Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (Russian: Илларио́н Ива́нович Воронцов-Дашков; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a notable representative of the Vorontsov family. He served as Minister of Imperial Properties in 1881-97 and the Governor-General of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917) in 1905–15.

Contents

• 1 Career
• 2 Family
• 3 Awards and honours
• 4 Ancestry
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Career

Illarion Vorontsov was born on 27 May 1837 in Saint Petersburg. He took part in the conquest of Central Asia in the 1860s and was appointed Major General in 1866. He was in charge of the Hussar regiment of the Leub Guard in 1867–74. He was on friendly terms with the future Alexander III of Russia and, following Alexander's father's **ination, established a counter-revolutionary squad, or "holy druzhina", whose members included Konstantin Pobedonostsev, Nicholas Pavlovich Ignatiev, and Mikhail Katkov.

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 farms and vineyards. Following Nicholas II's coronation, he was dislodged from the office of Minister of Imperial Properties but was appointed to the State Council of Imperial Russia instead. The Russian Revolution of 1905 recalled Vorontsov to active service, and he ascended to the helm of the Viceroyalty of the Caucasus.

His job drove him close to a mental breakdown. On 21 November 1905 twenty-five Caucasian Tatars (i.e. Azerbaijanis) were shot by Armenians in Tiflis. Illarion was so desperate he gave 500 guns to the Mensheviks to keep the peace.

He was officially in charge of the victorious Russian forces in the Battle of Sarikamish during the early months of World War I, although the effective command lay with General Alexander Myshlayevsky. In September 1915 he was removed from command and replaced with Grand Duke Nicholas. 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

Vorontsov-Dashkov's villa in Pargolovo near St. PetersburgRussian decorations

• Knight of St. Anna, 4th cl*, 1861; 3rd Cl*, 1864; 1st Cl*, 1870
• Gold Sword for Bravery, 4 June 1862
• Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Cl* with Swords and Bow, 1865; 3rd Cl* with Swords, 1867; 2nd Cl*, 1874; 1st Cl*, 1894
• Knight of St. George, 4th cl*, for distinguished service during the war, 27 June 1867; 3rd Cl* "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 Cl*, 1868
• Knight of the White Eagle, with Swords, 1878
• Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, 1883; in Diamonds, 1888
• Knight of St. Andrew, 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

• Kingdom of Prussia:
  • Knight of the Red Eagle, 2nd Cl* with Star, 7 May 1873; Grand Cross, 9 September 1881; in Diamonds, 1884
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, 1889
• :Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Knight of the White Falcon, 26 September 1865; Grand Cross, 1896
• :Grand Duchy of Hesse:
  • Commander of the Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous, 1st Cl*, 1865; Grand Cross, 1883
  • Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 1883
• French Empire: Officer of the Legion of Honour, 1865; Grand Cross, 1883
• :Württemberg: Knight of the Württemberg Crown, 1865; Grand Cross, 1883
• Austria-Hungary:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, 1872
  • Knight of the Iron Crown, 1st Cl*, 1874
  • Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1883
  • Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1884
• Sweden-Norway:
  • Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, 19 July 1875
  • Knight of the Seraphim, with Collar, 15 February 1892
• Kingdom of Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer, 1876
• :Denmark:
  • Grand Cross of the Dannebrog, 19 August 1876; in Diamonds, 3 October 1881
  • Knight of the Elephant, 21 December 1891
• :Principality of Serbia:
  • Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo, 1881
  • Grand Cross of the White Eagle, 1896
• :Principality of Montenegro: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I, 1882
• :Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1883
• :Kingdom of Bavaria: Grand Cross of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, 1883
• :Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Leopold, 1883
• :Principality of Bulgaria: Grand Cross of St. Alexander, 1883
• Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1883
• Holy See: Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX, 1883
• :Empire of *an: Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun, 1883
• :Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion, 1883
• :Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, 2 November 1883
• :Kingdom of Italy: Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, 1884
• Persian Empire: Order of the August Portrait, in Diamonds, 1884
• Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, 1889
• Siam: Grand Cross of the White Elephant, 1892
• :Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Cl*, 1887; in Diamonds, 1893
• :Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, 1895
• :Kingdom of Romania: Grand Cross of the Star of Romania, 1895
• :Qing dynasty: Order of the Double Dragon, Grade I Cl* III, 1896
• :United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 30 June 1896

Ancestry

References

External links

• Online museum of the Vorontsov Family