Siege of Riga (1812)
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The siege of Riga was a military operation during the Napoleonic Wars. The siege lasted five months from July – December 1812, during which the left flank of Napoleon's "Great Army" tried to gain a fa
Siege of Riga depicted in a painting by de:Carl Traugott Fechhelm.
Peterburg neighborhood of Riga before burning (1812)
Buildings on fire during Siege of Riga (1812)
Siege of Riga depicted in a postcard
Magnus Gustav von Essen
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Magnus Gustav von Essen or Ivan Nikolayevich Essen was a Russian lieutenant general of Baltic German origin and the military governor of Riga at the start of the Patriotic War of 1812.
Siege of Riga (1812)
…commanded by Prussian General Julius von Grawert, who approached Riga, defeated the forces of General Friedrich von Löwis of Menar. Governor-General Magnus Gustav von Essen, overestimating his opponent's options, ordered preparations for the siege and the burning of the suburbs, after doubt and cancellation—including those…
Portrait by George Dawe (1823–1825)