View source for Aleksey Kuropatkin

{{Short description|Russian Imperial Minister of War from 1898 to 1904}}
{{redirect|Kuropatkin|the village in Azerbaijan|Kuropatkino}}
{{family name hatnote|Nikolayevich|Kuropatkin|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name             = Aleksey Kuropatkin
| native_name      = {{nobold|Алексей Куропаткин}}
| native_name_lang = ru
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1848|03|29}}
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1925|01|16|1848|03|29}}
| birth_place      = [[Kholmsky Uyezd (Pskov Governorate)|Kholmsky Uyezd]],{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} [[Pskov Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_place      = [[Pskov Governorate]],{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} [[Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| placeofburial    = 
| image            = Kuropatkin Alexey Nikolaevich.jpg
| image_size       = 200
| caption          = General Aleksey Kuropatkin
| monarch          = [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]]
| office           = [[Ministry of War of the Russian Empire|Minister of War]]
| predecessor      = [[Pyotr Vannovsky]]
| successor        = [[Viktor Sakharov]]
| term_start       = 1 January 1898
| term_end         = 7 February 1904
| nickname         =    
| allegiance       = {{flag|Russian Empire|1914}}
| branch           = {{flagicon|Russian Empire|1914}} [[Russian Imperial Army]]
| serviceyears     = 1864–1907 <br/>1915–1917
| rank             = [[General officer|General]] 
| commands         = [[5th Army (Russian Empire)|Fifth Army]]
| battles          = 
{{tree list}}
* [[Russian conquest of Central Asia|Conquest of Central Asia]]
** [[Russian conquest of Bukhara|Conquest of Bukhara]]
** [[Siege of Samarkand (1868)|Siege of Samarkand]]
** [[Battle of Geok Tepe]]
* [[Boxer Rebellion]]
* [[Russo-Japanese War]]
** [[Battle of Mukden]]
** [[Battle of Liaoyang]]
* [[World War I]]
{{tree list/end}}
| mawards          = see [[#Honours|awards]]
}}

'''Aleksey Nikolayevich Kuropatkin''' ({{langx|ru|Алексе́й Никола́евич Куропа́ткин}}; March 29, 1848{{snd}}January 16, 1925) was a Russian politician and military officer who served as the [[Russia]]n [[Heads of military of Imperial Russia|Imperial Minister of War]] from January 1898 to February 1904 and as a field commander subsequently. Historians often hold him responsible for major Russian defeats in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904 to 1905, most notably at the [[Battle of Mukden]] (1905) and at the [[Battle of Liaoyang]] (August–September 1904).

==Biography==

===Early years===
Kuropatkin was born in 1848 in [[Kholmsky Uyezd (Pskov Governorate)|Kholmsky Uyezd]], [[Pskov Governorate]], in the [[Russian Empire]]. His father, a retired army captain, came from landed gentry. Educated in the [[Cadet Corps (Russia)|Cadet Corps]] and [[Pavel Military School|Pavlovsky Military School]], Kuropatkin entered the [[Imperial Russian Army]] in 1864. On August 8, 1866, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 1st Turkestan Infantry Battalion, and took part in the [[Russian conquest of Bukhara|conquest of Bukhara]], the [[Siege of Samarkand (1868)|storming of Samarkand]] and other battles in the [[Russian conquest of Central Asia|Russian conquest of Turkestan]]. He was promoted to major in August 1870.

From 1872 to 1874, Kuropatkin studied at the [[General Staff Academy (Imperial Russia)|Nicholas General Staff Academy]], after which he was dispatched as a [[military attaché]] to [[Berlin]] and [[Paris]], completing his military studies, and with the [[French Army|French]] troops in [[French Algeria]], accompanying a French expedition to [[Sahara]]. Returning to Russia in late 1875, he was assigned to the [[Turkestan Military District]]. He was awarded the [[Order of St. George]] (4th class) for his role in the Russian conquest of [[Kokand]].

From 1875-1876, Kuropatkin was employed in a diplomatic mission to [[Yakub Beg of Yettishar|Yaqub Beg]] (ruler of [[Kashgaria]]) to resolve the issues of Russian border claims in the [[Fergana Valley]].

From September 1877 to September 1878, he was [[Chief of staff (military)|Chief of Staff]] of the [[16th Infantry Division (Russian Empire)|16th Infantry Division]]. In August 1879, he was commander of the Turkestan Rifle Brigade. In December 1880, he and 5 companies made an 18-day march across 500 miles of desert to join General [[Mikhail Skobelev]]’s invasion of [[Turkmenistan]]. Kuropatkin led the main assault at the [[Battle of Geok Tepe]] on January 24, 1881. He was awarded the Order of St. George (3rd class) for his victory in the battle. After the war, he wrote a detailed and critical history of the operations which was highly regarded.

During the 1880s, Kuropatkin served on the south-eastern frontier in command of the Turkestan Rifle Brigade. He was promoted to major general on January 29, 1882. He joined the General Staff the following year, and was promoted to lieutenant general in 1890.

From 1890 to 1898, Kuropatkin was governor of the [[Transcaspian Region]] in Central Asia, based in [[Askhabad]]. During his tenure, he was known to have developed trade, agriculture and towns in an area formerly known for endemic [[banditry]] and [[slavery]]. He established a local judicial and school system, and encouraged the settlement of colonists from the interior provinces of the [[Russian Empire]].

In 1895 on Kuropatkin was bestowed the extraordinary Russian mission, called the Extraordinary Embassy to Persia in order to proclaim the ascension to the throne of [[Nicholas II]].<ref>Cnfr. the information boards at the [http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/what-s-on/news/news-item/news/2015/news_107/?lng=ru/ exhibition ''Culture and art of Iran of the VIII-early XX centuries''] {{in lang|ru}}, The [[Hermitage Museum]], since Sept. 8th 2015, 2nd floor, room 389</ref> One member of the mission was [[Pavel Piasetsky]], who later painted his famous ''[[Panorama of Persia]]'', showing the way from [[Bandar-e Anzali|Anzali]] to [[Teheran]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Adamova Adel, Printseva Galina|title=Panorama Persii: ot Anzali do Tegerana = Panorama of Persia: from Anzali to Tehran|place=St. Petersburg|year=2015|publisher=The State Hermitage Publishers|language=ru}}</ref>

===Minister of War===
[[File:Портрет к статье «Куропаткин, Алексей Николаевич». Военная энциклопедия Сытина (Санкт-Петербург, 1911-1915).jpg|thumb|left|200px|General Aleksey Kuropatkin]]
In 1898, Kuropatkin was recalled to [[St. Petersburg]] and appointed War Minister. His first priority was of improving the command structure of the army, as well as the living conditions of its officers. His reforms included measures to rejuvenate the army by setting age limits for line officers and candidates for higher office, and by increasing the period of secondment of officers from the General Staff to combat units. He attempted to improve the quality of officers by raising the two-year cadet training program to three years, and by opening seven new cadet schools. He also increased the frequency of training maneuvers.

However, with respect to the lower ranks, Kuropatkin's reforms fell short. While aware of the poor standards of food, clothing, and housing, he was unable to secure the necessary funds for improvements, so his activities were confined to improving morale through the increased use of [[chaplain]]s, the abolition of [[corporal punishment]], and improved field kitchens.

===Russo-Japanese War===
Kuropatkin was involved in the negotiations with the [[Empire of Japan]] before the [[Russo-Japanese War]] in 1904. He did not support an armed conflict with Japan and opposed the [[Aleksandr Mikhailovich Bezobrazov|Bezobrazov]] Circle. His views became firmer after a visit to Japan in June 1903.

Kuropatkin was heavily involved in the fiasco of the Russian land forces during the war. Although the rationale of his military approach was to wage a [[war of attrition]] and to avoid an offensive until the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] brought sufficient troops and materiel, his cautiousness and hesitancy markedly influenced the repeated Russian defeats. Military historians consider his indecisiveness and organizational deficiencies in directing large-scale military operations as a major element in the Russian defeat. Kuropatkin also was influenced by his racism against Asians, reportedly telling the Tsar that he would only need two Russian soldiers for every three Japanese soldiers.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Figes|first=Orlando|url=|title=A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924|date=1996|publisher=Jonathan Cape|isbn=0-224-04162-2|location=London|pages=168–169|oclc=35657827}}</ref>

After the Russian defeat at the [[Battle of Mukden]], Kuropatkin was relieved of command and handed over his post to [[Nikolai Linevich]], formerly commander of the [[1st Manchurian Army]]. However, he insisted that he stay at the front and was given permission to take over Linevich's old post.<ref>{{cite book|title=Official History (Naval and Military) of the Russo-Japanese War|year=1920|publisher=His Majesty's Stationery Office|page=[https://archive.org/details/officialhistoryn03grea/page/689 689]|url=https://archive.org/details/officialhistoryn03grea}}</ref>

In 1906, following the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Kuropatkin served as a member of the [[State Council of Imperial Russia]]. However, in 1907 he retired to his country house, and wrote his own, yet candid, defense, which was published in a number of books in several languages. The Russian government reportedly confiscated the history he wrote.<ref>AP Cablegam (30 December 1906). [http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85047084/1906-12-30/ed-1/seq-1/ Government fears Kropatkin's pen]. ''The Pacific Commercial Advertiser'', Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. Retrieved 2 June 2017.</ref>

===World War I===
At the start of [[World War I]], Kuropatkin requested to be reinstated and to be sent to the front; however, his requests were blocked by Grand Duke [[Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1856–1929)|Nikolai Nikolaevich]]. Nevertheless, once Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] assumed the post of Supreme Commander, he put Kuropatkin in charge of the [[Grenadier (soldier)|Grenadier Corps]] in October, 1915. At the end of January 1916, he was appointed commander of the [[5th Army (Russian Empire)|5th Army]], and in February 1916, he became Commander of the [[Northern Front (Russian Empire)|Northern Front]], in succession to General [[Pavel Plehve]], whose health had broken down. In early March, his forces undertook a limited offensive near [[Riga]], but were outflanked and forced to withdraw to the [[Daugava River]]. A second and larger offensive later that month only managed to advance a couple of kilometers. Tsar Nicholas II did not accept Kuropatkin's excuses of a lack of artillery support, poor roads and bad weather. 
He planned a night attack which included setting up batteries of [[searchlight]]s to blind the German defenders, a tactic which had worked in 1904 against Japanese troops.<ref>"Gunners Use Searchlights. Slav Innovation Permits Artillery Fire Throughout the Night", ''San Francisco Call'', Volume 96, Number 153, 31 October 1904</ref> Unfortunately for his men in 1915, on being sent 'over the top', they were silhouetted and suffered thousands of casualties.<ref>Reagan, Geoffrey. Military Anecdotes (1992) p. 161, Guinness Publishing {{ISBN|0-85112-519-0}}</ref>

Kuropatkin was relieved of command on July 22, 1916, and reassigned to Turkestan, where the Russian involvement in World War I, especially against the [[Ottoman Empire]] was extremely unpopular among the indigenous peoples and which had led to the [[Central Asian revolt of 1916]]. Kuropatkin served as [[Governor-General]] of the [[Turkestan Military District]] as well as [[ataman]] of the [[Semirechye Cossacks]] and led the brutal suppression of the revolt.<ref>Smele, Jonothan D. The Russian Civil Wars 1916-1926 p. 19-20, Hurst & Company, London 
{{ISBN|978-1-84904-721-0}}</ref>

===Post-Revolution===
In the [[February Revolution]] of 1917 Kuropatkin was in [[Saint Petersburg|Petrograd]], and quickly pledged his allegiance to the [[Russian Provisional Government]], cutting the royal insignia off his [[epaulettes]]. He was confirmed in his post as commander of the Turkestan Military District by Provisional Government War Minister [[Alexander Guchkov]]. However, this was disputed by the [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] ''[[Tashkent Soviet|Tashkent Soviet of Soldiers and Workers' Deputies]]'', who placed him under arrest and sent him back to Petrograd. Freed by order of the Provisional Government, he returned to his home province. Following the [[October Revolution]], he became very skilled at playing the violin and taught at an agriculture school that he had founded, until his death in 1925.

===Writings===
* 1882 – {{cite book |title=Kashgaria, Eastern or Chinese Turkistan: Historical and Geographical Sketch of the Country, its Military Strength, Industries, and Trade |year=1882|publisher=Calcutta, Thacker, Spink and Co., etc. etc.|url=https://archive.org/details/kashgariaeastern00kurorich}}
* 1909 – {{cite book |title=The Russian Army and the Japanese War, being historical and critical Comments on the Military Policy and Power of Russia and on the Campaign in the Far East |year=1909|url=https://archive.org/details/russianarmyjapan02kuro}}

==Honours==
*[[File:Band to Order St Alexander Nevsky.png|30px|link= Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]], with diamonds
*[[File:RUS Order of Saint George 4th class ribbon 2000.svg|30px|link=Order of St. George]] [[Order of St. George]], 4th class,
*[[File:RUS Order of Saint George 3rd class ribbon 2000.svg|30px|link=Order of St. George]] [[Order of St. George]], 3rd class,
*[[File:Order of the White Eagle War Merit ribbon.jpg|30px|link=Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]] [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
*[[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] [[Order of St Vladimir]] 4th degree
*[[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] [[Order of St Vladimir]] 3rd degree
*[[File:Saint vladimir (bande).png|30px|link=Order of St. Vladimir]] [[Order of St Vladimir]] 2nd degree
*[[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] [[Order of St. Stanislaus]] 3rd degree
*[[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] [[Order of St. Stanislaus]] 2nd degree
*[[File:Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon.PNG|30px|link=Order of St. Stanislav]] [[Order of St. Stanislaus]] 1st degree.
*[[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] [[Order of St. Anna|Order of St. Anne]] 3rd degree
*[[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] [[Order of St. Anna|Order of St. Anne]] 2nd degree
*[[File:Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar.svg|30px|link=Order of St. Anna]] [[Order of St. Anna|Order of St. Anne]] 1st degree
;Foreign
*{{flag|France}}: [[Legion of Honor]], Chevalier
*{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}}: [[Order of the Star of Romania]]{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
*{{flag|Kingdom of Bulgaria}}: [[Order of St Alexander]]
*{{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]] - ''July 1902'' - during a visit to Russia of King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy]]<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest intelligence - Italy and Russia |date=18 July 1902 |page=3 |issue=36823| }}</ref>

==See also==
{{for outline|Outline of the Russo-Japanese War}}
{{for timeline|Timeline of the Russo-Japanese War}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Kuropatkin, Alexei Nikolaievich|volume=15|pages=952-953}}
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43267466?searchTerm=Kuropatkin&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc «Personal»&nbsp;// «The Advertiser, Adelaide», Monday 26 January 1925, p.&nbsp;9]
* [[Alfred Knox]]. General Kuropatkin. The Slavonic Review, Vol. 4, No. 10 (Jun., 1925), pp.&nbsp;164–168
* [[Rotem Kowner|Kowner, Rotem]] (2006). "Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War". Scarecrow. 620pp. {{ISBN|0-8108-4927-5}}
* [https://archive.org/details/kashgariaeastern00kurorich Kashgaria, Eastern Or Chinese Turkistan]: Historical and Geographical Sketch of the Country, Its Military Strength, Industries, and Trade. By Aleksei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin. Translated by Walter Edward Gowan. Published by Thacker, Spink and Co., 1882
** Kessinger Publishing. 2004. {{ISBN|1-4179-1928-0}}.
** McCutchen Press. 2008. {{ISBN|1-4086-7524-2}}.
* The Russian Army and the Japanese War: Being Historical and Critical Comments on the Military Policy and Power of Russia and on the Campaign in the Far East. By Aleksei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin. Translated by Alexander Bertram Lindsay. E.P. Dutton, 1909. [https://archive.org/details/russianarmyjapan01kuro Volume I] [https://archive.org/details/russianarmyjapan02kuro Volume II]
*Connaughton, R.M (1988). ''The War of the Rising Sun and the Tumbling Bear—A Military History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–5'', London, {{ISBN|0-415-00906-5}}.
*Jukes, Geoffry. ''The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905''.  Osprey Essential Histories. (2002).  {{ISBN|978-1-84176-446-7}}.
*Warner, Denis & Peggy. ''The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905''. (1975).  {{ISBN|0-7146-5256-3}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/6584 "General Kuropatkin Ready for Anything Awaits the Coming of the Japanese"] is an artwork, from 1904, by [[Kobayashi Kiyochika]]
* {{PM20|FID=pe/010733}}

{{s-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pyotr Vannovskiy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of War of the Russian Empire|Minister of War]]|years=1 January 1898 &ndash; 7 February 1904}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Viktor Sakharov]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{War ministers of the Russian Empire}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuropatkin, Alexei}}
[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Toropetsky District]]
[[Category:People from Kholmsky Uyezd (Pskov Governorate)]]
[[Category:Imperial Nikolayev Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Ministers of war of the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Turkestan]]
[[Category:Imperial Russian Army generals]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Russian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Russian Provisional Government military personnel]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania]]