GOURKO, JOSEPH VLADIMIROVICH, COUNT (18281901)

This article appears in Volume V12, Page 288 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: GOA-GRA

GOURKO, JOSEPH VLADIMIROVICH, COUNT (18281901) , Russian general, was born, of Lithuanian extraction, on the 15th of November 1828. He was educated in the imperial corps of pages, entered the hussars of the imperial bodyguard as sub-

lieutenant

LIEUTENANT

in 1846, became captain in 1857,

adjutant

ADJUTANT (from Lat. adjutare, to aid)

to the emperor in 186o, colonel in 1861,

commander

COMMANDER

of the 4th Hussar

regiment

REGIMENT (from Late Latin regimentum, rule, regere, to rule, govern, direct)

of Mariupol in 1866, and major-general of the emperor's suite in 1867. He subsequently commanded the grenadier

regiment

REGIMENT (from Late Latin regimentum, rule, regere, to rule, govern, direct)

, and in 1873 the 1st brigade, 2nd division, of the cavalry of the guard. Although he took

part

PART

in the Crimean War, being stationed at Belbek, his claim to distinction is due to his services in the Turkish war of 1877. He led the van of the Russian invasion, took

Trnovo

TRNOVO, or TIRNOVO

on the 7th July, crossed the Balkans by the Hain Bogaz pass, debouching near Hainkioi, and, notwithstanding considerable resistance, captured Uflani, Maglish and Kazanlyk; on the 18th of July he attacked Shipka, which was evacuated by the, Turks on the following day. Thus within sixteen days of crossing the

Danube

DANUBE (Ger. Donau, Hungarian Duna, Rumanian Dunarea, Lat. Danubius or Danuvius, and in the lower part of its course Ister)

Gourko had secured three Balkan passes and created a panic at

Constantinople

CONSTANTINOPLE
CONSTANTINOPLE, COUNCILS OF

. He then made a

series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

of successful reconnaissances of the Tunja valley, cut the railway in two places, occupied Stara Zagora (Turkish, Eski Zagra) and Nova Zagora (Yeni Zagra), checked the advance of Suleiman's army., and returned again over the Balkans. In October he was appointed

commander

COMMANDER

of the allied cavalry, and attacked the Plevna line of communication to Orkhanie with a large mixed force, captured Gorni-Dubnik, Telische and Vratza, and, in the middle of November, Orkhanie itself. Plevna was isolated, and after its fall in December Gourko led the way amidst snow and ice over the Balkans to the fertile valley beyond, totally defeated Suleiman, and occupied

Sophia

SOPHIA (1630-1714)

, Philippopolis and Adrianople, the armistice at the end of January 1878 stopping further operations (see Russo-

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