Leo Kereselidze ( ka, ლეო კერესელიძე) (1885 – 1944) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

military figure, politician and journalist involved in the Georgian national movement against the Russian and later

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

domination. Early in his twenties, Keresselidze was involved in the Russian Revolution of 1905 and took part in attacks against Russian officials and military as well as in the running of a cargo of guns to the port of Sukhum-Kale. He subsequently moved to

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and obtained a Ph.D. degree from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

. In 1913, he joined a group of Georgian patriots in the

Committee of Independent Georgia The Committee of Independent Georgia ( ka, დამოუკიდებელი საქართველოს კომიტეტი), also known as the Georgian Committee, was a political organization formed in 1914 by Georgian émigrés ...

, and engaged in journalism, co-editing with his brother Georges Keresselidze a Geneva-based Georgian newspaper ''Tavisupali Sakartvelo'' (“Free Georgia”) from 1913 to 1914, and then working for a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

-based ''Kartuli Gazeti'' (“Georgian Newspaper”) from 1916 to 1918. In 1914, at the eve of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Committee moved to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and sought the German aid in restoring the independence of Georgia from Russia. Keresselidze led a military unit of Georgian volunteers, the Georgian Legion, which fought on the German side and was transferred to the Ottoman-Russian Caucasus front. Keresselidze tried to negotiate an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, but refused to accept its suzerainty over a potentially independent Georgia. He was subsequently promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, but the Legion was disbanded due to his disagreement with the Ottoman government. Keresselidze was then involved in diplomacy between Georgians and Germans, and staging subversions against the Russian troops. After the collapse of the Russian armies in the Caucasus and the proclamation of Georgian independence in May 1918, Keresselidze was able to his own country and helped create national army divisions. The 1921

Red Army invasion of Georgia The Red Army invasion of Georgia (15 February17 March 1921), also known as the Soviet–Georgian War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia,Debo, R. (1992). ''Survival and Consolidation: The Foreign Policy of Soviet Russia, 1918-1921'', pp. 182, 361� ...

forced him into exile to Germany where he was among the founding members and a secretary general of the right-leaning nationalist organization

Tetri Giorgi Tetri Giorgi ( ka, თეთრი გიორგი, "White George") is one of the local names of Christian Saint George in Georgia, specifically in the country's northeastern highland districts. Tetri Giorgi was used as a national symbol, a ...

. Not long before his death, he helped establish a new political organization of Georgian émigrés, the

Union of Georgian Traditionalists The Union of Georgian Traditionalists ( ka, ქართველ ტრადიციონალისტთა კავშირი) was a national political organization of the Georgian Political Emigration in the 1930s, established in 1942 ...

. Keresselidze's revolutionary career is the subject of a fictionalized biography ''Unending Battle'' (London, 1934) by the British army officer and writer Harold Courtenay Armstrong (1891–1943).Smele, Jonathan D. (2006), ''The Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921: An Annotated Bibliography'', p. 467. Continuum International Publishing Group, .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kereselidze, Leo Generals from Georgia (country) Journalists from Georgia (country) 1885 births 1944 deaths People of World War I from Georgia (country) 20th-century journalists