Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a Russian general and official. He served as served as Minister of Imperial Properties between 1881 and 1897 and as

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of the Caucasus Viceroyalty between 1905 and 1915.

Career

Illarion Vorontsov was born on 27 May 1837 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He belonged to the noble family

Vorontsov The House of Vorontsov (), also Woroncow and de Woroncow-Wojtkowicz, is the name of a Russian noble family whose members attained the dignity of Counts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and became Princes of the Russian Empire on 6 April 1845 ...

. He took part in the conquest of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

in the 1860s and was appointed Major General in 1866. He was in charge of the

Life Guard Horse Regiment The Life Guard Horse Regiment () was a cavalry regiment of the Imperial guard of Russian Empire. The regiment was founded in the reign of Peter the Great and was disbanded after the October Revolution in 1917. Its annual feast day was 25 March. ...

in 1867–1874. He was on friendly terms with the future

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III (; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the libera ...

and, following Alexander's father's assassination, established a counter-revolutionary squad, or

druzhina A druzhina is the Slavonic word for a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called a ''knyaz'' (prince). Kievan Rus' ''Druzhina'' was flexible both as a term and as an institution. At its core, it referred to the prince's permanent perso ...

, called the Holy Brotherhood. Alexander III put Vorontsov-Dashkov in charge of the imperial court and made him Full General of Cavalry. He also was made responsible for imperial

stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud (animal), stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, ...

s and vineyards. Following

Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

's coronation, he was dislodged from the office of Minister of Imperial Properties but was appointed to the

State Council of Imperial Russia The State Council ( rus, Госуда́рственный сове́т, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj sɐˈvʲet) was the supreme state advisory body to the tsar in the Russian Empire. From 1906, it was the upper house of the parliament under t ...

instead. The

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

recalled Vorontsov to active service, and he ascended to the helm of the Viceroyalty of the Caucasus. As Russia's second-to-last viceroy of the Caucasus, Vorontsov-Dashkov implemented several reformist policies, but his time in office was marred by a general era of revolution, war, and social upheaval. He was officially in charge of the victorious Russian forces in the

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian Empire, Russian and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914, to January 17, 1915, as part of the Caucasus campaign. The battle resul ...

during the early months of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, although the effective command lay with General

Alexander Myshlayevsky Alexander Zakharevich Myshlayevsky (1856–1920) was a Russian general during World War I. He was the deputy commander of the Caucasian Army and its field commander during the Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagemen ...

. In September 1915 he was removed from command and replaced with Grand Duke Nicholas.W.E.D. Allen and Paul Muratoff, Caucasian Battlefields, A History of Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border, 1828-1921, 322 He died on 15 January 1916 in his Vorontsov Palace.

Family

He married in 1867 Countess Elizaveta Andreevna Shuvalova, daughter of Count Andrei Petrovich Shuvalov. His youngest son Alexander's descendants represent the only continuation of the Vorontsov family in the male line.

Awards and honours

;Russian decorationsRussian Imperial Army - Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov
(In Russian) * Knight of St. Anna, 4th class, ''1861''; 3rd Class, ''1864''; 1st Class, ''1870'' *

Gold Sword for Bravery The Gold Sword for Bravery () was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished in 1917. From 1913 to 1917 it was renamed the Saint George ...

, ''4 June 1862'' * Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Class with Swords and Bow, ''1865''; 3rd Class with Swords, ''1867''; 2nd Class, ''1874''; 1st Class, ''1894'' * Knight of St. George, 4th class, for distinguished service during the war, ''27 June 1867''; 3rd Class "For the valiant skilful leadership of the Caucasian Army, whose heroic exploits achieved brilliant military success in actions against the Turks", ''15 August 1915'' * Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, ''1868'' * Knight of the White Eagle, with Swords, ''1878'' * Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, ''1883''; in Diamonds, ''1888'' *

Knight of St. Andrew The Order of Barbados is a national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados. History The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. With Barbados becoming a republic on 30 November 20 ...

, ''14 May 1896''; in Diamonds, ''1904'' * Portraits of the Emperors Alexander II and Alexander III, in Diamonds, ''1908'' * Portrait of Emperor Alexander III, in Diamonds, ''21 February 1913'' ;Foreign decorations

Ancestry

References

External links

Online museum of the Vorontsov Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorontsov-Dashkov, Illarion Ivanovich 1837 births 1916 deaths

Illarion Illarion () or Ilarion () is a Russian first name, a transliteration of the Greek name "". It is shared by the following individuals: * Illarion Ivanov-Schitz (1865–1937), Russian/Soviet architect * Illarion Mgeladze (1890–1941, a.k.a. Ilya V ...

Military personnel from Saint Petersburg Politicians from the Russian Empire Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Imperial Russian Army generals Russian military personnel of World War I Monarchists from the Russian Empire Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Crosses of the Order of Franz Joseph Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword