Repnin, Anikita

Born 1668; died July 3 (14), 1726, in Riga. Prince; Russian military commander, field marshal (1725).

In his youth Repnin was an associate of Peter I and became a company lieutenant in Peter’s “play troops” in 1685. Repnin fought in the Azov campaigns of 1695–96 and was promoted to the rank of major general in 1699. At the beginning of the Northern War of 1700–21, Repnin was a division commander and participated in the capture of Noteborg and Narva. In 1708, for his defeat at Golovchin, he was demoted, but after a success at Lesnaia, his general’s rank was restored. Repnin commanded the center of the Russian Army in the battle of Poltava in 1709. He led the siege and capture of Riga in 1709–10 and commanded the troops in Pomerania in 1712–13 and 1715–16. From 1719 he was governor-general of Livland, and concurrently in 1724–25, president of the Military Collegium. After the death of Peter I, Repnin advocated the proclamation of Catherine I as empress, but soon afterward A. D. Menshikov removed him to Riga.