Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden

Russian general (1750–1811)

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Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhöwden
Portrait by Vladimir Borovikovsky, c. 1809

Governor General of Livonia
In office 1808–1809
Preceded by	Count Alexander Tormasov
Succeeded by	Prince Dmitry Lobanov-Rostovsky
In office 1803–1806
Preceded by	Prince Sergei Golitsyn
Succeeded by	Count Alexander Tormasov
Governor General of Saint Petersburg
In office 1797–1798
Preceded by	Nikolai Arkharov
Succeeded by	Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen

Personal details
Born	13 September [O.S. 2 September] 1750 Muhu, Governate of Riga, Russian Empire
Died	4 September [O.S. 23 August] 1811 (aged 60) Lode Castle, Wiek, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire
Education	Second Cadet Corps
Military service
Allegiance	Russian Empire
Branch/service	Imperial Russian Army Imperial Austrian Army^[1]
Years of service	1770–1798, 1802–1810
Rank	General of Infantry
Unit	Kexholm Life Guards Regiment
Commands	Army of Volyn Army of Finland
Battles/wars	Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) Polish–Russian War of 1792 Battle of Mir (1792) Kościuszko Uprising Battle of Krupczyce Battle of Praga Napoleonic Wars War of the Third Coalition Battle of Austerlitz War of the Fourth Coalition Finnish War Siege of Sveaborg

Friedrich Wilhelm Graf von Buxhoevden (Russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Буксгевден, romanized: Fyodor Fyodorovich Buksgevden; other spellings: Feodor Buxhoeveden, Buxhœwden, Buxhöwden; September 14, 1750 – August 23, 1811) was a Russian general of the infantry and government official. Buxhoeveden commanded the Russian armies during the Finnish War.^[2]

Family

The Buxhoevedens, a Baltic German family from Estonia, traced their roots to Bexhövede in Lower Saxony.

Buxhoevden's wife, countess Natalia Alexeyeva, was the illegitimate daughter of Grigory Orlov (1734–1783) by a lady of the court, but her mother – contrary to some claims – was not the Empress Catherine, but a member of the Apraksin family. Buxhoeveden's granddaughter Varvara Nelidova was a mistress of Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855) for 17 years (1832–1855).

Career

In 1805 Buxhoevden took part in the Battle of Austerlitz as a commander, contributing to the Third Coalition's failure to defeat Napoleon by being drunk during the battle.^[3] In 1808 he served as Commander-in-Chief in the Russian conquest of Finland, and led Russian troops during the initial battles of the Finnish War (1808-1809).

Estates

Buxhoevden received the castle and lands of Koluvere in western Estonia after Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel had died there in 1788 in suspicious circumstances. He also owned the villa and manor of Ligovo near Saint Petersburg.

Awards

Russian Empire awards:

Order of Saint George, 4th Degree (26 November 1774)
Order of Saint George, 3rd Degree (22 August 1789)
Order of Saint Anna (8 September 1790)
Cross "For the Capture of Praga" (1794)
Golden Weapon for Bravery with diamonds (1794)
Order of Saint Vladimir, 2nd Class (1794)
Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky (15 February 1797)
Order of Saint Vladimir, 1st Degree (1806)
Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (17 September 1807), diamond badges added in 1808
Order of Saint George, 2nd Degree (27 April 1808)

Foreign state awards:

Order of the White Eagle, 1795 from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Order of Saint Stanislaus, 1795, from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Order of the Black Eagle, from Kingdom of Prussia
Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, from Kingdom of Prussia

References

^ See Austerlitz
^ "Fredrik Vilhelm von Buxhoevden". Biografiskt lexikon för Finland (in Swedish). Helsingfors: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. urn:NBN:fi:sls-4129-1416928956735.
^ Todd Fisher & Gregory Fremont-Barnes, The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. p. 52