Mikhail Kutuzov

Also known as Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov

Field Marshal of the Russian Empire (1745–1813)

AI overview

Mikhail Kutuzov was a senior Russian military commander who lived from 1745 to 1813 and rose to the rank of Field Marshal, the highest military position in the Russian Empire. He is historically significant because he led Russian forces during major conflicts of his era, most notably commanding the army against Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Mikhail
Gender: male
Citizenship: Russian Empire
Place of death: Bolesławiec
Occupation: statesperson
Educated at: University of Strasbourg
Languages spoken: Russian
Award: Order of St. Vladimir
Noble title: knyaz
Conflict: War of the Sixth Coalition
Military branch: Imperial Russian Army
Military rank: general field marshal
Image: Kutuzov2 by Daw.jpg

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medical condition: one-eyed
Commons gallery: Mikhail Kutuzov
Commons category: Mikhail Kutuzov
date of birth: 1747-09-05
date of death: 1813-04-28
topic's main category: Category:Mikhail Kutuzov
present in work: War and Peace
commander of (DEPRECATED): Russian Army order of battle
P6482: Mikhail Kutuzov
name in native language: Михаил Илларионович Голенищев‐Кутузов‐Смоленский
start of work period: 1759-00-00
place of burial: Kazan Cathedral

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Encyclopedic overview

Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (Russian: Михаил Илларионович Голенищев-Кутузов-Смоленский; 16 September [O.S. 5 September] 1745 – 28 April [O.S. 16 April] 1813) was a field marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul I and Alexander I. Kutuzov was shot in the head twice while fighting the Turks (1774 and 1788) and survived the serious injuries seemingly against all odds. He defeated Napoleon as commander-in-chief using attrition warfare in the Patriotic War of 1812. For the Battle of Krasnoi against Napoleon, Kutuzov (or more correctly Golenishchev-Kutuzov) received the victory title of Smolensky to add to his surname; the word Smolensky literally means "of Smolensk". Alexander I, the incumbent Tsar during Napoleon's invasion, would write that he would be remembered amongst Europe's most famous commanders and that Russia would never forget his worthiness.

Early career

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mikhail Kutuzov” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.