Mikhail Kutuzov
Mikhail Kutuzov Smolensky | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Roman Volkov | |
| Native name | Михаил Илларионович Голенищев-Кутузов |
| Nickname | The Fox of the North |
| Born | 16 September 1745 |
| Died | 28 April 1813 (aged 67) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Russian Empire |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Army |
| Service years | 1759–1813 |
| Rank | Field marshal |
| Commands | Commander in Chief of Austro-Russian force in the Third Coalition, Commander in Chief of Imperial Russian Army in Patriotic war of 1812 |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Russian: Duke of Smolensk; 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th classes Order of St. George; 1st class Order of St. Anna; 1st & 2nd classes Order of St. Vladimir; Order of St. Alexander Nevsky; Order of St. John of Jerusalem; Order of St. Andrew; Golden Weapon for Bravery. Foreign: Military Order of Maria Theresa; Order of the Black Eagle; Order of the Red Eagle. |
| Signature | |
Selected battles 1791 1805 1811 1812 | |
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (Russian: Михаил Илларионович Голенищев-Кутузов-Смоленский; 16 September [O.S. 5 September] 1745 – 28 April [O.S. 16 April] 1813) was a field marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul I and Alexander I. Kutuzov was shot in the head twice while fighting the Turks (1774 and 1788) and survived the serious injuries seemingly against all odds. He defeated Napoleon as commander-in-chief using attrition warfare in the Patriotic War of 1812. For the Battle of Krasnoi against Napoleon, Kutuzov (or more correctly Golenishchev-Kutuzov) received the victory title of Smolensky to add to his surname; the word Smolensky literally means "of Smolensk". Alexander I, the incumbent Tsar during Napoleon's invasion, would write that he would be remembered amongst Europe's most famous commanders and that Russia would never forget his worthiness.