Kornelii Ivanovich Kriuis

Born June 4 (14), 1657, in Stavanger, Norway; died June 3 (14), 1727, in St. Petersburg. Russian admiral (1721).

Kriuis served in the Dutch Navy; in 1698 he entered Russian service as a vice admiral. Between 1698 and 1701 he participated in the creation of the admiralty in Voronezh and the construction of a port in Taganrog and fortifications in Azov. In 1705 he was in charge of repelling the Swedish Navy’s attack on Kronstadt. Until 1713 he commanded a naval fleet and directed the defense of St. Petersburg during its blockade by the Swedish Navy. In 1713 he was prosecuted for failing to give chase to the enemy and for lack of administrative abilities; he was sentenced to death but was pardoned by Peter I and exiled to Kazan. In 1715 he was given an executive post at the Admiralty Board, and in 1717 he became its vice-president.