A. D. Menshikov: biography, interesting facts. Generalissimo Alexander Danilovich Menshikov. Menshikov Alexander Sergeevich: a short biography Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov and his generation

Origin

Alexander was born in 1787 in the family of Lieutenant General Sergei Alexandrovich Menshikov (1746-1815) and Ekaterina Nikolaevna Golitsyna. He was the eldest son. In addition to him, the couple had a son, Nikolai, and daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine.

He was brought up at home, attended German universities.

Youth. Diplomatic Service

In 1805, at the age of 18, he was hired as a collegiate junker (or college junker) in the College of Foreign Affairs (St. Petersburg, Angliyskaya Embankment, 32). The following year, he was promoted to chamber junker V class. At first he was included in the Russian mission in Berlin, and then, from 1807, he was with the mission in London; For some time he was an attaché in Vienna.

Military service

On July 15 (old style), 1809, he began military service - he entered the artillery battalion as a second lieutenant of the Life Guards.

In 1809-1811 he participated in the Russian-Turkish war, was an adjutant to the General of Infantry Count N. M. Kamensky (Kamensky 2nd), commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army.

On May 20, 1810, he took part in the battle at the crossing of the Danube River and the capture of the fortifications of Turtukai; from May 24 to May 29 - during the siege of Silistria. At the beginning of June 1810, the commander-in-chief, Count Kamensky 2nd, for two days in a row (June 11 and 12) tried to capture the Shumla fortress by assault. Alexander Menshikov participated in the battle and "when occupying the heights, he was sent with arrows." Convinced that it was impossible to take the fortified positions by force, Kamensky retreated, having lost up to 800 people, and decided to capture the fortress through a blockade.

On June 18, Menshikov was at the occupation of Jimai, and on June 25 and 26 - at the construction of siege batteries in front of Shumla and at the reflection of an enemy sortie from the fortress. However, the blockade did not work, as the Turks were abundantly supplied with food. Then Count Kamensky 2nd decided first to take the fortress of Ruschuk, and near Shumla he left a detachment of 28 thousand, entrusting it to his brother's superiors. On July 22, Menshikov participated in the assault on Ruschuk, where he was wounded by a bullet in his right leg. From August 6 to September 15, he was at the construction of siege trenches and batteries against the fortress of Zhurzhi, and on October 15 - during the capture of Nikopol.

In the same 1810, Menshikov received the first distinction - for military service he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow.

In 1811, 24-year-old Alexander Menshikov was granted the aide-de-camp to Emperor Alexander I. Thus, he entered the emperor's retinue and often carried out his instructions.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, Lieutenant Prince Menshikov was appointed divisional quartermaster of the 1st Grenadier Division in the 1st Western Army, and after that he repeatedly served on the General Staff. He also participated in all the battles in which the division took part, including the Battle of Borodino. Being personally brave for distinction at Borodino on November 21, 1812, he was promoted to staff captain.

At the end of 1812, Prince Alexander Sergeevich was transferred to the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, promoted to lieutenant [specify]. On December 16, the regiment was led by Major General Baron Grigory Rosen.

In 1813-1814 he participated in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army.

On January 1, 1813, the Preobrazhensky Regiment, as part of the column of General Tormasov, crossed the Neman River in the Highest Presence - the war with the French was transferred abroad to Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw.

On February 12, the regiment settled in apartments near Kalisz. On February 6 (28) in Kalisz, at the headquarters of Emperor Alexander I, an agreement was signed between Russia and Prussia on peace, friendship and, most importantly, on joint military operations in the fight against Napoleon. And with the occupation of Berlin on February 20, the Russian army joined with the Austrian.

On March 21, the regiment participated in the parade of troops in the presence of Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III of Prussia. And on March 26, Kutuzov set out from the vicinity of Kalisz (through Ravich, Steinau and Bunzlau) to Dresden.

Captain Menshikov was given the difficult task of getting through the location of the enemy French army and conveying the news to the commander of the Allied Northern Army and the Crown Prince of Sweden, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, that the allied forces had united and were undertaking offensive operations. He was sent from the city of Temnitsa, accompanied by a small party of Cossacks. Alexander fulfilled the assignment entrusted to him, after which he was with the crown prince until the capture of Leipzig. In May 1813, Bernadotte landed in Pomerania with a 30,000-strong Swedish army.

In July 1813, after the Plesvitsky truce, Bernadotte led the Northern Allied Army of over 100 thousand people.

For the successful completion of the assignment, Menshikov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree (October 13, 1813) and the Swedish Order of the Sword.

He distinguished himself in the battles of Kulm (August), Leipzig (October). On September 20, 1813, he was promoted to colonel for distinction in the Kulem battle.

In March 1814, during the capture of Paris, he was wounded in the leg for the second time. In 1814, for bravery, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree with diamond signs and, on April 2, 1814, a golden sword with an inscription for "courage".

After the death of his father in 1815, Alexander Sergeevich, as the eldest son, passed the family estate "Alexandrovo", near Klin (now the rural settlement of Vozdvizhenskoye).

In 1816, on February 15, he was appointed director of the office of the Chief of the General Staff of H.I.V. On December 16, 1816, during the reorganization, the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty was formed. Adjutant General P. M. Volkonsky was appointed the first head of the General Staff.

In 1820, when Arakcheev had great influence at the court, he was offered command of the Black Sea Fleet - with the aim of removing him from St. Petersburg; he refused, because he had no idea about the naval service.

At this time, Menshikov was known as a freethinker. In 1821, together with Novosiltsev and Vorontsov, he drew up a project for the liberation of the landlord peasants, which was not accepted by the emperor. Menshikov considered the offer to take the place of envoy in Dresden an insult, resigned and retired to the village, where he studied maritime affairs.

In January 1826, Nicholas I came to the throne. Prince Menshikov again returned to public service and was sent by Nicholas I on an emergency mission to Persia. Russia offered to cede part of the Karabakh and Lankaran khanates, but at the Shah's court the envoy was received coldly. Menshikov was arrested and was in prison until 1827. Upon his return, he was instructed to transform the naval ministry, which he carried out with great energy.

In the Turkish campaign of 1828, commanding a landing detachment sent to the eastern shores of the Black Sea, he captured the fortress of Anapa, after which he was appointed commander of the Russian troops approaching Varna. Vigorously led the siege of this fortress, but was wounded by a cannonball in both legs and was forced to leave the army.

In 1829, as chief of the main naval headquarters, he took command of the naval forces of the Russian Empire; since 1830 he was the Finnish governor-general.

In 1848, he was appointed chairman of the secret Committee on April 2 to control the press and censorship, which drew the attention of Nicholas I to the first two stories by Saltykov-Shchedrin.

In 1853, for negotiations with the Porte, he was sent as Ambassador Extraordinary to Constantinople. With the beginning of the Crimean War, on his own initiative, he arrived in Sevastopol, where he began organizing the land defense of the fortress. Long before the enemy's landing, Menshikov determined the area of the future landing near Evpatoria. But, due to the lack of the necessary forces, he could not resist the landing.

September 20, 1854 - Battle of the Alma River. Russian troops under the command of Prince A.S. Menshikov yielded to the superior forces of the British and French and were forced to move from Sevastopol to Bakhchisaray. Sevastopol remained to defend the Russian sailors under the command of Kornilov and Nakhimov.

After the Battle of Alma, on September 30, 1854, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the land and sea forces in the Crimea and remained in this post until February 1855. His actions during the Crimean War became the subject of wide discussion, but even now they need an objective study (see the Battle of Alma, the Battle of Balaklava, the Battle of Inkerman and the Crimean War of 1853-1856).

During the reign of Alexander II, Menshikov took an active part in the preparation of legislative acts on the emancipation of the peasantry. His witticisms were at one time very famous, but many of them were only attributed to him. Menshikov was remarkably educated for his time; his library was one of the best in Petersburg.

perpetuation of memory

September 24, 2011 in the village. Vozdvizhenskoe, Klinsky district, Moscow region, the grand opening of the monument to His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov took place. In the village there was the Exaltation of the Cross Church, within the walls of which A.S. was buried in 1869. Menshikov. The temple in the post-war period was dismantled, the grave was lost. A group of St. Petersburg admirals took the initiative to perpetuate the memory of Alexander Menshikov. The working group was headed by Rear Admiral Gennady Nikolaevich Antonov. The monument was created as part of the Alley of Russian Glory program (headed by Mikhail Leonidovich Serdyukov) A memorial plaque in memory of A.S. Menshikov. The board was cast from the blades of a nuclear submarine at a shipbuilding enterprise (Severodvinsk).

Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov and his witticisms

D. Doe. Portrait of Adjutant General Prince A.S. Menshikov

The great-grandson of the famous Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, Prince Alexander Sergeevich, one of the last associates of Emperor Alexander the Blessed, was famous for his wit. His wit made him many enemies, but he was often heaped upon him with words he had never spoken. A pupil of the encyclopedists of the 18th century, he was ashamed of kindness, hiding it under the guise of mockery, while in fact he was impressionable and compassionate. One of the faces close to him happened once to see a tear in his eyes, which he did not have time to wipe off. “Why do you hide the good agitations of the soul? he said to the prince. “They say about you that you are not capable of any human feeling.” “When you live to my age,” answered the prince, “you will see that people are not worth worrying about their opinion.”
He feared the publicity of his charity as if it were a shameful thing, thought out ways to better settle it, worried about whether his charity would be divulged, and to the remark that his fears reached strangeness, he answered, laughing: “ I have a reputation for being miserly. I value this reputation and do not want to spoil it.

P.A. Bartenev says that when Menshikov was granted a house in St. Petersburg on Angliyskaya Embankment, he contributed to the disabled capital from an unknown amount equal to the cost of the house.
It is hardly possible to meet another person evaluated in such a different way, not only by different, but also by the same judges, as Prince Menshikov. With a vast mind, an unusually quick mind, an amazing memory, the prince combined boundless devotion and obedience to his autocratic monarch with independence of opinion.
Until his death, the prince retained the artistry of narration characteristic of him alone. He did not embellish the stories with a single choice word, not a single spectacular phrase; neither the raising of the voice nor the gesture went to his aid. Fixing his eyes on the listener, the prince, in a calm, almost lazy voice, first of all set up the scene, then recounted the events with such clarity that a vivid picture was outlined in the listener's ideas, which was so strongly engraved in the memory that it could never be forgotten. The prince served for 64 years and all the time did not stop for a minute to follow all political events and all the successes of science.
When Menshikov was appointed envoy to Dresden, he considered this appointment a disfavor and resigned. In retirement, he suffered from inactivity. Here is his personal account of this time.
“Exhausted by idleness, suffering from insomnia from nothing to do, I went for advice to A.P. Yermolov. “You were also in disgrace,” I told him, “also retired after an active life; tell me what you did to keep from going crazy?” - “Dear Menshikov,” Yermolov answered, “I hired a village priest to teach me Latin. I read with him Titus Livius, Tacitus, Horace. This reading filled my idle time, strengthened my spirit and gave me that style that our youth likes so much. I followed his advice: I took the village priest and began to repeat Latin. But my teacher was rarely in a completely normal state, and meanwhile a neighbor turned up to me, my venerable Glotov, the author of sea practice. I remembered that I was offered the Black Sea Fleet and that I could not accept it because I had no idea about maritime affairs - and began to study with Glotov.

P. Zakharov-Chechen. Portrait of A. P. Yermolov
Menshikov was known in many fields during his life. Of the eleven uniforms, the right to wear which was granted to him, he chose and preferred the naval one, and wore it constantly in Sevastopol when he was its protector. The famous Denis Davydov once told him: “You are so clever and so deftly able to adapt your mind to everything: in terms of diplomatic, military, naval, administrative, whatever you undertake. If you become a monk tomorrow, you will be a metropolitan in six months.”
Menshikov was the most zealous courtier, and nothing could make him not be at the palace on the days appointed for his arrival there. Some joker claimed that when in the court church during the prayer “Our Father” they sing “but deliver us from the evil one,” then Prince Menshikov, crossing himself, looked askance at Yermolov, and Yermolov did the same, looking at Menshikov.
Once, having appeared at the palace, Menshikov, standing in front of a mirror, asked those around him: is his beard big? To this, Yermolov, who was here, answered him: “Well, stick out your tongue, but shave!” On another occasion, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich said about Menshikov: “If we look at the prince’s face from two opposite sides, it will seem to one that he is mocking, and to the other that he is crying.” This remark of the Grand Duke and Yermolov's witticism very well express Menshikov's character. On Menshikov's face, the smile was always fake to hide the impressionability, which, as we have said above, he was always ashamed of.
Prince Menshikov and Count Kleinmichel had some personalities. In his jokes, the prince did not spare the department of communications. When St. Isaac's Cathedral, a permanent bridge across the Neva and the Moscow railway were being built, he said: “We will not see the completed cathedral, but our children will see it; we will see the bridge, but our children will not see it, and neither we nor our children will see the railway.” During the work of the railway and the bridge there was a lot of talk. Everyone promised to finish the road, but the end of the work was not visible; the bridge was made quickly, but not many were sure of its strength.
When his skeptical prophecies did not come true, he said at the very beginning of the railroad ride: “If Kleinmichel challenges me to a duel, instead of a pistol or a sword, I will offer him to sit in a carriage for both of us and ride to Moscow - we will see who he will kill.”

F. Kruger. Portrait of P. A. Kleinmichel

Before the completion of the construction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway, Kleinmichel gave it to the Americans, having concluded a contract with them. On the basis of this contract, in the first year (since October 1851), the Americans allowed trains only two, then three times a day, and each train consisted of no more than six cars. As a result, goods were piled high at the stations in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and third-class passengers could not get a ticket for a week. In addition, the Americans, having split the next payment by versts, seduced Kleinmichel with a penny bill: from each verst they assigned themselves one and a half kopecks in silver; but from this seemingly insignificant account a huge amount came out, and all the benefits remained on the side of the Americans.
In February 1852, when the general murmur was at its height on this occasion, a Persian envoy arrived in Petersburg with his retinue. The emperor ordered to show him all the rarities of the capital, including the new railway. Having fulfilled this order, the Persians accompanying them reported in detail what they had shown, and to the question of His Majesty: “Is everything remarkable shown on the railway?” answered: "Everything." Menshikov, who was at the same time, objected: “But they didn’t show the rarest and most remarkable!” “What is it?” the Emperor asked. - "The contract concluded by Count Kleinmichel with the Americans," answered Menshikov.
At the time described, Count Kleinmichel was entrusted with extremely diverse tasks. He resumed the Winter Palace after the fire, the Medical-Surgical Academy was subordinate to him, he built the railway. Such many-sided duties aroused witticisms and great talk in society. A foreign journal reported that the resumption of the Winter Palace was entrusted to Doctor of Medicine Kleinmichel, and in the capital, at every opening of a vacancy in an important public position, rumors immediately arose that Kleinmichel would be appointed to this place. He was appointed, according to city rumors, and the Minister of War, and the Minister of the Interior, and the chief of the gendarmes. In 1843, when Kleinmichel was already the head of the communications, Metropolitan Seraphim died. Listening to conversations and assumptions about who would be appointed metropolitan in St. Petersburg, Menshikov said: “Probably, Count Kleinmichel ...”
In the same 1843, the Minister of War, Prince Chernyshev, was sent to the Caucasus. It was assumed that he would be appointed commander in chief, and Kleinmichel would take his place. At that time, the well-known military historian Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, who was anxious to highlight the exploits of those generals who could be useful to him, and thus pave his way, was preparing a new edition of the description of the war of 1813-1814. Since it was already ending with printing, Menshikov did not fail to remark: “Danilevsky, regretting reprinting the book, puts it into circulation without alteration. True, at the beginning he made a note that everything written about Prince Chernyshev refers to Count Kleinmichel.
Having learned about the death of Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Menshikov said: “So another fabulist has died!”
Menshikov also disliked Count Zakrevsky. When, after an eighteen-year resignation, he was appointed Moscow military governor-general and soon after his appointment received the star of St. Andrew the First-Called, not yet having either Alexander, or Annensky, or Vladimir of the 1st degree, then Menshikov said: “Why be surprised after that the Voltizherka Mozhar jumps through the tape: Zakrevsky, in his old age, jumped over two.”
When, in the spring of 1850, Menshikov was in Moscow with the sovereign, the emperor, talking about the temples and antiquities of Moscow, noticed that the Russians rightly call her a saint. “Moscow is really holy,” Prince Menshikov said with humility, “and since it has been ruled by Count Zakrevsky, it has also been a great martyr!”
In the naval department, in the past, production for the rank of general was very slow and only very old people reached the rank of general, and very old people reached the full admiral. These old men, in memory of their former merits, were filled with the Admiralty Council and the General Auditorium of the Naval Ministry. It is very clear that the mortality in these institutions was high. And during one of the revisions, Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich asked Menshikov: Why do members of the Admiralty Council often die in your country? - "Who died?" Menshikov asked in his turn. “Yes, such and such, such and such ...” - said the sovereign, counting three or four admirals. “Oh, your majesty,” answered the prince, “they have long died, and at that time they were only buried!”
During the Hungarian campaign, the Austrians fought very badly, and the Hungarian campaign, as you know, ended only with the Russians. In memory of that war, all Russian troops were given a medal with the inscription: “God is with us, understand the tongues and submit, as God is with us!” Menshikov said that the Austrian emperor gave his troops a medal with the inscription: "God be with you!"
In 1859, when strained relations between the Russian and Turkish courts became more complicated, Menshikov was sent to Constantinople as an extraordinary ambassador. He was received there with great solemnity, the patriarch came out to meet him, and Turkish troops were stationed along the entire road. Menshikov treated the Turks with great pride, as the ambassador of a monarch who does not ask, but commands.
At the review of the troops, he was in a coat with a whip; even his retinue was rather casually dressed. With this negligence, the prince appeared at the negotiations, when the first ranks of the Divan met him with all honors. The negotiations continued, the sultan agreed, but Russia's ill-wishers - the British and French - forced him to indulge in Asian tricks. Menshikov said that "the sofa here is on English springs."

F. Kruger. Portrait of A. S. Menshikov
At that time, they began to turn tables everywhere and they talked a lot about the discovery of a new force that makes tables and other things move from the touch of human hands. When Menshikov was told about this, he said: “Your tables, hats, plates are spinning, and from my touch the sofa is spinning!”
Releasing an official from Constantinople, to the question of the latter, would his lordship order him to say something else? Menshikov, grimacing and biting his nails as usual, replied: “Nothing else. Perhaps add, perhaps, that I am healthy, that I often ride, that now I am riding around a horse that I got very stubborn, and that this horse is called Sultan.
During the Crimean War, he failed to command the army, but his mind could not fail to identify himself here. The army did not like Menshikov, there were many things in him that repelled him. Always wrinkled and dissatisfied, he did not give anyone either greetings or approval. The soldiers almost did not see him, the generals and officers did not receive any awards. Before the battle there was no prayer, after the battle the commander-in-chief did not travel around the battlefields, did not express condolences for the dead and wounded.
In one of the first skirmishes between our troops and the enemy, a Cossack dragged a captured French officer on a lasso. This officer, who came to the prince, complained that the Cossack beat him with a whip. The prince promised to exact severely from the guilty. Having demanded a Cossack, Menshikov asked him how it was. Donets said that during the battle the officer shot him three times with a pistol, but never hit him, that for this he threw a lasso on a bad shooter and dragged him to himself, giving him as many lashes as he aimed. The prince burst out laughing and invited the captive officer to his place. Under him, Menshikov began to reprimand the Cossack severely, explaining that he owed respect to the captured officers as well. All this the prince spoke in French and the Cossack, not understanding anything, only blinked. Angrily giving a sign with his hand that the Cossack would go out, the prince turned to the prisoner and asked if he was satisfied with the decision? The French officer bowed low and could not find words to thank the prince. Upon the removal of the prisoner, Menshikov again demanded a Cossack, thanked him in Russian for his courage and dexterity, and awarded him an order.
When the prince was minister of the sea, Lieutenant Commander Yu[nke]r served in the Navy, who, due to various circumstances, was forced to move to the police staff, where he was soon appointed a private bailiff. Having received this position, Yu[nke]r considered it his duty to bow to the minister. The prince received him favorably and, turning to his subordinates, said: “Here is a man, he went around all parts of the world, but he didn’t find it better than the second Admiralty!”
With one numerous production of lieutenant generals to the next rank (full general), Menshikov said: “This can be rejoiced at: in this way, many of our thin generals will grow stout.”
The Bibikovs, known in their time - Dmitry, Ilya and Gavrilo Gavrilovichi - were known in St. Petersburg society: the first - for a proud man who derived his family almost from Jupiter; the second is for the player, and the third is for the braggart. Prince Menshikov used to say that one of the Bibikovs is inflated, the other is blown, and the third is inflating the others.
Menshikov especially told a lot of jokes about the former Minister of Finance Vronchenko, but most of them are not suitable for publication. When, after the death of Count Vronchenko, his friend P.F. Brock, then Menshikov remarked: “Vronchenko apparently left our finances bad when they already resorted to Brock.”
After the consecration of the Kremlin Palace, the emperor distributed many awards, but the vice-president of the committee for the construction of the palace, Privy Councilor Baron Bode was awarded the most: he was given the following rank, the diamond signs of St. Alexander, the rank of chamberlain and a medal sprinkled with diamonds, worth 10,000 silver rubles. To this Menshikov said: “What is so surprising about that? Count Speransky compiled one code of laws and he was given one award - St. Andrew, and there Bode - how many vaults he set!
When the Italian singer Rubini arrived in Russia, he still retained all the captivating art and incomparable expression of his singing, but his voice had already somewhat betrayed him. They asked Prince Menshikov why he did not go to the opera at least once to listen to Rubini. “I am too short-sighted,” he answered, “not to see his singing for me.” Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich once visited the Pulkovo Observatory with his retinue. Not warned about the visit of a distinguished guest, her boss, Struve, was embarrassed at first and hid behind a telescope. "What about him?" the emperor asked Menshikov. - "Probably scared, Your Majesty, seeing so many stars in the wrong place," he replied.

Quoted from the book by M. I. Pylyaev "Remarkable eccentrics and originals."

D. Doe. Portrait of Adjutant General Prince A.S. Menshikov

Quoted from the book by M. I. Pylyaev "Remarkable eccentrics and originals."

Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov

Portrait by Dow, 1826

December 13, 1831 - December 7, 1854

Predecessor:

Arseny Andreevich Zakrevsky

Successor:

Fyodor Fyodorovich Berg

Maritime Minister

February 5, 1836 - February 23, 1855

Predecessor:

Anton Vasilievich Moller

Successor:

Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel

Religion:

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Birth:

August 15 (August 26)(1787-08-26 )
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Death:

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Saint Petersburg

Place of burial:

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Genus:

Menshikovs

Name at birth:

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Father:

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Mother:

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Spouse:

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Children:

Vladimir

The consignment:

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Education:

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Academic degree:

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Website:

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Military service

Years of service:

1809-1856

Affiliation:

Russian empire

Type of army:

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Rank:

adjutant general, admiral

Battles:

Russian-Turkish war (1806-1812)
Battle of Ruschuk
Assault on Turtukai (1810)
War of the Sixth Coalition
Battle of Kulm
Capture of Paris (1814)
Russian-Turkish war (1828-1829)
Siege of Varna
Capture of Anapa (1828)
Crimean War
Battle of the Alma
Inkerman battle
Balaklava battle

Autograph:

128x100px

Monogram :

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Awards:

Order of St. Andrew the First-Called with diamonds	Order of St. George III degree
Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class	Order of St. Vladimir III degree	Order of St. Vladimir IV degree
Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky with diamonds	Order of St. Anne, 1st class	Order of St. Anne II degree
File:Golden Hilt2.jpg

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Biography

Alexander was born in 1787 in the family of Lieutenant General Prince Sergei Alexandrovich Menshikov (1746-1815) and Princess Ekaterina Nikolaevna Golitsyna, one of the first beauties of her time. According to the malicious-speaking Dolgorukov, his biological father was the famous womanizer Armfeld. He had a younger brother Nikolai and sisters Elizabeth and Catherine. Received home education; attended lectures at the best universities in Germany.

In 1805, at the age of 18, he came from Dresden to Russia and was accepted into the service. collegiate cadet(or junker collegium) to the Collegium of Foreign Affairs (St. Petersburg, English Embankment, 32). The following year, it was upgraded to chamber junker 5th class. At first he was assigned to the Russian mission in Berlin, and then, from 1807, he was at the mission in London; for some time he was an attaché in Vienna.

Military service

Russo-Turkish War

On July 15 (old style), 1809, he began military service: he entered the artillery battalion as a second lieutenant of the Life Guards. In 1809-1811 he participated in the Russian-Turkish war, serving as an adjutant to the commander-in-chief of the Moldavian army, infantry general Count N. M. Kamensky (Kamensky 2nd).

On May 20, 1810, he participated in the battle at the crossing of the Danube and the capture of the Turtukaya fortifications; from 24 to 29 May - during the siege of Silistria. At the beginning of June 1810, Kamensky 2nd, for two days in a row (June 11 and 12), tried to capture the Shumla fortress by assault. Alexander Menshikov participated in the battle and "when occupying the heights was sent with arrows". Convinced that it was impossible to take the fortified positions by force, Kamensky retreated, having lost up to 800 people, and decided to capture the fortress through a blockade.

On June 18, Menshikov was during the occupation of Jimai, and on June 25 and 26 - during the construction of siege batteries in front of Shumla and during the reflection of an enemy sortie from the fortress. However, the blockade did not work, as the Turks were abundantly supplied with food. Then Count Kamensky 2nd decided first to take the fortress Ruschuk, and near Shumla he left a detachment of 28 thousand people, appointing him as the head of his brother. On July 22, Menshikov participated in the assault on Ruschuk, where he was wounded by a bullet in his right leg. From August 6 to September 15, he was at the construction of siege trenches and batteries against the fortress of Zhurzhi, and on October 15 - at the capture of Nikopol.

In the same 1810, Menshikov received the first distinction - for military service he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow. In 1811, 24-year-old Alexander Menshikov was granted the aide-de-camp wing to Emperor Alexander I. Thus, he entered the emperor's retinue and often carried out his instructions.

Patriotic war and foreign campaigns

At the end of 1812, Prince Alexander Sergeevich was transferred to the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, promoted to lieutenant. In 1813-1814 he participated in foreign campaigns of the Russian army. On January 1, 1813, the Preobrazhensky Regiment, as part of the column of General Tormasov, crossed the Neman River in the Highest Presence - the war with the French was transferred abroad to Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw. On January 16, Alexander Menshikov was promoted to captain of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. With the occupation of Berlin on February 20, the Russian army joined with the Austrian; there, on March 21, the regiment participated in the parade of troops in the presence of Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III of Prussia.

Captain Menshikov had the difficult task of getting through the location of the enemy French army and conveying the news to the commander of the Allied Northern Army and the Crown Prince of Sweden, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, that the allied forces had united and were taking offensive action. He was sent from the city of Temnitsa, accompanied by a small party of Cossacks. Alexander fulfilled the assignment entrusted to him, after which he was with the crown prince until the capture of Leipzig. In May 1813 Bernadotte landed in Pomerania with a Swedish army of 30,000.

In July 1813, after the Plesvitsky truce, Bernadotte led the Northern Allied Army of over 100 thousand people. For the successful completion of the assignment, Menshikov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree (October 13, 1813) and the Swedish Order of the Sword. He distinguished himself in the battles of Kulm (August), Leipzig (October). On September 20, 1813, he was promoted to colonel for distinction in the Kulem battle. In March 1814, during the capture of Paris, he was wounded in the leg for the second time. In 1814, for bravery, he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree with diamond signs and, on April 2, 1814, a golden sword with the inscription "for bravery."

After the death of his father in 1815, Alexander Sergeevich, as the eldest son, was transferred to the family estate "Alexandrovo", near Klin (now the rural settlement of Vozdvizhenskoye). He inherited Cheryomushki near Moscow only in 1863, after the death of his brother Nikolai.

In the retinue of Alexander I

In 1816, on February 15, he was appointed director of the office of the Chief of the General Staff of E. I. V. In the same year "For Distinction in Service" promoted to major general with transfer to the retinue of His Imperial Majesty in the quartermaster unit. On December 16, 1816, during the reorganization, the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty was formed. Adjutant General P. M. Volkonsky was appointed the first head of the General Staff.

At this time, Menshikov was known as a freethinker. In 1821, together with Novosiltsev and Vorontsov, he drew up a project for the liberation of the landlord peasants, which was not accepted by the emperor. Menshikov considered the offer to take the place of the envoy in Dresden, which he knew well, as an insult. In November 1824, he retired and retired to the village, where he studied maritime affairs.

Naval leadership and the Crimean War

In January 1826, Nicholas I came to the throne. During his reign, "from a liberal, the prince became an ardent supporter of the existing order." Menshikov again returned to the civil service and was sent by the emperor on an emergency mission to Persia. Russia offered to cede part of the Karabakh and Lankaran khanates (in fact, the Karabakh khanate had been part of the Russian Empire since 1805, and was already abolished in 1822), but the envoy was coldly received at the Shah's court. Menshikov was arrested and was in prison until 1827. Upon his return, he was instructed to transform the naval ministry, which he carried out with great energy.

However, the battle of Alma ended very worthily for the Russian army, the enemy, who had an almost twofold superiority in numbers, a significant advantage in guns, could not defeat the Russian troops, and his movement towards Sevastopol slowed down, which allowed the defenders of Sevastopol to gain time to prepare for defense.

In high society, Prince Menshikov was famous for his wickedness and eccentricities. His witticisms were at one time very famous, but many of them were only attributed to him. Menshikov was remarkably educated for his time; his library was one of the best in Petersburg.

It is known that Prince Menshikov, due to his ancient enmity with the Minister of Railways, Count Kleinmichel, was skeptical about the construction of railways:

In his jokes, the prince did not spare the department of communications. When St. Isaac's Cathedral, a permanent bridge across the Neva and the Moscow Railway were being built, he said: “We will not see the completed cathedral, but our children will see; we will see the bridge, but our children will not see it; and neither we nor our children will see the railway.” When his skeptical prophecies did not come true, he said at the very beginning of the ride by rail: “If Kleinmichel challenges me to a duel, instead of a pistol or a sword, I will offer him to get us both into a carriage and ride to Moscow. We'll see who gets killed!"

Retired

Prince Menshikov died at the age of 81 and was buried in the Exaltation Church of his estate Alexandrovo, in the village of the same name in the Klin district. In the post-war period, the temple was dismantled, and the admiral's grave was lost. In the newly built village church there is a memorial plaque in memory of Admiral Menshikov; it was cast from the propeller blades of a nuclear submarine at a shipbuilding enterprise in Severodvinsk. On the initiative of the St. Petersburg sailors, led by Rear Admiral G. N. Antonov, a bust of A. S. Menshikov was installed and opened in the village on September 24, 2011.

Awards

Order of St. Vladimir 4th class with a bow (1810)
Order of St. Vladimir 3rd class (10/13/1813)
Order of St. Anne 2nd class with diamonds (1814)
Golden sword "For courage" (04/02/1814)
Order of St. George 3rd class (15.06.1814)
Order of St. Anne 1st class with diamonds (1827)
Diamond signs to the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky
Order of St. Vladimir 1st class (1833)
Diamond signs to the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called
Portrait of Emperor Alexander I adorned with diamonds for wearing in a buttonhole on St. Andrew's ribbon

foreign:

Swedish Order of the Sword, Knight (1st class) (1813)
Swedish Order of the Seraphim (12.06.1838)
Diamond badges to the Swedish Order of the Seraphim (1848)

Family

Menshikov was married to a countess Anna Aleksandrovna Protasova(1790-1849), niece of the maid of honor A. S. Protasova, and had two children.

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Notes

Literature

Excerpts from Menshikov's letters and papers, relating mainly to the time of the Crimean War, are published in the "Russian Archive" (g., book II, pp. 361-379) and in "Russian Antiquity" (g., v. XII; g. ., vols. XVIII and XIX; d., vol. XXXIV; d., vol. XLI, etc.).
A. V. Butenin. A. S. Menshikov is a statesman, courtier and man. Collection "From the depths of time" 1995. issue 5th. Ss. 112-122
,
Journal of military operations in the Crimea, September-December 1854 / comp. A. V. Efimov. - Simferopol: Antikva, 2010. - 192 p.: silt, maps, portrait. - (Archive of the Crimean War 1853-1856). 500 copies

Links

Menshikov, Alexander Sergeevich // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

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after

An excerpt characterizing Menshikov, Alexander Sergeevich

Some wild, unrealizable hope burned in his eyes, which, apparently, should have come from me ... But as I answered, he saw that he was mistaken. And the "iron" Caraffa, to my greatest surprise, drooped !!! For a moment, it even seemed to me that something had broken inside him, as if he had just gained and immediately lost something very vital for him, and perhaps, to some extent, even dear ...
“You see, life is not always as simple as we think... or as we would like it to be, Your Holiness. And the simplest things sometimes seem to us the most correct and most real. But this is not always true, unfortunately. Yes, I could have left a long time ago. But what would change from this?.. You would find other "gifted" ones, probably not as strong as me, from whom you would also try to "knock out" the knowledge you are interested in. And these poor fellows would not have even the slightest hope of resisting you.
- And you think that you have it? .. - Caraffa asked with some painful tension.
– Without hope, a person is dead, Your Holiness, well, as you can see, I am still alive. And while I live - hope, until the last minute, will flicker in me ... We - witches - are such a strange people, you see.
Well, I think that's enough talk for today! - suddenly exclaimed angrily Karaffa. And without even letting me get scared, he added: “You will be taken to your rooms. See you soon, Madonna!
“But what about my father, Your Holiness?” I want to be present at what will happen to him. As terrible as it is...
– Do not worry, dear Isidora, without you it would not even be so “funny”! I promise you will see everything, and I am very glad that you expressed such a desire.
And smiling contentedly, he already turned to the door, but suddenly remembering something, he stopped:
- Tell me, Isidora, when you "disappear" - does it matter to you where you do it from? ..
– No, Your Holiness, it does not. I don't go through walls. I just “melt” in one place in order to immediately appear in another, if such an explanation gives you at least some picture, - and, in order to finish him off, I purposely added, - Everything is very simple when you know how to do it ... Holiness.
Caraffa devoured me for another moment with his black eyes, and then turned on his heels and quickly left the room, as if afraid that I would suddenly stop him for some reason.
I perfectly understood why he asked the last question ... From the very moment he saw that I could suddenly take it and disappear so easily, he racked his proud head, as if to “tie” me somewhere stronger, or , for reliability, put him in some kind of stone bag, from which I certainly would not have any hope of “flying away” anywhere ... But, with my answer, I deprived him of peace, and my soul sincerely rejoiced at this small victory, since I knew for sure that from that moment on, Caraffa would lose sleep, trying to figure out where it would be more reliable to hide me.
These, of course, were only amusing, distracting moments from the terrible reality, but they helped me, at least with him, with Caraff, to forget for a moment and not show how painfully and deeply wounded me what was happening. I wildly wanted to find a way out of our hopeless situation, wishing this with all the strength of my tormented soul! But just my desire to defeat Karaffa was not enough. I had to understand what made him so strong, and what was this "gift" that he received in Meteora, and which I could not see in any way, since he was completely alien to us. For this, I needed a father. And he didn't respond. And I decided to try if the North would respond ...
But no matter how I tried, for some reason he also did not want to get in touch with me. And I decided to try what I had just shown Caraffe - to go with a “breath” to Meteora ... Only this time I had no idea where the desired monastery was located ... It was a risk, because, not knowing my “point of manifestation ”, I could not “collect” myself anywhere at all. And that would be death. But it was worth trying if I hoped to get at least some answer in Meteor. Therefore, trying not to think about the consequences for a long time, I went ...
Having tuned in to the North, I mentally ordered myself to appear where he could be at that moment. I never went blindly, and this, of course, did not add much confidence to my attempt ... But still there was nothing to lose, except for the victory over Karaffa. And it was worth the risk...
I appeared on the edge of a very steep stone cliff, which “floated” above the ground, like a huge fairy-tale ship ... There were only mountains around, big and small, green and just stone, somewhere in the distance turning into flowering meadows. The mountain on which I stood was the highest and the only one, on the top of which snow kept in places ... It proudly towered above the rest, like a sparkling white iceberg, the base of which hid a mysterious secret invisible to the rest ...
The freshness of the clean, crisp air was breathtaking! Sparkling and sparkling in the rays of the burning mountain sun, it burst with flashing snowflakes, penetrating into the very "depths" of the lungs ... It was easy and free to breathe, as if not air was pouring into the body, but an amazing life-giving force. And I wanted to inhale it endlessly! ..
The world seemed beautiful and sunny! As if there was no evil and death anywhere, people did not suffer anywhere, and as if a terrible man named Karaffa did not live on earth ...
I felt like a bird, ready to spread its light wings and ascend high, high into the sky, where no Evil could reach me! ..
But life mercilessly returned to the earth, reminding me of the reason why I came here with a cruel reality. I looked around - right behind me rose a gray stone rock, licked by the winds, sparkling in the sun with fluffy hoarfrost. And on it ... luxurious, large, unprecedented flowers swayed like a white starry scattering! .. Proudly exposing their white, waxy, pointed petals under the sun's rays, they looked like pure, cold stars that had mistakenly fallen from heaven onto this gray , a lonely rock... Unable to tear my eyes away from their cold, wondrous beauty, I sat down on the nearest stone, enthusiastically admiring the bewitching play of chiaroscuro on blinding white, flawless flowers... My soul rested blissfully, eagerly absorbing the wonderful peace of this bright of an enchanting moment... There was a magical, deep and gentle silence all around...
And suddenly I started... I remembered! Footsteps of the Gods!!! That's what these magnificent flowers were called! According to an old, old legend that my beloved grandmother told me a long time ago, the Gods, coming to Earth, lived high in the mountains, far from worldly fuss and human vices. Thinking about the lofty and eternal for hours, they closed themselves off from Man with a veil of "wisdom" and alienation... People did not know how to find them. And only a few were lucky enough to see THEM, but on the other hand, later no one ever saw these “lucky” ones again, and there was no one to ask the way to the proud Gods ... But then one day a dying warrior climbed high into the mountains, not wanting to surrender to the enemy alive, who defeated him.
Life left the sad warrior, flowing out with the last drops of cooling blood... And no one was there to say goodbye, to wash his last path with tears... But now, already escaping, his gaze caught on the wondrous, unprecedented, divine beauty!.. Immaculate, snow-white, most amazing flowers surrounded him... Their wonderful whiteness washed the soul, returning the departed strength. She called to life... Being unable to move, he listened to their cold light, opening his lonely heart to caress. And right there, before his eyes, his deep wounds closed. Life returned to him, even stronger and more furiously than at birth. Feeling like a hero again, he got up... a tall Elder stood right in front of his eyes...
You brought me back, God? the warrior asked enthusiastically.
- Who are you, human? And why are you calling me Lord? the old man was surprised.
Who else could do something like this? the man whispered. - And you live almost as if in the sky ... So you are God.
– I am not God, I am his descendant... Good is true... Come, if you have come, to our monastery. With a pure heart and a pure thought, you came to sling life ... So they returned you. Rejoice.
- Who brought me back, Starche?
“They, the radiant ones, are the “feet of the Lord,” pointing to the marvelous flowers, the Elder shook his head.
Since then, the legend of the Flowers of the Lord has gone on. They say they always grow near the mansions of God to show the way to those who come...
Thinking, I did not notice that I was looking around ... and literally immediately woke up! .. My amazing miracle flowers grew only around a narrow, dark gap that gaped in the rock, like an almost invisible, "natural" entrance!!! Suddenly aggravated flair, led me exactly there ...
No one was in sight, no one came out. Feeling uncomfortable, coming uninvited, I nevertheless decided to try and went to the gap. Again, nothing happened... There was no special protection or any other surprises. Everything remained majestic and calm, as from the beginning of time ... And who was there to defend against? Only from the same gifted as the owners themselves were?.. I suddenly shuddered - but could another such “Karaffa” appear, which would be gifted to some extent, and just as easy to “find” them ?! ..
I cautiously entered the cave. But nothing unusual happened here either, except that the air became somehow very soft and “joyful” - it smelled of spring and herbs, as if I was in a lush forest glade, and not inside a bare stone rock ... Having walked a few meters, I I suddenly realized that it was getting brighter, although, it would seem, it should have been the other way around. The light streamed from somewhere above, spraying down here in a very soft "sunset" lighting. A strange, soothing melody sounded quietly and unobtrusively in my head - I had never heard anything like it before ... An unusual combination of sounds made the world around me light and joyful. And safe...
It was very quiet and very comfortable in the strange cave... The only thing that was a little alarming was the growing feeling of someone else's observation. But it wasn't unpleasant. Just - a caring look of a parent for an unintelligent baby ...
The corridor along which I was walking began to expand, turning into a huge high stone hall, along the edges of which there were simple stone seats, similar to long benches, carved by someone right into the rock. And in the middle of this strange hall there was a stone pedestal, on which a huge diamond crystal “burned” with all the colors of the rainbow ... It sparkled and shimmered, blinding with multi-colored flashes, and looked like a small sun, for some reason suddenly hidden by someone in a stone cave .
I came closer - the crystal shone brighter. It was very beautiful, but no more, and did not cause any delight or familiarization with something “great”. The crystal was material, just incredibly large and magnificent. But only. He was not something mystical or significant, but only unusually beautiful. Only now I still could not understand why this seemingly simple “stone” reacted to the approach of a person? Could it be possible that he was somehow "turned on" by human warmth?
“You are absolutely right, Isidora...” someone’s gentle voice was suddenly heard. - No wonder the Fathers appreciate you!
Startled with surprise, I turned around, immediately exclaiming joyfully - the North was standing nearby! He was still friendly and warm, just a little sad. Like a gentle sun, which was suddenly covered by a random cloud...
Hello North! I'm sorry I came uninvited. I called you, but you didn't come... Then I decided to try to find you myself. Tell me what your words mean What is my right?
He approached the crystal - it shone even brighter. Light literally blinded, not allowing to look at it.
“You're right about this 'diva'... We found it a very long time ago, many hundreds of years ago. And now he serves a good service - protection against the "blind", those who accidentally got here. North smiled. - For "those who want, but are not able" ... - and added. - Like Caraffa. But this is not your hall, Isidora. Come with me. I will show you your Meteora.
We moved deeper into the hall, passing, standing at the edges, some huge white slabs with letters embossed on them.
“It doesn't look like runes. What is it, Sever? - I could not stand it.
He smiled friendly again.
– Runes, only very ancient ones. Your father didn't have time to teach you... But if you want, I'll teach you. Just come to us, Isidora.
He repeated what I had already heard.
- No! I immediately cut off. “That's not why I came here, you know, Sever. I came for help. Only you can help me destroy Karaffa. After all, what he does is your fault. Help me!
The North became even more sad... I knew in advance what he would answer, but I did not intend to give up. Millions of good lives were on the scales, and I couldn't just give up fighting for them.
– I have already explained to you, Isidora...
- So explain more! I interrupted him abruptly. - Explain to me how you can sit quietly with folded arms when human lives go out one after another through your own fault ?! Explain how such scum as Caraffa can exist, and no one has a desire to even try to destroy it ?! Explain how you can live when this happens next to you? ..
Bitter resentment bubbled in me, trying to splash out. I almost screamed, trying to reach his soul, but I felt that I was losing. There was no way back. I didn't know if I would ever get there again, and I had to use every opportunity before leaving.
“Look, Sever! All over Europe your brothers and sisters are burning like living torches! Can you really sleep soundly hearing their cries??? And how can you not have bloody nightmares?!
His calm face was twisted into a grimace of pain.
“Don’t say that, Isidora! I already explained to you - we should not interfere, we are not given such a right ... We are the guardians. We only protect KNOWLEDGE.
- Don't you think that if you wait some more, there will be no one to save your knowledge for? I exclaimed sadly.
“The earth is not ready, Isidora. I already told you this...
– Well, perhaps it will never be ready... And someday, in some thousand years, when you look at it from your “tops”, you will see only an empty field, perhaps even overgrown with beautiful flowers, because that there will no longer be people on Earth at that time, and there will be no one to pluck these flowers ... Think, Sever, is this the future you wished for the Earth?! ..
But the North was protected by a blank wall of faith in what he said ... Apparently, they all ironically believed that they were right. Or someone once instilled this faith in their souls so firmly that they carried it through the centuries, not opening up and not allowing anyone into their hearts ... And I could not break through it, no matter how hard I tried.
“We are few, Isidora. And if we intervene, it is possible that we will also die ... And then it will be easier than ever for a weak person, not to mention one like Caraffa, to use everything that we store. And someone will have power over all living things in their hands. This has happened before... A very long time ago. The world almost died then. Therefore, forgive me, but we will not interfere, Isidora, we do not have the right to do so... Our Great Ancestors bequeathed us to protect the ancient KNOWLEDGE. And that's what we're here for. What do we live for? We didn't even save Christ once... Although we could. But we all loved him very much.
– You want to say that some of you knew Christ?!.. But it was so long ago!.. Even you cannot live that long!
- Why - for a long time, Isidora? - Sever was sincerely surprised. “That was only a few hundred years ago!” And we live much longer, you know. How could you live if you wanted to...
– A few hundred?! North nodded. - But what about the legend?! .. After all, one and a half thousand years have passed since his death?! ..
- That's why she is a "legend" ... - Sever shrugged his shoulders, - After all, if she were the Truth, she would not need custom-made "fantasies" of Paul, Matthew, Peter and the like? .. With all that, that these “holy” people had never even seen the living Christ! And he never taught them. History repeats itself, Isidora... So it was, and so it will always be, until people finally begin to think for themselves. In the meantime, Dark minds think for them - only struggle will always rule on Earth...
The North fell silent, as if deciding whether to continue. But after a little thought, nevertheless, he spoke again ...
– “Thinking Dark Ones”, from time to time give humanity a new God, choosing him always from the best, brightest and purest, but precisely those who are definitely no longer in the Circle of the Living. Since, you see, it is much easier to “dress” the false “history of his Life” on the dead and let it into the world so that it would bring to humanity only what was “approved” by the “Thinking Dark Ones”, forcing people to plunge even deeper into the ignorance of the Mind swaddling their Souls more and more in fear of inevitable death, and putting the same shackles on their free and proud Life...
– Who are the Thinking Dark, Sever? - I could not stand it.
- This is the Dark Circle, which includes the "gray" Magi, "black" magicians, money geniuses (their own for each new period of time), and much more. Simply put, this is the Earthly (and not only) association of "dark" forces.
“And you don’t fight them?!!” You talk about it so calmly, as if it doesn't concern you!.. But you also live on Earth, Sever!
There was a deadly longing in his eyes, as if I had accidentally touched something deeply sad and unbearably sick.
- Oh, we fought, Isidora! .. How we fought! It was a long time ago ... I, like you now, was too naive and thought that if people just show where the truth is and where the lie is, they will immediately rush to the attack for a “just cause”. These are just "dreams about the future", Isidora... Man, you see, is an easily vulnerable creature... Too easily succumbing to flattery and greed. Yes, and various other "human vices" ... People first of all think about their needs and benefits, and only then - about the "other" living people. Those who are stronger - crave Power. Well, the weak are looking for strong defenders, not at all interested in their "cleanliness". And this has been going on for centuries. That is why in any war the brightest and the best die first. And the rest of the "remaining" join the "winner" ... And so it goes in a circle. The earth is not ready to think, Isidora. I know you do not agree, because you yourself are too pure and bright. But one person is not able to overthrow the common EVIL, even such a strong one as you. Earthly Evil is too big and free. We tried once... and lost the best. That is why we will wait until the right time comes. There are too few of us, Isidora.
“But then why don’t you try to fight differently?” In a war that does not require your lives? You have such a weapon! And why do you allow people like Jesus to be defiled? Why don't you tell people the truth?
– Because no one will listen to this, Isidora... People prefer a beautiful and calm lie, a soul-stirring truth... And yet they don't want to think. Look, after all, even the stories about the "life of the gods" and the messiahs created by the "dark" are too similar to one another, down to the details, from their birth to their death. This is so that a person is not disturbed by the “new”, so that he is always surrounded by the “familiar and familiar”. Once, when I was like you - a convinced, true Warrior - these "stories" amazed me with open lies and the stinginess of the diversity of thought of their "creators". I considered this a great mistake of the “dark ones”... But now, I have long understood that they were deliberately created just like that. And it was truly ingenious... The thinking Dark Ones know too well the nature of the "guided" person, and therefore they are absolutely sure that the Human will always readily follow those who are similar to the already known him, but he will strongly resist and hard to accept the one who turns out to be new to him, and makes him think. That is probably why people still blindly follow “similar” Gods, Isidora, without hesitation and without thinking, without bothering to ask themselves at least one question...

One of the most controversial and extraordinary figures of the era - the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Russian-Turkish wars, the loser of the Crimean War, a desperate officer and a completely bewildered general. No one still knows who this man really was.

For faith, the king and the Fatherland!
Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov was a descendant of an associate of Peter the Great, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich, about whom A.S. Pushkin said: "... a minion of happiness, a rootless, semi-powerful ruler." The first of the famous Menshikovs, whom the first Russian emperor called "Danilych", was an extremely controversial figure. A desperate and talented military man, a greedy and thievish courtier, smart and at the same time short-sighted ... Having lost the struggle for power in the reign of Peter II, Danilych and his family were sent into exile in Berezov and after a short time died of smallpox. But his son and daughter during the reign of Anna Ioannovna got the opportunity to return to the capital. Alexander Alexandrovich made a very successful career, in particular, he enjoyed the favor of Empress Catherine II, as he was the first to inform the inhabitants of Moscow about her accession to the throne, after which he swore the city to the new ruler.
The great-grandson of Alexander Danilovich, Alexander Sergeevich, was born in August 1787 (there are some discrepancies regarding the exact date). The boy was brought up at home and educated in Dresden. He was distinguished by excellent abilities, was fluent in several foreign languages. He began public service at the age of 18, enrolling in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. The career developed successfully, but in 1809 the young man decided to become a military man. He was enrolled as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards artillery and soon went to his first war - with Turkey.
The following year, Alexander Sergeevich became adjutant to the commander of the Danube Army, N. M. Kamensky. Menshikov took a direct part in many battles and received both his first order - St. Vladimir IV degree for the occupation of Turtukai, and the first wound - a bullet in the leg near Rukhtsuk. The exploits were appreciated - in 1811, the Guardsman became an aide-de-camp and was enlisted in the retinue of Emperor Alexander I.
At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Menshikov was in the active army, in the 1st Grenadier Division. He took part in many battles, including Borodino. The brave, energetic and capable officer received promotions, and at the end of the year he was transferred to the Preobrazhensky Regiment, the color of the guard. Then Alexander Sergeevich, as part of the Russian troops, went on a foreign campaign.
And again he excelled many times. For example, under incredibly difficult conditions, he managed to deliver a particularly important report to the Swedish commander, crown prince and future king (and in the recent past, Napoleonic marshal) Bernadotte. For his feat, the brave man was awarded the Swedish Order of the Sword. Russian awards did not bypass him either - for valor and military skill shown at Kulm, Leipzig and the capture of Paris, Menshikov received orders, an award weapon "For Courage", was awarded the high rank of Guards Colonel. Orders and titles were paid for in blood - in March 1814, another wound followed during the capture of Paris.
Menshikov was distinguished by a lively mind and capacity for work, an excellent memory, he was educated and well-read. It is not surprising that Alexander I singled him out, assigning him the rank of major general in 1816, making him adjutant general and quartermaster general of his General Staff. Alexander Sergeevich accompanied the emperor on trips to international congresses and wanderings around Russia (once again, let us recall the work of Pushkin, who ironically called the tsar a "wandering despot"). But in 1820, Menshikov did not have a good relationship with Arakcheev, who was all-powerful at that time. The latter decided to eliminate a possible competitor in the struggle for influence on the king, removing him from the capital. The land officer was offered the post of commander ... of the Black Sea Fleet!
One involuntarily recalls the story of the preparation of the Great Armada, the command of which was entrusted to the brave and noble, but completely unsuitable for this role, the Duke of Medina Sidonia. Menshikov, who did not understand anything in maritime affairs, was not enthusiastic about the proposal. This was followed by new attempts to remove the Most Serene Prince from St. Petersburg - for example, send an envoy to Dresden (the capital of Saxony). It all ended with the resignation and departure to the estate, where Menshikov seriously engaged, oddly enough, in the study of literature on maritime affairs.
After the death of Alexander I and the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, Menshikov returned to active work. He carried out the important assignment of the emperor in Persia, then was sent to deal with the transformation of the Naval Ministry, and at the beginning of 1828 he was appointed to the post of chief of the newly established Naval General Staff. But he did not have time to take a high post, because he went to another war with Turkey, and to one of the most responsible posts. The fact is that the occupation of Turkish fortresses was considered the most important task of the Black Sea Fleet - first Anapa, then Varna.
General command of the operations against Anapa was carried out by Admiral A. S. Greig (son of the hero of the Archipelago expedition), Menshikov led all the landing troops. By joint actions of ships and landing forces, the strong Turkish fortress was forced to surrender on June 12. Greig’s success was largely attributed to the commander of the landing troops, believing that the Russians owed their victory to: “... the prudence, indefatigability and brilliant courage of Prince Menshikov, who, despite the desperate resistance of the enemy and the small number of the siege corps, managed to repel all the sorties of the garrison and attacks of the Circassians and brought the enemy to submission.
In mid-July, active operations began near Varna, and on the 22nd, the siege corps was headed by Menshikov, who had returned from the main apartment. He acted decisively and energetically, but he could not bring the matter to victory, being once again seriously wounded. Varna surrendered to the new commander, M.S. Vorontsov, and at the last stage of the siege, Nicholas I was also present there. The emperor personally made sure that a powerful stronghold opposed the Russian troops. It is not surprising that the winners were awarded royal favors. Menshikov received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, a special gift to the hero was the Turkish cannon captured in Varna, presented according to the personal rescript of the tsar.

Courtier
Successful command, personal courage, shed blood - and even in combination with undoubted abilities - made the Most Serene Prince one of the closest to Nicholas I and influential people in the Russian Empire. He became a member of the State Council, took the post of Governor-General of Finland and at the same time remained the chief of the Naval Staff. In 1833, Alexander Sergeevich received the rank of admiral. The Russian autocrat paid great attention to the fleet, but the activities of the Naval Ministry, headed by Admiral A. V. von Moller, did not suit him for a number of reasons. As a result, Menshikov gradually received full power over the Russian Imperial Navy, heading the Admiralty Council, and from February 1836 he himself became Minister of the Navy.
Alas, the newly-minted minister clearly did not understand maritime affairs enough. However, it is still impossible to indiscriminately consider his activities a failure or, as the most zealous detractors of Menshikov sometimes write, “malicious”. Suffice it to say that the "detractors" of Alexander Sergeevich often oppose Admiral MP Lazarev to him.
At the same time, they somehow forget that the most illustrious prince and powerful dignitary supported almost all of Mikhail Petrovich's proposals, giving him considerable freedom of action. And if the state of affairs in the Baltic Fleet is often called unfavorable by researchers, then not only the leaders and officials of the Naval Ministry were to blame for this, but also the actual naval admirals and officers.
By the beginning of the Crimean War, the undoubted shortcoming of the Russian fleet can be considered a small number of steamships in general and the absence of propeller-driven ships in particular.
But it is simply ridiculous to blame Menshikov for the weakness of the domestic industry. In the general backwardness of the empire, the Most Serene Prince was innocent, and in terms of introducing technical innovations, he could not help but rely on the opinion of distinguished sailors. It was their judgments about the insufficient reliability of propeller-driven ships that hampered progress. At the same time, the introduction of first-class bombing guns in the fleet proceeded at a rapid pace and was often hampered not by the evil will of the minister, but by the capabilities of factories to manufacture barrels of proper quality.
It is worth noting that Menshikov made himself many open enemies and secret ill-wishers. Some envied his brilliant career and high position, others the prince offended himself. He knew how to give people accurate, but evil and humiliating characteristics, wrote witty, but extremely offensive epigrams. At the same time, the famous hero and talented poet Denis Davydov once said to Menshikov: “However, you are so clever and so cleverly able to adapt your mind to everything in terms of diplomatic, military, naval, administrative, whatever you undertake, whatever you do tomorrow you will be a monk, and in six months you will be a metropolitan.”
Before the start of the Crimean War, the emperor instructed Alexander Sergeevich to lead a mission to Constantinople. It is still unknown whether the task of the Russian diplomats and the military was really to reach an agreement, or whether the head of the mission had an oral task received to "break" the Turks at any cost. One way or another, but the result of the negotiations was a complete gap between the countries, and then the war. Appointed commander of the defense of the Crimea, Menshikov quite correctly assessed the state of affairs. He understood that his troops would not be able to resist the combined Anglo-French forces, and therefore demanded their reinforcement. But in St. Petersburg, at first they paid attention to the Danube Theater, then they began to fear enemy forces in the Baltic Sea, which marked a threat to the capital.
After the landing of the allies in the Crimea, Menshikov acted unsuccessfully.
He did not show leadership talent on Alma and withdrew from the leadership of the troops during the Inkerman battle. The commander was even ready to leave Sevastopol. Nevertheless, he considered it necessary to organize an attack on the enemy base in Evpatoria and can hardly be blamed for his unsuccessful outcome.
But after this defeat, even the monarch, who favored the Most Serene Prince, had an unequivocal opinion that another person should lead the troops in the Crimea. There was a decent reason for removing Menshikov: back in the autumn of 1854, old wounds ached in a far from young man. The final decision to recall the Most Serene Prince from the Crimea was made by the new emperor, Alexander II.
At the end of 1855, the admiral became the military governor of Kronstadt, but he held this post for only four months. After that, Menshikov retired from active work. He died in the spring of 1869, at the age of 82.