Joseph Cornelius O'Rourke

Count Joseph Cornelius O'Rourke (Russian: Иосиф Корнилович Орурк (О’Рурк), or Ioseph Kornilovich O'Rourke) (1772-1849) was a Russian nobleman of partial Irish ancestry. He was a military leader who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of lieutenant general. He is noted in present-day Serbia, where he led a combined Russian and Serb army to defeat the Turks at Varvarin in 1810.

O'Rourke was awarded the orders of Saint George, Alexander Nevsky, and Saint Anne for his military feats. His portrait was included in the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace, now part of the Hermitage Museum. A monument commemorating O'Rourke and his men was erected in Varvarin in 1910 on the centenary of their victory against the Turks.

Background
The O'Rourke family were originally members of the Jacobite Irish Nobility; they fled Ireland following defeat by the Protestant Williamites at the Battle of the Boyne in 1691. The majority of the family moved at the time as refugees to France.

During the reign of Elizabeth in Russia in the eighteenth century, one branch of the O'Rourkes moved to Livonia, then a province of the Russian Empire. O'Rourke was born at Dorpat in 1772. By this time the family had intermarried and been completely absorbed into Russian high society. According to custom, O'Rourke was immediately enrolled at birth into the Russian Imperial Guard. His father was Count Cornelius O'Rouke, who retired in 1788 with the rank of major-general.

After education in a military school and training, he first saw action as a young man in Zürich against the French Revolutionary Army. He served under General Kutuzov in 1805 at the Battle of Austerlitz and was awarded the Order of Saint George.

After Napoleon invaded Russia and reached Moscow, O'Rourke took part in the defense and defeat of the French at Leipzig, awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

Marriage and family
O'Rourke held a vast estate near Minsk, which was worked by 1000 serfs. He married and had children, among them six sons. Michael O'Rourke entered the marine corps as a cadet and achieved distinction in the Navy in the 15th complement, becoming a lieutenant by 1849.

A later descendant joined Catholic orders and became bishop of Danzig after World War I.

Russo-Turkish War
From 1809-1812 O'Rourke served in the war against the Turks. Whey they threatened the southern edge of the empire, O'Rourke equipped a regiment at his own expense and marched to Serbia to fight the Ottoman Empire. He and his men fought for the deliverance of Prahovo, Bela Palanka, Soko Bania (Sokobanja) and Jasika, winning a decisive victory at Varvarin. O'Rourke helped free the area from domination by the Turks and was awarded the Order of Saint Anne for his service.

O'Rourke concluded his military career as a Lieutenant General after fighting French forces again in Germany. He retired to his estate at Vselyub near Minsk, where he died in 1849.

Legacy and honors

 * He received the Order of Saint George and the Order of St. Anna.
 * A portrait of the general hangs in the Military Gallery of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.
 * In 1910, on the centenary of the battle of Varvarin, a monument was erected to commemorate O'Rourke and others who had fought with him that day.