Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace by Alexander Mikaberidze is about a character, a historical figure, but also the main protagonist of the book that many people claim to have read, but very few actually manage to get through, War and Peace. Those who are familiar with the novel know that the Russian field marshal who leads the Russian armies both in 1805 and then in the decisive showdown with Napoleon in 1812 was Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, this very interesting character that Tolstoy uses to create his own vision of what a historical figure should be like. This book is the first modern biography of this figure. For some reason, not much attention has been paid to him.

The book looks at his entire life. He was born in 1747 and passed away in 1813 so he didn't live long enough in that sense. But it was a career that was fascinating to really explore, because he joined the military when he was just twelve years old, spent the rest of his life in the military service, fought in numerous campaigns, and really went through the entirety of the military system. I jokingly refer to him as a jack of all trades because in the military service he was essentially employed in every branch, in every capacity you can imagine

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— MORE FROM ALEX —

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMikaberidze

The Napoleonic Quarterly Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-napoleonic-quarterly/id1547058446 - This is an innovative history podcast that Alex and a group of his colleagues are producing covering the entire Napoleonic era.

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— CHAPTERS —

0:00 Introduction

0:41 What is the book all about?

3:35 Why hasn't anyone written a biography of Kutuzon in over fifty years?

6:46 Are there many primary sources available from the Russian point of view?

8:36 How did you come to write this book on Kutuzov?

14:24 Did anything really surprise or fascinate you whilst researching for this book?

17:40 What is one thing you want people to know about your book and Kutuzov?

19:31 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —

Napoleon Bonaparte During the Early French Revolution (1789-1794)

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2036/napoleon-bonaparte-during-the-early-french-revolut/

— WATCH —

Rome: Strategy of Empire with James Lacey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo6yLYC4bKo

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldOtYQOqCw8

The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert with John Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZSZHzpaXog

Rome: An Empire's Story with Greg Woolf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTQSrskjPRs

— ATTRIBUTIONS —

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —

Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace by Alexander Mikaberidze

Oxford University Press

World History Encyclopedia

www.worldhistory.org

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