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George Dawe and Thomas Wright 1834 Oil on canvas Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (1779-1831), the second son of Emperor Paul I, was brought up together with his elder brother Alexander under the supervision of their grandmother, Catherine II. When his father ascended the throne, Konstantin was made colonel in chief of the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment. In 1797 he became Inspector General of all the artillery and head of all the cadet corps. Konstantin participated in Suvorov's Italian and Swiss campaigns. Under Alexander I he took part in the wars against Napoleon. At Austerlitz as well as in the campaign of 1812-13 he commanded the guards. Following Austerlitz Konstantin belonged to the so-called "French party" - those who favoured peace with Napoleon. He was with the army at the beginning of the 1812 campaign, but left for St Petersburg on account of conflicts with Barclay de Tolly. Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich entered Paris together with Alexander I. In 1814 he became the commander-in-chief of the Polish army and effective viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland. |
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