Fedor Apraksin: biography, awards, public service

In Russian history, this man, who was part of the inner circle of Peter the Great himself, was remembered both as a talented naval commander and as a competent manager. Fyodor Apraksin absolutely deservedly received the rank of general-admiral and the post of president of the board of the Admiralty. His merits before the fatherland can not be overestimated: it was he, along with the tsar, took part in the creation of the Russian fleet. It was Fyodor Apraksin who won a series of battles at sea and on land that were of strategic importance. What was remarkable in the biography of the famous general-admiral? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Origin

Apraxins have long enjoyed a privileged position in society. Sources for the first time reliably mention them in the first half of the 17th century. As early as 1617, the ancestor and namesake of the naval commander Fyodor Apraksin was the deacon of the order of the Kazan Palace. He in 1634 served as a deacon at Boris Lykov, who was son-in-law to Tsar Mikhail Romanov. Fyodor Apraksin, being childless, died in 1636. But his brother Peter had the offspring. It's about the son of Vasily Apraksin, who served the king himself. It was in the family of Vasily Petrovich that the son of Matvei, the father of the eminent naval commander, appeared. Matvei Vasilevich himself "governed" in Astrakhan. In his family, three sons and a daughter were born. Peter Matveyevich was in the service of the Emperor as a secret adviser, and later a senator. Fedor Matveyevich was an associate of Tsar Peter I, Andrei Matveyevich with monarchs was an ober-schonk. But the daughter of Martha Matveevna Apraksina became the legitimate wife of Tsar Feodor Alekseevich. This marriage to some extent predetermined the career of all the sons of Matvey Vasilievich.

But, becoming the second wife of the monarch, Marfa Matveevna Apraksina soon became a widow and lost the status of queen. But this did not prevent her brothers from building a career in the system of the state apparatus.

King's King's Table

He was born on November 27, 1661. Already from a young age, Apraksin F.M. Served as a steward of Peter I. And it should be noted that he had worthy competitors. In particular, we are talking about Prince Fedor Yurievich Romadanovsky. He, too, was a close cadet. And if Apraksin created comical troops, then Romodanovsky was their generalissimo. After some time the king was carried away by "games in the battle", so the number of soldiers in the shelves, formed specifically for the fun of Peter I, increased at times. Anyway, but amusing troops became a serious step to reform the Russian army, and Apraksin's merit in this matter is obvious.

Governor

However, Fedor Matveyevich will be awarded even greater favor of the king when he builds his first ship.

In 1692 he was appointed commander in Arkhangelsk. After some time, Apraksin will come up with the idea to build a ship that could successfully turn commercial business on the sea. The Russian emperor was completely ecstatic about this venture and personally participated in the laying of the cannon frigate "Saint Apostle Paul". Apraksin F.M. Paid time and improvement of the city. In particular, it strengthened the defense of Arkhangelsk And increased the territory of the Solombala shipyard. In just a few years of governorship in the "land of the European North", he was able to raise the branches of military and commercial shipbuilding to a new level of development. And he introduced the practice of sending Arkhangelsk ships abroad for commercial purposes.

New ranks

AT Early 18th century, Fedor Matveyevich instructed to manage affairs in the Admiralty order. In addition, he becomes the Governor of Azov. Apraksin spends a lot of time in Voronezh, where he is working hard to create a fleet that would cruise along the Azov Sea. At the mouth of the Voronezh River, he intended to lay another shipyard.

In Taganrog, Fedor Matveyevich planned to equip the harbor and erect fortifications, in the village of Lipitsa, located on the right bank of the Oka, Apraksin conceived the construction of a plant for the ebb of guns. In Tavrov (Voronezh region), the state dignitary wanted to create an admiralty and equip docks. In the Sea of Azov he decided to start hydrographic works. And all of his above initiatives have been crowned with success.

President of the Admiralty Board

Naturally, the enormous work done by Apraksin does not go unnoticed by the main ruler of the Russian state. Peter I highly appreciates the merits of his apprentice. In 1707, Fedor Matveyevich was awarded the rank of general-admiral and appointed to the post of president of the Admiralty College. He is entrusted to the personal command of the flotilla of the Baltic Sea and several military units on land.

Successes in military affairs

In 1708, General-Admiral Apraksin headed the Russian corps in Ingermanland, which prevented the Swedish army from seizing the "city on the Neva", Kotlin and Kronshlot. Fedor Matveyevich was able to destroy the building of Stromberg near the settlement of Rakobor (formerly Wesenberg).

Almost three weeks later, the President of the Admiralty College in the Kaporskiy Gulf defeated the Swedish forces under the leadership of Baron Liebecker. Naturally, such triumphal victories were marked at the highest level. Fyodor Apraksin was awarded the title of Count and received the post of a real secret adviser. In addition, Peter I instructed the Mint craftsmen to make a silver medal with a portrait of the breastplate of the famous commander and naval commander.

Triumphant victories continue

And then Fedor Matveyevich again distinguished himself on the battlefield. The commander, having 10 thousand soldiers in his arsenal, besieged Vyborg and took the fortress. For this operation he received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, as well as the award sword, made of pure gold and decorated with diamonds. Then Apraksin was transferred to the Azov lands, where he destroyed the previously erected fortifications and sold merchant ships. The fact that Azov in 1711 passed under the jurisdiction of Turkey. After that, the Admiral General spent some time in St. Petersburg, but already in 1712 he was appointed to command the infantry, which went on a campaign to return part of the Finnish lands. The commander has conquered the territory, starting from Vyborg, where in 2010 the monument to Fedor Apraksin was solemnly opened, and ending with Järvi-Koski. And shortly after this, Peter the Great's steward, commanding galleys at sea and infantry on land, was able to besiege Helsingfors (the capital of Finland). In the autumn of 1713, Apraksin won a battle with the Swedes in the vicinity of the Pyalcan River. Undoubtedly, for this brilliant Victoria the Admiral-General could have received another order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Gangut

But the laurels of the winner were ahead. In 1714, the commander and head of the Admiralty College was able once again to demonstrate to the enemy the strength and might of the Russian army.

We are talking about the famous sea battle with the Swedes, which unfolded at Cape Gangut. At the disposal of Apraksin was 99 galleys and scampaways, which accommodated a total of 15,000 Russian soldiers. Fedor Matveyevich and his soldiers were to provide access to the Åland Islands and the Abo district. However, these plans were hampered by the Swedish fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Vatrang, who ordered his soldiers to gain a foothold on the Gangut Peninsula. To minimize the chance of redeployment of Russian galleys through the previously created wooden flooring, which is located in a narrow part of the peninsula, the Swedes had to divide the flotilla into several parts. This was a strategic mistake, as the enemy ships became more vulnerable to attack when disconnected. Russian galleys were able to force the peninsula from the sea and partially attack the ships of the enemy squadron. After some time, the decisive confrontation of forces in the Rilaks-Fjord Strait took place. The Russian fleet proved to be stronger and won. The entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia was free, and access to the Åland Islands was open. A few months later the eastern lands, along the Gulf of Bothnia, went to Russia. Almost all of Finland was in the hands of Emperor Peter I.

Return to the capital

However, soon Fedor Matveyevich was suddenly recalled to the capital. The thing is that the tsar learned that officials from the immediate circle of the general-admiral abuse power and steal money from the treasury. During the reign of Peter the Great, embezzlement was quite widespread, which was brutally suppressed by "special bodies." But Apraksin himself, unlike other dignitaries, was not greedy and self-interested, he was quite lacking state salaries for the needs of his family.

And the investigators, indeed, did not find any evidence that would testify that the illustrious military leader steals state money. But Apraksin's subordinates were caught in this. However, the Tsar, who always remembered the merits of Fedor Matveyevich before the fatherland, did not strictly punish his steward and ordered him only to pay a fine.

"The Cause of the Prince"

At the same time, the Apraksins repeatedly proved their loyalty to the sovereign. For example, we are talking about history, when the son of Tsar Alexis in 1716, without warning anyone, went to live in Austria. The son of the emperor thus decided to demonstrate his rejection of the reforms and reforms of Peter I. Only diplomats Tolstoy and Rumyantsev managed to persuade Alexei to return to his homeland and to apologize for his deed. Naturally, the tsar wanted to teach a careless offspring and ordered him to be kept in the Peter and Paul Fortress until he thought it over. However, Alexei neglected the interests of his fatherland and moved to seek Austrian citizenship not just one, but in the company of like-minded people. By coincidence, Petr Matveyevich Apraksin was in their circle. But the investigators eventually found no evidence of his guilt. However, this unpleasant incident with his brother was hard for Fedor Matveyevich, who was a direct eyewitness of the Tsarevich's interrogations. Being a member of the investigative commission, the general-admiral, along with other dignitaries, put his signature in the verdict of guilt concerning the heir to Alexei. The prince was sentenced to death.

Hikes against Sweden and military operation in Persia

After the victorious battle at Gangut, the head of the Admiralty College, running on the skerries of Stockholm, periodically cruised along the coastal territory of Sweden, destroying foreign ships and collecting tribute from the territory. King Frederick I was forced to compromise with Russia by signing the Nystadt Peace Treaty, which was unprofitable for Sweden. And Fedor Matveyevich was awarded a high sea award (the Kaiser-flag).

In 1722, the military commander marched on a campaign against Persia. He personally supervised the Russian ships, furrowing the expanses of the Caspian Sea. In 1723, Apraksin returned to his homeland and received command of the Baltic Fleet.

After the death of the great reformer

When the Emperor Peter the Great died in 1725, his former stolnik continued to occupy a high position at the court. In 1725, Catherine I herself granted Apraksin the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Soon, the wife of Peter the Great transferred most of the state affairs to the Supreme Privy Council, where later Fedor Matveyevich also entered. But the first violin in this management body was played by Prince Alexander Menshikov. Meanwhile, Russian ships were gradually breaking down, and their modernization and maintenance required financial allocations, which, unfortunately, stood out in insufficient quantities. In such conditions Apraksin began to seldom go to sea, although the great victories of the Russian fleet were still fresh in his memory. Only in 1726 the general-admiral agreed to lead Russian ships to Revel to demonstrate the military power of Russia confronting England.

Sunset career

When Emperor Peter II ascended to the Russian throne, Dolgorukovs became the state affairs in the country, who somewhat alienated Apraksin. Fedor Matveyevich decided to leave the civil service and settled in Moscow. Over the long years of being in power, Apraksin made a fortune. The steward of Peter the Great owned palaces and estates, owned huge tracts of land, possessed unique valuable things. Who did it all fall into the will of the general-admiral? Since he did not have any children, Fedor Apraksin shared all the money he had received between his relatives, and he donated the luxurious home ownership in St. Petersburg to the Emperor Peter II. Apraksin died on November 10, 1728. The body of the state dignitary was buried in the Zlatoust Monastery in Moscow. The father of the president of the board of the Admiralty is buried there. Leaving a major mark in Russian history and possessing such rare qualities as kindness, diligence, truthfulness, he turned out to be one of Peter the Great's key assistants in the reform of the Russian state.