José de Ribas
| José de Ribas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
13 September 1751 Naples, Kingdom of Naples |
| Died | 14 December 1800 (aged 49) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Naples Russian Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Russian Navy
|
| Years of service | 1774–1800 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars |
Russo-Turkish War (1768–74) Russo-Turkish War (1787–92) |
| Awards |
Russian tradition of the Knights Hospitaller Order of St. Alexander Nevsky Order of St. George Order of St. Vladimir |
Josep de Ribas y Boyons (6 June 1749 – 14 December [O.S. 2 December] 1800), known in Spanish as José Pascual Domingo de Ribas y Boyons and in Russian as Iosif (Osip) Mikhailovich Deribas (Russian: Ио́сиф (О́сип) Миха́йлович Дериба́с), was a Spanish military officer in Russian service, who founded the city of Odessa. Odessa's most famous street, Deribasovskaya, is named after him.
Son of the Spanish consul in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom of Naples, and his Irish wife, he had been born in that city, then dynastically joined to the Kingdom of Spain, and served in the Neapolitan army in the late 1760s, but later joined the Russian Imperial Army as a "member of the Spanish nobility" in 1772, taking part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and afterwards remaining "on the margins of the Empress's court" as "one of the many young men hoping to gain [her] favour." When the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792 broke out, he was made the liaison between Grigory Potemkin and the unit commanded by John Paul Jones:
He worked assiduously to smoothe relations between Jones and the European officers, especially Nassau-Siegen, as well as with Potemkin. He dealt with cases of insubordination and drunkenness by talking firmly with the offenders rather than exacting immediate punishment. His performance was noted and rewarded. Potemkin personally transferred him from the navy and placed him in charge of an army detachment under the operational command of Count Ivan Gudovich, one of the most decorated and accomplished generals in the southern theater.
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Wikipedia