forces to hit the left flank of the Allies before the Prussian corps of General Lestocq approached. Davout's superior forces quickly pushed back Osterman-Tolstoy's infantry corps and almost reached the rear of the Allied troops, but three horse artillery companies arrived in time to save the situation, stopping the French advance with well-aimed fire. As a result of the battle, the decision to transfer these guns from the right flank was attributed to Kutaisov. However, Ermolov, in his “Notes”, claims that his company and the company of Major General Bogdanov arrived on their own initiative, and Kutaisov drove into his battery “out of pure curiosity...”. The most neutral version, I think, is closest to the truth. It consists in the fact that the artillery of Ermolov and Bogdanov arrived on their own, and the company of Colonel Yamshvil strengthened their positions already on the orders of Kutaisov. Because of this confusion, Ermolov was dissatisfied with the fact that instead of him, the Order of St. George 3rd degree was presented to Alexander Kutaisov, while Ermolov himself was awarded only the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree. Subsequently, when Kutaisov found himself subordinate to General Ermolov, their relationship improved, and Alexei Petrovich spoke only positively about the young count.

Kutaisov's military talent was demonstrated more than once in the final battles of the war of the Fourth Coalition. On May 24, 1807, at Lomiten, Alexander Ivanovich managed to provide effective artillery cover to the attacking units, the overall leadership of which lay with D. S. Dokhturov. On May 29, already near Heilsberg, with skillfully organized fire, Count Kutaisov managed to stop the French advance in a dangerous area. In the last battle of the Fourth Coalition - the Battle of Friedland - the young count commanded the artillery of the entire right flank. With concentrated fire he managed to suppress the French batteries that were preventing Dokhturov’s troops from deploying. And after it became clear that the battle was lost, Kutaisov withdrew his troops across the Alle River in an organized manner and almost without losses.

The campaigns of 1805-1807 brought Alexander Ivanovich not only ranks and awards, but also well-deserved authority, both among officers and ordinary soldiers.

The European wars ended with the signing of the Peace of Tilsit, but it was clear to everyone that “two emperors are cramped on one continent.” Both countries and both monarchs were preparing for a new war.

Alexander I began to actively reform the army. For artillery, this meant the final transition to the “1805 system” or, as it was also called, “Arakcheevskaya” - the result of the work of the 1801 commission, which included Kutaisov. The scale of the action is also illustrated by the fact that in 1808 a special “Artillery Journal” began to be published, of which Alexander Ivanovich became a regular subscriber.

In 1809, the corps of S.P. Golitsyn, and the artillery regiment of Kutaisov, which was in it, went to fight with Austria, fulfilling the terms of the treaty with Napoleon. However, the corps was withdrawn before the first shots were fired. With the completion of this campaign, Alexander Ivanovich takes a long vacation and goes to Europe. During six months in Vienna, Alexander Ivanovich managed to learn Turkish and Arabic. He spent the second half of 1810 in France, working in libraries, listening to lectures by leading professors at Paris universities, and actively studying ballistics and fortification. In the evenings, Kutaisov talks with French artillery officers, assessing the organization and tactics of the past and future enemy.

Returning to his homeland, Alexander Ivanovich enthusiastically joined the work of the commission for drawing up military regulations. The result of hard work was a document called “Institution for the management of a large active army.” Kutaisov's knowledge and experience were reflected in the paragraphs on Field Artillery Control.

Just before the war of 1812, Kutaisov compiled “General Rules for Artillery in a Field Battle.” The fundamental work gave recommendations for young officers on the most effective placement of guns, contained information about the effective firing range and the optimal distribution of shells between the limber and the shell box, and much more that was important for an artilleryman of the early 19th century to know. Unfortunately, the work did not have time to take root among officers: the Patriotic War got in the way. The leadership has already experienced battles.

By the beginning of the war, Kutaisov headed the artillery of the entire 1st Army of Barclay de Tolly and did a great deal of work to ensure the combat readiness of the entrusted units. As soon as the retreat of the 1st Western Army began, Kutaisov often appeared in the rearguard, personally commanding the batteries. Thus, in a battle near the village of Kochergishchki, guns under the command of the count not only detained the French, but forced them to retreat. The day after the battle, Barclay de Tolly, in a personal letter, asked Kutaisov to temporarily lead the entire rearguard of the 1st Army, without releasing the latter from his post as chief of artillery. Under the command of Alexander Ivanovich, the rearguard held back the French for 5 days in stubborn battles.

At the end of June, in connection with the reorganization, Kutaisov transferred command of the rearguard. However, he is in no hurry to get to headquarters, preferring to remain on the battle line. On July 14, in a battle near the village of Kakuvyachina, Alexander Ivanovich was wounded in the leg, but the next day he was in the saddle and took part in the battle on the Luchesa River, not far from Vitebsk.

During the defense of Smolensk, Kutaisov also led the artillery operations; accurate gun fire made it possible to repel all French attacks. The bloody 2-day battle for Smolensk did not bring convincing success to the Napoleonic army, although it left the burned-out city in its hands.

It is noteworthy that Kutaisov and his artillerymen, when retreating from the city, managed to save one of the main Orthodox shrines from the fire - the image of the Smolensk Mother of God Hodegetria. This event was of great importance for the morale of the retreating troops.

In the Battle of Borodino, Count Kutaisov was entrusted with the entire artillery of the Russian army. Understanding her role in the upcoming battle, Alexander Ivanovich previously gave all the necessary orders to his subordinates. During the battle, the count personally toured the positions and took command in the most difficult areas.

The following episode occurred on one of the batteries. A cannonball whistled over the servant's head, people ducked down, then Kutaisov said loudly: “It’s a shame, guys, to bow.” But then the next cannonball fired by the French forced the count himself to bend over, but he was immediately found: “This doesn’t count. It’s a friend of mine, it was cast in front of me.”

...By the middle of the day, the French transferred the main attack to the center - to Raevsky’s battery. At the cost of huge losses, the French managed to capture the mound, but at that moment Ermolov and Kutaisov followed on the left flank. Ermolov stopped the panic among the fleeing troops and personally led the attack. Kutaisov at that moment went to the left and tried to cut off the path of the French cavalry, which was trying to help its infantry, which had occupied the heights...

...Count Kutaisov died in this attack. It is not known exactly how this happened. According to some sources, he was hit by a cannonball, according to others, he was hacked to pieces by French horsemen.

One thing is obvious, the Russian army and the entire Russian state lost a talented commander and a truly worthy nobleman on this day.

Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov (1759–1834), a Turk by origin, was probably born in Bendery, because as a little boy he was captured during the capture of Bendery and brought to GL. Potemkin to the court. Catherine gave the little Turk to her son Pavel.

Tsarevich Pavel was almost five years older than Ivan Kutaisov, and therefore felt like his patron. Ivan was a smart boy, cunning and dexterous, able to adapt to any circumstances and beg for gifts and other favors. He quickly learned hairdressing, became Tsarevich Pavel's barber and his valet. Pavel sincerely became attached to his valet, forgave his little pranks and constantly gave him gifts. Soon Kutaisov became simply necessary for Pavel, and he, for his part, began to cleverly take advantage of this affection, forcing the Tsarevich to generously shower him with favors.

When Pavel became emperor in November 1796, already at the beginning of December he transferred Ivan from valets to a higher and more promising court position of wardrobe master with the rank of V class of the Table of Ranks. But the main thing for Kutaisov was that the entire court now revered him as the imperial favorite, and the reader already guesses that, according to the laws of favoritism, this began to provide him with additional dividends in the form of bribes and offerings. Exactly two years later, on December 6, 1798, an imperial decree was issued conferring Ivan Kutaisov on the rank of Jägermeister (IV class of the Table of Ranks) and awarding him the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree. This The order, and even of the highest degree, was awarded for heroism on the battlefields, and the favorite Kutaisov received it just like that, for being at court next to the emperor’s person. But this was not enough for the former barber, and he began to beg from his benefactor a count or princely title. Pavel could not refuse him, but, considering that his favorite seemed to be of foreign origin, on February 22, 1799, he granted him the title of Baron. Ivan Kutaisov was dissatisfied, he wanted a higher title.

Two and a half months later, on May 5, 1799, Emperor Paul, under the pressure of his favorite, elevated him to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire with the title “Your Excellency” and conferred on him the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, which was given according to the statute “as a reward for labor, for the fatherland of the uplifted." Kutaisov did not undertake any work “for the fatherland.” He enjoyed the influence of a favorite at court, and he was hated like no other favorite at the Highest Court, but they turned to him with requests, the fulfillment of which had to be paid to the petitioners at the highest rate. Kutaisov was a very greedy and insatiable person and, moreover, completely useless for state affairs. But Paul did not see this, he loved him, believed in his exceptional devotion and did for him everything he asked. And requests poured in one after another. On January 1, 1800, Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov received the position and court rank (rank) of Chief of the Horse (II class of the Table of Ranks) with the title “Your Excellency.” For Kutaisov, the position of chief organizer of the Imperial hunt was purely nominal, because Paul I was not keen on hunting.

Less than a year had passed, in December 1800, His Excellency, His Excellency Count Kutaisov, Chief of the Horse of the Imperial Court, was again graciously granted by the Emperor, this time the highest order of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called with diamonds, and at the same time The Maltese Order of the Grand Cross In addition to all these awards, Kutaisov received land with peasants, precious gifts, and money. By this time he had become one of the richest nobles in Russia. And yet, among the courtiers, Kutaisov, ignorant and rude, was the most despised person.

Having become close to von der Palen, Kutaisov began to intrigue against his benefactor and joined the conspirators who aimed to overthrow Paul from the throne. Ivan Kutaisov did not understand that his actions against Emperor Paul were leading to the end of his own sinecure, that he was “cutting off the branch on which he sits.” True, it is difficult to say what this deeply ignorant man hoped and counted on. The fact remains: Kutaisov joined the conspirators and contributed to the murder of Emperor Paul I, his benefactor.

The one whom Paul loved so much and to whom he benefited beyond measure, “thanked” his patron well, finding himself among his murderers. Empress Maria Feodorovna treated her favorite, the murderer of her husband, with particular contempt and indignation, and demanded that her son, Emperor Alexander I, immediately remove this scoundrel. Already on the seventh day after March 12, 1801, the day of Paul’s death at the hands of assassins, Alexander I Pavlovich, who ascended the throne, dismissed Kutaisov from the court “at his request.” At first, Count I.P. Kutaisov went on a trip to Europe, but a few years later, when public anger at him subsided, he returned to Russia, settled in Moscow and began growing a garden.

Education: Academic degree: