Russian history of discoveries is full of its names. A huge number of researchers were from the territory of the Russian Empire, and therefore they carried out their campaigns on its territory. One of these pioneers was the polar explorer Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich. A brief biography of what he discovered and other interesting information will be presented to your attention in the article.
Childhood
Baron Ferdinand, according to the notes of his cousin, found in 1884, was born on December 29, 1796 in the city of Pskov. His father was Pyotr Berendtovich in his Russian name, and in German - Peter Ludwig Wrangel, and his mother - Dorothea-Margarita-Barbara von Freiman. But these are not all the famous names in his pedigree. Since Fedor himself came from a family of B altic Germans, there must be a logical explanation for this. His grandfather was a chamberlain at the court of Peter III. But as soon as Catherine II ascended the throne, he had to flee.
A very unusual story is connected with the birth of Fyodor Petrovich, inwhich is still not very easy to believe. On the night of December 29, 1796, he himself is born. But instead of letting him continue his life in his own cradle, he is placed in the one that was intended for a completely different child of Baron Vasily.
On January 6, 1797, this most long-awaited member of the family is born, and, instead of shifting Fyodor to another cradle, Vasily is laid with him. So these two boys have been living together almost from their very first breath.
Several years pass and Ferdinand's parents die. The exact cause of their death is unknown, but many attribute it to accidents rather than old age or illness. Since then, young Fyodor has been living in his uncle's estate, again with Vasily.
Study
As evidenced by a brief biography of Ferdinand Wrangel, in 1807 he was assigned to the Naval Cadet Corps. This is one of the oldest (despite a break in activity in 1917) military educational institutions. As a rule, junior students were called cadets, and senior students were called midshipmen. True, this title still had to be earned, since the requirements for students were serious.
A little time passes, Fedor tries his best, and on June 8, 1812, just in the year of the Patriotic War, he is awarded the rank of midshipman. Why was it so valuable? This is a non-commissioned officer rank in the Russian Navy, which existed from 1716 to 1917. As a rule, it was worn especiallydistinguished students of academies, or in the periods from 1716 to 1752 and from 1860 to 1882, it was of a combat character.
After almost two years, on April 6, 1814, Fedor receives the long-awaited rank of non-commissioned officer. It's not the highest rank you can get while serving in the Navy, but it was enough to be a junior officer in the Armed Forces.
In 1816-1817, Wrangel sailed in the Gulf of Finland aboard the frigate "Avtroil" as part of the 19th naval crew. More precisely, he served in the city of Revel, currently called Tallinn.
First expeditions
1817-1819 remained in Fedor's memory as the time spent on a round-the-world trip on the sloop "Kamchatka" with Vasily Golovnin. In addition to Ferdinand, such geographers as Fyodor Litke and Fyodor Matyushkin also received good practice. And in confirmation that the sailors really went on a trip around the world, 43 drawings made by the artist Mikhail Tikhanov are most often provided.
Thanks to this expedition, Ferdinand was able to receive the Order of Anna, 4th degree. Fyodor was now able to wear a special cross on the hilt of his edged weapons and a lanyard from the Order ribbon (popularly nicknamed "Cranberry"), and also received up to 50 rubles of pension annually.
In the winter of 1819-1820, Fedor was engaged in astronomical, physical and mineralogical sciences in the city of Dorpat. One of the most densely populated at the moment (after Tallinn), now it is calledTartu. The researcher also listened to lectures by teachers V. Ya. Struve (one of the founders of astronomy) and Moritz von Engelhardt. All this knowledge ended up being useful to him in the future.
First own expedition
It's time to talk about what Ferdinand Wrangel discovered. In 1820, Fedor was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, which gave him permission to personally lead a small fleet. Ferdinand did not miss this opportunity, so from 1820 to 1824 he explored the northeastern coast of Siberia.
Besides Ferdinand himself, there were midshipman Matyushkin, navigator Kozmin, Dr. Kiber, locksmith Ivannikov and sailor Nekhoroshkov on the ship. Despite the fact that the composition of the expedition was not too large in comparison with the one that Golovnin arranged, many discoveries were made that were important for the Russian geographical society.
During this expedition, records were made about the coast of Siberia from the Indigirka River to the Kolyuchinskaya Bay. This helped in the future many researchers working on land, and not from the sea. The Bear Islands have also been mapped.
As soon as Fedor returned to St. Petersburg, he was awarded a lifetime lieutenant's pension for his discovery. He was granted four years of service, the Order of St. George and the next rank.
The Meek conquers the world
On December 12, 1824, Ferdinand Wrangel received the rank of lieutenant commander thanks to discoveries made during his first own expedition. Then Fyodor Petrovich decidedfor the second, but already around the world trip, which he had the very first time.
In 1825-1827 the crew of the ship "Krotkiy", headed by Fyodor Petrovich Wrangel, made his journey around the world. As soon as the captain returned from it, he received the Order of St. Anne of the second degree, as well as the captain-lieutenant salary.
But the explorer's rewards didn't stop there. On October thirteenth, 1827, he becomes a captain of the second rank, and on December twenty-ninth of the same year, luck smiles at him and he is elected a corresponding member of the IAN.
Russian America
According to the biography, Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel in 1828-1829 managed the ship "Elisaveta", which later became part of the B altic Fleet. He belonged to the rank of 44-guns, despite the fact that 63 guns were noticed during the re-calculation. On the same ship, on March 12, Ferdinand received the rank of captain of the first rank.
Until 1835, Fedor Petrovich was the chief manager of Russian America (Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and the like), having arrived there in 1830. During his stay in Alaska, he explored the entire western North American coast, from the Bering Strait all the way to California. Also under his leadership, an observatory was created, now called Sitka.
Third trip around the world
The third round-the-world trip of Ferdinand happened, oddly enough, through Mexico in 1836, when he was on behalf of the Russian-American company. In the same year, on June 8, he was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral. This title is the first in the fleets of many countries of the world.
In addition to the new title, Fyodor Petrovich was appointed manager of the department of ship scaffolding on August 5th. A year later, on November 29, he received the Order of St. George of the fourth degree, and a year later, the Order of St. Stanislaus of the second degree began to decorate his chest.
From 1837 Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich was a full member of the London Royal Geographical Society, founded in 1830 to support geographical science under the auspices of William IV.
Russian activity
From 1840, Fyodor Petrovich Wrangel was the director of the Rak, localized in St. Petersburg. This is a semi-state colonial trading company that was founded by Grigory Shelikhov and Nikolai Rezanov in July 1799.
True, he did not stay in this post for too long. Seven years later, in 1847, Ferdinand was replaced by Vladimir Gavrilovich Politkovsky. But in 1845 the baron himself became a full member of the Russian Geographical Society.
Ferdinand did not have to sit idle for a long time, and during the years 1847-1849 he was director of the Department of Ship Scaffolding of the Naval Ministry. He was also elected Chairman of the General Geography Department.
Retirement
In 1849, Fedor Petrovich resigns from his posts as vice admiral. This title is the third highestin the entire system of ranks of the navy, second only to the admiral himself and the admiral of the fleet. At the moment, it is comparable to a lieutenant general in the ground forces.
True, even being retired, Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel works quite closely with the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, in 1855 he becomes a member with special honors. In general, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences is the generalized name of the highest scientific institution, adopted in the literature for the Russian Empire in 1724-1917.
In the same year, he became the founder of the Russian Geographical Society, one of the oldest in the world, second only to Paris, founded in 1821.
Crimean War
With the onset of the Crimean War, Ferdinand had to return from a well-deserved rest, and on September 8, 1854, he was appointed director of the Hydrographic Department, which has existed since the reign of Peter I and to this day. Then Baron Wrangel is replaced by Mikhail Frantsevich Reinecke, who, in turn, leaves this post only in 1859.
On February 23rd, 1855, he was appointed chairman of the Naval Scientific Committee, after some time, on April thirteenth, inspector of the corps of navigators of the fleet.
In 1855-1857, Baron Frangel Ferdinand was the minister of the sea, he held the position of manager in the ministry. At the moment it is called the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. In the same year he received the Order of St. Vladimir II.degree.
Admiral
On April 15, 1856, Baron Wrangel received the rank of admiral-adjutant for his services at the front. This rank is very honorable in a number of countries, if only because, in fact, it is the second in seniority. Previously, he was a military man, but from the 18th - early 20th centuries he was a retinue. That is, all the people who had it were in the personal retinue of the emperor (empress).
On the twenty-sixth of August of the same year, he became an admiral, thereby gaining a foothold at the very top of management in the navy. True, he did not have to command for a long time. On August 8, 1857, due to heart problems, he was dismissed from the post of Minister of Marine, left his post in the ministry.
Especially Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel, whose biography is full of interesting facts and events, did not grieve, because he still remained a member of the State Council - the highest legislative body of the Russian Empire in 1810-1906, as well as the upper house of the Parliament of the Russian Empire 1906-1917 years. On September 8, 1859, Ferdinand was awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
Second resignation attempt
1864 was remembered by Fyodor Petrovich for the fact that then he resigned. True, now no wars were expected on the horizon. He moved permanently to Estonia, to the estate of Roel. It was a one-story house built in the first half of the 18th century. At the end of the century, the building was being completed, which is why the right wing became a two-story one. The whole building is built in a characteristic stylebaroque.
The last six years of his life, Ferdinand Wrangel, whose brief biography is presented to your attention in the article, spent in seclusion, doing numerous meteorological observations. Most of them are described in his diary, which has survived to this day. This work, if it can be called that, served as a starting point for many researchers in the future.
Last years of life
Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel (you already know what he discovered) spoke very negatively about the sale of Alaska to the United States of America, despite the fact that it was equally beneficial to both states. In his opinion, it was an irreparable loss that could not be compensated for by any money offered by the United States.
Fyodor Petrovich Frangel died on May 26 (June 6, New Style), 1870, when Yuryev was passing by. It is a city located on the Emajõgi River. The exact cause of death is currently known - heart failure, presumably due to old age. At the time of his death, Ferdinand was seventy-three years old.
The researcher was buried in Estonia, at the Viru-Yagupi family plot. You also have the opportunity to see a photo of Wrangel Ferdinand in the article.
