Birthday anniversary of Mikhail S. Vorontsov, Russian state and military man, His Serene Highness, General Field Marshal

30 May 1782

19 (30) May 1782 in St. Petersburg was born Mikhail S. Vorontsov, Russian statesman and military leader, His Serene Highness Prince (1852), Field Marshal (1856), Novorossiysk and Bessarabian Governor-General (1823-1844), Governor of the Caucasus (1844-1854), member of the State Council of the Russian Empire, an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, nephew of Duchess E. Dashkova.

Vorontsov's childhood passed in London, where his father was on diplomatic service. Still very young, Michael knew perfectly English and French, Greek and Latin. He also learned to master different kinds of weapons, has become a good rider. To extend the horizon, his father took him to meetings of the parliament and secular meetings, examined industrial enterprises with him, and Russian ships entering English harbors.

In 1798 the Russian Emperor Paul I granted M. Vorontsov the actual title of Chamberlain. After accession to the throne of Alexander I, Vorontsov moved to St. Petersburg, where he started his military service as a lieutenant in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1803 he went to the Caucasus, where he distinguished himself in the capture of the fortress Gyanzhi and in the battle of Zagatala. In 1807, Vorontsov was promoted to colonel. In 1809-1811 he participated in military operations against the Turks, and for the distinguished services in the assault of Bazardzhik was awarded the rank of major general.

In the Patriotic War of 1812 Vorontsov commanded the 2nd pivot-Grenadier Division of the 2nd Western Army, which defended Semenov Fortifications in the Battle of Borodino. Vorontsov defended Shevardino redoubt, was wounded in the leg and left the battlefield. In early 1813 he was promoted to lieutenant general; during the campaigns of 1813-1814, he participated in many battles, distinguished himself near Craon (1814), for which he was awarded the Order of St. George 2nd class. Vorontsov, occupying the height of the suburbs of La Villette, had contributed a lot to seizing Paris in 1814. In 1815-1818, he headed the Russian expeditionary force in France.

In 1823, Vorontsov was appointed governor-general of the Novorossiysk Territory and plenipotentiary governor of Bessarabia region. Here he founded the city of Yeisk and Berdyansk. During his governor-generalship Vorontsov cared for beautification of cities, set shipping traffic between Odessa and the Crimea, bred vineyards and started winemaking in the South, drew attention to the silk production and exploitation of mineral resources of the region, founded schools, took care of opening and collecting monuments of classical antiquity, manuscripts and book rarities.

In 1825, Vorontsov was elevated to the rank of general of infantry, and then appointed a member of the State Council. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, Vorontsov was in the regular army, led the siege of Varna. In 1844-1854 he was governor-general of the Caucasus and the commander of the Caucasian detached corps. Using the feud between the individual mountain chieftains, the Caucasian governor-general managed to annex a large part of their possessions to Russia. At the same time he gave a lot of energy for cultural work in the Caucasus: established a steamship line in the Caspian Sea, equipped Tbilisi, created the Public Agricultural Museum and the Caucasian Museum. For his services Vorontsov received the title of Prince, and in 1852 - the title of “His Serene Highness Prince".

On the eve of his 70 years as a result of ill health Vorontsov asked for resignation. Nicholas I satisfied his request. In 1854, His Serene Highness Prince was dismissed from his post of governor, and settled in Odessa, but in the summer of 1855 he moved to St. Petersburg, where, on the invitation of Alexander II, participated in discussions on the draft preliminary conditions of peace after the end of the Crimean War. In the summer of 1856 he was awarded the highest military rank - Field Marshal. However, in he held this rank hardly over two months.

Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov died in Odessa in November 1856. Residents of Odessa of all classes, creeds and ages came to give the last farewell to their governor-general. To the gun and rifle volleys the body of His Serene Highness Prince Vorontsov was buried in Odessa Transfiguration Cathedral.

For his services to the country, two monuments - in Tiflis and Odessa – were erected to Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. A sculpture of His Serene Highness Prince makes part of the "Thousandth anniversary of Russia" monument in Novgorod the Great.

 

Lit.: Авалиани С. Л. Граф М. С. Воронцов и крестьянский вопрос. Т. 1-2. Одесса, 1912-14; Воронцов М. С. Некоторые правила для обхождения с нижними чинами в 12-й пехотной дивизии (1815) // Русский архив. 1877. Кн. 2. Вып.  6. С. 167-171; Глинка В. М. М. С. Воронцов // Глинка В. М. Пушкин и Военная галерея Зимнего дворца. Л., 1988. С. 136-147; Дондуков-Корсаков А. М. Князь М. С. Воронцов: Воспоминания. СПб., 1902; Захарова О. Ю. М. С. Воронцов — военный и государственный деятель России первой половины XIX столетия: дис. ... к. и. н. М., 1997; Захарова О. Ю. Генерал-фельдмаршал светлейший князь М. С. Воронцов: Рыцарь Российской империи. М., 2001; Захарова О. Ю. Генералы своих судеб: М. С. Воронцов — генерал-губернатор Новороссийского края. М., 1998; Захарова О. Ю. Светлейший князь М. С. Воронцов. Симферополь, 2008; Открытие памятника в Тифлисе светлейшему князю Михаилу Семеновичу Воронцову 25 марта 1867 г. Тифлис, 1867; Самойлова С. В. Граф М. С. Воронцов в общественно-политической жизни России первой четверти XIX в.: дис. ... к. и. н. М., 1995.

 

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 17: Письма графа С. Р. Воронцова к сыну его графу (позднее князю) М. С. Воронцову 1798-1830. М., 1880;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 35: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: письма графа А. Х. Бенкендорфа и С. Н. Марина. М., 1889;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 36: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: письма князя Цицианова, переписка с Д. В. Арсеньевым и С. Н. Мариным, письма А. П. Ермолова и бумаги разного содержания. М., 1890;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 37: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: автобиография князя М. С. Воронцова, его письма к разным лицам (1814-1815), письма к нему барона Николаи, графа Закревского, графа Каподистрии (1804-1829). М., 1891;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 38: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: переписка князя М. С. Воронцова с графами П. Д. Киселёвым, С. С. Уваровым, с С. В. Сафоновым и другими лицами. М., 1892;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 39: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: письма к князю М. С. Воронцову А. И. Левшина, А. П. Бутенева, И. В. Сабанеева. М., 1893;

Архив князя Воронцова / ред. П. И. Бартенев. Кн. 40: Бумаги фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова: переписка с графами К. В. Нессельроде и А. Ф. Орловым. М., 1895;

Воронцов Михаил Семёнович // Энциклопедический словарь / Под ред. проф. И. Е. Андреевского. Т. 7. СПб., 1872. С. 222-223;

Выписки из дневника светлейшего князя М. С. Воронцова с 1845 по 1854г. СПб., 1902;

Слово при погребении генерал-фельдмаршала, светлейшего князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова, произнесённое синодальным членом, высокопреосвященным Иннокентием, архиепископом Херсонским и Таврическим в Одесском кафедральном Преображенском соборе 10-го ноября, 1856 года. Одесса, 1856;

Щербинин М. П. Биография генерал-фельдмаршала князя Михаила Семёновича Воронцова. СПб., 1858.