Matija Zmajević | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by an unknown painter[1] | |
| Native name | Матвей Змаевич |
| Born | (1680-01-06)January 6, 1680 Perast, Republic of Venice |
| Died | August 23, 1735(1735-08-23) (aged 55) Tavrov, Russian Empire |
| Allegiance |  Russia |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles / wars | |
Matija Zmajević (alsoMatej Zmajević;Russian:Матвей Христофорович Змаевич,romanized: Matvey Khristoforovich Zmayevich; January 6, 1680 – August 23, 1735) was an admiral of the RussianBaltic Fleet.[2][3] He was also a shipbuilder forPeter I of Russia, building a fleet inVoronezh.
He was born inPerast in 1680,[3][4] at the time located inVenetian Albania, now inMontenegro. His uncle,Andrija Zmajević, was an archbishop ofRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar and a poet.[5] He was also a primate of Serbia. The family was in conflict with the Bujović family, another family from Perast.[citation needed] AfterVicko Bujović was killed, Zmajević left Perast as he was accused of being involved in his death.[2] He escaped to theRepublic of Ragusa,[2] and then toConstantinople, where he found refuge with Russian ambassadorPeter Tolstoy.[6] Zmajević had known Tolstoy since a 1698 training trip the latter took to Perast.[6][7] In 1712, Tolstoy sent him with a recommendation toPeter I of Russia.[7]
Impressed with Zmajević's education and maritime skills, thetsar accepted him into military service and sent him toSaint Petersburg, where he becamecommodore captain and further rose in rank.[6][8]
Zmajević had great success in maritime battles against Sweden, against whom Russia fought theGreat Northern War for supremacy in theBaltic Sea. In 1714, as head of the tsar's Baltic fleet, he achieved a victory in theBattle of Gangut for which he received the war flag of the Russian fleet.[9] In 1719, he was promoted to rear admiral and his fleet won the last naval battle of the Great Northern War, forcing the Swedes to sign theTreaty of Nystad.[8]
He was subsequently promoted to the rank ofvice admiral and put in charge for building the river fleet of theDon.[8] In 1725, he was given the honor of carrying the emperor's crown at the funeral of Peter the Great.[citation needed] The tsar's successor,Catherine I, decorated Zmajević with theOrder of Alexander Nevsky. In 1727, he was awarded the ultimate rank ofadmiral.[2]
After the death of Catherine I in 1727, Zmajević was accused ofembezzlement and sentenced to death by acourt-martial.[10] He was reprieved at the last minute and relegated to the post of governor of theAstrakhan area with the rank ofvice-admiral, where he spent last years of his life.[8] He worked on establishment of theBlack Sea Fleet,[6] which would play a significant role in Russian expansion to the south after his death.
Zmajević made numerous donations to his hometown Perast andBay of Kotor. He was buried with military honors in the Catholic Church of Saint Ludvig in Moscow.[11]
TheCroatian Encyclopedia describes him as a "Croatian sailor and Russian admiral".[8] He was depicted on a Montenegrin stamp in 2012.[12]
Matija Zmajević aus Perasto, der als Chef der Baltischen Flotte Peters des Großen 1714 bei Gangut einen wichtigen Seesieg über die Schweden erkämpfte und dafür die Kriegsflagge der russischen Flotte..
Born in 1680, Matija Zmajević came from a well-known Perast family of sea-farers.. By an Imperial decree of December, 1727, Zmajević was brought before the court, charged with neglect of duty and embezzlement of state property.. The Venetians had sentenced him to death for his part in the murder of Prince Vujović.
"Змаевич, Матвей Христофорович" .Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1906.