Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg | |
|---|---|
| Фёдор Фёдорович Берг | |
 Portrait by Jan Michał Strzałecki, 1867 | |
| Governor-General of Finland | |
| In office 19 December [O.S. 7 December] 1854[citation needed] – 20 November [O.S. 8 November] 1861 | |
| Monarchs | Nicholas I Alexander II |
| Preceded by | Alexander Menshikov |
| Succeeded by | Platon Rokassovsky [ru] |
| Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland | |
| In office 31 October [O.S. 19 October] 1863 – 18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1874 | |
| Monarch | Alexander II |
| Preceded by | Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (Paul Demetrius von Kotzebue as the Governor-General of Warsaw) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 May [O.S. 15 May] 1794 Sagnitz Manor,Sagnitz,Kreis Dorpat,Riga Governorate,Russian Empire (in present-day Sangaste,Otepää Parish,Valga County,Estonia) |
| Died | 18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1874 (aged 79) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Branch/service | Imperial Russian Army |
| Years of service | 1812–1874 |
| Rank |  General-Field Marshal |
| Battles/wars | |
Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert Graf[a] von Berg (German:Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg;Russian:Фёдор Фёдорович Берг,romanized: Fyodor Fyodorovich Berg; 26 May [O.S. 15 May] 1794 – 18 January [O.S. 6 January] 1874) was a Russian nobleman, statesman, diplomat and general ofBaltic German descent. Berg was acount of theAustrian Empire andGrand Duchy of Finland.[1] He was also the fifth last person to be promoted to the rank ofgeneral-field marshal in the history of theRussian Empire. He served as thegovernor-general of Finland[2] from 1854[citation needed] to 1861 and as the lastviceroy of the Kingdom of Poland from 1863 to 1874.
Berg was most notable for his role as the viceroy of Finland and Poland. He led Russian military efforts during theÅland War, a minor theater of theCrimean War, and also played a crucial role in suppressing the 1863January Uprising byCongress Poland; during the uprising, the Poles carried out numerous unsuccessful assassination attempts on him, which ledmartial law to be consequently declared in Poland. Berg also held responsible for improving the economy and industry of Finland and Poland during his time as viceroy.[3] As a German, Berg was never keen of theRussification policies introduced in Poland, being opposed to thePan-Slavism ideology of the Russians and keen towards the foreign policies ofGermany.[3] Outside of his military career, Berg was also a topographer andgeodesist, being one of the founding members of theRussian Geographical Society. He died inSt. Petersburg in 1874 and was buried in his family estate in Korten,Livonia (in now Pilskalns,Latvia).
Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was born on 26 May [O.S. 15 May] 1794, in thefamily estate in the small village ofSagnitz, in theKreis Dorpat of theGovernorate of Livonia. His father Friedrich Georg von Berg (1763–1811) was a state councillor and his mother Gertruda Wilhelmine von Ermes (1774–1844) was a young noblewoman, the younger Friedrich was the first cousin once removed[b] of generals Gregor (1765–1838) and Burchard Magnus von Berg (1764–1838), both of whom served in theRussian Imperial Army during the course of theNapoleonic Wars. Genealogists still debate[7] where the Livonian noble Berg family originated in, many speculated they originated inWestphalia. The first known ancestor of the family to appear inLivonia was Otto von Berg. His son, who was also named Otto, was a vassal of theLivonian Knighthood.
Friedrich belonged to the Sagnitz branch of the Luist line of the family. The Luist line[5] was formed by Captain Gustav von Berg (1656–1715), and the further divided Sagnitz branch[6] was formed by Friedrich's grandfather Major Gotthard Ernst von Berg (1714–1766).
Berg along with his siblings spent their childhood in the Sagnitz castle and were home educated by the youngFriedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve.[8] He was brought up as aLutheran.[9] After he finished his home education he studied in the Tartu Gymnasium inDorpat. Originally not seeking a military career as a family tradition, Berg enrolled into thePhilosophy faculty ofImperial University of Dorpat in 1810.[10] But afterNapoleoninvaded of Russia in 1812, Berg dropped out from university and voluntarily entered theRussian Imperial Army. He entered the army as aFahnenjunker and was enlisted into the6th Libau Infantry Regiment which was stationed at the north-western part of Russia to defend against Napoleon. Berg's bravery during the war of 1812 rewarded him the rank oflieutenant fromAlexander I personally. He was also appointed second to thequartermaster due to his high education and being multilingual among Russian soldiers at the time.
After Napoleon was pushed out of Russia, Berg was transferred to apartisan unit under the commands ofBaron von Tettenborn andPavel Kutuzov and took part in actions inGermany including theBattle of Leipzig.
Berg was born the eldest son of a family with three siblings, including his younger brother Gustav "Astaf" Gotthard Karl von Berg, owner of the Alt-Ottenhof Manor.[10] His other brotherAlexander was a diplomat andconsul inNaples andLondon.[10] Count von Berg married late in his life. In 1839, after a long relationship with the Baroness de Sassè, he married[10] a richMilanese aristocrat Leopoldina Cicogna-Mozzoni (1786–1874), the widow of the Italian politicianAlessandro Annoni, with whom he had no children. However, after his brother Gustav's death in 1861, Friedrich adopted his orphaned nephews and brought them under his care:
Since his marriage was childless, hisAustrian andFinnish comital titles were inherited by his nephews/adoptive children.
Order of St. Anna, 3rd class (1813)
Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class with a bow (1813) Order of Saint Anna, 1st class with the Imperial Crown (1828, Imperial Crown in 1831)
Order of St. George, 3rd class (25.6.181829) Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class (1829)
Order of Virtuti Militari,Commander's Cross for military distinction (1831)
Order of the White Eagle (1833)
Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1838, diamonds signs in 1845) Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class (1848)
Gold Sword for Bravery with diamonds and the inscription "For a campaign to Hungary in 1849"
Order of St. Andrew with swords and diamond signs (7.08.1855, diamond signs in 11.8.1861)
Kingdom of Prussia:
Pour le Mérite with the Golden Crown (1813, Golden Crown in 1864)
Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class (1835)
Order of the Black Eagle with diamond marks (1845, diamond marks in 1865)
Kingdom of the Netherlands:
Order of the Netherlands Lion,Great Cross (1849)
Kingdom of Hungary:
Order of St. Stephen of Hungary,Nagykereszt (1849)
Kingdom of Sweden:
Order of the Seraphim with diamond marks (1859, diamonds marks on 17.8.1860)
Kingdom of Greece:
Order of the Redeemer,Great Cross (1868)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor-General of Finland 1855[citation needed]–1861 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Viceroy of Poland 1863–1874 | Succeeded byasGovernor-General of Warsaw |
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