Orlov, Aleksey Grigoryevich, Count
- Orlov, Aleksey Grigoryevich, Count
-
▪ Russian count
born Oct. 5 [Sept. 24, Old Style], 1737, Lyutkino, Tver province, Russia
died Jan. 5, 1808, [Dec. 24, 1807], Moscow
military officer who played a prominent role in the coup d'état that placed
Catherine II the Great on the Russian throne.
Having entered the cadet corps in 1749, Orlov became an officer in the Russian guards as well as a close adviser to his brother Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, who about 1760 became the lover of Catherine, wife of Emperor
Peter III (reigned 1762). The Orlov brothers, supported by the guards, planned to overthrow the unpopular Peter; on the night of July 9 (June 28), 1762, Aleksey Orlov brought Catherine from her residence at Peterhof, outside St. Petersburg, to the guards' barracks. From there a military escort accompanied her into St. Petersburg, where she was solemnly proclaimed empress of Russia by the archbishop of Novgorod. Aleksey Orlov then proceeded to Peter's palace at Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), received his abdication, arrested him, and transported him to the village of Ropsha. Several days later, while still under Orlov's supervision, Peter was killed (July 16 [July 5]).
Immediately after the coup d'état Orlov was promoted to the rank of major general, and in 1769 during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74, he was placed in command of the Russian fleet, which destroyed the superior Turkish fleet near Çeşme (Cheshme (
Çeşme, Battle of), located on the Aegean coast of Anatolia) on July 6, 1770. Although Orlov's actual role in this victory was minor and he subsequently refrained from forcing his way through the Dardanelles strait, he was welcomed in St. Petersburg as a hero and given the title Count Chesmenski.
In 1775, when the beautiful Yelizaveta Alekseyevna Tarakanova (
Tarakanova, Yelizaveta Alekseyevna) was being put forward by two Polish emigres in Italy as the daughter of the Russian empress Elizabeth, Catherine, regarding her as a potential pretender to the throne, sent Orlov to bring her to St. Petersburg. Orlov seduced Tarakanova, lured her onto his ship at Livorno, Italy, and had her imprisoned at the Shlisselburg Fortress near St. Petersburg (1775). After this incident Orlov resigned from the army (1775), retired to his estate at Lyutkino, and devoted himself to horse breeding.
Orlov was later recalled to St. Petersburg, however, by Emperor
Paul I (ruled 1796–1801),
Catherine's successor, who forced him to carry the crown of Peter III in a procession transferring the late emperor's body to a place of honour in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.
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Universalium.
2010.
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Orlov, Aleksey (Grigoryevich), Count — born Oct. 5, 1737, Lyutkino, Tver province, Russia died Jan. 5, 1808, Moscow Russian military officer. He became an officer in the Russian guards and adviser to his brother Count Grigory G. Orlov, with whom he planned the overthrow of Peter III… … Universalium
Orlov, Grigory (Grigoryevich), Count — born Oct. 17, 1734, Lyutkino, Tver Province, Russia died April 24, 1783, Neskuchnoye, near Moscow Russian military officer and lover of Catherine II. An artillery officer, he fought in the Seven Years War. While stationed in St. Petersburg, he… … Universalium
Orlov, Grigory Grigoryevich, Graf — ▪ Russian military officer born Oct. 17 [Oct. 6, Old Style], 1734, Lyutkino, Tver Province, Russia died April 24 [April 13], 1783, Neskuchnoye, near Moscow military officer and lover of Catherine II, empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. He… … Universalium
count — count1 /kownt/, v.t. 1. to check over (the separate units or groups of a collection) one by one to determine the total number; add up; enumerate: He counted his tickets and found he had ten. 2. to reckon up; calculate; compute. 3. to list or name … Universalium
Orlov, Aleksey Fyodorovich, Prince — ▪ Russian prince born Oct. 8 [Oct. 19, New Style], 1786, Moscow, Russia died May 9 [May 21], 1861, St. Petersburg military officer and statesman who was an influential adviser to the Russian emperors Nicholas I (reigned 1825–55) and… … Universalium
Grigoryevich — (as used in expressions) Belinsky Vissarion Grigoryevich Ehrenburg Ilya Grigoryevich Orlov Aleksey Grigoryevich Count Orlov Grigory Grigoryevich Count Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Yagoda Genrikh Grigoryevich * * * … Universalium
Aleksey — (as used in expressions) Aleksey Mikhaylovich Arakcheyev Aleksey Andreyevich Count Brusilov Aleksey Alekseyevich Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov Kosygin Aleksey Nikolayevich Kuropatkin Aleksey Nikolayevich Leonov Aleksey Arkhipovich Orlov Aleksey… … Universalium
Orlov, Fyodor Grigoryevich, Graf — ▪ Russian count born Feb. 19 [Feb. 8, Old Style], 1741, Lyutkino, Tver Province, Russia died May 28 [May 17], 1796, Moscow Russian army officer and statesman, the younger brother of Grigory and Aleksey Orlov. He participated in the… … Universalium
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