Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert Graf von Berg was a Baltic German nobleman, statesman, diplomat and general who served in the Imperial Russian Army. Berg was a count of the Austrian Empire and Grand Duchy of Finland and the 5th last man to be promoted General-Field Marshal in the history of the Russian Empire. He served as the Governor-General of Finland from 1854 to 1861 and the last Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland from 1863 to 1874. Berg was most notable for his role as the viceroy of Finland and Poland. He gained a reputation for his role in defending Finland and Estonia from Anglo-French invasion during the Crimean War and was also crucial in suppressing and crushing the Polish January Uprising of 1863, during which rebel forces carried out numerous failed assassination attempts on him, martial law was consequently declared in Poland. Berg also held responsible for improving the economy and industry of Finland and Poland during his time as viceroy. As a German, Berg was never keen of the Russification policies introduced in Poland, being opposed to the Pan-Slavism ideology of the Russians and keen towards the foreign policies of Germany. Outside of his military career, Berg was also a topographer and geodesist, being one of the founding members of the Russian Geographical Society. He died in St. Petersburg in 1874 and was buried in his in the village of, Livonia.
Biography
Origin
Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg was born on May 15, 1794, in the family estate in the small village of Sagnitz, Livonia. His father Friedrich Georg von Berg was a state councillor and his mother Gertruda Wilhelmine von Ermes was a young noblewoman, the younger Friedrich was the first cousin once removed of generals Gregor and Burchard Magnus von Berg, both of who served in the Russian Imperial Army during the course of the Napoleonic Wars. Genealogists still debate where the originated in, many speculated they originated in Westphalia. The first known ancestor of the family to appear in Livonia was Otto von Berg. His son, who was also named Otto, was a vassal of the Livonian Knighthood. Friedrich belonged to the Sagnitz branch of the Luist line of the family. The Luist line was formed by Captain Gustav von Berg, and the further divided Sagnitz branch was formed by Friedrich's grandfather Major Gotthard Ernst von Berg.
Early life
Berg along with his siblings spent their childhood in the Sagnitz castle and were home educated by the young Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve. He was brought up as a Lutheran. After he finished his home education he studied in the in Dorpat. Originally not seeking a military career as a family tradition, Berg enrolled into the Philosophy faculty of Imperial University of Dorpat in 1810. But after Napoleoninvaded of Russia in 1812, Berg dropped out from university and voluntarily entered the Russian Imperial Army. He entered the army as a Fahnenjunker and was enlisted into the 6th Libau Infantry Regiment which was stationed at the north-western part of Russia to defend against Napoleon. Berg's bravery during the war of 1812 rewarded him the rank of lieutenant from Alexander I personally. He was also appointed second to the quartermaster due to his high education and being multilingual among Russian soldiers at the time. After Napoleon was pushed out of Russia, Berg was transferred to a partisan unit under the commands of Baron von Tettenborn and Pavel Kutuzov and took part in actions in Germany including the Battle of Leipzig.
Family
Berg was born the eldest son of a family with three siblings, including his younger brother Gustav "Astaf" Gotthard Karl von Berg, the owner of the. His other brother Alexander was a diplomat and consul in Naples and London. Count von Berg married late in his life. In 1839, he married a rich Milanese aristocrat Leopoldina , the widow of the Italian politician Alessandro Annoni, with whom he had no children. However, after his brother Gustav's death in 1861, Friedrich adopted his orphaned nephews and brought them under his care:
Friedrich Georg Magnus Graf von Berg
Alexander Rembert Joachim Graf von Berg
Georg Erich Rembert Graf von Berg
Emilie Wilhelmine "Minni" Anna Marie Ulrike Pauline Gräfin von Berg
Since his marriage was childless, his Austrian and Finnish comital titles were inherited by his nephews/adoptive children.
