Mikhail Kutuzov
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (; – ) was a
field marshal of the
Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three
Romanov monarchs: Empress
Catherine II, and Emperors
Paul I and
Alexander I. Kutuzov was shot in the head twice while fighting the Turks (1774 and 1788) and survived the serious injuries seemingly against all odds. He defeated
Napoleon as commander-in-chief using
attrition warfare in the
Patriotic War of 1812. For the
Battle of Krasnoi against Napoleon, Kutuzov (or more correctly Golenishchev-Kutuzov) received the
victory title of
Smolensky to add to his surname; the word ''Smolensky'' literally means "of
Smolensk". Alexander I, the incumbent
Tsar during Napoleon's invasion, would write that he would be remembered amongst Europe's most famous commanders and that Russia would never forget his worthiness.
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