Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich | |
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Portrait by George Dawe in the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace
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Born | October 12 [O.S. October 1] 1771 Saint Petersburg |
Died | 27 December 1825 Saint Petersburg |
(aged 54)
Buried | Alexander Nevsky Lavra |
Allegiance | Russian Empire |
Service/branch | Army |
Years of service | 1787–1825 |
Rank | General of the Infantry |
Awards |
Order of St. George 2nd class, Order of St. Andrew, Order of St. Vladimir 1st class, Order of St. Anna 1st class, Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Order of St. Alexander Nevsky |
Count Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich (Russian: Михаи́л Андре́евич Милора́дович), spelled Miloradovitch in contemporary English sources (October 12 [O.S. October 1] 1771 – December 27 [O.S. December 15] 1825) was a Russian general of Serbian origin, prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. He entered military service on the eve of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 and his career advanced rapidly during the reign of Paul I. He served under Alexander Suvorov during Italian and Swiss campaigns of 1799.
Miloradovich served in wars against France and Turkey, earning distinction in the Battle of Amstetten, the capture of Bucharest, the Battle of Borodino, the Battle of Tarutino and the Battle of Vyazma. He led the reserves into the Battle of Kulm, the Battle of Leipzig and the Battle of Paris (1814). Miloradovich attained the rank of General of the Infantry in 1809 and the title of count in 1813. His reputation as a daring battlefield commander (referred to as "the Russian Murat" and "the Russian Bayard") rivalled that of his bitter personal enemy Pyotr Bagration, but Miloradovich also had a reputation for being lucky. He boasted that he had fought fifty battles but had never been wounded nor even scratched by the enemy.