The fruit of the adventurous romance of one of the associates of Catherine II, he never refused to participate in dangerous adventures. Life, deprived of them, became a torment for our hero.
It is known that in Russia at the turn of the 18-19th century. it was fashionable to read Western free-thinkers and agree with them in many ways. Our hero did not do with a simple enthusiasm for ideas. He tried to make beautiful dreams come true and almost got to the gallows. Thanks to influential relatives, he was pardoned by the king or, in his opinion, was doomed to eternal torment.
Childhood
A friend of Catherine the Great Fyodor Orlov was a loving man. His amorous adventure with the wife of a colonel, Tatyana Yaroslavova, ended with the birth of a child. The boy was born in March 1788. Noble parents did not abandon him. The baby's father filed a petition with his crowned friend, with a request to legitimize his right to the count's title. The good empress refused this request, but equalized the illegitimate in rights with other members of the Orlov family. In the same year 1796 she died.
Misha, according to the official version, was not his daddy's son, but a pupil. Naturally, he should have received a decent education. As an educational institution for the boy, they chose the boarding school of the Abbot Charles-Dominique Nicole, famous for having the highest tuition fees there.
Youth
A graduate of an elite educational institution in 1801, he was admitted to the College of Foreign Affairs. Peers noted the young man's heroic physique and ardent disposition, which did not fit in with the career of a diplomat chosen for him by his parent. In 1805, Mikhail transferred to military service. Accustomed to luxury, he chose a cavalry regiment. True, the young officer did not have to show off in the capital for a long time - the Russian army moved to Europe to help its allies fight Bonaparte.
Mikhail Orlov took part in the battle of Austerlitz, and in 1807, as part of his regiment, fought with Napoleon's troops in Germany. He proved himself to be a valiant soldier, for which he was promoted in rank and awarded a golden sword. By the time the Corsican sent his troops to Russia, the dashing grunt had risen to the rank of lieutenant. Alexander I appointed him as his aide-de-camp, but did not insist that the brave man be at the headquarters. Mikhail distinguished himself in the defense of Smolensk, the Battle of Borodino and even managed to be a partisan. After the invaders were driven out, the cavalry guard took part in the Foreign campaign.
Dissenting
Perhaps our hero's rejection of the authorities arose when in 1814 he was left at the headquarters of Marshal Auguste Marmont as a hostage. The troops were preparing for the storming of Paris, the commanders were negotiating, Orlov was used as a pawn in the game of the powers that be. To prevent the warrior from getting angry, he was promoted to major general and welcomed his participation in diplomatic missions. After the war, Mikhail did not hide his opposition views.
The sovereign did not like this freethinker. He did everything for Mikhail Orlov to remain in the rank in which he ended the war. In 1820, an officer was sent to Kishinev to command a division. Here our hero launched a vigorous activity. He banned physical punishment for soldiers, and began to educate the rank and file and junior officers. His work for the benefit of his own unit aroused suspicion among higher officials. The hero of 1812, General Nikolai Raevsky, who at that time was in Kiev, decided to meet the eccentric.
In the circle of like-minded people
Mikhail liked the daughter of General Raevsky, Catherine. In 1821 they became husband and wife. One of the frequent guests in the Orlovs' house was Alexander Pushkin. In 1817, it was he who helped his friend become a member of the literary society "Arzamas" and was good-natured to his work, full of insolence and protest. Once comrades argued until wheezing and quarreled forever.
The active humanist in uniform wanted to make a contribution not only to the daily life of the unit entrusted to him, but also to influence the political course of the country. He became the organizer of the Order of Russian Knights, whose program was to reform the domestic vertical of power with the transfer of all the rights of the monarch to parliament. Over time, this organization merged into the "Union of Welfare".
Collapse
In 1822, a scandal broke out in Orlov's division. The thief supplying agent provoked a soldier's mutiny. The investigation accused the commander of the incident, who dismissed the personnel and indulged the anarchists. After the events on Senate Square, the unreliable general was remembered again. Mikhail Orlov, although he was not in the capital on the day of the uprising, was arrested and put in a cell in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The family members of the arrested person turned to the emperor personally with a request to pardon their unlucky Misha. The biography of the hero Austerlitz and Borodin impressed Nicholas I and he agreed to replace the gallows with a link. The Decembrist was sent to the family estate, where he lived until 1831. During this time, he managed to write a book and launch the production of elite glass products on his estate.
Having received the right to move to Moscow, Orlov did just that. In the big city, the rebel tried to find like-minded people. He met Alexander Herzen, who noted his deplorable state. Happy in his personal life, the general could not do without social activities, it was very difficult for him to find a common language with the world. The last years of his life, he was involved in organizing the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Mikhail Orlov died in 1842.
