Ivan Paskevich

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Portrait by George Dawe from the Military Gallery

Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich (Russian: Иван Фёдорович Паскевич) (18 August 1782 [O.S. 5 August] – 1 February 1856 [O.S. 20 January]) was a Ukrainian-born military leader in the Russian service. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Prince of Warsaw in 1831.

Born in Poltava to a well-known family of the Ukrainian gentry, he was educated at the imperial institution for pages, where his progress was rapid, and in 1800 received his commission in the Guards and was named aide-de-camp to the tsar. His first active service was in 1805, in the auxiliary army sent to the assistance of Austria against France, when he took part in the Battle of Austerlitz. From 1807 to 1812, he was engaged in the campaigns against Turkey, and distinguished himself by many brilliant and daring exploits, being made a general officer in his thirtieth year. During the war with France in 1812-1814 he was present, in command of the 26th division of infantry, at all the most important engagements; at the Battle of Leipzig he won promotion to the rank of lieutenant general.

On the outbreak of war with Persia in 1826 he was appointed second in command, and, succeeding in the following year to the chief command, gained rapid and brilliant successes which compelled the shah to sue for peace in February of 1828. In reward of his services he was named by the emperor Count of Erivan, and received a million rubles and a diamond-mounted sword. From Persia he was sent to Turkey, and, having captured in rapid succession the principal fortresses, he was at the end of the campaign made a Field Marshal at the age of forty-seven. In 1830, he subdued the mountaineers of Dagestan.

Paskevich Palace in Homel, Belarus.

In 1831, he was entrusted with the command of the army sent to suppress the November Uprising in Poland, and after the fall of Warsaw, which gave the death blow to Polish independence, he was raised to the dignity of prince of Warsaw, and created viceroy of the kingdom of Poland. On the outbreak of the Insurrection of Hungary in 1848 he was appointed to the command of the Russian troops sent to the aid of Austria, and finally compelled the surrender of the Hungarians at Világos.

In 1854 Paskevich took command of the Army of the Danube, which was then engaging the Turks in the initial stage of the conflict which evolved into the Crimean War. Although he laid siege to Silistria, Paskevich advocated aborting the campaign due to Austria's threat to intervene in the war. On June 9 he suffered a combat injury and was compelled to return to Russia, handing command of the army to General Gorchakov.

Paskevich died in Warsaw, where in 1869 a memorial was erected to him. He held the rank of field marshal in the Prussian and Austrian armies as well as in his own service.