{{Short description|Baltic German military figure (1759–1813)}}
{{more footnotes|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox military person | name = Magnus Gustav von Essen | birth_date = {{OldStyleDate|30 September|1759|19}} | birth_place = {{ill|Kalvi Manor|lt=Pöddes Manor|et|Kalvi mõis}}, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire | death_date = {{OldStyleDate|20 July|1813|8}} (aged 53) | death_place = Baldohn, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire | image = Essen Ivan N.jpg | caption = Portrait by George Dawe (1823–1825) | allegiance = {{flagcountry|Russian Empire}} | rank = Lieutenant general | battles = {{tree list}} *'''Kościuszko Uprising''' **Battle of Maciejowice *'''War of the Second Coalition''' **Battle of Alkmaar **Battle of Castricum *'''War of the Fourth Coalition''' **Battle of Ostrołęka **Battle of Friedland{{WIA}} *'''Patriotic War of 1812''' **Siege of Riga **Battle of Dahlenkirchen {{tree list/end}} | awards = Order of St George, <br/>4th degree }} '''Magnus Gustav von Essen'''<ref>{{German title von}}</ref> or '''Ivan Nikolayevich Essen''' ({{langx|ru|Иван Николаевич Эссен}}; {{OldStyleDate|30 September|1759|19 September}}{{snd}}{{OldStyleDate|20 July|1813|8 July}}) was a Russian lieutenant general of Baltic German origin and the military governor of Riga at the start of the Patriotic War of 1812.
==Life== ===Pre-1812=== From the Essen family in Estonia, from 1783 to 1785 he fought in Poland, where he was seriously injured. He fought in the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) as well as Russia's 1792 and 1794 Polish campaigns. For his service at the Battle of Maciejowice he was awarded the 4th degree of the Order of St George.
In 1799 he commanded the first division in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland under the command of general Johann Hermann von Fersen. From 1802 he was the military governor of Smolensk. He then fought in the 1807 war against Napoleon, being seriously wounded at Friedland.
===1812=== {{main|Siege of Riga (1812)}} During the Patriotic War of 1812 he served as Military Governor of Riga in place of Dimitri Lobanov-Rostovsky and was forced to set fire to Riga's suburbs as soon as the enemy captured their outermost edge. After unsuccessful attempts to stop the Prussians at a distance from the city and unsuccessfully fighting to save Iecava, he ordered the burning of the suburbs but because of a strong wind the fire got out of control and thousands of city residents were left homeless.<ref>There is an erroneous myth that the Riga suburb was burned due to a herd of cows. At the core of this myth was a real event - when Major Apushkina saw a dust cloud on the road to Mitava and, thinking it was the French on their way, set fire to the bridge at Dobele (though this story is not relevant to the outskirts of Riga).</ref>
Towards the autumn, the war changed direction. The Prussian corps became overextended, Macdonald remained inactive, a Russian success was won by Peter Wittgenstein at Polotsk, Napoleon began a general retreat and Fabian Steinheil arrived in Riga – all these circumstances brought Essen to the top of the pile, but due to mismanagement, the Russians were unable to capitalise on these victories and suffered heavy losses in several battles. In October, Essen was replaced in his post by General Paulucci and filed his resignation.
Essen then went for a long course of treatment at the Baldone sulphur baths near Riga, where he drowned on 23 August 1813 while swimming. According to one version of events, he committed suicide on the anniversary of the firing of the Riga suburbs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Volz |first=Thomas |title=Тауроген – Победа разума. – G-SCHICHTEN |url=https://g-schichten.de/%d1%82%d0%b0%d1%83%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%b5%d0%bd-%d0%bf%d0%be%d0%b1%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%b0-%d1%80%d0%b0%d0%b7%d1%83%d0%bc%d0%b0/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |language=RU |archive-date=2022-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122002341/https://g-schichten.de/%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B0/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Эссен Иван Николаевич (Магнус Густав) / Персоны / Война 1812 года. Биографический справочник |url=http://www.brdn.ru/person/570.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=www.brdn.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-12-16 |title=Статья - 8 |url=http://www.aval.ru/slovo.nsf/327532c068caece6c3256b3d0044a496/7E78DEB5781DD620C3256E540046C2CF |access-date=2022-04-29 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216120331/http://www.aval.ru/slovo.nsf/327532c068caece6c3256b3d0044a496/7E78DEB5781DD620C3256E540046C2CF |archive-date=16 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Family== His father was Claus Gustav von Essen, a statesman, and his mother was Magdalena Elisabeth von Stackelberg. Essen married Margaretha von Stackelberg in 1796, they had a daughter, Elisabeth Anna Dorothea, who was married to the Russian general {{ill|Carl Magnus von der Pahlen|ru|Пален, Матвей Иванович}}.
==In fiction==
He is portrayed in ''The Commodore'', novel of the Horatio Hornblower series.
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== *{{in lang|ru}} [http://www.museum.ru/museum/1812/Persons/slovar/sl_ye10.html Dictionary of Russian generals, members of hostilities against the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1812-1815 war.] / / The Russian archive: Sat. — М .: студия «ТРИТЭ» Н.Михалкова, 1996. - M.: Studio «TRITE» N. Mikhalkov, 1996. — Т. VII. - Vol VII. — С. 630-631. - S. 630-631.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Essen, Ivan Nikolaevich}} Category:1759 births Category:1813 deaths Category:People from Viru-Nigula Parish Category:People from Kreis Wierland Category:Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire Category:Imperial Russian Army generals Category:Russian commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Category:Russian people of the Kościuszko Uprising Category:Russian people of the Polish–Russian War of 1792 Category:French invasion of Russia Category:Deaths by drowning in the Russian Empire Category:Essen family Category:German people in the Russian Empire