General Field Marshal Baryatinsky, conqueror of the Caucasus, and his youth.

The war for the conquest of the Caucasus lasted for decades, and it was the famous Russian commander Prince Alexander Ivanovich Baryatinsky who managed to conclude this bloody epic.

The future general field marshal was born on May 14, 1815, in the village of Ivanovskoye, which is now located in the eponymous region. It was one of the estates of the wealthy Russian prince Ivan Ivanovich Baryatinsky, son of the renowned diplomat Ivan Sergeyevich Baryatinsky and great-grandson of Prince Peter of Holstein-Beck.

From an early age, Alexander was surrounded by the best teachers who provided him with the necessary knowledge for life in high society. At the age of 10, he lost his father, who died at 57. After that, his mother, Maria Fyodorovna, took her two older sons to the capital. In 1831, Alexander became a cadet in the Cavalry Guard Regiment. Although his mother was against it, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna supported his choice, and Maria Fyodorovna had to agree. Thus began the military career of the future conqueror of the Caucasus.

In the autumn of 1833, Baryatinsky completed his studies and was assigned to the Life Guards Hussar Regiment with the rank of cornet. Interestingly, he studied alongside the great poet Lermontov. In their youth, they often indulged in a wild lifestyle, but this soon came to an end. Lermontov was sent to the Caucasus for his poetry, while Baryatinsky was sent there for his romantic escapades, which mentioned the name of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, daughter of Emperor Nicholas I.

In 1835, the 20-year-old cornet Baryatinsky arrived in the Caucasus and soon took part in battles with the mountaineers. However, his stay in the Caucasus was short-lived. In one of the battles, he was wounded in the side and, after recovering, returned to the capital. For his bravery displayed in the Caucasus, he was awarded a gold sword inscribed 'For Bravery.'