Johann Heinrich Reinsdorp, known in Russia as Ivan Andreyevich Reinsdorp, was a Danish lieutenant general who served in the Russian army. He participated in the Seven Years’ War and served as the commandant of Königsberg from May 1761 to August 1762. He was also Governor-General of the Orenburg Governorate during Pugachev’s Rebellion.

During the Seven Years’ War, Johann Reinsdorp served in the army of Field Marshal Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin. He rose through the ranks quickly, being promoted to colonel on April 14, 1759. On March 14, 1760, he was awarded 1,000 rubles and estates in Livonia by a royal decree. On March 3, 1763, he became a major general. In 1768, he was appointed Governor of Orenburg. In September 1769, he received the Order of St. Anna, first class.

Johann Reinsdorp organized the defense of Orenburg against the army of Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev who besieged the city from October 5, 1773 until March 23, 1774.

In a personal decree dated May 1, 1774, Catherine II praised the merits of Johann Reinsdorp in the defense of Orenburg. She noted that “with his courageous spirit and tireless efforts” he “set a praiseworthy example” for the garrison and citizens who defended the city during the six-month siege by Pugachev’s forces. The Empress awarded Johann Reinsdorp with the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

According to Fyodor Ivanovich Lobysevich, a military historian and author of works on the Russian Campaigns in Central Asia, “Johann Reinsdorp was governor during the most difficult time in the history of Orenburg.”

In addition to Pugachev’s Rebellion, during his term as governor, Johann Reinsdorp faced the same problem as his predecessors — a volatile environment driven by religious tensions. This was caused by the governorate’s location on the outskirts of the Russian Empire.

These circumstances significantly influenced Reinsdorp’s work as a governor and prevented many of his projects from being completed.

In 1780, the Orenburg Governorate was formed from two regions, Orenburg and Ufa, and Johann Reinsdorp was appointed Governor-General. He held this position until February 16, 1781, and died at the end of that year.