225 years ago, in January 1797, a son of an artillery major was born, who was named Ferdinand Friedrich Georg Ludwig.
Since that happened in Pskov, then the boy later got a chance to wear another one, Russified & nbsp; name & mdash; Fedor Petrovich. But neither the name nor the title has undergone any changes & mdash; Baron Wrangel.
For those for whom there is only one Wrangel & mdash; the white general and the black baron during the civil war & mdash; you have to change your mind. The black baron was from the Swedish branch of Wrangels, known for the fact that 22 of its representatives were killed in the Battle of Poltava in 1709. Note & mdash; They did not fight for Russia, but alongside Charles XII.
So the laurels of Russian Wrangel, who brought true glory and honor to his homeland, should rightly go to another, whose ancestors were from Denmark. The famous navigator, who has circled the Earth three times, the polar explorer, the staunch opponent of the sale of Alaska & mdash; Fedor Petrovich von Wrangel & Nbsp;
A comic book hero?
In this series of garish and pretentious features, one more is somehow always lost, which refers less to the story and more to the present. The point is that Fedor Wrangel & mdash; one of two Russian sailors, whose names are firmly attached to cult Russian cartoons. The first, of course, is Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern , which the cat Matroskin talks about from the cartoon “ Winter in Prostokvashino ''. And the second & mdash; just Feodor Petrovich. Here it is already necessary to tighten & mdash; his last name in 'pure form' does not appear anywhere. But the character wearing it isn't just mentioned, it's the main character. In addition & mdash; this last name sounds in the title of the cartoon series …
If anyone remembers the 'Adventures of Captain Vrungel', congratulations. That's it. What the author of the book, on which the animated series of the same name was filmed, the sailor and writer Andrey Nekrasov spoke directly: “ After a short search, a simple association was born: Baron Munchausen , Baron Wrangel (the famous Russian sailor, after whom a large eastern arctic island is named after it) and, as a derivative, Captain Vrungel. & # 39; & # 39;
The most curious thing is that these two browsers, fallen into the golden background of Russian animation, knew each other in real life. Ivan Kruzenshtern was even Wrangel's godfather in a way. Little Ferdinand was orphaned early and was brought up in the house of his uncle Wilhelm . Kruzenshtern, who had just returned from the first Russian world tour, came to visit him. & Nbsp;
& # 39; Bends of speech & # 39;
Stories about Kamchatka and America, Cape Horn and the Pacific Ocean … In general, little Wrangel & # 39; s fate was decided. Only the Sea Cadet Corps.
Wrangel's biographers wrote of his time in the Army Corps: “He walked through the threshold of this educational institution, not speaking a word of Russian, and left it as an officer so Russified that he spoke Russian much better and more freely than German, knowing full well all the twists and turns of Russian speech. & # 39;
About what kind of 'turns in Russian discourse' young Wrangel learned in the body, one can guess from his own recollections, which are far from smug: “ For pranks the most common punishment was yards, 100 hits or more; in companies, and sometimes in classes, cadets and midshipmen sang seafaring songs. In a nutshell, education was spartan, teaching was the worst …
Midshipman on the run?
But the hardening is excellent. Most likely, it was in the body that Wrangel learned to really achieve his goals, and not always in a legal way. He was the first of 99 graduates from 1815 who was promoted to adjutant & mdash; this honor was bestowed only on cadets, the best in study, demeanor and obedience. He was assigned to the frigate Avroil, which sailed along the Gulf of Finland & mdash; boredom and desire. But Wrangel learns in a roundabout way that they are recruiting for a new Russian world tour. Only bad luck & mdash; leader of the expedition, commander of the sloop “ Kamchatka '' Vasily Golovnin , only takes with him officers whom he knows personally.
And then the aspirant decides to cheat & mdash; leaves the frigate ashore and submits a report on the disease. The Admiral orders to find Wrangel and bring him on board. Here the wannabe goes to crime & mdash; runs on a coaster in Petersburg. And he heads straight for Golovnin: 'Please take him, at least as a sailor!'
The courage of the city takes & mdash; Golovnin affects the midshipman to the sloop. And & nbsp; does the right thing. Wrangel has shown himself around the world as an irreplaceable person and an exceptional officer. An interesting detail. In his reports and writings, Golovnin never called his officers by name.
Unbreakable
There are exactly two exceptions. Theopempt Loutkovsky and Fedor Wrangel. With the first, everything is clear & mdash; he was the brother of Golovnin's wife. But Wrangel received this honor purely on the merits of & mdash; for perseverance, determination, steadfastness of character, the ability to achieve the impossible. In general, for the traits expressed in the family motto of the Wrangel coat of arms: “ Frangas, non flectes ''. That is, “ You will break, but you will not bend. & # 39; & # 39;
Holy truth. It didn't fold when it took Kolyma and Chukotka several years to finally confirm Russia's priority in the discovery and development of the Northern Sea Route. The result of an expedition that lasted from 1820 to 1824. under inhumanly difficult conditions, was Wrangel's work of “ A Journey Through Northern Siberia and the Arctic Sea. & # 39; & # 39; It was opened with a harsh sentence: “The vast expanse of the globe, which stretches between the White Sea and the Bering Strait, is openly and described by the Russians.” All attempts by sailors of other peoples to enter the Arctic Sea from Europe to China or from the Great Ocean to the Atlantic are limited to the west by the Kara Sea, east by the North Cape Meridian. Insurmountable obstacles that prevented foreigners from continuing to navigate were overcome by our sailors … & # 39; & # 39; & nbsp;
Matter of life
But he still had to break up. The moment when, being the main ruler of Russian America, he managed to convince Mexico to cede the fertile lands of California, south of Fort Ross to Russia, was a blow. Nicholas I did not want to face the “ rebels '' so. Mexican republic.
But the stubborn and adventurous Wrangel completely shattered the government's intention to sell all Russian possessions in America. Before her eyes, her whole life's work was crumbling. When given the reasons that with the sale of Alaska the border would be reduced and that it would be easier to keep him safe, he replied wryly: with new ports and Sakhalin to the Americans. .. & # 39; & # 39; When the Alaska Sale became a done deal, he wrote: “ So the Russian flag no longer flies over the Americas and the area of my intensified long-term business has gone into the wrong hands. Will Russia's power and prosperity gain in the future? It is not for me to answer. “
Her condition began to deteriorate sharply. Three years after the sale of Alaska, Wrangel died of heart failure.
