MENZIES, PAUL [SSNE 4015]
- Surname
- MENZIES, MENEZES, MENESES
- First name
- PAUL
- Title/rank
- MAJOR GENERAL
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Region
- PITFODELS, ABERDEENSHIRE
- Social status
- NOBILITY
- Religion
- CATHOLIC
Text source
Paul Menzies (1637-1694) was the 4th son of Sir Gilbert Menzies of Pitfodels and born in Maryculter in 1637. He studied at Douai. He subsequently entered Polish service.
In 1661 Paul Menzies apparently killed a Lithuanian colonel in a duel and this precipitated his departure from Polish service. Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries [SSNE 3903] similarly left Polish service and the pair eventually enlisted in the Tsar's army. Gordon notes in his diary that in July of 1661 Captain Paul Menzies, with a pass as a captain of foot, accompanied him to Torun to collect some personal belongings. En route, near Riga, the pair learned that they had just missed General Robert Douglas [SSNE 2378], Gordon's former commander from Swedish service, and Gordon ruminated whether he might have returned to Polish service in lieu of entering the Tsar's service. Gordon mentions that Paul Menzies, like him, "was upon the repenting the whole way from Varschaw". Nevertheless, in September 1661 Gordon notes that Paul Menzies was enrolled by the Tsar at the rank of captain in Colonel Daniel Crawford's [SSNE 3839] regiment of foot.
In the spring of 1662 Patrick Gordon along with Paul Menzies attempted to join the projected Muscovy embassy to Persia but ultimately failed. Captain Paul Menzies got married in September 1662 (unfortunately Patrick Gordon does not name the bride), and was duly feted by both Gordon and Major General William Drummond [SSNE 3863].
In January 1663 Paul Menzies was promoted major, succeeding Patrick Gordon who was promoted lieutenant-colonel. Gordon notes: "Capt. Menezes who, being eldest capt, was to succeed to me in the maiors place, who, being marryed and haveing need of helps besides his pay and the major doing all the regiment business, there was some accidences alwayes comeing to that place, which in this conjuncture of tyme he stood more in need of as I".
Paul Menzies suffered an illness in May 1664, which Patrick Gordon noted required a Captain Campbell to step up for a time.
In November 1666 Patrick Gordon forwarded a letter from Paul Menzies to his father Gilbert in Scotland and the following month Gordon took receipt of a letter from Gilbert addressed to his son Paul.
In 1672-3 Paul Menzies was Russian envoy to Germany, Austria, and Italy, revealing great diplomatic skill. He advanced to colonel, and became the first foreign tutor to the young Tsarevich, the future Peter the Great. He took part in the Chigirin and Crimean campaigns of 1677 and 1678.
Paul Menzies' first wife must have died at some point as Patrick Gordon noted that he attended Colonel Paul Menzies wedding in February 1677. Menzies' second wife was Margaret, the widow of Peter Marselis and brought a dowry of 5,000 roubles and "plate and jewels worth 2,000 more" to the marriage. Gordon also noted that there were fireworks at the wedding "which cost much, and was litle worth".
In 1683 he undertook diplomatic negotiations with the Swedes and in 1684, with a papal deligation. By 1688 he was serving in Golitsyn's second Christian campaign in the Crimea and in 1689 he was made a major-general. He was a staunch Roman Catholic, and was thus involved in securing permission to open the first Catholic church in Muscovy. During this period he maintained regular contact with Patrick Gordon, whether by letter or by hosting him for dinner, often with other distinguished guests, such as foreign envoys. The two men presumably had formed a solid friendship over the years. Indeed in July 1691 Paul Menzies served as a godfather to one of Gordon's grandchildren, along with a Colonel Campbell. Similarly, Gordon's diary implies that Paul Menzies was on close terms with the Tsar and seems to note he not infrequently dined at Menzies home. When Gordon transferred his heritable rights to Achleuchries to his son John Major General Paul Menzies served as one of three witnesses to the document. Paul Menzies was also noted as uncle to both Captain William Gordon and to the laird of Rothiemay. Captain William Gordon died whilst owing Paul Menzies 750 pounds Scottish.
In October 1692 Paul Menzies began the process to obtain his birthbrieve, adorned by the Great Seal, and he did this via John Gordon of Nethermuir, who was to send it on to Patrick Gordon in Moscow. The matter was still being discussed in early February 1693 as Patrick Gordon noted in a letter to William Grant of Creichie that "750 libs Scottish is still due to Maior Generall Menezes, which he has assigned to me and I to Nethermuir for buying out his bore-brieffe, which is he sayes ready by his brotheres relict the Lady Pitfoddels. Patrick Gordon served many useful purposes for Paul Menzies, including lending him money. On 24 February 1693 Menzies repaid a loan of 45 dollars (rixdaler) "& a 4t for 25 rubels which he was owing me [Gordon]". In December that year Gordon lent Menzies 20 roubles, which Menzies returned to him in full by 10 January 1694, along with 36 roubles "for the church for 4 yeares". Menzies again borrowed 20 roubles from Gordon on 20 February
Paul Menzies died in Moscow in 1694 and Tsar Peter ensured that Menzies had a suitably grand burial. He was a friend of David Graham [SSNE 3914] who visited him in Moscow in 1679, enlisted with the Muscovites in 1682 and also rose to become a Muscovite general.
Sources:
W. Barnhill and P. Dukes, 'North-east Scots in Muscovy in the seventeenth century' in Northern Scotland, vol. 1, no. 1, 1972, pp.49-63; D. Fedosov, The Caledonian Connection (Aberdeen, 1996); Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.102-103; Diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries 1535-1699, ed. Dmitry Fedosov vol.ii (AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies University of Aberdeen, 2010), pp.127, 128, 131, 137, 156, 158, 163, 166, 191, 215, 216, 218, 253, 255; ibidem, vol.iii (2012), pp.4 and 45; ibidem, vol. iv, (2013), pp. 15, 24, 50, 56, 107, 110, 111, 168, 198, 200, 203, 205, 208, 213, 229, 230, 232; ibidem, vol. v, (2014), pp. 14, 16, 80, 85, 89, 90, 94-6, 150, 153, 156, 159, 160, 165, 168, 179, 196, 197, 205, 214, 223, 226, 245, 246, 248, 249, 260-63, 269, 272, 275, 280-83, 285, 288, 290, 293, 294, 297-301, 304-07, 310, 321, 327-29, 331-36, 343, 349.
Service record
- POLAND, POLISH ARMY
- Arrived 1660-01-01, as OFFICER
- Departed 1660-12-31, as OFFICER
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY
- Arrived 1661-01-01, as COLONEL
- Departed 1670-12-31, as MAJOR GENERAL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- RUSSIA, SCOTLAND
- Arrived 1671-01-01
- Departed 1672-04-01
- Capacity DIPLOMACY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- RUSSIA, GERMANY
- Arrived 1672-12-31
- Departed 1673-01-01
- Capacity DIPLOMACY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- RUSSIA, ROME
- Arrived 1673-01-01
- Departed 1674-12-31
- Capacity AMBASSADOR, purpose DIPLOMACY
- RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY
- Arrived 1674-12-31, as COLONEL
- Departed 1683-12-31, as COLONEL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- RUSSIA, SWEDEN
- Arrived 1683-01-01
- Departed 1683-12-31
- Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY
- RUSSIA, MOSCOW
- Arrived 1684-01-01
- Departed 1684-12-31
- Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY
- RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY
- Arrived 1685-01-01, as COLONEL
- Departed 1694-12-31, as MAJOR GENERAL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY