COMMANDER // 1747–1813
Mikhail Kutuzov
Lifespan
1747 – 1813
Active service 1791–1812 — 10 battles across 5 wars; first command at age 44.
Profile
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky was a field marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul I and Alexander I. Kutuzov was shot in the head twice while fighting the Turks and survived the serious injuries seemingly against all odds. He defeated Napoleon as commander-in-chief using attrition warfare in the Patriotic War of 1812. For the Battle of Krasnoi against Napoleon, Kutuzov received the victory title of Smolensky to add to his surname; the word Smolensky literally means "of Smolensk". Alexander I, the incumbent Tsar during Napoleon's invasion, would write that he would be remembered amongst Europe's most famous commanders and that Russia would never forget his worthiness.
Battles (10)
1791
Battle of MăcinSeventh Russo-Turkish War · Russian Empire
1805
Battle of AusterlitzWar of the Third Coalition · Russian Empire
1805
1811
Battle of RuschukEighth Russo-Turkish War · Russian Empire
1811
Battle of the DanubeEighth Russo-Turkish War · Russian Empire
1812
1812
1812
Battle of MaloyaroslavetsFrench invasion of Russia · Russian Empire
1812
Battle of TarutinoFrench invasion of Russia · Russian Empire
1812
French invasion of RussiaNapoleonic Wars · Russian Empire