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the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

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Åland Islands already became a legend; he was constantly invited to various dinners and<br />

celebrations. Bagration gradually became close with Alexander’s sister, Grand Duchess<br />

Ekaterina (Ca<strong>the</strong>rine) Pavlovna. The court rumors soon alleged <strong>the</strong> two had an intimate<br />

relationship. In June 1809, Alexander’s wife wrote her mo<strong>the</strong>r, Duchess <strong>of</strong> Baden,<br />

“[Ca<strong>the</strong>rine] is a hand in glove [sic] with Prince Bagration, who, for <strong>the</strong> last two<br />

summers, has been in residence at Pavlovsk where he commands <strong>the</strong> garrison. If not for<br />

his ugliness, she would have sacrificed herself to this liaison.” 187 The imperial family was<br />

displeased by this romantic relationship between Bagration and <strong>the</strong> grand duchess. It was<br />

rumored that Alexander appointed Bagration to command in <strong>the</strong> Danube Valley only to<br />

send him out <strong>of</strong> St. Petersburg. 188 However, Alexander certainly had o<strong>the</strong>r reasons as<br />

well for sending Bagration to fight <strong>the</strong> Turks. The tsar had been engaged in a war against<br />

<strong>the</strong> Turks for last three years and now found himself in a stalemate. Alexander needed a<br />

decisive victory against <strong>the</strong> Ottomans that would relieve his sou<strong>the</strong>rn borders and allow<br />

him to concentrate on more important issues in Eastern Europe. In addition, Franco-<br />

Austrian war already started in March 1809 and Russia committed an <strong>army</strong> under<br />

General Sergey Golitsyn. This war was very unpopular among <strong>the</strong> Russian society and<br />

many, including Bagration, voiced <strong>the</strong>ir opposition to sending troops to shed blood for<br />

Napoléon. 189 A police agent reported that Bagration told <strong>the</strong> French ambassador Armand<br />

de Caulancourt that he would never agree to command <strong>army</strong> against Archduke<br />

Charles. 190 So, on 13 July 1809, Alexander appointed Bagration to <strong>the</strong> Army <strong>of</strong> Moldavia<br />

to serve under <strong>the</strong> ailing Field Marshal Alexander Prozorovsky. The emperor believed<br />

186 Gribanov, Bagration in St. Petersburg, 146.<br />

187 Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, Imperatritsa Elizaveta Alekseevna, supruga imperatora<br />

Aleksandra I [Empress Elisabeth Alekseevna, Spouse <strong>of</strong> Emperor Alexander I], (St. Petersburg,<br />

1909), II, 257-58<br />

188<br />

A. Shirokorad, Russko-Turetskie voini 1676-1918 gg. [Russo-Turkish Wars in 1676-<br />

1918], (Moscow, 2000), 365; Gribanov, Bagration in St. Petersburg, 146-48.<br />

189<br />

“Pisma A. Bulgakova k ego bratu iz Peterburga v Venu 1808-1809,” Russkii arkhiv, 9<br />

(1899): 82; Vigel, Zapiski, part 3, 57-58; Prozorovsky to Golitsyn, 4 August 1809, Russkii<br />

arkhiv, 6 (1876): 158; Nikolay Dubrovin, “Russkaya zhizn v nachale XIX veka,” Russkaya<br />

starina, 12 (1898): 508<br />

190 Reports <strong>of</strong> Agent Fogel, VPR, V, 666.<br />

480

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