Alexander Menshikov: the main favorite in Russian history. “Without such an assistant, Peter would not have become Great”: what role did Alexander Menshikov play in the history of Russia

Alexander Menshikov

Russian statesman and military leader, closest associate and favorite of Peter I, generalissimo, admiral, first St. Petersburg Governor-General, President of the Military Collegium

Brief biography

Count (1702), Prince (1705), Serene Highness (1707) Alexander Danilovich Menshikov(November 6 (16), 1673, Moscow - November 12 (23), 1729, Berezov, Siberian province) - Russian statesman and military leader, closest associate and favorite of Peter I, generalissimo (May 12-September 8, 1727), admiral (May 6 -September 8, 1727), first St. Petersburg Governor-General (1703-1724 and 1725-1727), president of the Military Collegium (1719-1724 and 1726-1727).

After the death of Peter I, he contributed to the accession of Catherine I, became the de facto ruler of Russia (1725-1727): “first senator”, “first member of the Supreme Privy Council” (1726), under Peter II - generalissimo of the naval and ground forces(12 May 1727). On September 8, 1727, he fell into disgrace and was deprived of property, titles and awards. Under arrest from September 8, 1727 to April 4, 1728, then exiled with his family to Siberia, where he died a year and a half later.

Origin

No reliable documentary information has been preserved about the origin of Menshikov; the opinions of historians on this matter are very contradictory. Father, Danila Menshikov, died in 1695. According to a popular version, before becoming surrounded by F. Ya. Lefort, the future “semi-sovereign ruler” sold pies in the capital. This is how N.I. Kostomarov gives this story:

The boy was distinguished by witty antics and jokes, which was the custom of Russian peddlers, by this he lured buyers to him. He happened to pass by the palace of the famous and powerful Lefort at that time; Seeing the funny boy, Lefort called him into his room and asked: “What will you take for your whole box of pies?” “If you please, buy the pies, but I don’t dare sell the boxes without the owner’s permission,” answered Alexander - that was the name of the street boy. “Do you want to serve me?” - Lefort asked him. “I’m very glad,” he answered, “I just need to move away from the owner.” Lefort bought all the pies from him and said: “When you leave the pie maker, come to me immediately.” The pie maker reluctantly let the boy go and did this only because an important gentleman took him into his servant. Menshikov came to Lefort and put on his livery.
- Kostomarov N. I. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. - Second section: The dominance of the House of Romanov before the accession of Catherine II to the throne. - Vol. sixth: XVIII century

During Menshikov’s lifetime, it was believed that he came from the Lithuanian nobility, although this version has traditionally raised doubts among historians. The legend about the pie seller, however, could have been put into circulation by the prince’s opponents in order to belittle him, as A. S. Pushkin pointed out:

...Menshikov came from Belarusian nobles. He was looking for his family estate near Orsha. He was never a footman and never sold hearth pies. This is a joke of the boyars, accepted by historians as truth.
- Pushkin A. S. Peter's story. Preparatory texts. Years 1701 and 1702

Foreign observers presented Menshikov as a completely illiterate person, which is now disputed; nevertheless, for N.I. Pavlenko, the illiteracy of the “most serene” is obvious: “Among the tens of thousands of sheets preserved in the Menshikov family archive, not a single document written by the prince’s hand was found. There were no traces of editing or editing of the compiled documents. Even hundreds of letters to Daria Mikhailovna, first a concubine, and then his wife, not to mention thousands of letters to the Tsar and nobles, every single one was written by clerks.”

Menshikov's three sisters are known: Tatyana, Martha (Maria) and Anna, who married (against his will) the Portuguese Anton Devier. Martha was given by her brother in marriage to Major General Alexei Golovin (d. 1718), who was captured by the Swedes near Poltava; her daughter Anna Yakovlevna in her first marriage was to the royal relative A.I. Leontyev, in the second - to another naval officer, Mishukov.

Elevation

M. van Musscher. Portrait of A. Menshikov, painted in Holland during the Great Embassy (1698).

Alexander, at the age of 14, was accepted by Peter as his orderly, and managed to quickly gain not only the trust, but also the friendship of the Tsar, and become his confidant in all his undertakings and hobbies. He helped him create “amusing troops” in the village of Preobrazhenskoye (since 1693 he was listed as a bombardier of the Preobrazhensky regiment, where Peter was captain of the bombardment company; after participating in the massacre of the archers, he received the rank of sergeant, and from 1700 - lieutenant of the bombardment company). In 1699 he received the title of ship's apprentice.

Menshikov was constantly with the tsar, accompanying him on trips around Russia, on the Azov campaigns (1695-96), on the “Great Embassy” (1697-98) in Western Europe. After Lefort's death, Menshikov became Peter's first assistant, remaining his favorite for many years. Endowed by nature with a sharp mind, excellent memory and great energy, Alexander Danilovich never referred to the impossibility of fulfilling an order and did everything with zeal, remembered all orders, knew how to keep secrets like no one else (at that time), and could soften the tsar’s hot-tempered character.

The people attributed the rapid rise of Menshikov to his sexual relationship with the tsar; for spreading rumors about Peter’s “prodigal life” with Menshikov (he allegedly dragged Peter into his bed “like a whore”) were arrested in 1698 by the merchant G.R. Nikitin (one of the richest entrepreneurs in the country), in 1702 by the captain of the Preobrazhensky regiment named Boyarkinsky, and in 1718 by the manager of the estates of the nobleman Kikin.

Military leader under Peter I

During the Northern War (1700-1721), Menshikov commanded large forces of infantry and cavalry, distinguished himself during the siege and storming of fortresses, as well as in many battles.

The initial stage of the Northern War

At the beginning of the war he held the rank of lieutenant in the bombardment company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. He did not participate in the Battle of Narva (1700), leaving the army with the king on the eve of the battle.

In 1702, during the capture of Noteburg, he promptly arrived with fresh forces to M. M. Golitsyn, who began the assault. In 1703, he participated in the siege of Nyenschantz, and on May 7, 1703, acting with Peter at the mouth of the Neva and commanding a detachment of 30 boats, he won the first naval victory over the Swedes, having captured two enemy ships with a bold boarding attack - the galliot "Gedan" and the shnyava "Astrild" " The Tsar ordered to knock out a medal with a laconic inscription: “ The impossible happens" Menshikov received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called as a reward (No. 7, at the same time as Peter I - Knight No. 6). In the decree on awards, issued on May 10 (21), 1703 - 6 days before the official date of the founding of St. Petersburg, Menshikov was already called Governor General.

By decree of Peter I of July 19, 1703, in order to form the regiment of Governor Menshikov, it was ordered to “take away from all ranks a thousand people of the kindest and most distinguished people.” In terms of the level of cash and grain salaries, this regiment was equal to Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. Later the regiment received the name Ingria.

Menshikov became the first Governor-General of St. Petersburg (from 1703 and, with a short break, until his disgrace in 1727), supervised the construction of the city, as well as Kronstadt, shipyards on the Neva and Svir rivers (Olonets shipyard), Petrovsky and Povenets cannon factories . As governor general, he formed, in addition to the Ingria Infantry, the Ingria Dragoon Regiment.

Continuing to participate in hostilities, he contributed to the conquest of Narva and Ivangorod, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general (1704). When in February-March 1705, Tsar Peter I entrusted Menshikov with the inspection of the Russian army of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev, stationed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he visited Vitebsk, Polotsk, Vilna and Kovno.

In 1705, he was among the first to become a Knight of the Polish Order of the White Eagle.

From Kalisz to Poltava

On November 30, 1705, Menshikov was promoted to cavalry general, and soon came into conflict with the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal-Lieutenant General G. B. Ogilvi, which almost caused the defeat of the Russian army near Grodno.

In the summer of 1706, he was entrusted with command of the entire Russian regular cavalry, and showed himself to be an excellent cavalry commander. At the head of the corvolant, he was sent to help the Saxon elector and the Polish king Augustus II in Poland, won a victory over the Swedish-Polish corps near Kalisz on October 18, 1706, which became the first victory of the Russian troops in the “right battle”: the enemy could not resist the rapid attack of the Russian dragoons and was defeated. At the decisive moment, he rushed into battle, dragging his subordinates with him. The Swedes lost several thousand people, the commander, General A. Mardefelt, was captured. The losses of Russian troops were insignificant. As a reward for this victory, Menshikov received from the Tsar a staff decorated with precious stones, and the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment (the rank of colonel was accepted by Tsar Peter himself).

The awards received by Menshikov were not only military. Back in 1702, at the request of Peter, he was granted the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire. By a charter of the Roman Emperor Leopold I, dated January 19 (30), 1705, the cavalry general of the Roman Empire, Count Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, with his descendants, was elevated to the princely dignity of the Roman Empire.

By the highest command of Tsar Peter I, dated May 30, 1707, the general of the cavalry, the prince of the Roman Empire, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, with his descendants, was elevated to the princely dignity of the Russian kingdom, with the title " Prince of Izhora land" and the title " lordship" In addition, on May 30 (June 10), 1707, Menshikov was granted the rank of sea captain. The material well-being of His Serene Highness and the number of estates and villages given to him gradually grew.

In 1707, again at the head of the cavalry, he advanced to Lublin, and then to Warsaw, where he remained until September. On September 28 (October 9), 1708, he took part in the battle of Lesnaya, which became, in Peter’s words, “the mother of the Poltava victory.” During the time between Lesnaya and Poltava, Menshikov often showed that insight and swiftness that Field Marshal Sheremetev, who shared the highest command in the army with him, lacked. Having received news of Hetman Mazepa's betrayal, he took the hetman's capital - the city of Baturin - by storm, ruining it, and killed and intercepted most of the Cossacks who were planning to leave with the hetman to the Swedish king. For this, Peter I granted the prince the village of Ivanovskoye and its villages that belonged to Hetman Mazepa.

Peter I completely trusted the intuition and calculating mind of his favorite in many military matters; almost all the instructions, directives and instructions that the tsar sent out to the troops passed through the hands of Menshikov. He was like Peter's chief of staff: having given an idea, the tsar often instructed his closest assistant to develop it, and he found a way to translate it into action. His quick and decisive actions were fully consistent with Peter's ebullient energy.

Menshikov played a big role in Battle of Poltava June 27 (July 8), 1709, where he commanded first the vanguard and then the left flank of the Russian army. Even before the main forces were brought into battle, he defeated the detachment of General Schlippenbach, capturing the latter. At the moment of the collision of the armies, General Roos attacked the corps, scattering it, which largely predetermined the victory of the Russian army. During the battle of Menshikov, three horses were killed.

Pursuing the Swedish army fleeing the battlefield with Golitsyn, Menshikov overtook it at the crossing of the Dnieper at Perevolochna and forced it to capitulate. He reported from near Perevolochna: “ Here we overtook the enemy fleeing from us, and just now the king himself with the traitor Mazepa in small numbers escaped, and the rest of the Swedes were taken to the fullest, numbering about ten thousand, among whom were General Levenhaupt and Major General Kreutz. Guns, I also took all the ammunition" In fact, more than 16 thousand Swedes were captured.

For Poltava, Menshikov was awarded the rank of Field Marshal. In addition, the cities of Pochep and Yampol with extensive volosts were transferred to his possessions, increasing the number of his serfs by 43 thousand male souls. In terms of the number of serfs, he became the second owner of souls in Russia after the Tsar. At the ceremonial entry of Peter into Moscow on December 21, 1709, he was in right hand king, which emphasized his exceptional merits.

The final stage of the Northern War

In 1709-1713, Menshikov commanded troops operating in Poland, Courland, Pomerania and Holstein, and received the Order of the Elephant (Denmark) and the Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia) from European monarchs.

In 1709 he was listed as a ship's master.

In 1712 he had the rank of captain-commander.

In February 1714, Menshikov returned to St. Petersburg; this ended his military career. He focused on issues of the internal structure of the state, touching, due to his closeness to the king, all the most important state concerns.

In 1715, Menshikov, having a pennant on the ship Shlisselburg, arrived with the fleet in Revel. For participation in naval affairs against the Swedes and taking care of the fleet on February 2, 1716, he was promoted to Schoutbenacht. In March, while in Revel, he had the main supervision of the construction of the harbor. Special attention Menshikov, as Governor-General, paid attention to St. Petersburg, the importance of which has especially increased since 1713, when the court, Senate and diplomatic corps moved there. In April 1715, in the absence of Count Apraksin, he took over the main command over the Kronstadt squadron, was in charge of all admiralty affairs and the construction of the admiralty fortress in St. Petersburg.

In 1718, having a flag on the ship "St. Alexander", Menshikov was sailing with the fleet to Revel and Gangut. In 1719, according to the schedule, he was scheduled to have a flag on the same ship, but he was not on a voyage with the fleet. On October 11, 1719, he was appointed to manage the construction of stone houses on Kotlin Island.

In 1721, having a flag on the ship Friedrichstadt, Menshikov commanded the fleet at Krasnaya Gorka. In August, during an exemplary naval battle, he commanded part of the ships representing the enemy, while the other part was commanded by Vice Admiral Pyotr Mikhailov (sovereign). On October 22, 1721, Menshikov was promoted to vice admiral.

Abuse

Menshikov was repeatedly convicted of embezzlement of public funds and paid large fines. “Where it comes to the life or honor of a person, then justice requires weighing on the scales of impartiality both his crimes and the services he rendered to the fatherland and the sovereign...” Peter believed, “...and I still need him.”

In January 1715, Menshikov’s official abuses were revealed. The main capital consisted of lands, estates, and villages taken away under various pretexts. He specialized in taking escheated property from heirs. Menshikov also sheltered schismatics and runaway peasants, charging them a fee for living on his lands.

After Lefort’s death, Peter said about Menshikov: “I have only one hand left, a thief, but a faithful one.”

The case of abuse dragged on for several years, a large penalty was imposed on Menshikov, but active participation in condemning Tsarevich Alexei to death in 1718 (his signature was the first in the sentence), he regained royal favor. With the creation of the State Military Collegium (1719), he was made its first president, leaving in office the Governor General of St. Petersburg, and was responsible for the arrangement of all armed forces Russia. After the conclusion of the Peace of Nystadt, which ended the long war with the Swedes, Menshikov was promoted to vice admiral on October 22, 1721.

In 1722, new abuses of Menshikov were revealed, but even now he managed to maintain his influence, thanks to Peter’s wife Catherine.

In 1723, Menshikov had his own flag on the ship Friedrichstadt. On August 11, 1723, during the ceremony of welcoming the boat, the “grandfather of the Russian fleet,” by the fleet, he corrected the position of pilot on it and abandoned the lot.

In May 1724, Menshikov was present at the coronation of Catherine I as empress by Peter, walking at the right hand of the tsar.

However, it was in 1724 that Peter I’s patience ran out: for significant abuses, Menshikov finally lost his main positions: president of the Military Collegium (replaced by A.I. Repnin in January 1724) and governor-general of the St. Petersburg province (replaced P. M. Apraksin in May 1724). However, in January 1725, Peter allowed Menshikov to his deathbed, which was regarded as forgiveness.

Actual rule of the country

Immediately after the death of Peter, Menshikov, relying on the guard and the most prominent state dignitaries, in January 1725 enthroned the wife of the late emperor Catherine I and became the de facto ruler of the country, concentrating enormous power in his hands and subjugating the army. In January 1725, he regained the post of Governor-General of St. Petersburg, and in 1726, the post of President of the Military Collegium. On August 30, 1725, the new Empress Catherine I made him a Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1726 he participated in negotiations on the conclusion of a Russian-Austrian alliance, in 1727 he gave the order to enter Russian troops to Courland.

With the accession of Peter II (the son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich) on May 6, 1727, Menshikov initially retained his influence: on May 6 he was awarded the rank of full admiral, on May 12 he was granted the rank of generalissimo, his daughter Maria was betrothed to the young emperor. However, having underestimated their ill-wishers, and for the reason long illness(medical historians suggest that he suffered from tuberculous arthritis), lost influence on the young emperor and was soon removed from government.

Exile and death. Descendants

V. I. Surikov. "Menshikov in Berezovo" (1883)

On September 8, 1727, Menshikov was arrested, based on the results of the work of the investigative commission of the Supreme Privy Council, without trial, by decree of the 11-year-old boy Emperor Peter II, and sent into exile. After the first exile to his estate - the fortress of Ranenburg (in the modern Lipetsk region), on charges of abuse and embezzlement, he was deprived of all positions, awards, property, titles and exiled with his family to the Siberian town of Berezov, Siberian province. Menshikov's wife, the favorite of Peter I, Princess Daria Mikhailovna, died on the way (in 1728, 12 versts from Kazan). In Berezovo, Menshikov himself built himself a village house (along with 8 faithful servants) and a church. His statement from that period is known: “I started with a simple life, and I will end with a simple life.”

Later, a smallpox epidemic began in Siberia. He died on November 12, 1729, aged 56. A little later, on December 26, 1729, he died eldest daughter Maria. Menshikov was buried at the altar of the church he built; then the Northern Sosva River washed away this grave.

Of the descendants of Alexander Danilovich, the most famous is his great-grandson, Admiral Prince A. S. Menshikov, a naval leader, commander-in-chief of the ground and naval forces in Crimean War 1853-1856. In 1863, he built a chapel over the grave of his great-grandmother in the village of Verkhniy Uslon. The princely family of the Menshikovs died at the hands of men in 1893.

Performance evaluation

Peter considered Menshikov an irreplaceable ally. Undoubtedly, Menshikov had intelligence, vigorous energy, acumen and intuition. “Happiness is a rootless darling, a semi-sovereign ruler,” as A. S. Pushkin called Menshikov in the poem “Poltava.” After Lefort’s death, Peter said about Menshikov: “I have only one hand left, a thief, but a faithful one.” At the same time, his embezzlement and, according to his enemies, treasonous relations with the enemies of Russia (there was no evidence of this) forced Peter, especially in recent years his life, to keep his former favorite at a distance, almost on the verge of disgrace. During the reign of the incapable state affairs Empress Catherine I, Menshikov became the de facto ruler of the state for two years, but due to immoderate ambition, even arrogance, he made many enemies and at the end of his life lost all his acquisitions.

Royal Society of London

In 1714, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was elected a member of the Royal Society of London. The letter of acceptance was written to him personally by Isaac Newton; the original letter is kept in the archives Russian Academy Sci. Menshikov became the first Russian member of the Royal Society of London.

Two consequences of Menshikov’s entry into the Royal Society can be identified from the documents of Menshikov’s archival fund. On the one hand, the fund preserved the diploma of the Royal Society issued to Menshikov, on the other, the documents of the same fund reflected an interesting detail: Danilych never dared to mention his affiliation with the Royal Society and decorate his title with three more additional words: member of the Royal Society. Menshikov was not known for his modesty, but in this case common sense prevailed over vanity.
- Pavlenko N. I. Alexander Danilovich Menshikov. - M.: Nauka, 1983.

Awards

Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (May 10, 1703)
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (August 30, 1725)
Order of the White Eagle (Rzeczpospolita, November 1, 1705)
Order of the Elephant (Denmark, 1710)
Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia, 1713)

Estates

Menshikov Palace in St. Petersburg
Oranienbaum with the Great Menshikov Palace
Palace in Kronstadt
Palace in Moscow
Alekseevsky Palace near Moscow (not preserved)
Ranenburg Fortress (almost not preserved)

Memory of Menshikov

In Moscow, the name of the Generalissimo was preserved by the Menshikov Tower.
In St. Petersburg in 1903, Menshikovsky Avenue appeared.
In Kolpino (St. Petersburg) in 1997, a bronze bust was erected to the founder of the city, Duke of Izhora A. D. Menshikov (sculptor A. S. Charkin, architect V. S. Vasilkovsky).
On November 15, 2002, a bronze bust of Menshikov was unveiled in the court d'honneur of the Menshikov Palace (sculptor M. T. Litovchenko, architect O. A. Brunina).
In the village of Berezovo (Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region), where A.D. Menshikov was exiled, in 1993 a monument was erected to him (sculptor A.G. Antonov, architect N.A. Mamaev).

Film incarnations

Vladimir Karin-Yakubovsky (“Tsarevich Alexei”, 1918)
Mikhail Ivanovich Zharov (“Peter the Great”, 1937-1938)
Vladimir Menshov (“The Tale of How Tsar Peter Married an Arab,” 1976; “Tsarevich Alexey,” 1997)
Nikolay Eremenko Jr. (“Youth of Peter”, “At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds”, 1980)
Sergei Parshin (“Young Russia”, 1981)
Leonid Kuravlev (“The Demidovs”, 1983)
Helmut Grim (“Peter the Great”), “Peter the Great”, USSR - USA, 1985)
Sergei Shakurov (“Secrets palace coups", 2000-2001)
Andrei Ryklin (“Servant of the Sovereign”, 2007; “Notes of the Forwarder of the Secret Chancellery”, 2010)
Sergei Makovetsky (“Peter the First. Testament”, 2011)

Great, His Serene Highness. Generalissimo.

The origin of the sovereign favorite of the last Russian Tsar and the first All-Russian Emperor Peter I Alekseevich Romanov the Great and Empress Catherine I is not entirely clear. According to some evidence, he was born in the vicinity of Moscow. According to most accounts, his father was a court groom. There is an assumption that as a child he sold pies on the streets of Moscow. He did not receive an education, not even at home, and until the end of his days he remained an illiterate person who only knew how to sign his name.

As a child, Aleksashka Menshikov was taken as a servant by the Swiss Franz Lefort, a foreign officer in the Russian military service, who was able to make friends with the young Tsar Peter Alekseevich and enter the circle of his entourage. Soon Lefortovo's servant became Peter I's orderly, winning his complete trust with devotion and incredible zeal. He was constantly with the sovereign and kept all his secrets. The young king and his orderly (they were almost the same age) became friends.

In 1693, Alexander Menshikov became the royal amusing warrior - bombardier of the Preobrazhensky regiment. He accompanied the king on all his trips and participated in all the sovereign's entertainments.

Accompanied Peter I on the Grand Embassy to Europe, traveled with the sovereign through Prussia, England, Germany and Holland. In the latter, together with the monarch, he successfully studied shipbuilding for almost six months. From that time on, close and friendly correspondence was established between the Russian autocrat and his faithful ally and favorite.

For a long time, Alexander Menshikov did not hold any official positions, but thanks to his closeness to the autocrat, he exercised significant influence on state and court affairs. Subsequent years showed that the royal orderly, thanks to his natural talents, had an undoubted talent for military and statesman, rare energy and efficiency.

A participant in the Azov campaigns of 1695 and 1696, he distinguished himself during the capture of the Turkish fortress of Azov.

After the Streltsy riot, he took part in the search and mass execution of the Streltsy “troublemakers” in 1698. It was then that Menshikov’s rapid rise in the immediate royal circle began. At first, Peter I granted his favorite the rank of sergeant in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1700, he received the rank of lieutenant of the bombardment company of the same regiment, in which the sovereign was listed as captain.

The rise of Alexander Danilovich Menshikov to the military leadership Olympus is associated with a long Northern War 1700-1721 against the Kingdom of Sweden. He took part in many of them major events, repeatedly demonstrated examples of high military valor and fearlessness, becoming a famous military leader of the Russian dragoon cavalry. His personal merits in the Russian war against Sweden are well known and undoubted.

The initial goal of the war was the desire of the Russian Tsar to win access to the Baltic from the Swedes - the ancient Novgorod lands of Pyatina. To do this, Peter I, at the beginning of July 1700, concluded a 30-year truce with the Ottoman Porte and created a military alliance against Sweden, which included Denmark and the Polish King Augustus. However, the beginning of the war turned out to be tragic for the Russians - the king-commander Charles XII, who had become famous, defeated the young, poorly trained regular army of Russia in the battle of Narva.

After these events, officer Menshikov, together with the tsar, participated in the hostilities that unfolded in Ingria. In 1702, during the storming of the Noteburg fortress (ancient Novgorod Oreshek), under a hail of enemy bullets and grapeshot, he showed true courage and, as a reward, was appointed commandant of the captured Swedish fortress on Lake Ladoga. This assault, during which the Russian soldiers showed true heroism, took place before the eyes of the sovereign, and since then in his letters he called his favorite nothing more than “Alexasha, the child of my heart.” Noteburg was renamed Shlisselburg (Key City).

Already in the next 1703, Menshikov was appointed governor of Ingermanland, and later of the St. Petersburg province. The Tsar transfers to him the so-called Izhora Chancellery and many state revenues. In this high government position, A.D. Menshikov actively leads the construction of the city on the Neva, which later became the capital Russian Empire, the sea fortress of Kronstadt, shipyards on the Neva and Svir rivers and the Main Admiralty, making their considerable contribution to the creation of the Baltic Fleet.

The Emperor could not help but appreciate the merits of the Ingrian governor. He promoted him to lieutenant general and awarded him the newly established Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Moreover, at the urgent request of the Russian monarch, Emperor Leopold I elevated the “minion of fate” to the dignity of count of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus the son of the court groom became a brilliant Russian aristocrat.

In any ranks and positions, Menshikov was distinguished by his decisiveness of action, which was quite in tune with the ebullient energy of the youngest autocratic ruler, the great transformer of the Russian state. Therefore in national history The image of Alexander Menshikov is inseparable from the image of Peter I the Great.

In 1703, Menshikov participated in the capture of the Swedish fortification of Nyenschanz at the mouth of the Neva. Then, near him, together with the king, he boarded enemy ships, whose crews had no idea about the fate of Nyenskans. The capture of the fortresses of Narva, Ivangorod, and Dorpat could not have happened without him. During the siege of the Narva fortress, he managed to outwit the experienced royal general Gorn, the commandant of the city. Menshikov more than compensated for the lack of any military education with natural intelligence and courage.

In Ingria, he first declared himself as a military leader. For the victory over a 9,000-strong Swedish detachment under the command of General Maydel, who set out to capture St. Petersburg under construction, Menshikov was awarded the title of Governor-General of Narva and all conquered lands near the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, he becomes a general over the entire Russian regular cavalry - over the dragoon cavalry.

Peter I more than once trusted his favorite with independent command of significant military forces. In 1705, Lieutenant General Menshikov led the military operations against the Swedes in Lithuania. Here he was initially an assistant to Field Marshal Ogilvy, commanding the Russian cavalry, and the next year he already commanded all Russian troops - the main events of the Northern War moved to the Polish-Belarusian borderland.

During military operations on the territory of Poland, General Menshikov showed genuine military art. In 1705, he was awarded the Polish Order of the White Eagle, and the following year, thanks to Peter’s efforts, he received a diploma for the princely dignity of the Holy Roman Empire. Alexander Danilovich Menshikov becomes His Serene Highness Prince. At the same time, the Polish king Augustus, who constantly suffered defeats from the Swedes, granted his ally the title of chief of the Fleminsky infantry regiment, which became known as the regiment of Prince Alexander.

It should be recognized that Menshikov’s high awards corresponded to his military merits. He became especially famous for his actions near the Polish city of Kalisz. Here, on October 18, 1706, General Menshikov, at the head of a 10,000-strong Russian army, completely defeated the Swedish corps of General Mardefeld and the Polish opponents of King Augustus. This was the first major victory of Russian weapons during the Northern War.

Menshikov decisively attacked the fortified enemy positions, which were protected from the flanks by the Prosna River and swamps. The battle of Kalisz continued until late at night. To achieve victory, the Russian commander dismounted part of his dragoon cavalry. Although the Swedes, unlike their Polish allies, stood firm, the Russians still put them to flight. General Mardefeld's losses amounted to 5 thousand people. He himself, along with 142 royal officers and almost two thousand soldiers, was captured. The winners lost only 408 people killed and wounded.

The victory at Kalisz was won thanks to the leadership abilities of Menshikov. Peter I, to celebrate, bestowed upon the hero of the occasion a military baton according to a drawing made with his own hand. The precious staff was decorated with a large emerald, diamonds and the princely coat of arms of the Menshikov family. This piece of jewelry was valued at a huge sum for that time - almost three thousand rubles. The Emperor promoted Menshikov to lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, which, along with the Semenovsky Regiment, was the founder of the Russian Guard.

During the war on Polish lands, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov was elevated to actual Privy Councilor and became Prince of Izhora. And again for military merits in the confrontation with the Swedish king Charles XII.

When he set out with the main forces of his army, tested in battles and campaigns, to encircle Russian troops near Kalisz, Menshikov outplayed the crowned commander. He carried out his famous Kalisz maneuver, famous in the history of the Northern War, withdrawing the troops entrusted to him from the attack of the royal army. After this, His Serene Highness united with the main forces of Peter the Great’s army.

In the battle of Lesnaya on September 28, 1708, General A.D. Menshikov commanded the Russian cavalry (10 dragoon regiments, 7 thousand people), which was part of the corvolant - a light mobile corps. Corvolant was commanded by Peter I himself. Near the village of Lesnoy, Russian troops attacked the Swedish corps under the command of the Riga governor, General Levengaupt, who was in a hurry to join King Charles XII with a huge convoy of provisions and ammunition.

The attack was carried out in two columns: the right one was commanded by the tsar himself, the left one was commanded by Menshikov, who had command of the 7 dragoon and Ingermanland infantry regiments. He was the first to start a battle at the river crossing. Then, upon leaving the copse, the Russian regiments formed a battle formation and attacked the main forces of Levenhaupt at Lesnaya. As a result of the battle, the Swedes lost 8.5 thousand people killed and wounded, and over 700 Swedes were captured. The trophies of the Russian army were enemy artillery and about three thousand supply carts.

Then General Menshikov became famous for capturing the residence of the traitorous Ukrainian hetman Mazepa, who on October 28, with a small number of his followers, went over to the side of King Charles XII. In his residence - the fortified city of Baturin - Mazepa collected a lot of food, fodder and ammunition, about 70 guns. All this was extremely necessary for the Swedish army, which set out on a campaign against Russia.

Peter I ordered the destruction of the hetman's headquarters. This combat mission entrusted to the cavalry commander Menshikov. He immediately approached Baturin. The commandant of the garrison of the hetman's residence refused to open the fortress gates. Then, on November 2, 1708, Russian troops took Baturin by storm and destroyed all the supplies in it. For the Swedish king and hetman Mazepa, this was a strong blow.

Before the Battle of Poltava, Menshikov won another victory, defeating the Swedes in the battle near Oposhnya. Here the Russians successfully attacked the enemy observation (observation) detachment of General Ross. King Charles XII had to urgently rescue his general. Then Menshikov organized assistance to the besieged garrison of the Poltava fortress.

In the Battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, the dragoon commander found himself in the forefront. Before the start of the battle, the entire Russian cavalry (17 dragoon regiments with horse artillery) was deployed on the battlefield in two lines immediately behind the redoubts. Menshikov's cavalry was the first to engage in battle with the advancing royal army on the line of redoubts. When Charles XII decided to bypass the redoubts from the north along the edge of the Budishchensky forest, he was met here again by Menshikov, who managed to transfer his cavalry here. IN fierce battle Russian dragoons “slashed with broadswords and, having entered the enemy line, took 14 standards and banners.”

After this, Peter I, who commanded the Russian army in the battle, ordered Menshikov to take 5 cavalry regiments and 5 infantry battalions and attack the Swedish troops, who were separated from their main forces on the battlefield. He brilliantly coped with the task: General Schlippenbach's cavalry ceased to exist, and he himself was captured, General Ross's infantry retreated to Poltava.

At the final phase of the battle, Menshikov commanded the dragoon cavalry (6 regiments) on the flank of the Russian army position. He distinguished himself once again that day during an attack on the royal army, which was put to flight.

In the history of the Northern War, General Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov has the honor of accepting the surrender of the Royal Swedish Army defeated near Poltava. On the banks of the Dnieper near Perevolochna, 16,947 demoralized enemy soldiers, led by General Levengaupt, surrendered to the Russian 9,000-strong detachment. The trophies of the winners were 28 guns, 127 banners and standards, and the entire royal treasury.

For participation in Battle of Poltava Emperor Peter I awarded Menshikov, one of the heroes of the defeat of the Royal Swedish Army, with the rank of Field Marshal. Before this, only Sheremetev had such a rank in the Russian army.

After Poltava, Menshikov until 1713 commanded Russian troops that liberated Poland, Courland, Pomerania, and Holstein from Swedish troops. For the siege of the fortified city of Riga, he received the Order of the Elephant from the Danish king Frederick IV. Menshikov took part in the capture of the fortresses of Teningen and Stettin. The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm awarded the Russian Field Marshal the Order of the Black Eagle. By order of the Tsar, Menshikov concluded two penalty conventions with the trading cities of Hamburg and Lubeck. They undertook to pay the Russian treasury within three terms for the trade they carried out with the Swedes 233,333 thalers.

Since 1714, he was again involved in governor-general affairs in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he managed the territories acquired by Russia - the Baltic states and Izhora land, and was in charge of collecting state revenues. During Peter I's frequent departures, he headed the administration of the country. He was twice president of the Military College - in 1718-1724 and 1726-1727.

One of the contemporaries of Peter's favorite, Count B.K. Minikh wrote about him: “It is noteworthy that Prince Menshikov, not being born a nobleman, not even knowing how to read or write, thanks to his activities, enjoyed such confidence from his master that he could manage a vast empire for many years in a row...”

Since 1714, His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov was constantly under investigation for numerous abuses and thefts. He was repeatedly subjected to huge fines by Peter I. Such drastic tsarist measures did not in any way affect the personal fortune of Menshikov, who was the second landowner in the country after the sovereign himself - as a serf owner, he owned not only dozens of villages and villages, but also cities. The king gave a considerable part of them to his favorite.

Menshikov won his position at court thanks to the wife of Peter I, Catherine. In the spring of 1704, the beautiful Livonian captive Marta Skavronskaya, the wife of a Swedish dragoon, was presented to the Tsar by Menshikov. In 1712, she was officially declared the wife of the Russian Tsar, and then she became the first All-Russian Empress. Catherine I remembered the service that Prince Izhora did for her - he became her favorite and actually ruled for her Russian state: after the death of Peter, Menshikov and his like-minded people, “chicks of Petrov’s nest,” relying on the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky guards regiments, approved Catherine I on Russian throne. After this, Menshikov began to approach the very top monarchical power in the state and at the same time made many enemies from among the noble nobility, without finding support for himself in the guard.

Duke of Lyria Lyria Fitzjames de Sturd, Ambassador Spanish king in the Russian Empire, wrote about the all-powerful temporary worker (under Catherine I): “... Prince Menshikov soon gained the upper hand. The splendor and voluptuousness of his court multiplied, the ancient pride of the nobles fell, seeing itself ruled by a husband, although worthy, but born of meanness - and its place was servility to this nobleman, who could do everything.”

In May 1727, Menshikov betrothed his daughter Maria to the grandson of Peter I, Peter II. However, due to illness, he was unable to resist the influence on the new Russian monarch Princes Golitsyn and Dolgoruky. Soon after receiving the highest military rank, on September 8, 1727, Generalissimo Menshikov was accused of treason and embezzlement of the treasury. This was a complete collapse of the ambitious plans of the all-powerful temporary worker of two Russian rulers - Peter I and Catherine I.

Menshikov was first subjected to royal disgrace and then arrested. All his enormous property was confiscated in favor of the state treasury. And he himself and his family were exiled to the distant Siberian prison of Berezov, where he soon died. The surviving children of Prince Menshikov - son Alexander and daughter Alexandra - were allowed by Empress Anna Ioannovna (Ivanovna) to return from exile.

Alexey Shishov. 100 great military leaders

Count (1702), Prince (1705) Alexander Danilovich Menshikov (November 6 (16), 1673, Moscow - November 12 (23), 1729, Berezov, Siberian province) - Russian statesman and military leader, closest associate and favorite of Peter I, general Field Marshal (1709), first St. Petersburg Governor-General (1703-1724 and 1725-1727), President of the Military Collegium (1719-1724 and 1726-1727). The only Russian nobleman who received the title of duke from the Russian monarch (“Duke of Izhora”, 1707).

The boy was distinguished by witty antics and jokes, which was the custom of Russian peddlers, by this he lured buyers to him. He happened to pass by the palace of the famous and powerful Lefort at that time; Seeing the funny boy, Lefort called him into his room and asked: “What will you take for your whole box of pies?” “If you please, buy the pies, but I don’t dare sell the boxes without the owner’s permission,” answered Alexander - that was the name of the street boy. “Do you want to serve me?” - Lefort asked him. “I’m very glad,” he answered, “I just need to move away from the owner.” Lefort bought all the pies from him and said: “When you leave the pie maker, come to me immediately.” The pie maker reluctantly let the boy go and did this only because an important gentleman took him into his servant. Menshikov came to Lefort and put on his livery.

N.I. Kostomarov. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. Second section: The dominance of the House of Romanov before the accession of Catherine II to the throne. Issue six: XVIII century

...Menshikov came from Belarusian nobles. He was looking for his family estate near Orsha. He was never a footman and never sold hearth pies. This is a joke of the boyars, accepted by historians as truth.
- Pushkin A.S.: History of Peter. Preparatory texts. Years 1701 and 1702

Elevation
Alexander, at the age of 14, was accepted by Peter as his orderly, and managed to quickly gain not only the trust, but also the friendship of the Tsar, and become his confidant in all his undertakings and hobbies. He helped him create “amusing troops” in the village of Preobrazhenskoye (since 1693 he was listed as a bombardier of the Preobrazhensky regiment, where Peter was captain of the bombardment company; after participating in the massacre of the archers, he received the rank of sergeant, and from 1700 - lieutenant of the bombardment company). In 1699 he received the title of ship's apprentice.
Menshikov was constantly with the tsar, accompanying him on trips around Russia and on the Azov campaigns)