Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden

Buxhoevden

Friedrich Wilhelm Count von Buxhoevden (Russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Буксгевден, Fyodor Fyodorovich Booksgevden; other spellings: Feodor Buxhoeveden, Buxhœwden) (September 14, 1750 Võlla, Governorate of Livonia – August 23, 1811 near Kullamaa) was a Russian infantry general and government official. Buxhoeveden commanded the Russian armies during the Finnish War.

Family

The Buxhoevedens, a Baltic German family from Estonia, traced their roots to Bexhövede in Lower Saxony.

Buxhoevden's wife, countess Natalia Alexeyeva, was the illicit daughter of Grigori Orlov (1734–1783) by a lady of the court, but her mother – contrary to some claims – was not the Empress Catherine, but a member of the Apraksin family. Buxhoeveden's granddaughter Varvara Nelidova was a mistress of Nicholas I of Russia (1796-1855) for 17 years (1832-1855).

Career

In 1805 Buxhoevden took part in the Battle of Austerlitz as a commander, contributing to the Third Coalition's failure to defeat Napoleon by being drunk during the battle.[1] In 1808 he served as Commander-in-Chief in the Russian conquest of Finland, and led Russian troops during the initial battles of the Finnish War (1808-1809).

Estates

Buxhoevden received the castle and lands of Koluvere in western Estonia after Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel had died there in 1788 in suspicious circumstances. He also owned the villa and manor of Ligovo near Saint Petersburg.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Todd Fisher & Gregory Fremont-Barnes, The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. p. 52


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