Burkhard Christoph von Münnich

Count Burkhard Christoph von Münnich (9 May 1683 – 16 October 1767) (Христофо́р Анто́нович Миних) was a German soldier-engineer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He was the major Russian Army reformer and founder of several elite military formations during the reign of Anna of Russia. As a statesman, he is regarded as the founder of Russian Philhellenism. Münnich also was a hereditary engineer and a specialist in hydrotechnology. He had the grade of count of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. For all his contributions he is rather a forgotten Russian hero.

Early career

Münnich was born at Neuenhuntorf in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in the military family of Anton Günther Mönnich (since 1688 von Münnich, an east-Frisian nobility). Beside the knowledge of the native Low German language he also learned the Latin and French languages. At an early age (17 year old) he entered the French service. Thence he transferred successively to the armies of Hesse-Darmstadt and of Saxony where he earned his title of a colonel and later Major General.