Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov
Encyclopedia
Prince Aleksandr Sergeyevich Menschikov was a Finnish-Russian nobleman, military commander and statesman. He was made adjutant general
in 1817 and admiral in 1833.
A great-grandson of Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
, Duke of Ingria, and a cognatic
descendant of the Princely House of Galitzine
(another of his great-grandfathers was Prince Michael Golitsyn, the military governor of Åbo
during the Russian occupation in the Great Northern War
). Aleksandr entered the Russia
n service as attaché to the embassy at Vienna
in 1809. He became close with Tsar Alexander I
and accompanied him throughout his campaigns against Napoleon. In 1817, Menshikov was appointed acting Quartermaster general
of the General Staff
. In 1823, he was transferred to the ministry of foreign affairs. Menshikov retired from army service in 1824.
He was appointed head of the Naval Headquarters
and cabinet minister by Tsar Nicholas I
. He distinguished himself at the Siege of Varna
and in 1830 became a member of the State Council
. In 1831, Menshikov held the post of Governor-General of Finland
. He mainly devoted himself to naval matters. His bad influence on the development of the Russian Navy stalled its technical progress and combat training.
In 1853, Menshikov was sent on a special mission to Constantinople
, and when the Crimean War
broke out he was appointed commander-in-chief
on land and sea. He commanded the Russian army
at Alma
and Inkerman
and showed incompetence and lack of military talent. On February 15, 1855, Menshikov was removed from command, and replaced by Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov
. Between December 1855 and April 1856, he held the post of Governor General of Kronstadt
and then retired. He died in St. Petersburg.
He was created Prince (Fuerst) in the Finnish nobility
, being the only person of the rank of prince to be registered in the Finnish House of Nobility.
The first Finnish steamship Furst Menschikoff
was named after him.
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
in 1817 and admiral in 1833.
A great-grandson of Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov was a Russian statesman, whose official titles included Generalissimus, Prince of the Russian Empire and Duke of Izhora , Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Cosel. A highly appreciated associate and friend of Tsar Peter the Great, he was the de facto ruler of...
, Duke of Ingria, and a cognatic
Cognatic
Cognatic kinship is a mode of descent calculated from an ancestor or ancestress counted through any combination of male and female links, or a system of bilateral kinship where relations are traced through both a father and mother....
descendant of the Princely House of Galitzine
Galitzine
For Orthodox clergyman and theologian, see Alexander Golitzin.The Galitzines are one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. Since the extinction of the Korecki family in the 17th century, the Golitsyns have claimed dynastic seniority in the House of Gediminas...
(another of his great-grandfathers was Prince Michael Golitsyn, the military governor of Åbo
Abo
Abo may refer to:* ABO blood group system, a human blood type and blood group system** ABO , enzyme encoded by the ABO gene that determines the ABO blood group of an individual* Abo of Tiflis , an Arab East Orthodox Catholic saint...
during the Russian occupation in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
). Aleksandr entered the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n service as attaché to the embassy at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1809. He became close with Tsar Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
and accompanied him throughout his campaigns against Napoleon. In 1817, Menshikov was appointed acting Quartermaster general
Quartermaster general
A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
of the General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
. In 1823, he was transferred to the ministry of foreign affairs. Menshikov retired from army service in 1824.
He was appointed head of the Naval Headquarters
Russian Admiralty
Admiralty Board was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established by Peter the Great on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in the Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg....
and cabinet minister by Tsar Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. He distinguished himself at the Siege of Varna
Siege of Varna
Siege of Varna was a war episode during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829.Varna was held by the Ottoman army...
and in 1830 became a member of the State Council
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
. In 1831, Menshikov held the post of Governor-General of Finland
Governor-General of Finland
Governor-General of Finland ; was the military commander and the highest administrator of Finland sporadically under Swedish rule in the 17th and 18th centuries and continuously in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland between 1808 and 1917.-Swedish rule:...
. He mainly devoted himself to naval matters. His bad influence on the development of the Russian Navy stalled its technical progress and combat training.
In 1853, Menshikov was sent on a special mission to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and when the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
broke out he was appointed commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
on land and sea. He commanded the Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
at Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
and Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
and showed incompetence and lack of military talent. On February 15, 1855, Menshikov was removed from command, and replaced by Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov
Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov
Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov was a Russian General of the Artillery from the Gorchakov family, who commanded the Russian forces in the latter stages of the Crimean War and later served as a Namestnik of Kingdom of Poland from 1856 until his death....
. Between December 1855 and April 1856, he held the post of Governor General of Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
and then retired. He died in St. Petersburg.
He was created Prince (Fuerst) in the Finnish nobility
Finnish nobility
The Finnish nobility was historically a privileged class in Finland, deriving from its period as part of Sweden and the Russian Empire. Noble families and their descendants are still a part of Finnish republican society today, but except for the titles themselves, no longer retain any specific or...
, being the only person of the rank of prince to be registered in the Finnish House of Nobility.
The first Finnish steamship Furst Menschikoff
Furst Menschikoff
Several Finnish ships have been named Furst Menschikoff after Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, Governor-General of Finland.* Furst Menschikoff was the first sea-going passenger steam ship in Finland. She sailed on a route between Saint Petersburg, Tallinn , Helsinki , Turku, and Stockholm. sharing...
was named after him.