Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, great-grandson of an associate of Peter the Great. The ironic patriotism of the intelligentsia of Petrine epoch origin. A historical and biographical essay
Аннотация: Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, great-grandson of an associate of Peter the Great. The ironic patriotism of the intelligentsia of Petrine epoch origin. A historical and biographical essay.
Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, great-grandson of an associate of Peter the Great. The ironic patriotism of the intelligentsia of the Petrine epoch origin. A historical and biographical essay.
Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov was the great-grandson of a colleague of Peter the Great and a participant in the Battle of Poltava - Alexander Danilovich Menshikov.
If we talk about the Russian intelligentsia that emerged in the Petrine era, then Alexander Danilovich Menshikov will be rightly considered, - among the other figures, - one of the representatives of such intelligentsia.
Prince Alexander Sergeyevich, the great-grandson of Alexander Danilovich, was most famous through the events of the Crimean War of 1853-1856, when Alexander Sergeyevich became commander-in-chief of the land and naval forces in the Crimea.
The most influential sources for assessing the activities of Prince Menshikov are the works of Yevgeny Tarle on the Crimean War.
Yevgeny Tarle placed Admiral Pavel Nakhimov at the center of historical descriptions. Nakhimov was described with his fervor, with his energy and with his selfless patriotism, with his ascetic service to Russia.
Compared to Admiral Pavel Nakhimov (who was Menshikov's subordinate), General and Admiral Prince Menshikov looked clearly not advantageous.
Here is how Academician Tarle describes the psychology of Prince Alexander Sergeyevich in the book "The Crimean War':
"A careless arrogance, a contemptuous mockery, a constant tendency to notice only the worst in people, a completely unfounded, exaggerated idea of the depth and sharpness of his own state thought - all these qualities were brought up in him [in Menshikov] by a lifetime of being among the court nobodies, over whom he was very evil and often wittily sophisticated. But to understand, for example, that as a military man he himself is a pygmy compared to such people as Nakhimov, Kornilov, Totleben, Khrulev, Vasilchikov, or that as a diplomat he is a perfect zero compared to at least Alexey Orlov or even with such mediocrity as Baron Budberg - this never occurred to Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov. At the same time, he had another deadly harmful trait: his indisputable and subtle mind was somehow sluggish, ineffective, he did not have the slightest energy of thought, not to mention the energy of will. Everything will be fine, and if it goes wrong - it's also a small problem, everything in the world is fixable, especially if someone has majorats, leases, pensions and so many orders (awards) that there is no longer enough space on their chest where to hang them.
Did Nakhimov head to look for the Turks by sea? Most likely, he won't find them. If he does, so much the worse for him. Kornilov asks us to send help to Nakhimov as soon as possible? Okay, we can send the help. If help will not arrive in time - well, somehow Nakhimov will get out of trouble. But if Nakhimov will not wriggle out [if he will not be successful to avoid trouble] and he will sink, we will be able to live without Nakhimov."
Eugene Tarle does not deny the personal courage of Prince Alexander Sergeyevich (he participated in many battles, was wounded), his high education (unique for Russia at that time), admits that Alexander Sergeyevich was not involved in the theft of state money.
We can to assume that Alexander Sergeyevich had at his disposal the experience gained by his great-grandfather Alexander Danilovich. And Pavel Nakhimov and other East-Republicans had no such experience in 1853.
Alexander Danilovich may have been skeptical of both the Romanov dynasty and Russian public opinion.
What could he possibly be sincere about? Whether he had a sincere feelings about the city of Berezov, to the Ob River, to the church built by his great-grandfather?
Regarding Russian Russian public opinion and its demands, both against the example of Peter the Great and against the example of Kutuzov, who surrendered Moscow, may be put, as an option, the example of great public excitement, the outbursts of public enthusiasm before the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, before the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, before the First World War of 1914-1918.
How to evaluate the actions of Alexander Sergeyevich during the Crimean War?
The answer depends on the point of view.
If you compare Prince Menshikov with Nakhimov, then Menshikov does not look in an advantageous style.
But you can compare Menshikov with Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov.
Kutuzov surrendered Moscow, opposing public opinion during the army's retreat and the surrender of Moscow to Napoleon. Kutuzov secured Napoleon's withdrawal from Russia. Kutuzov did not express any desire to continue military operations outside of Russia.
What are the results of the Patriotic War of 1812? What has Russia achieved? The war was an enterprise of whole the people, but the abolition of serfdom did not follow. In the Manifesto on the occasion of Napoleon's leaving off, the peasants were asked to expect benefits according to the will of the Almighty.
Sevastopol after battles and maneuvers was surrendered, the Crimea was not lost, the enemy troops withdrew from Russia...
The demilitarization (complete or partial) of the Black Sea may have opened a fundamentally new political era...
Of course, Alexander Menshikov had more historical experience when compared to Pavel Nakhimov.
And the other East-Republicans-what did they succeed to get? Did they get only a salary and, additionally, a moderate historical fame (in completely uncontested cases)?
Which of them received enough money to buy at least a villa on an island in the Caribbean?
What benefits, for example, can Felix Dzerzhinsky boast, the benefits, which he obtained during the years of huge, almost uncontrolled power and the most energetic activity to restore the country's economy?
Who "made" millions? Bonch-Bruyevich? Krzyzanowski? Nadezhda Krupskaya? Konstantin Tsiolkovsky? Sergei Korolev? What did they pass on as an inheritance to their descendants?
And what was the result of all these efforts, if to recall 1991?
Of course, they left behind themselves economic growth, a new type of economy, an educated, cultured country, a strong international position (of the country), a unique (on a global historical scale) space project...
In general, Alexander Menshikov could not help but remember how the hero of the Battle of Poltava was deprived of all orders, all property and sent with the whole family to Berezov. And the fact that his descendants were by the monarch's will (in general, quite randomly, by coincidence) were returned to service and to well-being, to welfare - this did not reduce the level of skepticism about the historical process.
A peculiar caution was acquired by a descendant of Alexander Danilovich - the great-grandson of the Peter's comrade even jokingly questioned his own descent from Alexander Danilovich (allegedly he did not descend from an associate of Peter, but from the famous lovelace Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt). Maybe that's why Emperor Nicholas I liked Alexander Sergeyevich - clearly not a Decembrist, it is obvious that without meaningless dreams, without unnecessary illusions and without excessive aspirations...
As for Alexander Sergeyevich's service to Russia, the Crimean War ended relatively painlessly for Russia (and perhaps even with new, peaceful political prospects), but with disastrous consequences for the Romanov dynasty...
Alexander Sergeyevich was an absolutely loyal subordinate of Emperor. Prince Menshikov was an impeccable guide of the policy and will of Emperor Nicholas I.
June 5, 2021 01: 08
Translation from Russian into English: June 5, 2021 07:45
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Князь Александр Сергеевич Меншиков, правнук сподвижника Петра Великого. Иронический патриотизм интеллигенции петровского происхождения. Историко-биографический очерк'.