Pyotr Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt was one of the leaders of the Sevastopol Uprising during the Russian Revolution of 1905
.
into the family of a naval officer. His father Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt (Senior) participated in the defense of Sebastopol
during the Siege of Sevastopol (1854). His mother Yekaterina Yakovlevna Schmidt (born von Wagner) was of German descent. Schmidt spent his youth years in Berdyansk, where his father was appointed as a mayor. In 1883 Pyotr Schmidt Jr. entered the Naval Officers' Corps in Saint Petersburg
and after its graduation he enrolled into the Imperial Russian Navy
. He gave his resignation in 1888 and married Dominika Gavrilovna Pavlova. After the birth of his son Yevgeniy in 1889, the family moved to Taganrog
, where Alexander Nentzel, manager of the Azov-Don Commercial Bank offered him a bookkeeper's post. In 1893, Schmidt left Taganrog and enrolled again the Imperial Russian Navy
.
The uprising in the Black Sea Fleet
was part of the Russian Revolution of 1905
. Pyotr Schmidt was a Lieutenant Commander
of the destroyer
Number 253 in the Imperial Russian Navy
. On October 1, 1905, he made a speech during the meeting in Sebastopol
, urging the citizens to stand up for their rights and demanding the authorities to free political prisoners. Participants of the meeting headed towards the city prison, where they were met with machine gun fire. The following days, Pyotr Schmidt addressed a speech at the special session of the Sevastopol City Council and at the cemetery during the funeral ceremony, where he was arrested. He was convoyed to the battleship Tri Svyatitelya
, which provoked protests and the authorities were forced to release the lieutenant commander. On November 7, 1905 Pyotr Schmidt was sent into retirement in the rank of the captain (капитан 2 ранга). The uprising continued and with the cruiser Ochakov in its center. On November 26, 1905 a mutiny started on board of the cruiser, and all of its officers were chased away from the ship. Lieutenant Schmidt, though not being a member of RSDRP, was invited to take the command of the rebel ships, including the mine-layer Griden, gunboat Usuriets, destroyers Zavetniy, Zorkiy, Svirepiy, 265, 268, 270, training ship Dnestr and mine carrier Bug. The same day, the Soviets of Sailors' and Soldiers' Deputies decided to start a Black Sea Fleet-wide mutiny and appoint the naval officer Pyotr Schmidt as commander of the Fleet. On November 28, Pyotr Schmidt arrived on board of the cruiser Ochakov that raised the red flag and the signal Commanding the Fleet. The rebellion squadron was also joined by the battleship Panteleimon
. The revolutionary forces made up some 8,200 vs. 10,000 government forces. Schmidt sent a telegram to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia
:
Commander of the Imperial Russian forces, general Meller-Zakomelskiy gave the ultimatum demanding immediate capitulation, but there was no reply. Three hours after the ultimatum, the government forces opened fire at rebel ships and barracks. In 90 minutes, the revolutionary squadron was defeated by the government ships led by battleship Rostislav. Pyotr Schmidt and his 16-year-old son were captured, and all who stayed alive were arrested. Next day, the government forces supported by artillery took the rebellion barracks.
. Pyotr Schmidt and other leaders of the uprising were sentenced to death. He was executed on March 19, 1906 at Berezan Island
by the crew of the gunboat Terets. In 1922, Mikhail Stavraki, commander of the gunboat's firing squad was accidentally discovered in Batumi
, in possession of five fake passports in different names and old bank notes, by Cheka
agents. The trial on Mikhail Stavraki, who was Schmidt's classmate at the Naval Corps in St Petersburg, was held on April 1, 1923 in Sebastopol, while most of the witnesses and participants of the events were still alive. On April 3, 1923 the Military Board of the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced Stavraki to death by the firing squad.
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
.
Early years
Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt was born in 1867 in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
into the family of a naval officer. His father Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt (Senior) participated in the defense of Sebastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
during the Siege of Sevastopol (1854). His mother Yekaterina Yakovlevna Schmidt (born von Wagner) was of German descent. Schmidt spent his youth years in Berdyansk, where his father was appointed as a mayor. In 1883 Pyotr Schmidt Jr. entered the Naval Officers' Corps in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and after its graduation he enrolled into the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
. He gave his resignation in 1888 and married Dominika Gavrilovna Pavlova. After the birth of his son Yevgeniy in 1889, the family moved to Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
, where Alexander Nentzel, manager of the Azov-Don Commercial Bank offered him a bookkeeper's post. In 1893, Schmidt left Taganrog and enrolled again the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
.
Uprising in the Black Sea Fleet
The uprising in the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
was part of the Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
. Pyotr Schmidt was a Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Number 253 in the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
. On October 1, 1905, he made a speech during the meeting in Sebastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, urging the citizens to stand up for their rights and demanding the authorities to free political prisoners. Participants of the meeting headed towards the city prison, where they were met with machine gun fire. The following days, Pyotr Schmidt addressed a speech at the special session of the Sevastopol City Council and at the cemetery during the funeral ceremony, where he was arrested. He was convoyed to the battleship Tri Svyatitelya
Tri Sviatitelia (1893)
Tri Sviatitelia was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy during the 1890s. She served with the Black Sea Fleet and was flagship of the forces pursuing the mutinous battleship in June 1905...
, which provoked protests and the authorities were forced to release the lieutenant commander. On November 7, 1905 Pyotr Schmidt was sent into retirement in the rank of the captain (капитан 2 ранга). The uprising continued and with the cruiser Ochakov in its center. On November 26, 1905 a mutiny started on board of the cruiser, and all of its officers were chased away from the ship. Lieutenant Schmidt, though not being a member of RSDRP, was invited to take the command of the rebel ships, including the mine-layer Griden, gunboat Usuriets, destroyers Zavetniy, Zorkiy, Svirepiy, 265, 268, 270, training ship Dnestr and mine carrier Bug. The same day, the Soviets of Sailors' and Soldiers' Deputies decided to start a Black Sea Fleet-wide mutiny and appoint the naval officer Pyotr Schmidt as commander of the Fleet. On November 28, Pyotr Schmidt arrived on board of the cruiser Ochakov that raised the red flag and the signal Commanding the Fleet. The rebellion squadron was also joined by the battleship Panteleimon
Russian battleship Potemkin
The Potemkin was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. The ship was made famous by the Battleship Potemkin uprising, a rebellion of the crew against their oppressive officers in June 1905...
. The revolutionary forces made up some 8,200 vs. 10,000 government forces. Schmidt sent a telegram to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
:
The glorious Black Sea Fleet, sacredly devoted to the people, demands Your Majesty to immediately call a meeting of the Constituent Assembly (Учредительное собрание), and no longer obeys orders of Your ministers. Commander of the Fleet P. Schmidt.
Commander of the Imperial Russian forces, general Meller-Zakomelskiy gave the ultimatum demanding immediate capitulation, but there was no reply. Three hours after the ultimatum, the government forces opened fire at rebel ships and barracks. In 90 minutes, the revolutionary squadron was defeated by the government ships led by battleship Rostislav. Pyotr Schmidt and his 16-year-old son were captured, and all who stayed alive were arrested. Next day, the government forces supported by artillery took the rebellion barracks.
Aftermath
The closed hearing was held in February 1906 in a small fortress in the island of Tendra near SebastopolSevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. Pyotr Schmidt and other leaders of the uprising were sentenced to death. He was executed on March 19, 1906 at Berezan Island
Berezan Island
Berezan is an island in the Black Sea at the entrance of the Dnieper-Bug estuary, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. The island measures approximately 900 metres in length by 320 metres in width...
by the crew of the gunboat Terets. In 1922, Mikhail Stavraki, commander of the gunboat's firing squad was accidentally discovered in Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, in possession of five fake passports in different names and old bank notes, by Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
agents. The trial on Mikhail Stavraki, who was Schmidt's classmate at the Naval Corps in St Petersburg, was held on April 1, 1923 in Sebastopol, while most of the witnesses and participants of the events were still alive. On April 3, 1923 the Military Board of the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced Stavraki to death by the firing squad.
Places named after Pyotr Schmidt
- Blagoveshchensky Bridge, a major bridge across the Neva RiverNeva RiverThe Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...
in Saint PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, RussiaRussiaRussia 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...
was called Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge in memory of Pyotr Schmidt in 1918 – 2007. - In 1924, a fisherman discovered the spot where Schmidt and other revolutionaries were shot dead. The remains were buried in SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, and in 1960s a 50-meter-high stela was placed on the island of Berezan. - After the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil WarThe Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, a street in virtually every Soviet city was named after Lieutenant Schmidt. - On December 31, 1922 the old (1899) torpedo boatTorpedo boatA torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
Svirepy of the Sokol class was renamed Lieutenant Schmidt. It was decommissioned in 1927.