Peter Tekeli

Peter Tekeli
Russian General-in-Chief Peter Tekeli. Engraving from 1787, exhibited in the Pushkin All-Russian Museum (Всероссийский музей А.С. Пушкина), Saint Petersburg.
Born	1720 Arad, Military Frontier, Habsburg Monarchy
Died	1792 Novomirgorod, Russian Empire
Allegiance	Russian Empire
Service/branch	Cavalry
Years of service	1741–1748 (Pomorišje Militia in the army of Habsburg Monarchy) 1748–1790 Imperial Russian Army
Rank	General-in-Chief
Commands held	Arad Company of Pomorišje Militia Serbian Hussar Regiment Armed forces in Novorossiya
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)
Awards	Order of St. George Order of St. Anna Order of St. Alexander Nevsky Cross of Saint Vladimir
Relations	Sava Tekelija, his nephew

Peter Tekeli (Russian: Петр Авраамович Текели,Serbian: Петар Поповић Текелија or Petar Popović Tekelija,Hungarian: Tököly-Popovics Péter) (1720–1792) was a Russian general-in-chief of Serb origin. He achieved the highest rank among the Serbs who served in the Imperial Russian Army. He was born in a noble family of military tradition, whose men were officers of the Austrian army in the Military Frontier. Prior to his emigration to Russia in 1748, he fought as a young officer in the War of the Austrian Succession. Characterized by both courage and military cunning, he made a splendid career in Russia. He participated in the Seven Years' War, the first Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and the second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792). Under his command, Zaporozhian Cossacks were disbanded and subjugated to the Imperial authority in 1775, without spilling a single drop of blood, for which he received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky from Empress Catherine the Great. He retired in 1790, and died two years later in his mansion at Novomirgorod.

The Tekeli family emigrated to the Kingdom of Hungary from the village of Tekija in eastern Serbia (then part of the Ottoman Empire), long before the Great Serb Migrations. Peter Tekeli was a grandson of Jovan and a son of Ranko Tekeli. Colonel Jovan Tekeli of Arad was at the beginning of the 18th century the commander-in-chief of Pomorišje section of the Military Frontier. As the commander of the Pomorišje Militia, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Senta in 1697, significantly contributing to the victory of Austrians. After his military successes in suppression of the Rákóczi's War for Independence, he was granted a hereditary nobility title by Emperor Joseph I. He had a prominent role in the conquest of Timişoara in 1716. His good relations with the Habsburgs deteriorated later; he even visited Rákóczi in his exile in Rodosto. The Tekeli family was ever since regarded with mistrust by the Austrians, and Jovan’s son Ranko never rose above the rank of captain. Ranko married Alka, a daughter of Mojsej Rašković, commander-in-chief of the Danube section of Military Frontier. They had four sons, the third of whom was Peter.