Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn

Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn (17 November 1718 – 8 October 1783) was a Russian prince of the House of Golitsyn and field marshal. He was the governor of Saint Petersburg in 1780 to 1783.

As was traditional for noble families, Golitsyn's name was inscribed as a captain on the list of the Life Guards while still a child. He lost his father aged 13. The family was then out of favour with empress Anna of Russia and so Alexander could not count on high patronage, so went to spend 17 years in Austria, where he fought in the Austrian army and gained the notice of Prince Eugene of Savoy. On his return to Russia in 1740 Alexander was sent to Constantinople in the entourage of ambassador A Rumyantsev, but soon received a new assignment, as Russian Minister Plenipotentiary to the Dukes of Saxony at Dresden.

Elizabeth of Russia came to the throne at the end of 1741 and the Golitsyn family returned to royal favour. During her reign Alexander successfully climbed the military and diplomatic career ladder and by 1744 was already at the rank of lieutenant general. In 1757 he was appointed to a command in the army fighting Prussia in the Seven Years' War. In 1758 he distinguished himself by capturing Тorea and at Kunersdorf commanded the Russian left flank. Pyotr Saltykov's battleplan depended on deliberately drawing Frederick II of Prussia's troops to attack the Russian left flank, so that the enemy could then be attacked from the centre and the right flank. Golitsyn had a hard time and after a staunch defence his troops were ultimately unable to survive the Prussian infantry and cavalry onslaught and retreated, with Alexander himself wounded - military historians later found an analogy between this situation and Bagration's troops on the Russian left flank at Borodino, who were also the main target of the enemy assault and withdrew, with Bagration fatally wounded and unable to build on his success. At Kunersdorf, however, Saltykov's battleplan was a success and Frederick lost the battle, with Golitsyn awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky and the rank of general-in-chief by Elizabeth. At the end of the war with Prussia, he was appointed commander of Russian troops in Livonia.

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