the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

another letter to Catherine asking her to appoint him to the newly built fortress of
Mozdok in Northern Caucasus. 15 The Collegium on Foreign Affairs considered this
appeal and agreed to appoint him to Mozdok, though it refused to confer a high rank on
him. 16
Prince Ivane’s move to Kizlyar was an important factor in determining the date
and place of birth of Prince Peter Bagration. Most biographies referred to town of Kizlyar
in Daghestan as Peter’s place of birth, while the date of birth varied from 1765 to 1768. 17
14 Petition of Prince Ivane Bagrationi to Empress Catherine II, circa July 1767, AVPRI, f. 118,
op. 1, 1762-1772 gg. d. 1. l. 312. Prince Ivane mentioned that he spoke four languages (Persian,
Turkish, Armenian and Georgian), but did not know Russian at all. A clerk translated the letter.
15 Petition of Prince Ivane Bagrationi to Empress Catherine II, circa 28 September 1767,
AVPRI, f. 118, op. 1, 1762-1772 gg. d. 1, ll. 313-314
16 Note of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, circa 28 September 1767, AVPRI, f. 118, op. 1,
1762-1772 gg. d. 1, ll. 319-320. Contrary to most biographies of Peter Bagration, his father was
never on active service in the Russian army, nor received rank of colonel. He settled down in
town of Kizlyar, served at local garrison and retired as a second major.
17
Most scholars (Gribanov, Rostunov, Muravina, Polikarpov, Zherve and others)
acknowledged Bagration being born in 1765 to a ‘noble family’ at Kizlyar in Daghestan. A
different date (1768) is given by General Bagration: Sbornik dokumentov i materialov, an
authoritative study of Bagration’s correspondence. It is noteworthy, that none of these works
referred to any primary sources to support their claims. The first historian to refer to Kizlyar as
birth place of Peter Bagration was A. Viskovatov, who wrote Bagration’s first biographical
account for several encyclopedias (Entsiklopedicheskii leksikon, 1835, Voennii
entsiklopedicheskii leksikon, 1853). Unfortunately, later scholars used this article as a reliable
source for their researches, thus contributing to a further confusion of facts.
The exact date of Bagration’s birth is unknown, though Gribanov refers to July, while Colonel
Zurab Tsintsadze of the Military Humanitarian Academy of Russia specified the day, 25 July.
Vasilii Gribanov, Bagration v Peterburge [Bagration in St. Petersburg], (Leningrad 1979), 10;
Zurab Tsintsadze, Bagration Voennaia Deiatelnost General Petra Ivanovicha Bagrationa, 1782-
1812, [Military Career of General Peter Ivanovich Bagration, 1782-1812] (Moscow, 1997), 4.
Bagration’s lineage is also a matter of confusion. So, Russian historian V. Zherve wrote that
Bagration descended from “an ancient Georgian family,” while Polikarpov incorrectly claimed
that Bagration’s parents were Prince Ivan Konstantinovich Bagration and daughter of King
Erekle II of Kartli-Kakheti. Soviet scholars generally endeavored to conceal Bagration’s royal
ancestry and referred to his “ancient Georgian family.” V. Zherve, Geroi 1812 goda Barklai de
Tolli i Bagration (Heroes of 1812 Barclay de Tolly and Bagration] (Moscow, 1912) 26; N.
Polikarpov, Kniaz Petr Ivanovich Baration [Prince Peter Ivanovich Bagration], 1812 god.
Dvikhnedelnii ilustrirovannii zhurnal, 1912, No. 8, 220; Gribanov, Bagration in St. Petersburg, ,
9; Ivan Rostunov, General Bagration: ocherk polkovodcheskoi deiatelnosti [General Bagration:
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