Valerian Madatov

Valerian Madatov (1782-1829), born in Karapagh,  traveled to St. Petersburg at the age of 15 and joined the Preobrajensk Imperial Life Guards regiment. After his regiment routed a 4,000-strong cavalry of Khosrov Pasha (1806-1812 Russian-Turkish War), Madatov was cited for his heroism and promoted to the rank of major. In 1812, at the Battle of Berezina, leading the Alexandria regiment, he defeated the French. He was compared to the celebrated Murat of Napoleon’s army. From 1816-1827 he was back in Karapagh commanding a troop during the Russian-Persian War. Although outnumbered, his regiment defeated the Persians at the Shamhor River. After that war he headed to the Balkans for another war against the Ottomans. A few days after winning the Battle of Shumla (Bulgaria), he died of consumption. He was buried near an Armenian church in that country but his remains were soon after transported, by the orders of Tsar Nicholas I, to St. Petersburg where they were buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. In 2007 a monument was created by Georgiy Frangulyan in Matadov’s honor. 

Valerian Madatov (1782-1829), born in Karapagh,  traveled to St. Petersburg at the age of 15 and joined the Preobrajensk Imperial Life Guards regiment. After his regiment routed a 4,000-strong cavalry of Khosrov Pasha (1806-1812 Russian-Turkish War), Madatov was cited for his heroism and promoted to the rank of major. In 1812, at the Battle of Berezina, leading the Alexandria regiment, he defeated the French. He was compared to the celebrated Murat of Napoleon’s army. From 1816-1827 he was back in Karapagh commanding a troop during the Russian-Persian War. Although outnumbered, his regiment defeated the Persians at the Shamhor River. After that war he headed to the Balkans for another war against the Ottomans. A few days after winning the Battle of Shumla (Bulgaria), he died of consumption. He was buried near an Armenian church in that country but his remains were soon after transported, by the orders of Tsar Nicholas I, to St. Petersburg where they were buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. In 2007 a monument was created by Georgiy Frangulyan in Matadov’s honor.