Campagne des Russes contre les Perses en 1796, par un secrétaire de l ambassade autrichienne [Anonymous] 18th century,Autographs & Manuscripts,History,Orientalia,Russia

Manuscript in French, written in brown ink with corrections and deletions, protected with a somewhat later added cover-page. 21 pages in-folio. Unpublished French account of the 1796 Russian campaign against Persia, written by a secretary of the Austrian embassy. A contemporary or near-contemporary draft mémoire in French, by a secretary of the Austrian embassy (possibly in Paris), describing the Russian campaign against Persia in 1796. The manuscript appears to be unpublished. The title identifies the author as attached to the Austrian diplomatic service, suggesting a perspective shaped by contemporary European diplomatic observation. Known as the Persian Expedition of 1796, this campaign was launched by Empress Catherine II of Russia in retaliation for Persia s invasion of Georgia the previous year. Commanded overall by Count Valerian Zubov, with senior officers including General Paul Potemkin, Russian forces advanced into the eastern Caucasus, capturing key cities in present-day Dagestan and Azerbaijan, including Derbent and Baku. The expedition ended abruptly when Catherine died in November 1796, and her successor, Paul I, ordered a withdrawal. Provenance: from the collection of General Martin de Vignolle (1763 1824), Count of the Empire, as noted on a somewhat later added cover-page inscription by a family member, identifying the manuscript as coming from his papers and indicating the writer s familial connection as his son-in-law. . From the collection of General Martin de Vignolle. Light stains and occasional dog-earing, otherwise in fine condition. Manuscript in French, written in brown ink with corrections and deletions, protected with a somewhat later added cover-page.