the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

After his death, Bagration became a man of epic proportions. He was remembered
as the symbol of the Russian triumphs. Leo Tolstoy greatly contributed to the evolution
of this saga by portraying him as a courageous and defiant commander in his grand “War
and Peace.” The image of Prince Bagration making a resolute stand at Schongrabern,
leading his troops across the Gulf of Bothnia or escaping with his 2 nd Western Army
captured imaginations of thousands of contemporaries and later generations. So, this
mythical figure gradually consumed the real personality of Bagration.
Prince Bagration was a remarkably complex personality. Despite poor education,
he rose to the top of the Russian society. Born Georgian, he always considered himself
the Russian and urged the Georgian nobles, who opposed the Russian rule, to serve the
Russian empire. On one hand, Bagration was generous, courteous and restrained. His
contemporaries, both compatriots and foreigners, had praised him highly. Sir Robert Ker
Porter, who befriended Bagration after the 1805 Campaign, called him “a honor to human
nature.” 10 Sir Robert Wilson eulogized Bagration’s qualities, his kindness, graciousness
and chivalrous bravery. He noted, Bagration “was beloved by every one and admired by
all who witnessed his exploits….” 11 Future Decembrist Sergey Volkonsky described him
as “the Glory of the Russian army”, Denis Davidov compared him to the Homeric heroes
while famous Russian writer Grigory Derzhavin called him “Bog-rati-on” – “the God of
the Army.” 12
However, the Prince also had a negative side to his character. He was a man of an
uncontrolled, ambitious and violent temper, who expressed his feelings in a passionate
manner and frequently made unjust and malicious statements. It is noteworthy that he
rarely expressed his feelings until the 1812 Campaign, which seemed to unleash a torrent
10 Porter, Traveling Sketches in Russia, 50
11 Wilson, Narrative of Events…, 156
12 Volkonsky, Recollections, 38; Derzhavin, Compilation of Writings, II, 579.
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