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Thread: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

  1. #1

    Default Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Peter The Great:





    from wikipedia:

    Peter the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич Pyotr I Alekse`yevich, Пётр Великий Pyotr Veli`kiy) (9 June 16728 February 1725 [30 May 167228 January 1725 O.S.]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly half-brother, Ivan V. Peter carried out a policy of "Westernization" and expansion that transformed the Tsardom of Russia into the Russian Empire, a major European power.

    Peter, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich (Alexis I of Russia) and his second wife, Nataliya Kyrillovna Naryshkina, was born in Moscow. Alexei had previously married Maria Miloslavskaya, having five sons and eight daughters by her, although only two of the sons—Feodor III and Ivan V—were alive when Peter was born. Alexei I died in 1676, and was succeeded by his oldest surviving son, Feodor.

    Feodor III's uneventful reign ended within six years; as Feodor did not leave any children, a dispute over the succession between the Naryshkin and Miloslavskyi families broke out. Ivan was the next for the throne, but he was chronically ill and of infirm mind. Consequently, the Boyar Duma (a council of Russian nobles) chose the ten-year old Peter to become Tsar, his mother becoming regent. But one of Alexei's daughters by his first marriage, Sophia Alekseyevna, led a rebellion of the Streltsy (Russia's élite military corps). In the subsequent conflict, many of Peter's relatives and friends were murdered—Peter even witnessed the butchery of one of his uncles by a mob. The memory of this violence may have caused trauma during Peter's earlier years.

    The Streltsy uprising of April-May 1682 made it possible for Sophia, the Miloslavskys (the clan of Ivan), and their allies, to insist that Peter and Ivan be proclaimed joint Tsars, with Ivan being acclaimed as the senior of the two. Sophia acted as regent during the minority of the two sovereigns and exercised all power. Peculiarly, a large hole was cut in the back of the dual-seated throne used by Ivan and Peter. Sophia would sit behind the throne and listen as Peter conversed with nobles, also feeding him information and giving him responses to questions and problems. This throne can be seen in the Kremlin museum in Moscow. For seven years, she ruled as an autocrat.
    Throughout the ages it has been the habit of many historians to portray Sophia as an ambitious, Machiavellian woman who would do whatever it took to achieve power. By early middle age, Peter himself came to associate Sophia with the dark forces of opposition, forgetting as do many historians that in the seven years of her regency that Peter and his mother, while pushed out of the scene, were never threatened or harmed. Indeed, the often overlooked fact that Peter lived, busy and content, through the regency speaks volumes.
    Peter, meanwhile, was not particularly concerned that others ruled in his own name. He engaged in such pastimes as shipbuilding and sailing, as well as mock battles with his toy army. Peter's mother sought to force him to adopt a more conventional approach and arranged his marriage to Eudoxia Lopukhina in 1689. The marriage was an utter failure, and ten years later Peter forced her to become a nun and thus freed himself from the marriage.

    By the summer of 1689, Peter had planned to take power from his half-sister Sophia, whose position had been weakened by the two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns. When she learned of his designs, Sophia began to conspire with the leaders of the streltsy, who were somewhat like hooligans continually arousing disorder and dissent of the tsar's rule. Unfortunately for Sophia, Peter, warned by the Streltsy, escaped in the middle of the night to the impenetrable monastery of Troitsky; there he slowly gathered his adherents and others, who perceived he would win the power struggle. She was therefore overthrown, with Peter I and Ivan V continuing to act as co-tsars. Peter forced Sophia to enter a convent, where she gave up her name and position as a member of the royal family.
    Still, Peter could not acquire actual control over Russian affairs. Power was instead exercised by his mother, Nataliya Naryshkina. It was only when Nataliya died in 1694 that Peter became truly independent. Formally, Ivan V remained a co-ruler with Peter, although he was still ineffective. Peter became the sole ruler when Ivan died in 1696.

    Peter grew to be a giant of a man. Standing at nearly two metres (six feet seven inches) he was literally head and shoulders above his contemporaries both in Russia and throughout Europe. However Peter lacked the overall proportional heft and bulk generally found in a man that size. Both Peter's hands and feet were small, and his shoulders narrow for his height; likewise, his head was also small for his tall body. Added to this were Peter's noticeable facial tics, and, judging by descriptions handed down, he almost certainly suffered from petit mal, a light form of epilepsy.

    Filippo Baltari, a young Italian visitor to Peter's court, wrote:
    "Tsar Peter was tall and thin, rather than stout. His hair was thick, short, and dark brown; he had large eyes, black with long lashes, a well-shaped mouth, but the lower lip was slightly disfigured...For his great height, his feet seemed very narrow. His head was sometimes tugged to the right by convulsions."
    Centuries later, the artist Valentin Serov gave a less flattering description of Peter:
    "He was frightful: long, on weak, spindly little legs and with a head so small in relation to the rest of his body...he looked more like a sort of dummy with a badly stuck on head than a live person. He suffered from a constant tic and was always making faces: wrinkling, screwing up his mouth, twitching his nose, wagging his chin."
    Otherwise, judging by documents—or lack thereof—that have managed to survive to the present day, few contemporaries, either in or outside of Russia, commented on Peter's great height or appearance.

    Peter implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia. Heavily influenced by his western advisors, Peter reorganized the Russian army along European lines and dreamt of making Russia a maritime power. He faced much opposition to these policies at home, but brutally suppressed any and all rebellions against his authority, the rebelling of streltsy, Bashkirs, Astrakhan and including the greatest civil uprising of his reign, the Bulavin Rebellion. Further, Peter implemented social westernization in an absolute manner by implementing policies such as a "beard tax."
    To improve his nation's position on the seas, Peter sought to gain more maritime outlets. His only outlet at the time was the White Sea at Arkhangelsk. The Baltic Sea was at the time controlled by Sweden in the north, while the Black Sea was controlled by the Ottoman Empire in the south. Peter attempted to acquire control of the Black Sea, but to do so he would have to expel the Tatars from the surrounding areas. He was forced, as part of an agreement with Poland, which ceded Kiev to Russia, to wage war against the Crimean Khan and against the Khan's overlord, the Ottoman Sultan. Peter's primary objective became the capture of the Ottoman fortress of Azov, near the Don River. In the summer of 1695 Peter organized the Azov campaigns in order to take the fortress, but his attempts ended in failure. Peter returned to Moscow in November of that year, and promptly began building a large navy. He launched about thirty ships against the Ottomans in 1696, capturing Azov in July of that year. On September 12, 1698, Peter The Great officially founded the first Russian Navy base, Taganrog.

    Peter knew that Russia could not face the Ottoman Empire alone. In 1697, he traveled to Europe incognito with a large Russian delegation–the so-called "Grand Embassy"—to seek the aid of the European monarchs. Peter's hopes were dashed; France was a traditional ally of the Ottoman Sultan, and Austria was eager to maintain peace in the east whilst conducting its own wars in the west. Peter, furthermore, had chosen the most inopportune moment; the Europeans at the time were more concerned about who would succeed the childless Spanish King Charles II than about fighting the Ottoman Sultan.
    The "Great Embassy", although failing to complete the mission of creating an anti-Ottoman alliance, still continued to travel across Europe. In visiting Holland, Peter learned much about Western culture. He studied shipbuilding in Zaandam and Amsterdam. Thanks to the mediation of Nicolaas Witsen, mayor of Amsterdam and expert on Russia par excellence, the czar was given the opportunity to gain practical experience in the largest shipyard in the world, belonging to the Dutch East India Company, for a period of four months. The Tsar helped with the construction of an East Indiaman especially laid down for him: Peter and Paul. During his stay the tsar engaged many skilled workers such as builders of locks, fortresses, shipwrights and seamen. Cornelis Cruys, a vice-admiral who became under Franz Lefort the Tsar's advisor in maritime affairs. Besides Peter paid a visit to Frederik Ruysch, who taught him how to draw teeth and catch butterflies. Also Ludolf Bakhuysen, a painter of seascapes and Jan van der Heyden the inventor of the fire hose, received Peter, who was keen on learning and bringing home what he had seen.

    In England he met with King William III, visited Greenwich, Oxford, was painted by sir Godfrey Kneller and saw a Fleet Review, Royal Navy in Deptford. Then the Embassy went to Leipzig, Dresden and Vienna. He spoke with August the Strong and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Embassy did not make it to Venice. The visit of Peter was cut short in 1698, when he was forced to rush home by a rebellion of the streltsy. The rebellion was, however, easily crushed before Peter returned home from England; of the Tsar's troops, only one was killed. Peter nevertheless acted ruthlessly towards the mutineers. Over 1200 of them were tortured and executed, with Peter acting as one of the executioners. The streltsy were disbanded, and the individual they sought to put on the Throne—Peter's half-sister Sophia—was forced to become a nun.
    Also, upon his return from his European tour, Peter sought to end his unhappy marriage. He divorced the Tsaritsa, Eudoxia Lopukhina. The Tsaritsa had borne Peter three children, although only one—the Tsarevich Alexei—had survived past his childhood.
    In 1698, Peter sent a delegation to Malta under boyar Boris Petrovich Sheremetyev, to observe the training and abilities of the Knights of Malta and their fleet. Sheremetyev also investigated the possibility of future joint ventures with the Knights, including action against the Turks and the possibility of a future Russian naval base.

    Peter's visits to the West impressed upon him the notion that European customs were in several respects superior to Russian traditions. He commanded all of his courtiers and officials to cut off their long beards—causing his Boyars, who were very fond of their beards, great upset—and wear European clothing. Boyars who sought to retain their beards were required to pay an annual beard tax of one hundred rubles. He also sought to end arranged marriages, which were the norm among the Russian nobility, because he thought of such a practice was not only barbaric but also led to domestic violence since the partners usually resented each other in this forced union.
    In 1699, Peter also changed the celebration of new year from 1st September to 1 January. Traditionally, the years were reckoned from the purported creation of the World, but after Peter's reforms, they were to be counted from the birth of Christ.


    Peter made a temporary peace with the Ottoman Empire that allowed him to keep the captured fort of Azov, and turned his attention to Russian maritime supremacy. He sought to acquire control of the Baltic Sea, which had been taken by Sweden a half-century earlier. Peter declared war on Sweden, which was at the time led by King Charles XII. Sweden was also opposed by Denmark, Norway, Saxony, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

    Russia turned out to be ill-prepared to fight the Swedes, and their first attempt at seizing the Baltic coast ended in disaster at the Battle of Narva in 1700. In the conflict, the forces of Charles XII used a blinding snowstorm to their advantage. After the battle, Charles XII decided to concentrate his forces against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, giving Peter I time to reorganize the Russian army.
    As the Poles and Lithuanians on one side and Swedes on the other, fought each other, Peter founded the great city of Saint Petersburg (Germanically named after Saint Peter the Apostle) in Izhora (which he had re-captured from Sweden) in 1703. He forbade the building of stone edifices outside Saint Petersburg — which he intended to become Russia's capital — so that all the stonemasons could participate in the construction of the new city. He also took Martha Skavronskaya as a mistress. Martha converted to the Russian Orthodox Church and took the name Catherine, allegedly marrying Peter in secret in 1707.

    Following several defeats, the Polish King August II abdicated in 1706. Charles XII turned his attention to Russia, invading it in 1708. After crossing into Russia, Charles defeated Peter at Golovchin in July. In the Battle of Lesnaya, however, Charles suffered his first loss after Peter crushed a group of Swedish reinforcements marching from Riga. Deprived of this aid, Charles was forced to abandon his proposed march on Moscow.

    Charles XII refused to retreat to Poland or back to Sweden, instead invading Ukraine. Peter withdrew his army southward, destroying any property that could assist the Swedes along the way. Deprived of local supplies, the Swedish army was forced to halt its advance in the winter of 17081709. In the summer of 1709, they nevertheless resumed their efforts to capture Ukraine, culminating in the Battle of Poltava on 27 June. The battle was a decisive defeat for Swedish forces, ending Charles' campaign in Ukraine and forcing him into exile in the Ottoman Empire. In Poland, August II was restored as King.
    Peter foolishly attacked the Ottomans in 1711. Normally, the Boyar Duma would have exercised power during his absence. Peter, however, mistrusted the Boyars; he abolished the Duma and created a Senate of ten members. Peter's campaign in the Ottoman Empire was disastrous; in the ensuing peace treaty, Peter was forced to return the Black Sea ports he had seized in 1697. In return, the Sultan expelled Charles XII.

    Peter's northern armies took the Swedish province of Livonia (the northern half of modern Latvia, and the southern half of modern Estonia), driving the Swedes back into Finland. Most of Finland was occupied by the Russians in 1714. In 1716 and 1717, the Tsar revisited the Netherlands, and went to see Herman Boerhaave. He continued his travel to the Austrian Netherlands and France. The Tsar's navy was so powerful that the Russians could penetrate Sweden. Peter also obtained the assistance of Hanover and the Kingdom of Prussia. Still, Charles XII refused to yield, and not until his death in battle in 1718 did peace become feasible. Sweden made peace with all powers but Russia by 1720. In 1721, the Treaty of Nystad ended what became known as the Great Northern War. Russia acquired Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and a substantial portion of Karelia. In turn, Russia paid two million Riksdaler and surrendered most of Finland. The Tsar was, however, permitted to retain some Finnish lands close to Saint Petersburg, which he had made his capital in 1712. He gained access to a warm-water-port during his reign for easier trading with the Western world.

    Peter I's last years were marked by further reform in Russia. On 22 October 1721, soon after peace was made with Sweden, he was acclaimed Emperor of All Russia. Some proposed that he take the title Emperor of the East, but he refused. Gavrila Golovkin, the State Chancellor, was the first to add "the Great, Father of His Country, Emperor of All the Russias" to Peter's traditional title Tsar following a speech by the archbishop of Pskov in 1721.
    Peter's imperial title was recognized by Augustus II of Poland, Frederick William I of Prussia and Frederick I of Sweden, but not by the other European monarchs. In the minds of many, the word emperor connoted superiority or pre-eminence over "mere" kings. Several rulers feared that Peter would claim authority over them, just as the Holy Roman Emperor had once claimed suzerainty over all Christian nations.
    Peter also reformed the government of the Russian Orthodox Church. The traditional leader of the Church was the Patriarch of Moscow. In 1700, when the office fell vacant, Peter had refused to name a replacement, allowing the Patriarch's Coadjutor (or deputy) to discharge the duties of the office. Twenty-one years later, in 1721, Peter followed the advice of Feofan Prokopovich and erected the Holy Synod, a council of ten clergymen, to take the place of the Patriarch and Coadjutor.Peter also implemented a law which stipulated that no Russian man can join a monastery before the age of 50. He felt that too many able Russian men were being wasted away by clerical work when they could be joining his new and improved army. And in 18th century Russia, few people (men and women) rarely lived to over a half century, therefore very few men became monks during Peter's reign, much to the dismay of the Russian Church.

    In 1722, Peter created a new order of precedence, known as the Table of Ranks. Formerly, precedence had been determined by birth. In order to deprive the Boyars of their high positions, Peter directed that precedence should be determined by merit and service to the Emperor. The Table of Ranks continued to remain in effect until the Russian monarchy was overthrown in 1917.In addition, Peter decided that all of the children of the nobility should have some early education, especially in the areas of sciences. Therefore, on February 28th 1714, he introduced the decree on compulsory education which dictated that all Russian children of the nobility, of government clerks and even lesser ranked officials between the ages of 10 and 15 must learn basic mathematics and geometry and that they should be tested on it at the end of their studies.

    Peter also introduced new taxes to fund improvements in Saint Petersburg. He abolished the land tax and household tax, and replaced them with a capitation. The taxes on land on households were payable only by individuals who owned property or maintained families; the new head taxes, however, were payable by serfs and paupers.
    In 1724, Peter had his second wife, Catherine, crowned as Empress, although he remained Russia's actual ruler. All of Peter's male children had died—the eldest son, Alexei, had been tortured and killed on Peter's orders in 1718 because he had disobeyed his father and opposed official policies. At the same time, Alexei's mother Eudoxia had also been punished; she was dragged from her home and tried on false charges of adultery. A similar fate befell Peter's beautiful mistress, Anna Mons, in 1724.
    In 1725, construction of Peterhof, a palace near St Petersburg, was completed. Peterhof (Dutch for "Peter's Court") was a grand residence, becoming known as the "Russian Versailles".

    In the winter of 1723, Peter, whose overall health was never robust, began having problems with his urinary tract and bladder. In the summer of 1724 a team of doctors performed the necessary surgery releasing upwards of four pounds of blocked urine. Peter remained bedridden till late autumn. Then in the first week of October, restless and certain he was cured, Peter began a lengthy inspection tour of various projects. According to tradition, it was in November, while at Lakhta along the Finnish Gulf to inspect some ironworks, that Peter saw a group of soldiers drowning not far from shore and, wading out into near-waist deep water, came to their rescue.

    This icy water rescue is said to have exacerbated Peter's bladder problems and caused his death on January 28, 1725. The story, however, has been viewed with skepticism by some historians, pointing out that the German chronicler Jacob von Stählin is the only source for the story, and it seems unlikely that no one else would have documented such an act of heroism. This, plus the interval of time between these actions and Peter's death seems to preclude any direct link. However, the story may still, in part, contain some grain of truth.
    In early January 1725, Peter was struck once again with uremia. Legend has it that before lapsing into unconsciousness Peter asked for a paper and pen and scrawled an unfinished note that read: "Leave all to...." and then, exhausted by the effort, asked for his daughter Anna to be summoned.[7]
    Peter died between four and five in the morning January 28, 1725. An autopsy revealed his bladder to be infected with gangrene. He was fifty-two years, seven months old when he died, having reigned forty-two years.

    Many emotions swept through Russia, indeed throughout all of Europe, on the news of Peter's death, but genuine grief was not shared by all. In the words of Russian historian P. Kovalevsky:
    "We could enthuse forever about the greatness of Peter's actions and still not depict in all its fullness, brilliance and worth everything that he accomplished...But in creating, he destroyed. He caused pain to all in whom he came into contact. He disturbed the safety, peace, prosperity, interests, strength, well-being, rights and dignity of everyone he touched. He made things unpleasant for everyone. He did harm to everyone. He touched intellectual, political, social, financial, family, moral and spiritual interests. Is it possible to love such a statesman? In no way. Such men are hated."
    Last edited by Palpatine; December 30, 2008 at 11:00 PM.

  2. #2

    Default Historical figures in mod - Kazimierz Pułaski (Casimir Pulaski)

    from wikipedia:

    Kazimierz Pułaski of Clan Ślepowron ([ka'ʑimʲɛʐ pu'waski] (help·info), often written Casimir Pulaski in English in the USA (March 4, 1746October 11, 1779), was a Polish soldier and politician who has been called "the father of American cavalry."
    A member of the Polish landed gentry, (Polish):szlachta, he was a military commander for the Bar Confederation and fought against Russian domination of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. When this uprising failed, he emigrated to North America, where he became a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Savannah.



    Kazimierz Michał Wacław Wiktor Pułaski herbu Ślepowron, as was his full name, was born March 4, 1746 (some sources cite March 6) in Winiary, near Warka. His father, Józef Pułaski, was the Starost of the area and one of its most notable inhabitants of the time. Early in his youth, Kazimierz Pułaski was sent to Warsaw, where he studied at the local college of Theatines.
    In 1762, he started his career as a page of Charles Christian Wettin, Duke of Courland and a vassal of the Polish king. However, soon after his arrival at Mitau, the ducal court was expelled from the palaces by the Russian forces occupying the area. Pułaski returned to Warsaw, where in 1764 he took part in the election of the new Polish monarch, Stanisław II August.
    A skilled military commander and a son of one of the notable families, Pułaski became one of the co-founders of the Bar Confederation, together with his father, on February 29, 1768. The confederation, aimed to curtail Russian hegemony over the Commonwealth, was actively opposed by the Russian forces stationed in Poland. As the Marshal of Nobility of the Land of Łomża, Pułaski became one of the best commanders of the confederate forces. That year he was besieged in a monastery in Berdyczów, which he defended for two weeks against overwhelming odds. Taken captive by the Russians, he was set free after being forced to pledge that he would not return to the confederates.
    However, he did not consider such a forced pledge binding and fought against the Russian forces for four more years. In 1769, he was again besieged by numerically superior forces, this time in the old fortress of Okopy Świętej Trójcy. However, after a brave defense, he was able to break through the Russian siege and defect with his men to the Ottoman Empire, from where they returned to Lithuania. There Pułaski incited yet another revolt against Russia, with many local nobles joining the Confederation.
    Between September 10, 1770, and January 9, 1771, Pułaski also commanded the Polish forces in the siege of Jasna Góra monastery, which he successfully defended. In November 1771, he was also the main organizer of an attempt to take the king hostage. However, the attempt failed, and the Confederation was disbanded soon afterwards. Pułaski was made a public enemy and sentenced to death in absentia for attempted regicide. He fled the country, but no European state accepted him. After a brief stay in Turkey, he moved illegally to France, where he was recruited by Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette for service in America.
    From 1777 until his death, Pułaski fought in the American Revolutionary War for the independence of the United States. He was a noted cavalryman and, as the "Father of the American Cavalry," created Pulaski's Legion, one of the few cavalry regiments in the American Continental Army. He took part in the Battle of Brandywine, the Siege of Charleston (South Carolina), and the Battle of Savannah (Georgia).
    On October 9, 1779, Pułaski — during a cavalry charge, while probing for a weak point in the British lines at the Battle of Savannah — was wounded in the groin by grapeshot. He was carried from the field by several comrades, including Colonel John C. Cooper, and taken aboard the privateer merchant brigantine Wasp. Two days later, without having regained consciousness, he died of his wounds.
    According to several contemporary witnesses, including Pułaski's aide-de-camp, he was buried at sea. A long-standing rumor, however, has it that the wounded Pułaski was actually taken to Greenwich plantation near Savannah, where he died and was buried. In 2004, an eight-year examination of remains buried at the plantation ended inconclusively.

    One of the first tributes to Pułaski was paid when George Washington on November 17, 1779, issued a challenge-and-password set for identifying friend and foe when crossing military lines: "Query: Pulaski, Response: Poland".
    The United States has long commemorated Pułaski's contributions to the American War of Independence, but Polish immigration in the 20th century accelerated the interest. By presidential proclamation, every October 11 is "General Pulaski Memorial Day," dedicated to Pułaski's memory and to the heritage of Polish-Americans. Each October Grand Rapids, Michigan, celebrates "Pulaski Days". There is also a statue of Pułaski in Detroit, Michigan, in the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
    The State of Kentucky has by law, since before 1942, recognized General Pulaski's Day. The State of Illinois has since 1977 celebrated Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of March, doubtless due to the large Polish population of Chicago. (Pulaski Road, one of Chicago's major arteries, is named for him.) Wisconsin and Indiana extend similar recognition, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, also holds an annual parade and school holiday. On his day there is a Pulaski Day parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
    "Pulaski Park" sits on Main Street between City Hall and the historic Academy of Music Theater, in the town of Northampton, Massachusetts. Northampton and the surrounding area is home to many Polish American immigrants and their descendants.

    The American Civil War Fort Pulaski National Monument is named in honor of Kazimierz Pułaski.
    A US Navy submarine, USS Casimir Pulaski, has been named for him, as was a 19th-century Coast Guard cutter .

    Several cities and counties in US states are named after Pulaski, including the city of Pulaski, Tennessee, counties in Arkansas (of which Arkansas' state capital is the county seat), Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia, as well as villages in Wisconsin and New York. A bridge on Interstate 65 over the Kankakee River in Indiana is named after him. The Pulaski Skyway in northern New Jersey and the Pulaski Bridge in New York City are dedicated to him. A section of U.S. Highway 40 from New Castle, Delaware to Baltimore, Maryland is named the Pulaski Highway. There are also Casimir Pulaski elementary schools in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Meriden, Connecticut, and an industrial park is named for him in nearby Wallingford, Connecticut. Within the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, Pulaski House is the name for a student residential building. Additionally, there is Pulaski Square in downtown Savannah and Fort Pulaski National Monument outside Savannah. There is also a Pulaski Street and park in the historically Polish city of Hamtramck, Michigan. Streets named for Pulaski also exist in Chicago, Illinois, in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, and Northampton, Massachusetts. A section of the 5/8/12 arterial in Utica, New York, is named the Casimir Pulaski Highway.
    In the movie Year of the Dragon, a drug-smuggling ship crucial to the finale is called the Kazimierz Pułaski.
    American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens titled a song "Casimir Pulaski Day" on his album, Illinois, in which the singer's adolescent love succumbs to cancer on Casimir Pulaski Day. Similarly, but using a different spelling, heavy rock band Big Black include a song, Kasimir S. Pulaski Day, on their album Songs About ****ing.
    There is a technical university in Poland known as Casimir Pulaski Technical University of Radom.
    On March 19, 2007, the United States Senate agreed unanimously to posthumously recognize Casimir Pulaski as an Honorary Citizen of the United States. If the United States House of Representatives follows suit, and the President of the United States signs the resultant bill into law, Pulaski will become only the seventh person so honored.


  3. #3
    Salvo's Avatar Maréchal de l'Empire
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Thread reactivated
    Here You can post Your historical characters proposals
    REP for nice feedback

  4. #4
    Matheo's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    i found two famous Figures in Croatian and Austrian history (middle 18th century -early 19th century)
    but the text of both is in German and to translate it, is not possible for me, i know i can english, but not perfect
    here the links:

    Franz Freiherr von Jellachich von Buzim (Franjo Jelačić Bužimski, Franz Jellacic de Buzim)
    http://www.napoleon-online.de/AU_Gen...ellachich.html

    Peter Graf von Duka
    http://www.napoleon-online.de/AU_Gen...html/duka.html
    Last edited by Matheo; December 04, 2009 at 05:28 AM.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Napoleon to the Croats:"Yesterday, I saw with my own eyes of your courage and your fidelity. You acquired immortal glory and esteem, and I place you among my best troops. For your courage, I promise to you to agree all that you will ask me of as soon as we are home. I am satisfied with you, very satisfied. If i had only 300.000 Croats, i would conquer the whole world" "


  5. #5
    Salvo's Avatar Maréchal de l'Empire
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Thanks, we could use them as model of late general for Austria...Although my German isn't perfect I understund enough
    REP++

  6. #6
    Matheo's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    thx, yeah would be great

    Prinz Eugen von Savoyen (Prince Eugen from Savoy) * 18 October 1663 – † 21 April 1736:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Eugene_of_Savoy
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Napoleon to the Croats:"Yesterday, I saw with my own eyes of your courage and your fidelity. You acquired immortal glory and esteem, and I place you among my best troops. For your courage, I promise to you to agree all that you will ask me of as soon as we are home. I am satisfied with you, very satisfied. If i had only 300.000 Croats, i would conquer the whole world" "


  7. #7
    carricanta's Avatar Going Nowhere Fast!
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Please, don´t forget






    Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 16897 September 1741), also known as "Patapalo" (Pegleg), and later as "Mediohombre" (Half-man) for the many wounds suffered in his long military life, was a Spanish admiral, and one of the greatest strategists and commanders in the history of the Spanish Navy. He is best known for his successful defence of Cartagena in 1741 against an overwhelming English fleet.


    Born in Pasajes de San Pedro, Guipúzcoa , Basque Country of Spain, Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta commenced his naval career in the French navy in 1701 as a midshipman. In 1704 he fought in the War of Spanish Succession as a crew member in the Franco-Spanish fleet which threw back the combined forces of England and Netherlands at the Battle of Vélez Málaga. There Lezo lost his left leg. He received a cannon-shot and he get his leg amputated under the knee without anesthesia and without saying a word or making a noise. Promoted to ensign, he was present at the battles off Peñíscola, Spain and Palermo in Sicily; his service in these and other actions resulted in his promotion to ship's lieutenant. The defense of Toulon cost him his left eye. He demonstrated a shrewd command in a number of convoys, deceiving the Royal Navy off the Catalan coast. In 1711 he served in the Navy under the orders of Andrés de Pez. In 1713 he was promoted to captain. In 1714 he lost his right arm in the Siege of Barcelona. Later in this campaign, at the head of one frigate, he captured eleven British ships, including the Stanhope.
    At the conclusion of the War of Spanish Succession he was entrusted with the command of the flagship Lanfranco and with it the control and generalship of the South Seas Fleet on February 16, 1723. He destroyed and drove out British and Dutch pirates from the Pacific coasts of the Americas, and captured twelve ships. He was married in Peru in 1725.
    In 1730 he returned to Spain and was promoted to chief of the Mediterranean Fleet; with this force he went to the Republic of Genoa to enforce the payment of two million pesos owed to Spain that had been retained in the Bank of San Jorge. Deeming the honour of the Spanish flag to be at stake, Blas de Lezo menaced the city with bombardment.

    Blas de Lezo's frigate towing its prize, the British ship Stanhope.


    In 1732, on board the Santiago, he and José Carrillo de Albornoz commanded an expedition to Oran with 54 ships and 30,000 men and recaptured the city from the Ottoman Empire. Bay Hassan managed to reunite his troops and surrounded the city; Lezo returned to its aid with six ships and 5,000 men and managed to drive off the Algerian pirate after a hard fight. Dissatisfied with this he took his 60-gun flagship into the corsair's refuge of Mostagan's bay, a bastion defended by two forts and 4,000 Moors. He inflicted heavy damage on the and forts and town. In the following months he established a naval blockade, preventing the Algerians from receiving reinforcements from Istanbul, thereby gaining valuable time for the securing of Oran's defense, until an epidemic forced him to return to Cadiz.
    In 1734 the king promoted him to General Lieutenant of the Navy. He returned to America with the ships Fuerte and Conquistador in 1737 as General Commander of Cartagena de Indias, a city that he had to defend against the British admiral Edward Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741) during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
    The British invasion fleet was one of the largest in history (the biggest fleet in history until World War II), numbering 186 vessels (the Spanish Armada, in 1588 had 126 vessels), including ships of the line , frigates, fireships, and transports, with a total complement of 23,600 men, 13,000 of which were land forces (soldiers, marines and machete-armed Jamaican slaves) and some 2,000 cannons. To counter this Blas de Lezo had at his disposal less than 6,000 men including 2,400 regular soldiers, 600 Indian archers, and the crews and troops of six ships of the line: the flagship Galicia and the ships San Felipe, San Carlos, Africa, Dragón and Conquistador. Vernon was pretty sure of the victory, and news were sent to London that Cartagena had been conquered even before the battle had started. Yet Blas de Lezo's tactics took Vernon by surprise. Blas de Lezo ordered all his vessels be sunk, thus blocking the port. A pit was dug around the city walls, in order to prevent a direct assault. Trenches were displayed in zig-zag, in order to avoid the effect of cannon fire. Two soldiers were sent to the English camp, feinting surrender, providing the assailants with false information about the Spanish positions. At night, the Spanish army charged by surprise, using bayonnets, forcing the English army to retreat, despite the fact that they were heavily outnumbered. The naval siege still lasted one more month, until the Royal Navy, suffering heavy losses from tropical diseases, returned utterly defeated to Jamaica.
    The colossal battle lasted 67 days. The defeat of the British forces assured the preservation of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Blas de Lezo contracted the plague caused by the huge number of unburied corpses. While it is known that he died in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, his burial site remains lost to history.
    When the news that Cartagena hadn't been conquered reached London, and that the invading fleet had been humiliated by a much inferior force, king George II tried to avoid the truth from being printed, written in history books, or taught at Universities (it is one of the reasons because the fate of this fleet and his defeat is comonnly unkown). Vernon was buried with honours in Westminster.
    Last edited by carricanta; December 04, 2009 at 04:19 PM.

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    Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana



    Bust of Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana. Santa Cruz de Tenerife.


    Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana (May 8, 1729 – May 14, 1799) was a Spanish Lieutenant General best known for repelling Admiral Nelson's attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797. He was born in Aranda de Duero, in Old Castile.[1] His father was in the military, and Gutiérrez followed his father's footsteps by enlisting as a cadet in the Spanish army at the age of seven.[1]
    He participated in Spanish military campaigns in Italy, the Falklands, Algiers, and in the blockade of Gibraltar under General Martín Alvarez.[1] Gutiérrez also served as Commander of the island of Minorca.[1]
    He was named Commander-General of the Canary Islands in 1791[1], and assumed this position on January 31, 1791; his predecessor in the position had been the Marquis of Branciforte.[1]
    During the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797), Gutiérrez was suffering from an attack of asthma, but he managed to defeat British forces under Horatio Nelson.[1] Gutiérrez allowed the British to leave with their arms and war honors.[1]
    As a result of this victory, Gutiérrez was granted the Encomienda of Esparragal in the Order of Alcántara (a system of endowments) by Charles IV of Spain.[1]
    Gutiérrez's health continued to suffer and he was afflicted by an attack of paralysis on April 22, 1799.[1] He died on May 14 of that year at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and was buried in the chapel of Saint James the Great (Apóstol Santiago) in the parish of La Concepción de Santa Cruz de Santiago de Tenerife.[1]
    Please, watch this link

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...ife_%281797%29

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    Agustín de Ahumada y Villalón (c.1715 — 5 February 1760) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain from 1755 to 1760. He is better known as the Marquis of Amarillas, though he held this title only as consort.

    Agustín de Ahumada was the second son of Bartolomé Félix de Ahumada y Ahumada and of Luisa Gertrudis Fernández de Villalón y Narvaez. After the death of his older brother Francisco Pablo de Ahumada y Villalón, 1st Marquis of Amarillas, he married his niece, Luisa María de Ahumada y Vera, 2nd Marchioness of Amarillas. The marriage had no issue.
    He had a distinguished military career and gained renown in the wars in Italy, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Royal Guards. He was serving as governor of the city of Barcelona at the time of his appointment to the viceroyalty of New Spain.

    Agustín de Ahumada, Viceroy of New Spain


    He entered Mexico City as viceroy on November 10, 1755. He celebrated the designation of the Virgin of Guadalupe as patron of New Spain (1756). He tried to suppress the irregularities of priests in Puebla (1756), where they were involved with the manufacture of aguardiente, gambling houses, and the selling of holy orders.
    He intervened in the lawsuits involving the newly discovered deposits of silver in Nuevo León, trying to get the parties to settle. He tried to pacify the Indians of Coahuila, in conjunction with Governor Miguel Sesma. He continued work on the drainage system in Mexico City.
    He sent aid to the Philippines against non-Christians, and to Florida against the British. The French were also trying to establish posts on the coast of Texas, and English pirates still threatened Spanish shipping and coastal settlements in the Caribbean.
    More than 1,000 Comanches rose in revolt in Texas, committing various depredations on non-Indian settlements. Viceroy Ahumada sent armed assistance to the presidio of San Sabás, near San Antonio de Béjar, when it was besieged by the rebels. The president and other Spanish defenders were killed, but the reinforcements put down the uprising.
    In 1757 the army of New Spain consisted of 2,897 men organized into 15 corps consisting of 61 companies. The main forces were concentrated in Mexico City and Veracruz, with small groups of 7 to 100 soldiers at various places in the interior.
    The most productive mines in the colony in this period were Bolaños, in Jalisco, and La Voladora, in Nuevo León. The latter had just entered production.
    In 1759 the volcano Jorullo was born in Michoacán, on the hacienda of San Miguel del Jorullo, property of Andrés Pimentel. All the surrounding ranches and villages had to be abandoned. The viceroy worked to find other locations for the refugees, mostly Indians. He paid much of the expenses for this purpose from his own pocket.


    On August 10, 1759 King Ferdinand VI died, after long illness due to his wife's death one year before; he was succeeded by Charles III. Viceroy Ahumada y Villalón died in office, in Mexico City, after a long illness. He was interred in the church of La Piedad. Because of his charitable expenditures, he left his family in poverty. The treasury paid their passage back to Spain.
    He was succeeded by the Audiencia, presided over by Francisco de Echávarri, until the arrival of the next viceroy, Francisco Cajigal de la Vega, who was promoted from governor of Havana.

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    Felipe Manuel Cayetano de Amat y de Juniet (Catalan: Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent) (March 1707 – February 14, 1782) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He was governor of Chile from December 28, 1755 to September 9, 1761, and viceroy of Peru from October 12, 1761 to July 17, 1776.

    Don
    Manuel de Amat y Juniet


    Felipe Manuel Cayetano de Amat y de Junyent was born in March of 1707 in Vacarisses (near Barcelona), into an aristocratic Spanish family. His father was José de Amat y de Planella, marquis de Castellbell, and his mother was Mariana de Junyent y de Vergós, daughter of the marquis de Castellmeià.
    He entered the army at a young age. In 1719 he saw hostile action against the French in Aragon. At the age of 17 he joined the Order of Malta and went to the island, where he remained four years. He later served in the wars in Africa, and obtained the command of a regiment of dragoons.
    He distinguished himself in the Battle of Bitonto in the Kingdom of Naples (May 25, 1734). There he served with the contingent under the command of the Duke of Montemar that defeated the Austrians at Bitonto in the War of the Polish Succession. He also stood out in the siege of Gaeta later in 1734.
    He was promoted to field marshal.



    In 1755 he was sent to America, as governor and president of the Audiencia of Chile. He traveled throughout the colony, and ordered the construction of fortifications on the coast and along the frontier with the Mapuche (for example, Santa Bárbara). He founded the towns of Talcamávida, Hualqui and Nacimiento, among others. He entered negotiations with the Mapuches, the first time in Salto del Laja in 1758, and another time in Santiago de Chile in February 1760. His goal was to guarantee the security of communications between Concepción and Chiloé, but he was only partly successful.
    In Santiago he began important public works and administrative tasks, including improvements to bridges over the Río Mapocho, a market in the Plaza de Armas, and the reform of the Royal University of San Felipe (1757). On October 12, 1758 he established the first police force in Chile, called the Dragones de la Reina (Dragoons of the Queen). This name was retained until the independence of Chile. In 1812 the force was renamed the Dragones de Chile.
    He asked for and got a juicio de residencia (trial of grievances). The outcome was in his favor.



    On October 12, 1761 he succeeded José Manso de Velasco, 1st Count of Superunda as viceroy of Peru. He was replaced on July 17, 1776 by Manuel de Guirior, marqués de Guirior.
    He had the fortress of Real Felipe constructed in Callao. It was finished in 1774. In September 1767, following orders from the Crown, he expelled the Jesuits from the colony. He founded the Royal College of San Carlos.
    He constructed various public works in Lima. Probably the most famous are the Alameda de los Descalzos and the Paseo de Aguas, in the district of Rímac. He also remodeled the Alameda de Acho.
    Tradition says the Paseo de Aguas was built in honor of his mistress, the actress Micaela Villegas, better known as La Perricholi, a Mestiza woman. The story is that when the viceroy asked her to become his mistress, she replied that she would when he laid the moon at her feet. Amat y Junient then ordered the construction of the Paseo de Aguas in front of her house. It is an aqueduct from the Rímac River with a fountain and a long, narrow reflecting pool, with a promenade along the sides of the pool. The night of the following full moon, he invited her to view it with him.
    La Perricholi's life inspired painters, writers and musicians. It provided the basis for Prosper Mérimée’s comic novella Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement, which in turn was the basis for both Jacques Offenbach’s opéra bouffe La Périchole and Jean Renoir’s 1953 film Le Carrosse d'or (The Golden Coach). She and the viceroy are also prominent characters in Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey.
    Also under his administration, the Plaza de Toros de Acho, the world's third oldest surviving bull ring, was built by Agustin de Landaburu. It was the first bull ring in Peru, and opened with a corrida and a great celebration on February 22, 1762.
    Fearing that Captain Cook's explorations would lead to the establishment of British bases from which attacks could be launched on Peru, he organized an expedition under the command of Domingo de Bonechea to Tahiti, which arrived just after that of Captain Cook, but in time to explore other islands in the group which Cook had not discovered. In subsequent voyages ordered by Amat, de Bonechea discovered most of French Polynesia.
    He also sent an expedition under Juan Antonio de Buenechea to search for the doomed ship Oriflama, piloted by his kinsman Manuel de Buenechea.
    Amat established the first Regulation of Commerce and Organization of Customs rules, which led to the building of the customshouse in Callao.[1]



    Amat returned home to Barcelona on October 22, 1777. His only marriage was to María Francisca de Fivaller y de Bru in June 1779. He was 72 years old, and she 24. Amat died in Barcelona on February 14, 1782. His widow died on October 3, 1791. Amat had no legitimate children.

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    Alessandro Malaspina


    Alessandro Malaspina (November 5, 1754April 9, 1810) was an Italian nobleman who spent most of his life as a Spanish naval officer and explorer. Under a Spanish royal commission, he undertook a voyage around the world from 1786 to 1788, then, from 1789 to 1794, a scientific expedition throughout the Pacific Ocean, exploring and mapping much of the west coast of the Americas from Cape Horn to the Gulf of Alaska, crossing to Guam and the Philippines, and stopping in New Zealand, Australia, and Tonga.
    Malaspina was christened "Alessandro". He signed his letters in Spanish "Alexandro", which is usually modernized to "Alejandro" by Spanish scholars.[1]





    Early life

    Malaspina was born in Mulazzo, a small principality ruled by his family. Today part of Tuscany, it was then part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire. Alessandro's parents were the Marquis Carlo Morello and Caterina Meli Lupi di Soragna. During 1762-1765, his family lived in Palermo with Alessandro's great-uncle, Giovanni Fogliani Sforza d'Aragona, the viceroy of Sicily. From 1765 to 1773 he studied at the Clementine College in Rome. In 1773 he was accepted into the Order of Malta and spent about a year living on the island of Malta where he learned the basics of sailing.
    Naval service

    Malaspina entered the Royal Navy of Spain in 1774 and received the rank of Guardiamarina.[2].
    Between 1774 and 1786 he took part in a number of naval battles and received many promotions. In January of 1775, aboard the frigate Santa Teresa, Malaspina took part of the expedition to help Melilla, which was under siege by Moroccans. Shortly after he was promoted to frigate-ensign. In July of 1775 he participated the siege of Algiers and in 1776 was promoted to ship's ensign.[2]
    From 1777 to 1779, aboard the frigate Astrea, Malaspina made a round-trip voyage to the Philippines, rounding the Cape of Good Hope in both directions. During the voyage he was promoted to frigate-lieutenant. In January of 1780 he was in the Battle of Cape Santa Maria and shortly thereafter was promoted to ship's lieutenant. During the Great Siege of Gibraltar, Malaspina served on a "floating battery", in September of 1782. In December of the same year, aboard the San Justo, Malaspina participated in the fighting at Cape Espartel. He was soon promoted once again, to frigate-captain.[2]
    In 1782 he was suspected of heresy and denounced to the Spanish Inquisition, but was not apprehended.
    From March 1783, to July 1784, Malaspina was second-in-command of the frigate Asunción during a trip to the Philippines. As with his first trip to the Philippines the route went by the Cape of Good Hope in both directions. In 1785, back in Spain, Malaspina, on board the brigantine Vivo, took part in hydrographic surveys and mapping of parts of the coast of Spain. During the same year he was named Lieutenant of the Company of the Guardiamarinas of Cádiz.[2]
    Circumnavigation


    Spanish Landing Site, Bauza Island New Zealand




    From September 1786 to May 1788 Malaspina made a commercial circumnavigation of the world on behalf of the Royal Philippines Company. During this voyage he was in command of the frigate Astrea. His route went via the Cape of Good Hope and, returning, Cape Horn.[2]
    Expedition of 1789-1794

    In September 1788 Malaspina joined forces with José de Bustamante y Guerra and together they approached the Spanish government to propose a scientific-political expedition that would visit nearly all the Spanish possessions in America and Asia. The Spanish king, Charles III, a promoter of science in the Spanish Empire, approved.
    Two corvettes (a type of ship similar to the British sloop-of-war), were built under Malaspina's direction specifically for the expedition, Descubierta (meaning "Discovery") and Atrevida (meaning "Daring" or "Bold").[3] Malaspina commanded Descubierta and Bustamante Atrevida. The names were chosen by Malaspina to honor James Cook's Discovery and Resolution.[2] The two corvettes were constructed by the shipbuilder Tómas Muñoz at the La Carraca shipyard. They were both 306 tons burden and 36 metres long, with a normal load displacement of 4.2 metres. They were launched together on April 8, 1789.[4]
    The expedition was under the "dual command" of Malaspina and Bustamante. Although in time the expedition became known as the Malaspina's, Bustamante was never considered subordinate. Malaspina insisted on their equality, yet Bustamante early acknowledged Malaspina as the "chief of the expedition".[5]

    This map shows the route of Malaspina's ship Descubierta with the return to Spain from Tonga omitted. The route of Bustamante's Atrevida was mostly the same, but deviated in some places.


    The expedition sailed from Cádiz on July 30, 1789. Thaddäus Haenke missed the boat, but joined in 1790 in Santiago de Chile after crossing South America by land from Montevideo.
    The expedition had explicitly scientific goals, similar to the recent voyages of James Cook and Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. Some of the leading scientists of the day accompanied Malaspina. The scientific data collected during the expedition surpassed that of Cook, but due to changed political circumstances in Spain Malaspina was jailed upon return and the reports and collections locked up and prohibited from publication. The expedition and its findings remained obscure and nearly unstudied by historians until the late 20th century.[6]
    Malaspina stopped at Montevideo and Buenos Aires, investigating the political situation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. After rounding Cape Horn the expedition stopped at Talcahuano, the port of Concepción in present-day Chile, and again at Valparaíso, the port of Santiago. Continuing north, Bustamante mapped the coast while Malaspina sailed to the Juan Fernández Islands in order to resolve conflicting data on their location. The two captains reunited at Callao, the port of Lima. There investigations were made into the political situation of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The expedition then continued north, mapping the coast, to Acapulco, Mexico. A team of officers was sent to Mexico City to investigate the archives and political situation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
    By the time Malaspina reached Mexico it was 1791, and there he received a dispatch from the king of Spain, ordering Malaspina to search for a Northwest Passage recently rumored to have been discovered. Malaspina had been planning to sail to Hawaii and Kamchatka, as well as the Pacific Northwest.[7] Instead, he sailed from Acapulco directly to Yakutat Bay, Alaska (then known as Port Mulgrave), where the rumored passage was said to exist. Finding only an inlet, he carefully surveyed the Alaskan coast west to Prince William Sound.[3]
    At Yakutat Bay, the expedition made contact with the Tlingit. Spanish scholars made a study of the tribe, recording information on social mores, language, economy, warfare methods, and burial practices. Artists with the expedition, Tomas de Suria and José Cardero, produced portraits of tribal members and scenes of Tlingit daily life. A glacier between Yakutat Bay and Icy Bay was subsequently named after Malaspina. The botanist Luis Née also accompanied the expedition, on which he collected and described numerous new plants.
    Knowing that Cook had previously surveyed the coast west of Prince William Sound and found no passage, Malaspina ceased his search at that point and sailed to the Spanish outpost at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island.
    Malaspina's expedition spent a month at Nootka Sound. While at Nootka, the expedition's scientists made a study of the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka peoples). The relationship between the Spanish and the Nootkas was at its lowest point when Malaspina arrived. Malaspina and his crew were able to greatly improve the relationship, which was one of their objectives and reasons for stopping in the first place. Due in part to Malaspina's ability to bequeath generous gifts from his well-supplied ships about to return to Mexico, the friendship between the Spanish and the Nootkas was strengthened. The gaining of the Nootka chief Maquinna's trust was particularly significant, as he was one of the most powerful chiefs of the region and had been very wary of the Spanish when Malaspina arrived. His friendship strengthened the Spanish claim to Nootka Sound, which was in question after the Nootka Crisis and resolved in the subsequent Nootka Conventions. The Spanish government was eager for the Nootka to formally agree that the land upon which the Spanish outpost stood had been ceded freely and legally. This desire had to do with Spain's negotiations with Britain than over Nootka Sound and the Pacific Northwest. Malaspina was able to acquire exactly what the government wanted. After weeks of negotiations the principal Nootka chief, Maquinna, agreed that the Spanish would always remain owners of the land they then occupied, and that they had acquired it with all due properness. The outcome of the Nootka Convention depended in part on this pact.[8]
    In addition to the expedition's work with the Nootkas, astronomical observations were made to fix the location of Nootka Sound and calibrate the expedition's chronometers. Nootka Sound was surveyed and mapped with an accuracy far greater than had previously been available. Unexplored channels were investigated. The maps were also linked to the baseline established by Captain Cook, allowing calibration between Spanish and British charts. Botanical studies were carried out, including an attempt to make a type of beer out of conifer needles that was hoped to have anti-scorbutic properties for combating scurvy. The expedition ships took on water and wood, and provided the Spanish outpost with many useful goods, including medicines, food, various tools and utensils, and a Réaumur scale thermometer.[9]
    After departing Nootka Sound the two ships sailed south, stopping at the Spanish settlement and mission at Monterey, California, before returning to Mexico.
    In 1792, back in Mexico, Malaspina dispatched two schooners (or "goletas") to conduct more detailed explorations of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia. These were Sutíl, commanded by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, and Mexicana, under Cayetano Valdés y Flores.[3] Both were officers of Malaspina's. The ships were to have been commanded by two pilots of San Blas, Mexico, but Malaspina arranged for his own officers to replace them.
    In 1792, Malaspina's expedition sailed from Mexico across the Pacific Ocean. They stopped briefly at Guam before arriving at the Philippines, where they spent several months, mostly at Manila. During this period Malaspina sent Bustamante in the Atrevida to Macau, China.
    After Bustamante's return the expedition left the Philippines and sailed to New Zealand. They explored Doubtful Sound at the southern end of New Zealand's South Island, mapping and carrying out gravity experiments. Then Malaspina sailed to Port Jackson in Australia, which had only been established by the British in 1788. Later the colony would become Sydney.
    Returning east across the Pacific Ocean the expedition spent a month at Vava'u, the northern archipelago of Tonga. From there they sailed to Callao, Peru, then Talcahuanco, Chile. The fjords of southern Chile were carefully mapped before the expedition rounded Cape Horn. Then they surveyed the Malvinas Islands ("Falkland Islands," in English) and the coast of Patagonia before stopping at Montevideo again.
    From Montevideo Malaspina took a long route through the central Atlantic Ocean to Spain, reaching Cádiz on September 21, 1794. He had spent 62 months at sea.[2]
    During the five years of this expedition Malaspina fixed the measurements of America's western coast with a precision never before achieved. He measured the height of Mount Saint Elias in Alaska and explored gigantic glaciers, including Malaspina Glacier, later named after him. He demonstrated the feasibility of a possible Panama Canal and outlined plans for its construction.[10] In addition, Malaspina's expedition was the first major long distance sea voyage that experienced virtually no scurvy. Malaspina's medical officer, Pedro González, was convinced that fresh oranges and lemons were essential for preventing scurvy. Only one outbreak occurred, during a 56-day trip across the open sea. Five sailors came down with symptoms, one seriously. After three days at Guam all five were healthy again. James Cook had made great progress against the disease, but other British captains, such as George Vancouver, found his accomplishment difficult to replicate. It had been known since the mid-1700s that citrus fruit was effective, but for decades it was impractical to store fruit or fruit juice for long periods on ships without losing the necessary ascorbic acid. Spain's large empire and many ports of call made it easier to acquire fresh fruit.[11]



    In December of 1794 Malaspina met with King Charles IV and Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. At first all was well and Malaspina was promoted to fleet-brigadier in March of 1795.[2]
    In his examination of the political situation in the Spanish colonies Malaspina had decided that Spain should free its colonies and form a confederation of states bound by international trade.[3] In September of 1795 he began trying to influence the Spanish government with such proposals. Unfortunately Malaspina had lost the support he used to have at the royal court before his voyage and the political situation had changed radically, due in part to the French Revolution. Prime Minister Godoy had Malaspina arrested on November 23 on charges of plotting against the state. After an inconclusive trial on April 20, 1796, Charles IV decreed that Malaspina be stripped of rank and imprisoned in the isolated fortress of San Antón in A Coruña, Galicia. Malaspina remained in the prison from 1796 to 1802. During his incarceration he wrote a variety of essays on topics such as aesthetics, economics, and literary criticism.[2]
    Because of his political conflict with Spain, his seven-volume account of the 1789-94 expeditions was suppressed and remained unpublished until the late 19th century. A large portion of the documents meant to be used as source material for the publication of Malaspina's expedition remained scattered in archives to the present day. A significant number of documents are lost, and those that survive are often in a rough, semi-edited form. Alexander von Humboldt, an admirer of Malaspina, wrote, "this able navigator is more famous for his misfortunes than for his discoveries."[12]
    Francesco Melzi d'Eril and Napoleon campaigned for Malaspina's release. He was finally freed at the end of 1802 but was exiled from Spain. He left for his hometown of Mulazzo via the port of Genoa, and settled in nearby Pontremoli.



    In Pontremoli Malaspina concerned himself with local politics. In December 1803 he organized a quarantine between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Etruria during a yellow fever epidemic in Livorno. In 1805 he received the title of Advising Auditor of the Council of State of the Kingdom of Italy. The queen of Etruria received him at court in December 1806. Shortly afterwards he was admitted to the Columban Society in Florence with the title of Addomesticato.[2]
    The first appearance of an incurable illness occurred in 1807.[2] Alessandro Malaspina died in Pontremoli on April 9, 1810, at the age of 55.[3]



    Malaspina University-College in the Canadian city of Nanaimo, British Columbia takes its name indirectly from the explorer (has been recently changed to Vancouver Island University), by way of Malaspina Strait, between Texada Island and the mainland, and the Malaspina Peninsula and adjoining Malaspina Inlet nearby, which are the location of Malaspina Provincial Park and are part of the Sunshine Coast region. There is also a Malaspina Peak and Malaspina Lake near Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, just southeast of the town of Gold River. In New Zealand, Malaspina Reach of Doubtful Sound in Fiordland, explored by him in 1793, has his name.

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    Junípero Serra



    Fray Junípero Serra (known as Fra Juníper Serra, in his mother tongue) (November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. Fr. Serra was beatified by John Paul II on September 25, 1988.




    Junípero Serra was born Miquel Josep Serra i Ferrer in Petra, Majorca, Spain. He later took the name of "Junípero" in honor of Saint Juniper, who had also been a Franciscan and a follower of Saint Francis. On September 14, 1730, he entered the Order of Friars Minor. For his proficiency in studies he was appointed lector of philosophy before his ordination to the priesthood. Later he received a doctorate in theology from the Lullian University in Palma de Mallorca, where he also occupied the Duns Scotus chair of philosophy until he joined the missionary College of San Fernando de Mexico in 1749.
    That year he journeyed to North America, first to Mexico City, where he taught. Father Serra refused to ride the mule that was provided him and walked from Vera Cruz to the capital, he was bitten by an insect and suffered from it throughout his life, though he continued to make his journeys on foot whenever necessary. He requested a transfer to the Sierra Gorda Indian Missions some 90 miles north of Santiago de Querétaro where he spent about nine years. During this time, he served as the mission's superior, learned the language of the Pame Indians, and translated the catechism into their language. Recalled to Mexico City, he became famous as a most fervent and effective preacher of missions. His zeal frequently led him to employ extraordinary means in order to move the people to penance: he would pound his breast with a stone while in the pulpit, scourge himself, or apply a lit torch to his bare chest. He established ten missions including Velicata.

    Monument of Junípero Serra (with Juaneño Indian boy) on plaza de San Francisco de Asis in Havana


    In 1768, Serra was appointed superior of a band of 15 Franciscans for the Indian Missions of Baja California. The Franciscans took over the administration of the missions on the Baja California Peninsula from the Jesuits after King Carlos III ordered them forcibly expelled from "New Spain" on February 3, 1768. Serra became the "Father Presidente." On March 12, 1768, Serra embarked from the Pacific port of San Blas on his way to the Californias. Early in the year 1769, he accompanied Governor Gaspar de Portolà on his expedition to Alta California. On the way, he established the Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá on May 14 (the only Franciscan mission in all of Baja California). When the party reached San Diego on July 1, Serra stayed behind to start the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first of the 21 California missions (including the nearby Visita de la Presentación, also founded under Serra's leadership).
    Serra moved to the area which is now Monterey in 1770, and founded Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo. He remained there as "Father Presidente" of the Alta California missions. In 1771, Serra relocated the mission to Carmel, which became known as "Mission Carmel" and served as his headquarters. Under his presidency were founded Mission San Antonio de Padua, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission San Francisco de Asís, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and Mission San Buenaventura. Serra was also present at the founding of the Presidio of Santa Barbara on April 21, 1782, but was prevented from locating the mission there because of the animosity of Governor Felipe de Neve.
    In 1773, difficulties with Pedro Fages, the military commander, compelled Serra to travel to Mexico City to argue before Viceroy Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursua for the removal of Fages as the Governor of California Nueva. At the capital of Mexico, by order of Viceroy Bucareli, he printed up Representación in 32 articles. Bucareli ruled in Serra's favor on 30 of the 32 charges brought against Fages, and removed him from office in 1774, after which time Serra returned to California. In 1778, Serra was given dispensation to administer the sacrament of confirmation for the faithful in California. After he had exercised his privilege for a year, governor Felipe de Neve directed him to suspend administering the sacrament until he could present the papal brief. For nearly two years Serra refrained, and then Viceroy Majorga gave instructions to the effect that Father Serra was within his rights.
    During the remaining three years of his life he once more visited the missions from San Diego to San Francisco, traveling more than 600 miles in the process, in order to confirm all who had been baptized. He suffered intensely from his crippled leg and from his chest, yet he would use no remedies. He confirmed 5,309 persons, who, with but few exceptions, were Indians ("neophytes") converted during the 14 years from 1770.
    On August 28, 1784, at the age of 70, Father Junípero Serra died at Mission San Carlos Borromeo. He is buried there under the sanctuary floor.[1]

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    carricanta's Avatar Going Nowhere Fast!
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Charles III of Spain




    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_III_of_Spain

    The Royal Standard used by Charles from 1761; he added the Medici and Farnese arms



    Arms of Charles while King of Spain; this blasonry was used till 1931 at the end of the reign of Alfonso XIII

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    Salvo's Avatar Maréchal de l'Empire
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    WOW.
    Now Spain is fully equipped in generlas

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    carricanta's Avatar Going Nowhere Fast!
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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Do you want other kind of figures: philosophers, technician, intelectuals...?

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    Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza



    Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza (born in Motrico, Guipúzcoa, Spain, 27 September 1761; died on Trafalgar Coast, Cádiz, 21 October 1805) was a Spanish noble, an Admiral of the Royal Spanish Armada, a scientist and Major of Motrico, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar while commanding the ship of the line San Juan Nepomuceno.
    He was born in Motrico, Guipúzcoa, where he received his early years education as well as in Castile.
    Later in life, he joined the Naval Academies of Ferrol and Cadiz in 1761 and 1776 becoming a naval officer.
    Churruca was married to Doña María Dolores Ruíz de Apodaca, niece of Don Sebastian Ruíz de Apodaca, Admiral of the Spanish fleet, settled in Chaguaramas in 1797. Doña María was only 19 when Churruca died.
    Cosme Damián de Churruca an officer of the Spanish Navy, performed heroically in a siege of Gibraltar.

    Churruca's Death, oil on canvas by Eugenio Álvarez Dumont, Prado Museum


    He also commanded the 74-gun San Juan Nepomuceno in the Battle of Trafalgar, when a cannon ball caused him injuries that cost him his life.

    "If you hear that my ship has been captured, say that I am dead"

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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Thank You
    + rep for all posts in this thres

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    Default Re: Historical Figures to Appear in European Wars

    Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov

    Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov (Russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Ушако́в) (February 24, 1744–October 14, 1817) was the most illustrious Russian naval commander and admiral of the 18th century.

    Life and naval career

    He was born in the village of Burnakovo in the Yaroslavl gubernia, to a modest family of the minor nobility. On February 15, 1761, he signed up for the Russian Navy in Saint Petersburg. After training, he served on a galley in the Baltic Fleet. In 1768 he was transferred to the Don Flotilla (Azov Sea Navy) in Taganrog and served in the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774. He commanded Catherine II's own yacht, and later defended Russian trade ships in the Mediterranean from the British pirate attacks.
    After Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire, Ushakov personally supervised the construction of a naval base in Sevastopol and the building of docks in Kherson. During the Second Russo-Turkish War he brilliantly defeated the Turks at Fidonisi, Kerch Strait, Tendra, and Cape Kalakria. In these battles, he demonstrated the excellence of his innovative doctrines on art of naval fighting.
    In 1799, Ushakov was promoted to full admiral and sent to the Mediterranean to support Suvorov's Italian campaign. During this expedition, Ushakov single-handedly carved out the Greek Republic of Seven Islands. He cleared the French from Corfu and all the Ionian islands. His squadron then blocked the French bases in Italy, notably Genoa and Ancona, and successfully assaulted Naples and Rome.
    Emperor Paul, in his capacity of the Grand Master of the Order of St John, ordered Ushakov to proceed to Malta, which had been besieged by the British to no effect. Admiral Nelson couldn't bear the idea that he would have to follow Ushakov's orders (the Russian commander being his senior in the naval ranks) and suggested that the Russian squadron should be dispatched to Egypt instead.

    Grave of Ushakov in Sanaksar Abbey


    Brewing conflict between the commanders was prevented by Ushakov's being recalled to Russia in 1800, where the new Emperor, Alexander I, failed to appreciate his victories. Ushakov resigned command in 1807 and withdrew into the Sanaksar Abbey in modern-day Mordovia. He was asked to command the local militia during the Patriotic War of 1812 but declined.
    Tactics

    Distinguishing features of Ushakov's tactics were the using of unified marching and fighting orders, resolute rapprochement with the enemy forcies on a short distance without evolution of a fighting order, a concentration of the basic efforts against flagships of the enemy, reserve allocation («Kaiser-flag squadrons»), a combination of aim artillery fire and maneuver, chasing the enemy up to its full destruction or capture. Giving great value to sea and fire training of staff, Ushakov was the supporter of generalissimo Suvorov's principles of training of sailors and officers. Ushakov's innovations were the one of the first successful development of naval tactics from its "line" to manoeuvring concept.
    The manoeuvre used by Ushakov at the Battle of Cape Kaliakra (1791) was later successfully used by British Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile (1798) and the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
    Memory


    The statue of Ushakov in Saransk.


    On March 3, 1944 the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the Order of Ushakov which, among several other decorations, was preserved in Russia upon the dissolution of the USSR, thus remaining to be one of the highest military awards in the Russian Federation. In addition to the Order of Ushakov, there have been the Ushakov Medal and several warships named after Admiral Ushakov. The Baltic Navy Institute in Kaliningrad also carries his name. A minor planet 3010 Ushakov discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Ivanovna Chernykh in 1978 is named after him. [1]
    Canonization

    The Russian Orthodox Church glorified him as a patron saint of the Russian Navy in 2000. His relics are preserved in Sanaksar. He was also declared the patron saint of Russian nuclear-armed strategic bombers in 2005 by Patriarch Alexius II.

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