Anatol Leonid Fürst von Lieven, (1872 – 1937) was a
Baltic German prince of the
Lieven family who commanded a
counter-revolutionary White movement during the
Russian Civil War in
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
known after him as the Liventsy ( lv, Līvenieši).
Biography
Anatol von Lieven was born on November 16, 1872 in
St. Petersburg, Russia. He had studied law in the
University of St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public university, public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a de ...
but later was admitted into the where he graduated with the rank of
podporuchik.
From 1896 until 1908 he served as an officer in the Cavalry Guards regiment. In 1908 he left the army and traveled to
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. ...
where his family owned several manors. Until the
First World war he owned and lived in the
Mežotne Palace
Mežotne Palace ( lv, Mežotnes pils, german: Schloss Mesothen) is a manor house located in Mežotne municipality in Bauska district, in the Semigallia region of Latvia. The palace is one of the most outstanding examples of Neoclassical archit ...
near
Bauska. When the war started he returned to active service in his cavalry regiment and in 1917 was granted the rank of rotmistr (cavalry captain).
After the
October Revolution, he returned to Latvia and in December 1918, arrived in
Liepāja. In January 1919, he started the formation of ''Liepāja volunteer rifleman unit''. Core of the newly established unit was 60 officers of the
Russian Imperial army. Soon, this unit was complemented with one company of
Baltische Landeswehr and one company under the command of captain Didorov. The unit became known as ''Līvenieši'' and it participated in the
Latvian War of Independence fighting against the
Bolsheviks.
During the pro-German coup in April 1919, Lieven refused to collaborate with the pro-German government. Later, his unit was incorporated into the Baltische Landeswehr and participated in battles around
Ventspils,
Jelgava and also the liberation of Riga. On 24 May 1919, Lieven was seriously wounded near
Ropaži
Ropaži (german: Rodenpois) is a village in Latvia, the administrative centre of Ropaži Municipality
Ropaži Municipality ( lv, Ropažu novads) is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2005 with the reorganizati ...
, the injury left him slightly lame for the rest of his life. On June 6, 1919, Lieven's unit was transformed to the ''Russian volunteer corps'' with around 4000 men. Lieven forbade his men to fight the
Estonian Army and Northern Latvia brigade in
Vidzeme, unlike the rest of the ''
Baltische Landeswehr''. His detachment only performed rear security duties for the Landeswehr during
the campaign.
When the ''Strazdumuiža ceasefire'' was signed between the Baltische Landeswehr and Estonian army, Lieven transformed his corps into the
West Russian Volunteer Army. Another two Russian units joined his army. Those were the partisan unit ''Cavalry General count Keller'' under command of
Pavel Bermondt Avalov and infantry brigade under command of colonel Virgolitz. On 9 July, his army received an order from
Nikolai Yudenich to move to
Narva
Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, Ida-Viru county, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which ...
and join his northwest army's offensive on
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 ...
. Pavel Bermondt Avalov and colonel Virgolitz refused to leave Latvia and stayed in Jelgava. Bermondt took over command of the army and during October–November 1919, and were defeated by the
Latvian army.
Lieven went to
Estonia and until December 1919, fought with Yudenich's army around Petrograd. He also traveled to
London and
Paris and tried to negotiate further military support to Yudenich, however unsuccessfully.
After the civil war, Lieven became a Latvian citizen and a manufacturer of bricks. Early in 1920, he returned to his Mežotne palace but soon traveled to France. He returned to Latvia in 1924; but meanwhile, Latvian agrarian reforms were launched and his Mežotne palace was seized by the government and his lands divided. However, he was granted a small manor nearby
Mazmežotne manor, and he lived there and also in Riga for the rest of his life. Later, he established the Mazmežotne brick factory. He was also active in the anticommunist movement and led a local detachment of the
Brotherhood of Russian Truth
The Brotherhood of Russian Truth (russian: Братство Русской Правды) was a Russian counter-revolutionary nationalist organization established in 1921 by Pyotr Krasnov and other former members of the White movement, including ...
.
Anatoly von Lieven died on April 3, 1937 in
Ķemeri, Latvia. He was buried in the yard of the
Mežotne lutheran church
Mežotne (german: Mesothen) is a town in Latvia 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It lies in the historical region of Zemgale on the left bank of the Lielupe river near the Lithuanian border.
Mežo ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieven, Anatoly
1872 births
1937 deaths
Baltic-German people
Baltische Landeswehr personnel
Lieven family
People from Liepāja
People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd
Russian military personnel of World War I
People of the Russian Civil War
Russian anti-communists
White movement people
Military personnel from Saint Petersburg