Few of the heroes of Russian history have undergone such artistic deformation as Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov. Many people worked on it: artists, writers, filmmakers. Well, for example, Nikolai Eremenko succeeded in this - a wonderful actor in the image of a sinister heartthrob and the destroyer of an innocent darling Princess Tarakanova …
Meanwhile, the biography of Alexei Orlov in its pure form without art coloring deserves a thoughtful reading. First, it is interesting in itself. Secondly, this story fits very well into the concept of “Russian daring” in the format of the 18th century. The man was unique.
Family Genetics: Courage and Loy alty
With the history of the family, Alexei Grigorievich Orlov is all right. There was no science of genetics at that time, but the laws of heredity worked as expected: the famous Oryol courage was passed down from generation to generation without any decrease in quality.
One grandfather Ivan Ivanovich was worth something. Being a Moscow archery lieutenant colonel, activelyparticipated in the same riot of the same name, after which thousands of heads flew off his shoulders. The head of Ivan Orlov survived. Peter the Great himself pardoned him for his daring, when he pushed the sovereign away from the block before his execution: “Come on, move over, Pyotr Alekseevich, this is my place, not yours.”
Father Grigory Ivanovich Orlov also showed himself quite heroically in military service in both Turkish and Swedish campaigns. He had personal awards from the emperor, rose to the rank of major general and already carried out complex political assignments. For example, he de alt with corruption schemes in the Vyatka province in order to present the local governor for bribes before the court. As a result, Grigory Ivanovich was appointed governor of Novgorod with the rank of real state councilor. An excellent end to a career, one can only envy.
Five sons, Ivan, Grigory, Alexei, Fedor and Vladimir, were completely different both externally and in character. Their fates were also not similar. The most famous and deserved was the middle son Alexei. He was the leader of the five from the very beginning.
Do not confuse with Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky
During the research of historical sources about the count, a collision with the namesake of the hero, with whom he is often confused, was discovered. We are talking about Alexei Grigorievich Orlov - the son of Catherine II and her favorite Grigory Orlov. He was born before Catherine came to power, so he was immediately taken away to live with another family. The boy never bore the surname Orlov, he was named Count Bobrinsky. Nothing remarkablewas different. The son of Catherine had nothing to do with the deeds and exploits of Alexei Orlov. These are completely different people in every way.
If we talk about the illegitimate son of Alexei Orlov, then the information about the birth of Alexander Alekseevich Chesmensky is vague: they do not contain the name of the mother. But such a person was a real figure. The son of Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, by right from his father, bore the surname Chesmensky, rose to the rank of major general and behaved quite heroically in wars. And here Oryol genetics.
Adventurer and conspirator: killed or not killed?
This, of course, is about Peter the Third - the unlucky wife of Ekaterina Alekseevna. This story is well known and played out many times. Most often, in the biography of Count Alexei Orlov, the main point is precisely this episode (in vain, I must say). The Orlov brothers were part of the party of young military men from the Guards regiments that formed around the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Their goal was simple and clear: to give power to Catherine, and excommunicate the rightful heir from the throne once and for all. The main coordinator of the entire palace conspiracy was none other than the middle brother Alexei Orlov. Catherine gained power thanks to his courage and composure. The Empress became the eternal debtor of the Orlov family. It should be noted that this fact did not bring happiness to any of the brothers in the end.
It is one thing to place a Grand Duchess on the throne. It is quite another to deal with the rightful emperor. Aleksei Grigorievich was a member of a small initiative group dealing with this slippery and reputation-threatening issue. Abdication from the thronePeter III was pulled out. But in the case of the assassination of the emperor, there is a complete fog, stereotypes and historical clichés.
Enemies liked to call Alexei Grigorievich a regicide. They did this often and with pleasure: "he was a regicide at heart." The main argument for a long time was the famous note by Alexei Orlov to Catherine, in which he allegedly confessed to the murder of the emperor. Yes, but it was not a letter, but only a copy of it, which had been in the hands of Oryol's ill-wishers (there were many of them). Modern historians are inclined to the version of a fake document and to the fact that Alexei Grigorievich Orlov had only an indirect relation to the death of Peter the Third.
But what can be said with accuracy is the many services that no one else could do for Catherine. By the way, Alexei Orlov was never the imperial favorite.
Secret missions
Here is just one example of missions that few people know about. Three years before the Chesme epic, Count Orlov came to Moscow on the most secret order of the Empress. He had to investigate the numerous riots arising in different places in central Russia. The audience in the investigation was not easy - they were the Don Cossacks, who established ties with the Tatars who lived in the neighborhood. There were many unpleasant and even dangerous intentions in their joint plans - to raise, for example, an uprising in Ukraine.
The concentration of Tatars near the borders has become critical, the danger of a rebellion with secret support from Turkey has become threatening. Such situationcould lead to an armed clash with Turkey, which was highly undesirable in that political situation.
Aleksey Grigoryevich faced a most difficult task: to nullify the risk of war with the Turks, to put out the Tatar unrest, to understand the behavior of the Cossack hetman. He traveled to different places, collected information, drew conclusions, met with the right people and eventually eliminated the political crisis.
Russian-Turkish war by Alexei Orlov: ideology
Not many people know about these details. And they characterize Alexei Grigorievich as an international strategist much more fully and reliably than the international collision with Princess Tarakanova.
It is possible that it was Count Alexei Orlov who initiated the practice of a noble mission as an argument for starting hostilities. It will never be possible to know whether he was sincere in his new "Greek" ideology. Or a beautiful case with the restoration of ancient culture (at the same time Egyptian) was specially invented to cover up a simple and clear imperial goal - Russia's access to the Black Sea. One thing is clear: Alexei Grigorievich wrote a bright and non-standard page in Russian military history. That's how it was.
The backstory and multifaceted political intrigues on the international stage have been long. The war began in 1768, when Russia invaded the Sublime Porte. But here only the "Oryol" episode of the war, which took place in the Mediterranean Sea in Italy, is of interest.
The restoration of Greece and the liberation of Egypt from the Muslim Turkish yoke is the main idea of the planmilitary operation as part of the count's first expedition to the Mediterranean. For Turkey, the appearance of the Russian fleet from this side was highly unexpected. The key argument was the mood of the Greeks and Turkish Slavs, who were very unhappy with Ottoman rule. Sending a military squadron, whose actions would be supported by local uprisings of the Greeks and other disaffected - that was what had to be done immediately, given the situation. To implement the plan, Orlov himself proposed, with which Catherine immediately agreed. The mission included more than just command of the fleet. The task was much more difficult: to raise the Christian Balkans against the Turkish dictate and pull their forces away from the Black Sea coast.
Chesma victory and Oryol genetics
It is useful to recall that July 7th is the Day of Military Glory of Russia in honor of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish one in the Battle of Chesme. In most sources, this naval battle is described as a heroic brilliant victory for Russian weapons: four ships and fire ships attacked the Turkish fleet at night and set it on fire. The Turks burned almost entirely, and the Russian squadron remained intact, preventing the infidels from putting out fires and escaping.
It didn't really happen that way, and that's the most interesting thing. The plan and campaign, as well as the battle itself, were, of course, a gamble of the purest water. The first squadron (and there were two of them) barely made it from Arkhangelsk to Gibr altar, with breakdowns and the loss of several ships. The sailors were mowed down by illness, now almost half of the crew consisted of Danes hired inCopenhagen. As a result, only one "Saint Eustathius" with a broken mast reached the destination first. Six more ships gradually pulled up: the squadron was again formed. The Turks could have killed her in two counts. But then they did not understand that this shabby encampment was the Russian navy. Lucky so lucky. And the Russian "camps", having waited for the second squadron, cheerfully carried out a landing operation and occupied several coastal towns with the help of the rebel Greeks. Hopes for Greek patriotism did not come true, but Alexei Orlov knew how to draw conclusions and, more importantly, quickly reorganize. The main event was the naval battle.
There is an opinion that Count Orlov's Chesme victory was a pure accident due to a catastrophic chain of fires on Turkish ships. It is quite possible that this was the case. But who brought both squadrons to difficult and distant lands, did not abandon the implementation of the original plan, was not afraid to engage in battle with the Turkish armada, twice the power of the Russian fleet?
Courage, prowess, perseverance, impudence - a long list of Oryol family qualities that helped under Chesma. This is how lucky: just as Pyotr Alekseevich pardoned his grandfather for daring on the chopping block, so a formidable enemy burned down in front of his grandson. After all, in the event of a defeat, Orlov had nowhere to go - neither to repair, nor to hide. Then he put his life on the line. Yes, and his own fleet.
The political benefit came out huge. The Turks became extremely cautious, Europe subdued, and Russia gained access to the Black Sea. With a personal career as a countOrlova was also in order: in addition to the usual privileges and awards, Alexei Grigorievich received a solid addition to his glorious family name. He became Orlov-Chesmensky.
Stocking up on handkerchiefs: about Princess Tarakanova
During the life of Alexei Grigorievich, the film "Royal Hunt" has not yet been seen. But still, Princess Tarakanova was not forgiven.
The famous painting by Flavitsky, which depicts a poor beauty with a rat on her bed during the flood in the Peter and Paul Fortress, was painted almost a hundred years after the real events. But she added a substantial portion of the fixative to the mixture of contempt and hatred for Orlov as the executor of the imperial commission. After 80 years, a sensational sentimental drama came out with the charming Anna Samokhina in the role of an unfortunate weak girl, deceived by the count in the meanest way. The final image of "the greatest bastard on earth" was formed.
Stop the claims to the throne from the new international adventurer - this is what Catherine's private and extremely delicate assignment looked like. It all happened four years after the Battle of Chesme. Alexei Grigorievich has long been in full regalia and has acquired personal authority.
Considerations of morality and national security
The fact is that by the time the next impostor and contender for the Russian throne appeared in Italy, Catherine had already received a dose of the strongest allergens in the form of the same “children of Lieutenant Schmidt”, the main one of which was Emelyan Pugachev. Therefore, Orlov was instructed to act harshly and decisively: to approach the ItalianRagusa as part of a squadron and, if necessary, force her to hand over the adventurer, threatening to shell the city from the sea.
But Alexei Orlov solved the problem differently, making life difficult for himself to the very end. He offered Tarakanova a hand, a heart, and, most importantly, support in conquering the throne. So he lured the princess to Russian territory - the deck of the ship. She was arrested and placed in a dungeon, where she died of childbed fever. By the way, Princess Tarakanova was never an innocent sheep, but she posed a danger to the integrity of the state as a result of a conspiracy with some foreign powers that be.
You can have different attitudes to the chosen method of solving the problem. You can argue from a moral point of view, but you can - for reasons of national security. In any case, Count Orlov completed the assignment quickly and bloodlessly, in the most efficient way from the state point of view.
Orlov trotters
The next year, Alexei Grigorievich resigned and went to his native Moscow. By that time, the elder brother Grigory was no longer among the favorites of the Empress, and the Orlov clan lost its influence.
Alexey Orlov, like any outstanding personality, never got bored: he always had a lot to do. But the main task was a very ambitious one. He decided to breed a Russian breed of racing horses. He fulfilled this task brilliantly: the famous Oryol trotters appeared at the Moscow stud farm, the favorite brainchild of Alexei Grigorievich.
Orlovsky trotter is an integrated breed. It was a difficult cross. English, Danish, Arabic and German breeds were selected so that the Oryol trotter has special and unique qualities. These are light-draft sport or pleasure horses with excellent running trotting abilities that are inherited.
Holiday Man
Of course, the count's personality was uncommon and difficult. But by no means contradictory, as is often written in numerous versions of Alexei Orlov's biography.
Insane courage, audacity and extravagance - everything is clear here. Freedom from stereotypes and notorious public opinion, intelligence, natural kindness and amazing insight.
He was loved, followed. And he loved people. Often, small details and facts say more about a person than lengthy personal characteristics. Here is one of these: Alexei Grigorievich always ordered to serve a roll of wine to all coachmen waiting for their hosts to visit in the cold.
After the Battle of Chesme, he lived another 33 years. He refused service. He was engaged in horses, fisticuffs, gypsy choirs and many other things. This man never got bored.
At his funeral, many really cried, he was a holiday person for them. And for Russia, a hero and a statesman with a will, a sober head and the ability to bring things to an end. He did not know the obstacles in achieving goals. He is a unique person.
