Field Marshal and Prince of Smolensk (1745-1813) Kutusov is perhaps the most well known of Napoleon's Russian opponents, not least because of his role in the 1812 campaign and his portrayal in Leo Tolstoy's classic novel War and Peace. A cadet at the age of 12, he held active commands in Poland (1764-1769), against the Turks (1770-1774, 1788-1791 , and 1811), became a general in 1784, and was the senior Russian officer at the battle of Austerlitz in 1805. After conducting a series of successful campaigns against the Ottomans in 1811-1812, the Tsar called upon him to bring order out of confusion by taking command of the Russian armies opposing Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Kutusov is a controversial figure. Derided by some as too old, out-dated, indolent, and fat, he was well educated, spoke French, German, Polish, Swedish, English, and Turkish, and had won his experience as a protege of Russia's greatest general, Suvorov. While infamous for having appeared to sleep through the planning session for Austerlitz, Kutusov vainly tried to forestall the battle as premature, but his emperor insisted, and it was Kutusov who saved the Russians from total annihilation. Despite his success over Napoleon in 1812, the ailing Kutusov, still advancing, was removed from command by a jealous Tsar in April 1813 and died a few weeks later in Silesia. More Powers of the Napoleonic Era France Great Britain Duke of Wellington Profile Austria Archduke Charles Profile Russia Field Marshal Kutusov Profile Prussia Field Marshal Blucher Profile Spain The Peninsula War Ottoman Empire Minor Powers Back to Table of Contents -- Napoleon #17 Back to Napoleon List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Napoleon LLC. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. The full text and graphics from other military history magazines and gaming magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com Order Napoleon magazine direct