Burkhard Christoph von Münnich
| Burkhard Christoph von Münnich | |
|---|---|
Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich
|
|
| Born |
9 May 1683 Neuenhuntorf, Duchy of Oldenburg, Denmark |
| Died | 16 October 1767 (aged 84) Dorpat, Livonia, Russian Empire |
| Buried at | Private estate |
| Allegiance |
 France (Bourbons) Holy Roman Empire Russian Empire
|
| Service/branch |
French Army Army of Hesse Army of Saxony Russian Imperial Army |
| Years of service | 1700–1762 |
| Rank | Field marshal |
| Commands held | Russian Imperial Army |
| Battles/wars |
War of the Spanish Succession Siege of Danzig Russo-Ottoman War |
Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich (9 May 1683 – 16 October 1767) (Христофо́р Анто́нович Миних) was a German soldier-engineer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He was the major Russian Army reformer and founder of several elite military formations during the reign of Anna of Russia. As a statesman, he is regarded as the founder of Russian Philhellenism. Münnich also was a hereditary engineer and a specialist in hydrotechnology. He had the grade of count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
Münnich was born at Neuenhuntorf in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in the military family of Anton Günther Mönnich (since 1688 von Münnich, an east-Frisian nobility). Beside the knowledge of the native Low German language he also learned the Latin and French languages. At an early age (17 year old) he entered the French service. Thence he transferred successively to the armies of Hesse-Darmstadt and of Saxony where he earned his title of a colonel and later Major General.
In 1721, he was invited by the Russian ambassador in Warsaw Grigoriy Dolgorukov for engineering projects of the newly acquired northern territories. Around that time his father has died. Upon arrival to Russia he presented Peter I plans for the fortification of Kronstadt fortress, with which pleasantly surprised the Russian emperor, and the Annenkrone fortification in Vyborg. He was promoted to the Lieutenant General in 1722. Among his first undertakings was the completion of the costly Ladoga Canal, which had been under construction for more than a decade. For his engineering and military-engineering achievements he was promoted to the rank of the General-in-Chief in 1726 by Catherine I, and awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1727, Münnich was appointed the Governor of Saint Petersburg city while the Imperial court was temporarily transferred to Moscow by Peter II. From 1728 to 1734 he was a General-Governor of Ingria, Karelia, and Finland as well as was awarded the title of a count. During his governorship Münnich improved the local ports, reinforced the newly established Peter and Paul Fortress (1703), and was thinking of building a bridge towards .
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