Yakov Grigoryevich Zhilinsky (; 27 March 1853 – 1918) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

cavalry general,

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

from 2 February 1911 to 4 March 1914. He one of the main culprits of the failure of the East Prussian Campaign in the early stages of the

First World War 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 ...

Biography

Zhilinsky was born on March 15, 1853, in Mikhaylov in the

Ryazan Governorate Ryazan Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 to 1929. Its capital was in Ryazan. Administrative division Ryazan Governorate consisted of the follo ...

. His family were nobility from the

Smolensk Governorate Smolensk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It existed, with interruptions, between 1708 and 1929. Smolensk Governorate, together with seven o ...

, and he was born to Colonel Grigori I. Zhilinsky and Catherine Petrovna (née Muromtseva). In an early age, he attended the Gymnasium Creiman in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. He joined active service as a cadet in the Sumy Hussar Regiment. In 1876, he graduated from the in St. Petersburg and was assigned to the Horse Guards Regiment of the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

. He was considered one of the best riders in the school and was in charge of training the regiment. In 1883, he graduated from Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff at the first category. For excellent success, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. After serving as a senior aide to the staff of the 1st Grenadier Division, he served from 14 February 1894 on the Military Scientific Committee of the General Staff, a

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

organization responsible for the study of foreign countries. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

Zhilinsky was a Russian military observer with the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. On his return, he published a book on the war, which analyzed the causes of Spain's defeat. In 1899, Zhilinskiy served as a member of Russian delegation at the Hague Peace Conference. He was appointed commander of the 52nd Dragoons Regiment from August 1899. In 1900, he was promoted to the rank of major general and was appointed Quartermaster general. In the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

(1904–1905), Zhilinsky was

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to the Viceroy of the Far East, Admiral Yevgeni Alexeyev, until Alexeyev was dismissed in October 1904. He remained in the combat zone to serve the Minister of War, Aleksey Kuropatkin until the end of the conflict. From 27 January 1906, he was commander of the 14th Cavalry Division in Poland, and from 7 July 1907 of the 10th Army Corps. Promoted to Cavalry general on 18 April 1910, Zhilinskiy was appointed commander of the Warsaw Military District and Governor-General of Warsaw in 1911. Zhilinsky also served from 22 February 1911 to 4 March 1914 as Chief of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of the

. At the beginning 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 ...

, he assumed command of the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

. The Northwestern Front included the 1st Army and 2nd Army under the command of General Paul von Rennenkampff and General Alexander Samsonov. After the unsuccessful East Prussian Campaign and the losses at the Battle of Tannenberg and the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes, he was relieved of command despite attempts to blame Rennenkampff for the fiasco. Zhilinsky was sent as a military representative to France from 1915 to 1916 and was recalled to Russia in the autumn of 1916. On 19 September 1917, he was ordered to retire. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, he attempted to flee Russia but was killed in south Russia in undetermined circumstances.

Honors

Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd degree, 1880. * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree, 1888 * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree, 1894. * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree, 1896 * Order of St Vladimir, 4th degree, 1899 * Order of St Vladimir, 3rd degree, 1902 * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree with swords, 1904. * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne, 1st degree with swords, 1905 * Order of St Vladimir, 2nd degree, 1906 * Order of the White Eagle, 1912 * Band to Order St Alexander Nevsky

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia. History The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Emperor ...

, 1913 *

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

, Grand Officer with SwordsNationaal Archief, archive 2.02.32, dossier 375, registry number 77

Notes

References

External links

Biography
at firstworldwar.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhilinskiy, Yakov 1853 births 1918 deaths Executed people from Ryazan Oblast Victims of the Red Terror in Soviet Russia Governors-general of Warsaw Imperial Russian Army generals Delegates to the Hague Peace Conferences People from Mikhaylovsky District, Ryazan Oblast Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) Military historians from the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel killed in World War I Graduates of the Nicholas Cavalry College Imperial Nikolayev Military Academy alumni