Pierre-Dominique Bazaine
Encyclopedia
Pierre-Dominique Bazaine (1786 - 1838) (Пётр Петрович Базен) was a French scientist and engineer. He was educated at the École Polytechnique
in Paris as an engineer. At the request of Alexander I of Russia
he was sent to Russia by Napoleon I
as an army officer in the engineering corps to set up an institute for the education of transportation engineers, and in 1824 he became its director. Bazaine remained in Russia until 1834, organizing transportation routes and directing the work of inland navigation. He was responsible for many of the bridges of St. Petersburg and its outskirts (including a number of the small and elegant lightweight iron bridges in the Summer Garden
), as well as other major civil engineering projects, including flood protection. He received many Honours and Awards for his extensive contribution to the infrastructure of Russia, as well as Honourary Fellowship of a number of science academies across Europe for his ground-breaking mathematical theses. He finally returned to France in 1834 and died in Paris aged 52 in 1838.
, son of Pierre Bazaine (1760-1832) and Francoise Gilbert. Educated in Paris
, graduate of L'Ecole Polytechnique and the School of Bridges and Roads. Initially he practised as an Engineer in Italy and Southern France. His outstanding abilities drew the attention of Napoleon I who subsequently recommended him to the Russian Emperor Czar Alexander I, along with engineers Fabrom, Destremom and Potier, to take up senior posts in the Russia corps of Civil Engineers. Bazaine arrived in St.Petersburg, Russia in 1810 with Lieutenant Fabrom but due war with France, did not immediately take up his post. Instead he was sent to Odessa
under the Governor-General of the Duke de Richelieu, where his first work was at the Russian port of Evpatoriya. He was then sent to Yaroslavl
, to Poshehone and then in 1812 due to the war with France, he was deported to Eastern Siberia
, where he spent more than two years. Bazaine devoted himself entirely to science and analytics whilst in Siberia, writing his great treatise on differential calculus
and several memoirs about plane geometry and properties of various lengths in three dimensions. In 1815, with the end of war in Europe, he returned to St. Petersburg where with the new rank of Colonel, he was appointed Chair Professor of Higher Analytics and Mechanics at the Civil Engineering Institute. In 1820, he was promoted to Major-General and in 1823 he was appointed a member of the Council Ways and Communications, being made Inspector-General. In January 1824, He became Director of the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, and also Chairman of the Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic works in St.Petersburg. In 1828, Bazaine returned to France but on his return to Russia was promoted to Lieutenant General on 1 April 1830. Bazaine's structural engineering works were extensive and much remains in the historic infrastructure in Russia. His main works are:
For the last buildings he wrote a remarkable treatise, in which he argued for the possibility of huge water savings in the Ladoga Canal, by ships passing through its locks: "Mémoire sur les bassins d'épargne" (napech. in Zapiskah Acad. Sciences). From 1820-1832 Bazaines prominent works include: rebuilding St. Isaac's Cathedral and on the same design building several other churches; the first chain bridge in Russia at Ekaterina park; restructuring, under his personal supervision, Ohtenskogo powder factory; deepening the river estuary at Neva and its channels; erection of buildings of the Senate and the Synod; rebuilding the University; the remarkable construction of the dome over the cathedral of St.Trinity (at the St. Petersburg side), 87 feet in diameter. Some of the bridges in St.Petersburg which he is responsible for include Demidov Bridge
and First Engineer Bridge
. These and many other constructions brought Bazaine several awards: in addition to the above, he was awarded the Order of St.Vladimir, the Grand Cross of St.Alexander Nevsky; Commander of the French Legion of Honour, Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (1st Class). He was elected an honorary fellow of St Petersburg Academy and the Science Academies of Turin, Munich, Stockholm and St Petersburg. He conceived the constructions of the floors of the Winter Palace, the Theater Alexandrinski and the Cathedral of the St.Trinidad. He directed the works of construction of the Obvodni channel, the buildings Senate and Synod of the sluices of Shlisselbourg, of the hydraulic constructions of the Okhtinski factory. He also masterminded the first project to protect St.Petersburg against flooding. He writes several treaties on mathematics, transportation and the civil genius including a monograph on steamboats and their use in navigating canals and rivers. He was made a member of the Mineralogical Society of St. Petersburg University in 1834. Deteriorating health prompted Bazaine to resign, and in 1834 he was transferred to the corps of military engineers, but heart disease forced Bazaine to return to Paris where he died on 29 September 1838 and was buried at the Montmartre Cemetery
.
in 1834. His eldest son, also Pierre-Dominique Bazaine (known as Adolphe) (1809-1893) was also a Civil Engineer and an important Railway engineer in the 1840s. He married an English woman Elizabeth Hayter, elder daughter of the English Court Painter Sir George Hayter. His second son was Francois Achille Bazaine
, a distinguished soldier who became a Marshal of France.
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
in Paris as an engineer. At the request of Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
he was sent to Russia by Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
as an army officer in the engineering corps to set up an institute for the education of transportation engineers, and in 1824 he became its director. Bazaine remained in Russia until 1834, organizing transportation routes and directing the work of inland navigation. He was responsible for many of the bridges of St. Petersburg and its outskirts (including a number of the small and elegant lightweight iron bridges in the Summer Garden
Summer Garden
The Summer Garden occupies an island between the Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in Saint Petersburg and shares its name with the adjacent Summer Palace of Peter the Great.-Original:...
), as well as other major civil engineering projects, including flood protection. He received many Honours and Awards for his extensive contribution to the infrastructure of Russia, as well as Honourary Fellowship of a number of science academies across Europe for his ground-breaking mathematical theses. He finally returned to France in 1834 and died in Paris aged 52 in 1838.
Career
He was born 13 January 1786, in the town of Scy-sur-MoselleScy-Chazelles
Scy-Chazelles is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The town is built on Mont St. Quentin near Metz.-History:...
, son of Pierre Bazaine (1760-1832) and Francoise Gilbert. Educated in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, graduate of L'Ecole Polytechnique and the School of Bridges and Roads. Initially he practised as an Engineer in Italy and Southern France. His outstanding abilities drew the attention of Napoleon I who subsequently recommended him to the Russian Emperor Czar Alexander I, along with engineers Fabrom, Destremom and Potier, to take up senior posts in the Russia corps of Civil Engineers. Bazaine arrived in St.Petersburg, Russia in 1810 with Lieutenant Fabrom but due war with France, did not immediately take up his post. Instead he was sent to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
under the Governor-General of the Duke de Richelieu, where his first work was at the Russian port of Evpatoriya. He was then sent to Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
, to Poshehone and then in 1812 due to the war with France, he was deported to Eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, where he spent more than two years. Bazaine devoted himself entirely to science and analytics whilst in Siberia, writing his great treatise on differential calculus
Differential calculus
In mathematics, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus concerned with the study of the rates at which quantities change. It is one of the two traditional divisions of calculus, the other being integral calculus....
and several memoirs about plane geometry and properties of various lengths in three dimensions. In 1815, with the end of war in Europe, he returned to St. Petersburg where with the new rank of Colonel, he was appointed Chair Professor of Higher Analytics and Mechanics at the Civil Engineering Institute. In 1820, he was promoted to Major-General and in 1823 he was appointed a member of the Council Ways and Communications, being made Inspector-General. In January 1824, He became Director of the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, and also Chairman of the Committee for Buildings and Hydraulic works in St.Petersburg. In 1828, Bazaine returned to France but on his return to Russia was promoted to Lieutenant General on 1 April 1830. Bazaine's structural engineering works were extensive and much remains in the historic infrastructure in Russia. His main works are:
- the Obvodny canalObvodny CanalObvodny Canal is the longest canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which in the 19th century served as the southern limit of the city. It is 8 km long and flows from the Neva River near Alexander Nevsky Lavra to the Yekaterinhofka not far from the sea port. The canal was dug in 1769-1780 and 1805-1833...
in St. Petersburg; - water supply Yamskoy Slobody and Tavrichesky Garden;
- Shlisselbourg granite building locks (for which he was awarded the Order of White Eagle).
For the last buildings he wrote a remarkable treatise, in which he argued for the possibility of huge water savings in the Ladoga Canal, by ships passing through its locks: "Mémoire sur les bassins d'épargne" (napech. in Zapiskah Acad. Sciences). From 1820-1832 Bazaines prominent works include: rebuilding St. Isaac's Cathedral and on the same design building several other churches; the first chain bridge in Russia at Ekaterina park; restructuring, under his personal supervision, Ohtenskogo powder factory; deepening the river estuary at Neva and its channels; erection of buildings of the Senate and the Synod; rebuilding the University; the remarkable construction of the dome over the cathedral of St.Trinity (at the St. Petersburg side), 87 feet in diameter. Some of the bridges in St.Petersburg which he is responsible for include Demidov Bridge
Demidov Bridge
The Demidov Bridge is a bridge across the Griboyedov Canal in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It connects Kazansky and Spassky islands.- Name :The bridge got its name from the surname of the known Russian powers Demidovs. It connects two parts of the former Demidov street , named so because Demidov...
and First Engineer Bridge
First Engineer Bridge
The First Engineer Bridge is one of several bridges that span the Moika River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The bridge is one of a group of four bridges located near the Mars Field, and opposite the main entrance to the Summer Garden, spanning the Moika River, the Fontanka River, and the Swan Canal...
. These and many other constructions brought Bazaine several awards: in addition to the above, he was awarded the Order of St.Vladimir, the Grand Cross of St.Alexander Nevsky; Commander of the French Legion of Honour, Prussian Order of the Red Eagle (1st Class). He was elected an honorary fellow of St Petersburg Academy and the Science Academies of Turin, Munich, Stockholm and St Petersburg. He conceived the constructions of the floors of the Winter Palace, the Theater Alexandrinski and the Cathedral of the St.Trinidad. He directed the works of construction of the Obvodni channel, the buildings Senate and Synod of the sluices of Shlisselbourg, of the hydraulic constructions of the Okhtinski factory. He also masterminded the first project to protect St.Petersburg against flooding. He writes several treaties on mathematics, transportation and the civil genius including a monograph on steamboats and their use in navigating canals and rivers. He was made a member of the Mineralogical Society of St. Petersburg University in 1834. Deteriorating health prompted Bazaine to resign, and in 1834 he was transferred to the corps of military engineers, but heart disease forced Bazaine to return to Paris where he died on 29 September 1838 and was buried at the Montmartre Cemetery
Montmartre Cemetery
Montmartre Cemetery is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France.-History:Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the shutting down of the Cimetière des Innocents in 1786, as they presented health hazards...
.
Family
He married Marie-Madeleine Vasseur and they had 3 children, 2 sons and a daughter. His daughter Melanie (1808-1852) married the engineer Benoît Paul Émile ClapeyronBenoit Paul Émile Clapeyron
Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron was a French engineer and physicist, one of the founders of thermodynamics.-Life:...
in 1834. His eldest son, also Pierre-Dominique Bazaine (known as Adolphe) (1809-1893) was also a Civil Engineer and an important Railway engineer in the 1840s. He married an English woman Elizabeth Hayter, elder daughter of the English Court Painter Sir George Hayter. His second son was Francois Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, who surrendered the last organized French army to the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war. He was the first Marshal who had started as a legionnaire and like the great Marshals of the First Empire, he had risen...
, a distinguished soldier who became a Marshal of France.
Works
- "The initial basis of differential calculus" (First French edition 1817 and Russian 1819)
- "The initial basis of integral calculus" (First French edition 1825 and Russian 1827)
- "The Proof of the beginning of the speculative speeds, considered as the basis of mechanics" (translated by Zavadsky, 1832)
- "Mémoire sur l'état actuel du système de Vychni-Volotchok, ou de la principale communication artificielle établie entre la mer Caspienne et la Baltique"
- "Mémoire sur la théorie du mouvement des barques à vapeur et sur leur application à la navigation des canaux, des fleuves et des rivières", St Petersburg 1817
- "Mémoire sur l'impossibilité de ramener par un simple approfondissement le niveau du canal de Ladoga, à la même hauteur, que celui du lac du même nom"
- "Notice sur un nouvel artifice propre à diminuer la dépense d'eau des canaux en général et sur un nouveau système de petite navigation"
- "Mémoires sur les méthodes de raccordement à employer pour les alignements des routes"
- "Notice sur la construction des paratonnerres"
- "Notice sur un nouvel appareil gazogène"
- "Mémoire sur la construction des Chaussées, et sur la détermination des distances moyennes pour le transport des matériaux"
- "Introduction à l'étude de la statique synthétique, à l'usage des élèves de l'institut des voies de communications"
- "Démonstration du principe des vitesses virtuelles, considéré comme base de la mecanique"
- "Notices sur la composition des reliefs"
- "Memoire sur un nouveau système relatif à l'établissement d'un chantier général destiné à la construction, au radoub et à la conservation des vaisseaux"
- "Mémoire sur les machines à vapeurs en général"
- "Mémoire sur la détermination de la force expansive de la vapeur, et des avantages qu'on en peut retirer sous le rapport industriel"
- "Mémoire sur les moyens de preserver les machines à vapeur des exploisions auxquelles elles sont exposées "
- "Mémoire sur la fabrication, et en particulier sur le séchage de la poudre à canon"
Sources
- "Zhurn. Glavn. Upravl. Paths Messaging. And Publicity. Buildings", in 1858, so HH VIII.
- Maurice Baumont: Bazaine: Les secrets d'un Maréchal (1811–1888), Paris : Imprimerie Nationale, 1978.