Mikhail Golitsyn was born on November 11, 1675 into a princely family belonging to the Gediminovchia clan.
His father was a boyar and a commander.
The path to glory
Mikhail Golitsyn began his service as a child - he was a steward under the tsar, and then became the drummer of the Semyonov regiment.
In 1694, Golitsyn was promoted to ensign.
As part of the Semyonovsky regiment, he took part in the Azov campaigns of Peter I. For military distinctions he was promoted first to lieutenant, and then to lieutenant captain.
In the late 1690s, Golitsyn participated in suppressing the rifle unrest.
In 1700 he was wounded in the battle of Narva, but did not leave the battlefield.
At the beginning of the Northern War, he was promoted to major and lieutenant colonel.
According to historians, Golitsyn's rapid career growth began with the siege of Noteburg (Oreshek fortress).
During the protracted assault on the fortifications, the Russian troops suffered heavy losses and at some point wavered.
The assault ladders were too short and there was little room at the foot of the walls.
Peter I gave the order to retreat.
However, Golitsyn told the envoy: "Tell the emperor that now I do not belong to Peter, but to God."
He ordered the boats to be pushed away from the shore in order to take away any thought of retreat, and again led a detachment of Semyonovites to an attack.
As a result, the soldiers of Golitsyn, together with the reinforcements who came to their aid, forced the garrison of the fortress to capitulate.
Golitsyn, who became the hero of the day, was awarded the rank of colonel of the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment, a gold medal and a cash prize.
Later Golitsyn took part in the capture of Nyenskans, Narva and Mitava.
In 1705, he was promoted to brigadier, and a year later - to major general.
In 1708, the troops under the leadership of Mikhail Golitsyn defeated the Swedes in the battle near the village of Dobry.
The Russian detachment attacked the enemy, and then retreated, capturing six banners.
For this Golitsyn was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
After the battle at Lesnaya, during which the prince commanded one of the Russian columns and made a significant contribution to the victory, he was promoted to lieutenant general.
According to historians, after the battle, Peter kissed Golitsyn, handed him his portrait, strewn with diamonds, and offered to ask for anything the prince just wanted.
Golitsyn asked the tsar to reinstate Anikita Repnin, who had been previously demoted to the rank and file for the military defeat, in the rank of general.
Peter was very surprised, since Repnin treated Golitsyn badly.
However, he explained to the tsar that their personal enmity did not matter, since Repnin was "well versed in military affairs."
During the Battle of Poltava, Golitsyn led the forces of the Russian guard and again acted courageously and skillfully.
"Golitsyn, after the Battle of Poltava, almost accepted the surrender of the Swedes on the Dnieper, but then Menshikov arrived, and he received glory from the surrender of the Swedes," said St. Petersburg State University professor Pavel Krotov to RT.
In 1710 Golitsyn took part in the capture of Vyborg.
Battle of Poltava (P.D.Marten)
© museum.ru
Military and politician
In the Prut campaign of 1711, unsuccessful for Russia, Mikhail Golitsyn commanded the cavalry.
However, historians are not inclined to blame the prince for the Bessarabian defeat.
“There is no fault of Golitsyn in the failure of the Prut campaign.
Rather, it is Peter's fault, ”noted Igor Kurukin, professor of the Russian State Humanitarian University, Doctor of Historical Sciences.
According to the interlocutor of RT, Golitsyn's military talent was once again revealed in 1713 during the hostilities in Finland.
In particular, the bypass landing maneuver conceived by him allowed the Swedes to be defeated in the battle near the Pälkane River.
And the excellent training of the Golitsyn soldiers allowed the Russian troops to win the battle of Lappol, after which Russia was able to establish strategic control over the whole of Finland.
“An important victory for Golitsyn, which confirmed his great abilities as a military leader, was the victory in the naval battle at Grengam in 1720.
Russian sailors captured four Swedish frigates.
It was a real triumph, "historian and writer Dmitry Volodikhin told RT.
The victory at Grengam made a strong impression on Europe.
The British allies of the Swedes were convinced that they would not be able to intimidate Russia with their fleet.
After the end of the Northern War, Golitsyn commanded the Russian troops in St. Petersburg, and in 1723-1728 - all the troops in Ukraine.
Battle of Grengam on July 27, 1720.
Artist - F. Perrault (1841)
“Field Marshal Prince Golitsyn, a hero of Russia, was an intelligent and noble man;
knew the art of war very well, was brave and loved by the troops;
bold, courageous and generous;
He did not like foreigners, but, despite this, he gave justice to those who were worthy of them;
noble people were afraid of him, and Peter the Great respected him, ”the Spanish ambassador, Duke of Lyria, wrote about Golitsyn.
After the death of Peter I, Golitsyn joined the supporters of the accession of the emperor's grandson, Peter Alekseevich.
However, despite this, Catherine I, who ascended the throne, did not pursue her husband's old ally and in 1725 promoted him to field marshal general.
And after the accession of Peter II, Golitsyn became president of the Military Collegium.
During the coming to power of Anna Ioannovna, the prince, being a member of the Supreme Privy Council, advocated limiting the imperial power.
Some historians claim that because of this he fell into disgrace.
However, Golitsyn retained the post of President of the Military Collegium.
He died on December 21, 1730 in Moscow.
Mikhail Golitsyn's children also played a role in Russian history.
His son Alexander became a field marshal general, took part in the Seven Years and the Russian-Turkish War, and was the governor-general of St. Petersburg.
Another son, Dmitry, was the Russian ambassador in Vienna for many years.
M. M. Golitsyn at the monument to the Millennium of Russia in Veliky Novgorod
© Wikimedia Commons / Gift of the Wind
According to Dmitry Volodikhin, in addition to Golitsyn's military successes, his position in high society was influenced by the fact that he was one of the representatives of the old nobility who supported Peter and his family, when many of the aristocrats reacted negatively to Peter's reforms.
“Golitsyn is a commander of a new type, a commander of the new Peter's army.
He was one of the outstanding military leaders of the era of Peter I. We can say that he was one of the three most significant: Peter himself, Alexander Menshikov and Golitsyn.
He personally did not suffer a single defeat and was dearly loved by the soldiers, ”summed up Pavel Krotov.