Theodor Kristian Avellan (, Fyodor Karlovich Avelan; 12 September 1839 – 30 September 1916) was a

Finland-Swedish Finland Swedish or Fenno-Swedish ( sv, finlandssvenska; fi, suomenruotsi) is a general term for the variety of the Swedish language and a closely related group of Swedish dialects spoken in Finland by the Swedish-speaking population, commonly a ...

admiral in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...

, noted for his role in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

of 1904–1905. Although castigated by the Russian government for the defeat of Russia in that war, he subsequently served on the Board of Admiralty and was member of the State Council (1914).

Biography

Avellan was born in

Loviisa Loviisa (; sv, Lovisa ; formerly Degerby) is a municipality and town of inhabitants () on the southern coast of Finland. It is located from Helsinki and from Porvoo. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking. The municipality co ...

in the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

. He graduated from the Sea Cadets Corps in 1855, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1857, and was assigned to the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1872. In 1878, he took part in a naval expedition to the coasts of North America and was subsequently given command of the cruiser . Between 1879-1889 he made two world tours, commanding a number of different vessels. In 1889 he was promoted to Chief-of-Staff of

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...

naval base. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1891. From 1893–1894, Avellan commanded the Russian squadron in the Mediterranean, and visited the French Navy in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

(October 1893) to reinforce the

Franco-Russian Alliance The Franco-Russian Alliance (french: Alliance Franco-Russe, russian: Франко-Русский Альянс, translit=Franko-Russkiy Al'yans), or Russo-French Rapprochement (''Rapprochement Russo-Français'', Русско-Французско� ...

.''

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' was a weekly French language, French newspaper published in Paris from 1843 to 1944. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in France then, a ...

'', n° 2642 , October 14, 1893 From 1895-1897 he served as Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the Imperial Russian Navy. He then became Chief-of-Staff and was raised in rank the

Adjutant-General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

in 1903. He served as Minister of the Navy from 10 March 1903 to 29 June 1905. Following the massive defeat of the Imperial Russian Navy at the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...

, he was held responsible for the disaster due to his underestimation of the Japanese and was stripped of his rank. Although he presented his resignation to

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

, his resignation was rejected. In 1914, he was allowed to have a seat in the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

. He died on 30 September 1916 in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Decorations

*1869 :

Order of St. Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

3rd degree *1872: Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne 3rd degree *1875 : Cavaliere SSML BAR

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

, 4th class (Italy) *1875: Saint vladimir (bande)

Order of St Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, ...

4th degree *1876 : Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

3rd degree *1879: Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne 2nd degree *1883 : Royal Order of Kapi'olani

Royal Order of Kapiolani The Royal Order of Kapiʻolani (''Kapiʻolani e Hoʻokanaka'') was instituted on August 30, 1880 by King Kalākaua to recognize services in the cause of humanity, for merit in Science and the Arts, or for special services rendered to the Kingdom ...

, Commanders Cross (Hawaii) *1884 : GRE Order Redeemer 2Class

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

, 2nd class (Greece) *1890 : Saint vladimir (bande)

3rd degree *1891 : Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, Commanders Cross, (France) *1893 : Legion Honneur GO ribbon

, 2nd class, (France) *1894 : Order of the Medjidie lenta

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in fi ...

, 2nd class, (Ottoman Empire) *1896: Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne 1st degree *1897 : GRE Order Redeemer 1Class

, Grand Cross (Greece) *1897 : DNK Order of Danebrog Commander BAR

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

, Knight Commander 2nd class (Denmark) *1899 : Saint vladimir (bande)

2nd degree *1891 : Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

1st degree *1897 : Ord

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (german: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden) was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes ...

, Grand Cross (Austria-Hungary) *1897 : Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown - ribbon bar

Order of the Crown, 1st class (Prussia) *1897 :

Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Order of the Crown of Siam The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

, 1st class (Siam) *1898 : Bg1osa

Order of St Alexander The Order of St Alexander ( bg, Орден "Свети Александър") was the second highest Bulgarian order during the Kingdom of Bulgaria. It was established by Knyaz Alexander I and named after his patron saint ( Alexander Nevsky). ...

1st Class (Bulgaria) *1899 : Order of the Star of Romania - Ribbon bar

Knight Grand Cross

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

, 1st class (Romania) *1900 : JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, 1st class (Japan) *1900 : Saint vladimir (bande)

1st degree *1902 : Cavaliere di gran Croce Regno SSML BAR

, 1st class (Italy) *1902 : RUS Order White Eagle BAR

Order of the White Eagle *1902 : Ord

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

, 1st class (Prussia) *1902 : SWE Royal Order of the Sword - Commander Grand Cross BAR

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

, 1st class (Sweden) *1907 : 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 Empero ...

*1912 :

, with diamonds *1916: Saint vladimir (bande)

1st degree

References

* 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, . * * Warner, Denis & Peggy. ''The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905''. (1975). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Avellan, Theodor 1839 births 1916 deaths People from Loviisa People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Imperial Russian Navy admirals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Swedish-speaking Finns Naval Cadet Corps alumni