View source for Pyotr Rumyantsev

{{Short description|Russian general (1725–1796)}}
{{For|the nobile family|Rumyantsev family}}
{{family name hatnote|Alexandrovich|Rumyantsev|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = Count
| name                = Pyotr Rumyantsev
| honorific-suffix    = Zadunaisky
| image               = Портрет ген.-фельдм.графа Петра Александрович Румянцева-Задунайского. ГИМ e1.jpg
| caption             = Portrait by an unknown artist, 1770s
| alt                 = 
| order               = <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number-->
| office              = [[Little Russia Governorate (1764-1781)|General Governor of Little Russia]]<br/>Little Russian Collegium Chair
| term_start          = 1764
| term_end            = 1786
| monarch             = [[Catherine the Great]]
| lieutenant          = <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number-->
| predecessor         = office revived <small>(replacing the [[Hetman of Zaporizhian Host]] [[Kirill Razumovsky]])</small>
| successor           = office liquidated <small>(himself as General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, Novgorod-Seversky)</small>
| office2             = General Governor of Kursk [[Namestnichestvo]]
| term_start2         = 1779
| term_end2           = 1781
| monarch2            = [[Catherine the Great]]
| lieutenant2         = <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number-->
| predecessor2        = office created
| successor2          = [[Alexander Prozorovsky]]
| office3             = General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, and Novgorod-Seversky [[Namestnichestvo]]s
| term_start3         = 1782
| term_end3           = 1796
| monarch3            = [[Catherine the Great|Catherine the Great <small>(1782–1796)</small>]], [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I <small>(1796)</small>]]
| deputy3             = [[Mikhail Krechetnikov|Mikhail Krechetnikov <small>(1791–1793)</small>]], [[Iosif Igelström|Iosif Igelström <small>(1793–1794)</small>]]
| predecessor3        = office created
| successor3          = office liquidated
| birth_name          = Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1725|01|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Stroiești, Transnistria|Stroiești]],<ref name="VA">Vartichan & Andrunakievich (1982), p. 535</ref> [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]] or [[Moscow]],{{sfn|Korobkov|1947|p=5}}{{sfn|Meerovich|1987|p=8}} [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1796|12|19|1725|01|15|df=yes}}
| death_place         = Tashan, [[Pereyaslavsky Uyezd]], [[Poltava Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]]
| restingplace        = 
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| birthname           = 
| citizenship         = 
| nationality         = 
| party               = 
| otherparty          = <!--For additional political affiliations-->
| spouse              = 
| partner             = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married-->
| relations           = 
| children            = 
| parents             = 
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = 
| occupation          = 
| profession          = 
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| portfolio           = 
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
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| footnotes           = 
| blank1              = 
| data1               = 
| blank2              = 
| data2               = <!--Military service-->
| nickname            = 
| allegiance          = {{flag|Russian Empire}}
| branch              = [[Imperial Russian Army]]
| serviceyears        = 
| rank                = [[Field Marshal]]
| unit                = 
| commands            = 
| battles             = {{Hidden
|Tree List:
|
{{tree list}}
*[[War of the Austrian Succession]]
**[[Rhine Campaign of 1748]]
*[[Russo-Swedish War (1741–43)|Russo-Swedish War]]
*[[Seven Years' War]]
**[[Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf]]
**[[Third Silesian War]]
***[[Battle of Kunersdorf]]
**[[Pomeranian War]]
***[[Siege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)#Third siege (1761)|Siege of Kolberg]]
*[[Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)|Sixth Russo-Turkish War]]
**[[Battle of Ryabaya Mogila]]
**[[Battle of Larga]]
**[[Battle of Kagul]]
**[[Siege of Silistra (1773)]]
*[[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)|Seventh Russo-Turkish War]]
*[[Kościuszko Uprising|Polish Campaign of 1794]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|-
|style=text-align:center;
}}
| awards              = See [[#Awards|§ Awards]]
| military_blank1     = 
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| module2             = 
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| native_name         = {{nobold|Пётр Румянцев}}
| native_name_lang    = ru
}}

Count '''Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky'''{{efn|His name '''Pyotr''' is also anglicized as '''Peter'''.<br/>The full name is also [[Romanization of Russian|transliterated]] as '''Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky'''.}} ({{langx|ru|Пётр Александрович Румянцев-Задунайский}};{{efn|[[Reforms of Russian orthography#Post-revolution reform|Pre-1918 orthography]]: Петръ Александровичъ Румянцевъ-Задунайскій}} {{OldStyleDate|15 January|1725|4 January}} – {{OldStyleDate|19 December|1796|8 December}}) was one of the foremost [[Russian Empire|Russian]] [[generals]] of the 18th century, and is widely considered to be one of Russia's greatest military leaders,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Longworth |first=Philip |url=https://archive.org/details/artofvictorylife0000long |title=The Art of Victory: The Life and Achievements of Field-Marshal Suvorov, 1729-1800 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart & Winston |year=1966 |edition=1st |pages=28 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Шишов |first=Алексей |url=https://topreading.net/book-283695-aleksei-shishov-100-velikih-voenachalnikov |title=100 великих военачальников |publisher=Вече |year=2008 |isbn=978-5-9533-2594-3 |pages=183–188 |language=ru |trans-title=100 Great Military Leaders}}</ref> and one of the greatest military commanders in military history.{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=789}}<ref name=":922">{{Cite book |url=https://prussia.online/books/istoriya-russkoy-armii-7-1 |title=История русской армии: В 7 т. |publisher=ООО «Издательство Полигон» |year=2003 |isbn=5-89173-205-X |editor-last=Волковский |editor-first=Н. Л. |volume=1: От зарождения Руси до войны 1812 г. |pages=326, 348 |language=ru |trans-title=History of the Russian Army: In 7 volumes. Volume 1: From the birth of Rus' to the War of 1812. |chapter=}}</ref> He is noted as one of the three best and most talented Russian military leaders of the time period, along with [[Alexander Suvorov]] and [[Grigory Potemkin]].<ref name=":9222">{{Cite book |url=https://prussia.online/books/istoriya-russkoy-armii-7-1 |title=История русской армии: В 7 т. |publisher=ООО «Издательство Полигон» |year=2003 |isbn=5-89173-205-X |editor-last=Волковский |editor-first=Н. Л. |volume=1: От зарождения Руси до войны 1812 г. |pages=298, 493 |language=ru |trans-title=History of the Russian Army: In 7 volumes. Volume 1: From the birth of Rus' to the War of 1812. |chapter=}}</ref> Rumyantsev used mobile [[division (military)|division]]al [[Infantry square|squares]] for the first time in history as opposed to [[Line (formation)|linear]] battle orders and initiated the formation of [[light infantry|light]] ([[Jäger (infantry)|''jaeger'']]) [[battalion]]s in the [[Imperial Russian Army|Russian Army]], which operated in a scattered order.<ref name="GRE">{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=РУМЯНЦЕВ-ЗАДУНАЙСКИЙ ПЁТР АЛЕКСАНДРОВИЧ • Great Russian Encyclopedia – Electronic version |url=https://old.bigenc.ru/domestic_history/text/3520474 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=old.bigenc.ru}}</ref>

He governed [[Little Russia]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Bezborodko, Aleksander Andreevich |volume=3 |page=840 |first=Robert Nisbet |last=Bain}}</ref> in the name of Empress [[Catherine the Great]] from the abolition of the [[Cossack Hetmanate]] in 1764 until Catherine's death 32 years later. Monuments to his victories include the [[Kagul Obelisk]] in [[Tsarskoye Selo]] (1772), the [[Rumyantsev Obelisk]] on [[Vasilievsky Island]] (1798–1801), and a galaxy of [[Gavrila Derzhavin|Derzhavin]]'s odes.

== Early life ==
{{Main|War of the Austrian Succession|Russo-Swedish War (1741–43)|Seven Years' War}}
Pyotr came from the [[Russian nobility|Russian noble]] [[Rumyantsev family]].{{sfn|Kuzmin|2017}} He was the only son of Count [[Alexander Rumyantsev (nobleman)|Alexander Rumyantsev]], and was born in the village of [[Stroiești, Transnistria|Stroiești]] (modern [[Moldova]]/[[Transnistria]]),<ref name="VA" /> by [[Maria Rumyantseva|Maria]], the daughter and heiress of Count [[Andrey Matveyev]]. According to other versions, he was born in [[Moscow]], and the Moldovan version of the birth is called legendary.{{sfn|Korobkov|1947|p=5}}{{sfn|Meerovich|1987|p=8}} As his mother spent much time in the company of [[Peter the Great]], rumours suggested that the young Rumyantsev was the monarch's illegitimate son. He was named after the ruling Emperor who was his godfather. He was the brother of [[Praskovya Bruce]], confidant of [[Catherine the Great]].

Pyotr Alexandrovich first saw military service under his nominal father in the [[Hats' Russian War|war with Sweden]] (1741–1743). He personally carried to the Empress the peace [[treaty of Åbo]], concluded by his father in 1743. Thereupon he gained promotion to the rank of colonel.

His first military glory dates from the great battles of the [[Seven Years' War]] (1756–1763), those of [[Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf|Gross-Jägersdorf]] (1757) and [[Battle of Kunersdorf|Kunersdorf]] (1759). In 1761 he [[Siege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)#Third siege (1761)|besieged and took the Pomeranian fortress of Kolberg]],<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Elizabeth Petrovna |volume=9 |page=285 |first=Robert Nisbet |last=Bain}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pyotr-Aleksandrovich-Rumyantsev-Graf-Zadunaysky|title=Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, Count Zadunaysky {{!}} Russian military officer|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}}</ref> which had twice been unsuccessfully beleaguered by other Russia's commanders; thus clearing for Russian armies the path to [[Berlin]]. The siege of Kolberg of 1761 was an important milestone in the development of Russian military art. Here Rumyantsev pioneered a new tactic – the action of troops in [[battalion]] ([[regiment]]al) columns, combined with a scattered formation of ''[[Jäger (infantry)|jaeger]]s''.{{sfn|Tashlykov|2016}}

== First Russo-Turkish War ==
[[File:Rumyantsev skver.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Rumyantsev Obelisk]] (1799–1801) was moved from the [[Field of Mars (Saint Petersburg)|Field of Mars]] to [[St. Andrew's Cathedral, St. Petersburg|St. Andrew's Cathedral]] by [[Carlo Rossi (architect)|Carlo Rossi]] in 1818.]]
{{Main|Russo-Turkish War (1768–74)}}

Throughout the reign of [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine the Great]], Rumyantsev served as supreme governor of [[Little Russia]]. In this post, which his father had held with so much honesty, Rumyantsev made it his priority to eliminate any autonomy of the [[hetman]]s and to fully incorporate the newly conquered territories into the [[Russian Empire]]. Some accuse him of having promoted [[serfdom]] in [[New Russia]], but the choice of such a policy remained out of his control.

With the outbreak of the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774|Russo-Turkish war]] in 1768, Rumyantsev took command of the army sent to capture [[Azov]]. He thoroughly defeated the [[Turkish empire|Turks]] in the battles of [[Battle of Ryabaya Mogila | Ryabaya Mogila]], [[Battle of Larga|Larga]], and [[Battle of Kagul|Kagul]], crossed the [[Danube]] and advanced to [[Romania]]. For these dazzling victories he became [[Field-Marshal]] and gained the [[victory title]] ''Zadunaisky'' (meaning "Trans-Danubian"). When his forces approached [[Shumla]] in 1774, the new Sultan [[Abdul Hamid I]] started to panic and sued for peace, which Rumyanstev signed upon a military tambourine [[Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca|at the village of Küçük Kaynarca]].

== Second Russo-Turkish War ==
{{Main|Russo-Turkish War (1787–92)|Kościuszko Uprising}}
By that point, Rumyantsev had undoubtedly become the most famous Russian commander. Other Catharinian generals, notably [[Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin|Potemkin]], allegedly regarded his fame with such jealousy that they wouldn't permit him to take the command again. In times of peace, Rumyantsev expressed his innovative views on the martial art in the ''Instructions'' (1761), ''Customs of Military Service'' (1770), and the ''Thoughts'' (1777). These works provided a theoretical base for the re-organisation of the Russian army undertaken by Potemkin.

During the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792|Second Russo-Turkish War]], Rumyantsev suspected Potemkin of deliberately curtailing supplies of his army and presently resigned his command. In the [[Kościuszko Uprising|Polish campaign of 1794]] he once again won appointment as [[commander-in-chief]], but his rival [[Suvorov]] actually led the armies into battle. On this occasion Rumyantsev didn't bother even to leave his Ukrainian manor at [[Tashan, Ukraine|Tashan]] which he had rebuilt into a fortress. He died there on 19 December 1796, just over a month after Catherine's death, and was interred in the [[Kiev]] [[Pechersk Lavra]].

As the story goes, old Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky grew enormously fat and  avaricious, so that he pretended not to recognize his own sons when they came from the capital to ask for money. Under his son Sergey's administration, Tashan fell into ruins, although he erected a [[mausoleum]] near [[Balashikha]] for his father's reburial (which never took place). Neither Sergey nor his brother [[Nikolay Petrovich Rumyantsev]] married, and the comital branch of the [[Rumyantsev family]] became extinct upon their death.

== Awards ==
Rumyantsev was awarded the following honors:<ref name="GRE" />
* [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] (1759);
* [[Order of St. Andrew]] (1762);
* [[Order of St. George]] 1st Class (1770);
* [[Order of St. Vladimir]] 1st Class (1782);
* [[Golden Weapon for Bravery]] (1775, 1791/92).

==Gallery ==
{{Gallery|title=Portraits:}}
<gallery>
File:Rumjanzew-sadunaiski.jpg|Portrait of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.{{efn|The portrait shows Rumyantsev in a fieldmarshal's uniform with gold embroidery on the collar, sides, and sleeves. Ribbons of the Orders of St. Andrew and St. George 1st Class are worn over the caftan. On the chest of the Field Marshal are embroidered stars of these awards.}} Unknown artist of the late 18th century.
File:Портрет графа Петра Андреевича Румянцева-Задунайского.Тончи. 2я пол.1790х ГИМ e1.jpg|Portrait of Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. Painting of the 1790s by [[Salvatore Tonci]].
File:RusPortraits v4-102 Comte Pierre Alexandowitch Roumiantzeff.jpg|Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, 18th century, unknown author
</gallery>
{{Gallery|title=Related architecture:}}
<gallery>
File:Rumyantsev Zadunaysky Mansion.jpg|Rumyantsev Zadunaysky Mansion, built in 1782.{{efn|A number of researchers called the famous architect of the project [[Vasily Bazhenov]], others attribute the construction to [[Matvey Kazakov|M. F. Kazakov]]. There is no consensus on the issue; it is possible that both the architects were involved in the project.}}
File:Spb 06-2012 English Embankment 03.jpg|Nikolai Rumyantsev's mansion on [[English Quay]], St. Petersburg
File:Belarus-Homel-Palace of Pashkevichs-13.jpg|[[Gomel Palace|Rumyantsev Residence]] in [[Gomel]], [[Belarus]]
File:Maryinsky Palace, residence of the Ukrainian President.JPG|[[Mariinskyi Palace|Governors' Palace]] in [[Kyiv]]
File:Kachanovka palace.JPG|[[Kachanivka]] Palace, Ukraine
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{commons category|Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky}}
* [[Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev]]
{{clear}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Bodart |first=Gaston |date=1908 |publisher=C. W. Stern |year=1908 |location=Vienna and Leipzig |language=de |title=Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905) |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_A0kNAAAAYAAJ |access-date=7 July 2022}}
* {{Cite book |last=Korobkov |first=Nikolay Mikhailovich |date=1947 |title=Фельдмаршал Румянцев |publisher=Политгиз |location=Moscow |language=ru |trans-title=Field Marshal Rumyantsev}}
* {{Cite book |last=Meerovich |first=Grigory Ilyich |date=1987 |title=Румянцев в Петербурге |publisher=Лениздат |location=Leningrad |language=ru |trans-title=Rumyantsev in Petersburg}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Andrunakievich |first1=Vladimir Aleksandrovich |date=1982 |title=Советская Молдавия: краткая энциклопедия |last2=Vartichan |first2=Iosif Konstantinovich |publisher=Глав. ред. Молдавской Сов. энциклопедии |location=Kishinev |language=ru |trans-title=Soviet Moldavia: short encyclopedia}}
* {{Cite web |last=Tashlykov |first=S. L. |date=2016 |title=КОЛЬБЕРГА ОСАДЫ |url=https://old.bigenc.ru/military_science/text/2621197 |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=[[Great Russian Encyclopedia#Electronic version|Great Russian Encyclopedia. Electronic version]]}}
** {{Cite web |last=Kuzmin |first=A. V. |date=2017 |title=РУМЯНЦЕВЫ |url=https://old.bigenc.ru/domestic_history/text/3520505 |access-date=2 October 2023 |website=[[Great Russian Encyclopedia#Electronic version|Great Russian Encyclopedia. Electronic version]]}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Kyrylo Rozumovsky]]|as=[[Hetman of Zaporizhian Host]]}}
{{s-ttl | title = Governor-General of Little Russia | years = 1764&ndash;1781}}
{{s-aft | after = himself|as=General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov and Novgorod-Siversky}}
{{s-bef | rows=2 | before = himself|as=General Governor of Little Russia}}
{{s-ttl | rows=2 | title = General Governor of Kiev, Chernigov, Novgorod-Siversky | years = 1782&ndash;1796}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Sergey Vyazmitinov]]|as=General Governor of Little Russia (Kamenets-Podolsky)}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Ivan Saltykov]]|as=General Governor of Kiev}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumyantsev, Pyotr}}
[[Category:1725 births]]
[[Category:1796 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Moscow]]
[[Category:People from Moskovsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Counts of the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Russian people of Romanian descent]]
[[Category:Russian people of Moldovan descent]]
[[Category:Field marshals of the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Little Russia Governorate]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. George of the First Degree]]
[[Category:18th-century military personnel from the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Kiev]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Little Russia]]
[[Category:People of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)]]
[[Category:People of the Silesian Wars]]
[[Category:Collegium of Little Russia (1722–1727)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]]