Contents
😉 Hello dear readers! Thank you for choosing the article “White General Skobelev: biography, facts” on this site!
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev took an active part in the annexation of the vast territory of Central Asia to Russia. Being in many military campaigns, as if by fate itself he was protected from a fatal bullet, and died under unexplained circumstances.
Biography of General Skobelev
The future military leader and strategist and national hero of Bulgaria was born on September 17, 1843 within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. His grandfather, Ivan Skobelev, served as commandant there. Until the age of 6, the boy was brought up by Grigory Dobrotvorsky, the grandfather and the clerk of the Cathedral of Petropavlovsk.
Until the age of 12, the boy “fought” with a tutor from Germany, who forced the future famous general to memorize a Russian-German dictionary. The teacher was given the right to whip a student even for a minor offense, and all the teenager’s thoughts were about how to take revenge on his tutor.
From early childhood, Mikhail was an independent, ardent and lively boy. But for a long time, due to circumstances, I was forced to endure such treatment. Gradually, he became secretive and vindictive.
In 1855, Mikhail was sent to a Paris boarding school, where Desiderius Girardet became his teacher. The teenager made friends with the teacher and, after a while, returned home with him.
Military career
In 1861, Mikhail entered the university, but soon the classes were suspended due to the incessant riots. And the 18-year-old boy does not hesitate to enter the army.
Young lieutenant M.D.Skobelev, 1860s
Three years later, Skobelev accompanies the gene. Baranov to Warsaw, where the Manifesto on the emancipation of the peasants will be promulgated. Then he was transferred to a regiment participating in the suppression of the insurrection in Poland.
In 1866 he entered the Academy of the General Staff. After his studies, he was assigned to the General Staff. Soon, at the personal request of the gene. von Kaufmann he was promoted to staff captain and in the fall of 1868 he was sent to serve in Turkestan.
In the spring of 1871 Skobelev was sent to Krasnovodsk as the commander of the cavalry. Together with his detachment, he conducted a large-scale reconnaissance of the path to Khiva to the Sarikamysh well. A difficult road, lack of water and the stinging rays of the Asian sun – this was the way from Mullakari to Uzunkuyu, 437 km long. It was passed back and forth in just nine days.
In the spring of 1873, as a member of the Mangyshlak detachment, he took part in the campaign against Khiva. There was not enough water and camels, and horses were also loaded. All the officers, including Skobelev, walked all the way.
Achievements
The name of this general is often associated with the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. In Bulgaria, he is revered as a national hero who liberated the Bulgarians from the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. But for Russia other achievements of the military strategist are more important. These are: a campaign to Khiva, the suppression of the uprising in Kokand and the Akhal-Teke expedition.
Here were the main political interests of Russia and Britain during the so-called “Great Game” for the regions of Asia. History knows no subjunctive mood. But if by the beginning. XX century. the British advanced from Afghanistan to the regions of Central Asia, without encountering resistance, then the Russian state would have been different.
The liberation of Bulgaria is considered a merit of the general. Skobelev, dozens of monuments in this country testify to this. Although this campaign was led by Emperor Alexander II, and later Alexander III, and general. Gurko.
Why Skobelev is called the “White General”
Skobelev became famous during the siege of Plevna. Journalists associated this fame with a certain degree of theatricality: he almost always wore white uniforms. General of Infantry in a white tunic on a white horse. For this, the Turks nicknamed him “ak-pasha” – “white general”
The mystery of the death of General Skobelev
According to Mikhail Dmitrievich himself, he chased dangers, he wanted them constantly. He also brightly showed himself as a politician, drawing the future of the Slavic world. In Europe, he was compared to Garibaldi.
The life path of Mikhail Dmitrievich can be traced day by day. However, his last days have not been unraveled. The 38-year-old military leader often speaks in society about his imminent death. He orders a crypt for himself in his own estate in the village of Spassky-Zaborovsky, Ryazan province.
There are speculations that he regularly received anonymous threats. July 7, 1882 Skobelev’s life ended (at 38!) In a room in the Moscow hotel “England”. The room was rented by Charlotte Altenrose, a cocotte known throughout bohemian Moscow. Charlotte was the first to report this tragedy to the police.
An autopsy showed that Mikhail Dmitrievich had a simultaneous paralysis of the heart muscle and a blockage of the lungs. In the capital, rumors spread that he was killed on the orders of Bismarck in order to steal plans for a war with Germany.
Another version was called the elimination of the general on the instructions of the emperor, who suspected him of an attempted coup. Some called him involvement in the murder of the Freemasons who hated him.
Video
Do not miss! In this video documentary footage, facts and additional information on the topic “General Skobelev: biography”.
😉 If you find the article “White General Skobelev: biography, facts” interesting, share in the social. networks. Visit the site for new stories of famous people in the world. Subscribe to the newsletter of articles to your email. mail. Fill out the simple form at the top: name and email.