Alexander Karl Nikolai Prince von Lieven (russian: Александр Александрович Ливен, Alexander Alexnadrovich Liven; 7 Jul
1860
Zentene,

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

– 23 February 1914) was a vice 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 ...

Biography

Lieven was the son of Alexander Otto Karl Theodor von Lieven, from one of the oldest families of Baltic Germans. He graduated from the Berlin Cadet Corps and served initially in the Semenov Regiment of the

Imperial Guards An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

. However, in 1884 he transferred to the

and graduated from the

Sea Cadets Sea cadets are members of a sea cadet corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or a naval s ...

in 1884. He commanded a number of destroyers in 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) ...

,Kowner, '' Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War'', p. 209. and was awarded the Order of St Anna, 3rd class in 1896. In 1898 he graduated from the naval academy and was promoted to captain, 2nd class. Lieven was assigned to the battleship ''Poltava'' from 1898 to 1901. In 1900, Lieven was sent as a

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

to the United States, and acted as a military observer during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. He was awarded the

Order of Saint 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 ...

, 2nd degree the same year, followed by the Order of St Anna, 2nd degree and the Order of St Vladimir, 4th degree with bow, in 1903. During 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 ...

, Lieven was initially in command of the mine defenses of Port Arthur, followed by the gunboat Bobr. He was subsequent appointed captain of the cruiser . During the Battle of the Yellow Sea, he was one of the few captains to break the Japanese blockade, and was interned in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

until the end of the war. For this feat, he was awarded the Gold Sword for Bravery and was promoted to captain, 1st rank. After the end of the war, Lieven became captain of the cruiser in 1906. From 1908, he was assigned to the Navy General Staff and chaired a commission recording the events of the war. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1911, and to vice admiral in 1912 and chief of the Navy General Staff. Lieven was active in efforts to reconstruct the Imperial Russian Navy, but died near

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

railway station in Italy while returning from a vacation in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

while aboard a train for

St Petersburg 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 ...

. His grave was at his family estate in

Awards

Order of St Vladimir 4th degree * Saint vladimir (bande)

Order of St Vladimir 3rd degree * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne 3rd degree * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anne 2nd degree * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd degree * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St. Stanislaus 1st degree

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieven, Alexander 1860 births 1914 deaths Baltic German people from the Russian Empire Imperial Russian Navy admirals Lieven family Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Naval Cadet Corps alumni