Fabian Steinheil

{{Short description|Baltic German military officer}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}

{{Infobox military person

| other_name = Faddey Fyodorovich Steinheil

| honorific_prefix = Graf

| name = Fabian Gotthard von Steinheil

| birth_date = 3 October 1762

| death_date = 7 March 1831

| birth_place = Hapsal (now Lääne County, Estonia)

| death_place = Helsingfors (Helsinki), Grand Duchy of Finland

| image = Fabian F. von Steinheil.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Portrait by George Dawe

| nickname =

| allegiance = Russian Empire

| serviceyears =

| rank = General

| commands = Imperial Russian Army

| battles = Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)
Napoleonic Wars

}}

Fabian Gotthard von Steinheil ({{langx|ru|Фадде́й Фёдорович Ште́йнгель}}, tr. {{Transliteration|ru|Faddéy Fyódorovich Shtéyngelʹ}}; 3 October 1762{{cite book |title=Россійскій архив |date=1996 |publisher=Студия Тритэ |page=310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=boYdAQAAMAAJ&q=%D0%A4%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B4%D0%B5%CC%81%D0%B9+%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87+%D0%A8%D1%82%D0%B5%CC%81%D0%B9%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C+%C2%AB3+%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%82%D1%8F%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F+1762+%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0%C2%BB |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=ru}} – 7 March 1831{{cite web |title=Steinheil, Fabian* Gotthard Frh., seit 1812 Gf. v. (1762-1831) |url=https://bbld.de/GND116883001X |website=bbld.de |publisher=Baltisches Biografisches Lexikon}}) was a Baltic German who served as a Russian military officer and the Governor-General of Finland between 1810 and 1824.

Steinheil was born in Hapsal, Estonia.{{cite web |title=STEINHEIL, Fabian |url=https://www.blf.fi/artikel.php?id=3245 |website=www.blf.fi |access-date=20 May 2024}} His father's family was from region of Upper Rhine in Germany (where they had been burghers and officials of their hometowns); and his mother was from a cadet branch of the ancient Baltic House of Tiesenhausen, daughter of nobleman Frommhold Fabian Tiesenhausen,{{cite book |last1=Carpelan |first1=Tor |title=Ättartavlor för de på Finlands riddarhus inskrivna efter 1809 adlade, naturaliserade eller adopterade étterna |date=1942 |publisher=Frenckellska tr |page=283 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BuYwYhhkau4C&q=frommhold |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=sv}} lord of Orina in Estonia. Stenheil's uncle and father had received a baronial title from the imperial authorities.

Fabian von Steinheil became a lieutenant in the Imperial Russian Army in 1782.{{cite book |last1=Wasastjerna |first1=Oskar |title=Ättar-taflor öfver den på Finlands riddarhus introducerade adeln: Supplement band |date=1880 |publisher=Söderströms tryckeri |page=508 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mEFAAAAYAAJ&dq=Fabian+Steinheil+%221782%22&pg=PA508 |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=sv}} He took part in the war in Finland in 1788 and in 1791-92 he worked with construction of fortifications in Old Finland, after which he served in military cartography.

He became a Major General in 1798 and took part in the campaigns in Prussia in 1806-1807 and Poland in 1805-1807. He became a Lieutenant General in 1807 and commanded the Russian troops on Åland in 1809 during the Finnish War.{{cite book |title=Biografinen nimikirja: Elämäkertoja Suomen entisiltä ja nykyajoilta |date=1883 |publisher=Suomen Historiallinen Seura |page=644 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IkIFAAAAYAAJ&dq=Fabian+Steinheil+%221807%22+Kenraaliluutnantti&pg=PA644 |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=fi}}

In 1810 he was appointed as the Governor-General of Finland, to succeed Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly.{{cite book |last1=Bergholm |first1=Axel |title=Keisarillisen Suomen Hallituskonseljin ja Senaatin puheenjohtajat, jäsenet ja virkamiehet 1809-1909: biograafisia tietoja |date=1912 |publisher=Werner Söderström |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-ugAAAAMAAJ&q=1810%20fabian |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=fi}} He was well regarded by the Finnish population{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} and was made a count in 1812.{{cite book |title=The Titled Nobility of Europe: An International Peerage, Or "Who's Who", of the Sovereigns, Princes and Nobles of Europe |date=1914 |publisher=Harrison & Sons |page=1399 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PUm1lS2j-wQC&dq=count+Fabian+Steinheil+%221812%22&pg=PA1399 |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=en}} In 1812 he was defeated at Mesoten, but then fought under the prolific General Wittgenstein at Polotsk. In 1813 he took part in the war against Napoleon as the commander of an army in Courland and Livonia, and was succeeded as Governor-General by the influential Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt. However, due to Armfelt's fragile health, Steinheil soon returned to the post of Governor-General which he held to 1823, being then succeeded by Count Arseniy Zakrevskiy.{{cite book |last1=Nesemann |first1=Frank |title=Forgotten Pages in Baltic History |date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-420-3316-0 |pages=9 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789042033160/B9789042033160-s003.xml |access-date=20 May 2024 |language=en |chapter=A Special Baltic German Understanding about Finland’s Autonomy in the Russian Empire? Count Fabian Steinheil as the Governor-General of the Grand Duchy of Finland (1810–1823)}}

He remained in Finland and died in Helsingfors (now better known as Helsinki) in 1831.