"Bald dandy, enemy of labor" - in the words of the caustic poet, in our time, Alexander I would be called a hipster. Admire his ceremonial portrait by Stepan Shchukin: elegant tanks, a neat little "mohawk" covering an early bald spot … At first, nothing betrayed him either the winner of Napoleon or the notorious Tobolsk elder Fyodor Kuzmich.
Alexander I
At the court of his father, Paul I, the future emperor behaved dreamily and defiantly, paying tribute at the same time to the two most fashionable trends among the "golden youth" of that time - political liberalism and aesthetic sentimentalism. So, for example, he loved to say in a narrow circle that, having come to power (the Tsarevich prudently did not specify in what way he would do this), he would grant the people the Constitution and abdicate the throne in order to spend the rest of his life in some lovely house on a picturesque the banks of the Rhine.
Oddly enough, he kept both promises, albeit with major reservations. The Constitution was indeed granted to them, but not to Russia, but to Poland, annexed to it in 1815. As for the second, that is, leaving “into the world”, we, following Prince Vladimir Baryatinsky and Daniil Andreev, are inclined to at least take seriously the famous (however, let's be fair, not completely convincing) “legend”, according to which Alexander the Blessed did not die in 1825 in Taganrog, but set off, "tormented by spiritual thirst," on a long journey. True, not to the west, as planned in his youth, but to the east, to Siberia.
However, this will happen later, but for now, wiping away a melancholy tear about the news of the just committed regicide reported to him by Count Palen in the middle of the night on March 12 (24), 1801, feeling timid and a little broken, young Alexander went to the waiting troops, announced that “Father died of an apoplectic stroke,”and added meaningfully that everything with him would be like with his grandmother. On the same day, these words were repeated (possibly thought out and prepared in advance) and acquired official status in the Accession Manifesto:
“We, perceiving the hereditarily Imperial All-Russian Throne, will accept the responsibility and responsibility to govern God. with the intentions of marching, we will achieve to raise Russia to the top of glory and deliver inviolable bliss to all our loyal subjects …"
Of course, the duty of awarding medals was also perceived “hereditarily” and “bought” - an industry that flourished under the “august grandmother” and was almost out of favor during the reign of the “priest”.
Coronation Service Medal
In the summer of the same year, specially for the Moscow coronation celebrations, which took place later, in September, the first medal in a long line of awards of the Alexander era was made "For service during the coronation" (master - Karl Leberecht). Let's not be distracted by its description. The reason for its presentation is clear from the title.
Coronation Service Medal
This was followed by several more interesting, albeit less expressive medals, which, however, would not be enough just to list - their history was not limited to either the coronation or even the reign of Alexander.
This is, for example, the medal "For what is useful." Silver or gold, with the profile of the emperor on the obverse that changed over time and the invariable inscription on the reverse, it was issued to merchants and townspeople for various services to the government, as well as for large donations to charity. It was supposed to be worn on ribbons of the Anninsky, Vladimirsky or Alexander orders, depending on the value of the merits.
This medal was a variant of another, more varied composition of those awarded with the medal "For Diligent Service". It could be owned by the khan of the Kirghiz-Kaisak Horde "for his zeal for the throne, for moving to the local side of the Urals with thirty thousand wagons", and a simple carpenter of the Tsarskoye Selo palace government "for excellent service and special skill in work", and a German colonist Koehler "for his work as a teacher for 24 years."
Medal "For Zeal"
No less curious is the medal "For diligence", instituted simultaneously with the medal "For what is useful." Here is an example of rewarding it. In 1809, this medal was awarded to the Yakut merchant Gorokhov "for the head of an unknown animal found on the shores of the Arctic Ocean." Useful thing!
Medal "For Zeal"
Back in 1799, expressing a desire to "sacrifice a pleasant life to the benefits of a kind fatherland", the Russian chemist and mineralogist Apollos Musin-Pushkin went to the Transcaucasia (he was not just Apollos, but Apollos Apollosovich - his father, president of the Berg Collegium that led the Russian mining industry, called Apollos Epaphroditovich). In addition to the scientific Musin-Pushkin, he also carried out a diplomatic mission in Tiflis, the result of which was the annexation of Georgia to Russia in 1801.
For the members of the expedition, in 1802, it was ordered to make several copies of a special medal for wearing on the red ribbon of the Order of Alexander with the inscription on the reverse side: “Compensation for the diligence shown during the expedition of secret adviser Musin-Pushkin to mine ore in the ranges of the Caucasian and Ararat mountains.
The history of the transition of Georgia (more precisely, the Kartli-Kakhetian kingdom) under the patronage of Russia, and then of its entry into it, is long and dramatic. Peter I, to put it mildly, greatly let down the Georgian king Vakhtang VI in his time, suddenly interrupting his Persian campaign, which was widely advertised among Transcaucasian Christians. As a result, Vakhtang lost the throne and was forced to take refuge in Russia, where he soon died.
Many followed the king to the north from the banks of the Aragva and Kura. So, for example, the bastard son of one of the Kartli kings, the grandfather of our famous Bagration, Alexander and his son Ivan, ended up in Russia.
In the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 in Transcaucasia, the Russian corps of Count Gottlob Totleben, a very remarkable personality, acted not without success. "A dashing Saxon in the Russian service" distinguished himself for his courage at Kunersdorf, took Berlin in 1760 (or rather, intercepted the glory of the occupation of the Prussian capital from under the noses of the less resourceful Zakhar Chernyshev and Moritz Lassi), the next year he was accused of Prussian treason and sentenced to death penalty, then pardoned by Catherine, served in the Caucasus as a private and was soon reinstated in rank.
The name of this adventurer, typical of the 18th century, was already overgrown with numerous legends during his lifetime. One of them in his "History of the Pugachev revolt" was later recorded by Pushkin. According to her, Totleben, while still in Germany, accidentally drew attention to the external similarity of one Cossack with the heir to the Russian throne, the future short-term Tsar Peter III, thereby confusing the gullible Cossack soul.
The Georgian tsar Irakli II, despite his personal enmity with Totleben, which almost ended very badly for him, stubbornly sought ways to hide under the protection of a powerful Christian state. He agreed to a vassal relationship, as before from Iran. But his, in the words of the diplomat (and conspirator, acting in favor of Pavel) Count Nikita Panin, "strange and improperly made" proposals at first met with a cold welcome in St. Petersburg.
However, a decade later, it was they who formed the basis of the Georgievsky treatise, to which we owe the beginning of the construction of the Georgian Military Highway and the foundation of Vladikavkaz. Taking this opportunity, we will decipher the name of the fortress in full: "Master the Caucasus." It was invented, of course, by the poet - General Count Pavel Potemkin.
The count was indeed a good rhymer and a participant in the Suvorov assault on Ishmael, to whom he later dedicated a poetic composition - the drama "Zelmira and Smelon" in three acts. Although much more famous at that time was the wife of General Praskovya Zakrevskaya, the maid of honor of the Empress, one of the most vicious Petersburg beauties, the mistress of another Potemkin, Tavrichesky, Field Marshal General and favorite of Catherine.
The conclusion of the treatise, by the way, is also marked with a commemorative medal with the profile of the empress on the obverse and the inscription on the reverse:
"FAITH AND FAITH."
In essence, it was only the first step on the difficult path to the annexation of Georgia. The declared loyalty turned out to be fragile and did not last long: Georgia was still “at the wrong time” for Russia, and Tsar Heraclius himself soon began to doubt and three years later, in 1787, entered into a separate conspiracy with Turkey, which actually denounced the agreement with the Russians …
The Turks suffered a crushing defeat in the 1787-1792 war and officially abandoned any kind of plans for Georgia. However, Iran immediately took up arms against it: in September 1795, the Persian hordes of Aga Mohammed Khan defeated the Georgians who were left without protection in the Krtsanisi battle, captured Tbilisi and perpetrated a monstrous massacre there.
In response to this, the Russian corps under the command of Valerian Zubov invaded Dagestan, took Derbent by storm and could well have “wash boots in the Indian Ocean” at the same time, when suddenly the death of Catherine II immediately confused all the cards for the Russians.
Medal "Commendation for the diligence shown during the expedition of the secret adviser Musin-Pushkin to mine ore in the ranges of the Caucasian and Ararat mountains"
The commander-in-chief Zubov, as the brother of the last favorite of the empress, Plato, was hated by Paul I, and for the sake of revenge, he chose to immediately end such a successfully launched campaign. The troops were recalled, and poor Zubov was not even honored with a personal order to return - let him stay alone with the Persians.
A few words should be said about this darling of fate. Elderly Catherine's hobby for his older brother allowed Valerian to become general-in-chief at the age of 25. For comparison: the great Suvorov received the same title in 1886 - at the age of 56!
Overwhelmed with money, villages and orders, awarded with ranks beyond his years, the youth did not hesitate to beg for himself more and more honors. So, being granted by King Frederick as a Knight of the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, Valerian immediately transparently hinted to his brother that, according to the charter, only a person with a rank not lower than Lieutenant General can wear this order (he himself had just been promoted to general -majors).
For all that, our bureaucratic man was distinguished by his personal courage, sometimes reaching the point of recklessness. The valiant prowess brought him a well-deserved "George" IV degree for the assault on Izmail, in Poland it also led to scandals around the cupids of a handsome man with married ladies, one of whom, Countess Potocka, he was eventually forced to marry, and then in the same place - to a wound in the leg with a nucleus, followed by amputation (Zubov then wore a German prosthesis, which cost a fortune).
Opal Valerian brought to life one of the best later Derzhavin works - the ode To the Return of Count Zubov from Persia (1797). The dignified poet had already managed to sing the praises of the young man when he was at the pinnacle of luck (odes "To the handsome man" and "To the conquest of Derbent"). With the change of fate, Valerian's chances of becoming the addressee of new poetic messages were, frankly, small.
Such a rather provocative thought was once expressed at the court of Derzhavin by Prince Sergei Golitsyn, sarcastically adding that now there is no benefit to flatter. Gabriel Romanovich coldly objected: out of self-esteem, he never changes his thoughts and does not flatter anyone, but writes at the inspiration of his heart.
"You won't write to him today," Golitsyn continued to bully. "You will see," Derzhavin replied, and on arriving home, he immediately took up a new ode.
The goal of our life is the goal for peace;
We pass this path for this, So that from the gloom or from the heat
To rest under the roof of the night.
Here we meet rapids
There are thorns, there are streams in the shade, There are soft meadows, plains, There are cloudy, there are clear days;
This one falls from the hill into the abyss, And he hurries to climb the hill.
Etc.
These verses were printed, of course, already under the new emperor, whose death Valerian contributed to, but did not survive the murdered for long.
And just before Paul's death, Georgia finally found its long-standing goal - peace. The manifesto, promulgated in St. Petersburg in January 1800, said:
“We hereby declare by our imperial word that upon the annexation of the Kingdom of Georgia for eternity, our power will not only be provided and will be intact / … / all rights, advantages and property legally belonging to everyone, but that from now on every state of the people of the above-mentioned regions has those rights, freedoms, benefits and advantages that the ancient subjects of Russia, by the grace of our ancestors and Ours, enjoy under Our protection."
And God's grace came down
To Georgia! She bloomed
Since then, in the shade of their gardens, Without fear of enemies
Beyond friendly bayonets.
This is how another Russian poet painted later.
In Russia, however, there was still no unequivocal opinion about the advisability of joining the Georgian "gardens". A young liberal on the Russian throne, in a conversation with Prosecutor General Aleksandr Bekleshov, spoke of "extreme disgust" and that he, he said, "considers the appropriation of someone else's land unjust." Nevertheless, the local tsarist power in Georgia was liquidated and replaced by direct administration from St. Petersburg. And soon the "friendly bayonets" had to be used.
The raids of the mountaineers became more frequent (the Ossetians, for example, completely destroyed the Cossack regiment, and the Avars - the infantry battalion). In 1802, General Prince Pavel Tsitsianov, a descendant of the Georgian princes who had moved to Russia under Peter, was sent to Tiflis.
“Between your first duties,” the emperor, who has already entered into the taste of reign, admonished him in writing, “you will put you to accept all the convictions, insistence and, finally, the very compulsion to summon all the restless princes, and especially Queen Daria (the widow of Tsar Heraclius II. - M. L.) to Russia. I consider this measure to be the main thing to calm the people, at the sight of their plans and movements, never ceasing to hesitate in the order established for their happiness."
“Calm down” required, first of all, the subordination of a dangerous neighbor - the Ganja Khanate. On January 3 (15), 1804, the capital of the Khanate was besieged and taken by assault. Khan Javad, who in the past once surrendered to the Russians and swore allegiance to the empire, and then swiftly deserted to the Persians, this time resolutely rejected several surrender offers one after another and, vowing to die on the walls of the city, fulfilled his promise; with him killed up to one and a half thousand defenders.
The fate of the rest of the Ganja residents, including civilians, turned out to be different. While none of the order of nine thousand.women taken by the khan to the city from the villages as a pledge of the faithful service of their husbands, and not a single infant died (Tsitsianov in his report specially noted in the troops entrusted to him "philanthropy and obedience to orders, hitherto unheard of during assaults"), about five hundred men were killed in The Juma mosque, turned the next day into a church, after a rumor spread among the Georgians who were in Tsitsianov's troops that the highlanders, their mortal centuries-old enemies, had taken refuge in the mosque.
Silver medals for lower ranks - participants in the siege of Ganja - are decorated with the monogram of Alexander I on the obverse and a seven-line inscription on the reverse:
"FOR - WORK - AND CHARITY - AT TAKING - GANJI - GENVAR 3. - 1804".
The medal was intended to be worn on the Alexander ribbon.
It is known that Pavel Tsitsianov opposed the mass award and demanded that instead of almost four thousand, only a little more than one and a half thousand copies of the medal be distributed to the direct participants in the assault. At the same time, the already made "manets" were supposed to be melted down and minted new ones, removing the word "works" from the legend on the reverse and adding the word "storm" ("For courage during the capture of Ganja by storm"). The rest of the silver was to be sold and a church in Tiflis was to be built with the proceeds.
An agreement was obtained from St. Petersburg, but the case was delayed as usual; in 1806, Tsitsianov was treacherously killed in Baku (announcing the peaceful surrender of the city, the Baku khan set up a trap: the general commander who drove up to the gates of the city was shot and beheaded, and the khan sent Tsitsianov's head as a gift to the Persian shah. The small Russian detachment left without a commander had to retreat), and there were no other fighters for the "purity" of the medal.
After the capture of Ganja, Russia was drawn into a long sluggish war with Persia (its beginning was marked with an interesting gold medal of 1804 "For the bravery shown in the battle with the Persians" detachment that captured the banners and guns from the Persians), and at the same time in the "Great Game" with England, which was pushed around by the then Shah in Tehran. While in the west, north and south, new enemies of the Russian state were already gaining strength and raising their heads.
