Rostopchine

Rostopchine, FEODOR VASSILIEVICH, COUNT, a Russian general, was born in the government of Orel, March 23, 1763, and entered the Russian military service as a lieutenant in the Imperial Guard. He won great influence over the weak mind of the Emperor Paul, who promoted him to various offices in rapid succession. In May 1812 the Emperor Alexander appointed him governor of Moscow. He it was, according to the French writers, who planned and began with his own hand the burning of Moscow. But in 1823 he published La Vérité sur l'Incendie de Moscou (Paris, 1823), in which he rebuts the charge, affirming that this action was due in part to a few of the inhabitants, and in part to the violence and negligence of the French. Nevertheless, he subsequently recalled this denial and admitted his share in the burning, in that he at least set fire to his own mansion-house. He died at Moscow, January 30, 1826. His works, which include a number of historical memoirs, two comedies, &c., in Russian and French, were published at St Petersburg in 1853. See life by Schnitzler (Paris, 1863) and by Ségur (Paris, 1872).