Eduard B. Shtets,
Independent Researcher, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Norwegian-Danish Period of the Decembrist’s life E.V. von Ruge
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2020-6-6
This article for the first time provides information about a previously unknown for Russian historians Danish-Norwegian period of life of a Decembrist and prominent Russian military topographer, Lieutenant General Emelyan Viktorovich (Carl Emanuel Victor) von Ruge. It also consists of facts about his origin, place of birth and biographical information about members of his family. The main positions of his service record are considered: during his studies in the Land cadet corps (Copenhagen) and service in the Danish army. The article gives the principles and approaches of military education in Denmark in the 18–19th centuries, which brought officers to a higher level of professionalism in comparison with similar education in other countries. Regular participation of Russia in the wars of the 18–19th centuries led to the lack of qualified military personnel, and as a result, a huge number of able, competent and zealous foreign officers in the Russian army, who were adventurous but at the same time had a dubious past. In this regard, the article reviews the reason why E.V. von Ruge left his homeland and ended up serving in the Russian army. The article is aimed to form new creative approaches to the study of the personalities of secret societies of the Decembrists and the reasons for the entry of nobles of foreign origin into the Russian army in the first quarter of the 19th century.
Publishing: 31/12/2020
The article has been received by the editor on 31.08.2020
How to cite: Shtets E.B. Norwegian-Danish Period of the Decembrist’s life E.V. von Ruge // Historical Courier, 2020, No. 6 (14), pp. 93–106. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2020/ISTKURIER-2020-6-06.pdf
Links: Issue 6 2020
Keywords: Emelyan Viktorovich (Carl Emanuel Victor) von Ruge; Decembrist; genealogy; Norwegian-Danish nobility; military education; military service; military topography