{{Short description|19th-century Russian field marshal (1828–1901)}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2009}} {{family name hatnote|[[Vladimirovich]]|Romeyko-Gurko|lang=Eastern Slavic}} {{Infobox military person | honorific_prefix = Count | name = Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko | image = Gurko Iosif.jpg | image_size = | caption = | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1828|07|28|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Novgorod]], [[Novgorod Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1901|01|28|1828|07|28|df=yes}} | death_place = near [[Tver]], [[Tver Governorate]], Russian Empire | burial_place = | allegiance = {{flag|Russian Empire|1858}} | branch = {{flagicon|Russian Empire|1858}} [[Imperial Russian Army]] | service_years = 1846–1901 | rank = [[Field Marshal]] | unit = | commands = | battles = {{tree list}} * [[Crimean War]] * [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War]] ** [[Battle of Shipka Pass]] ** [[Battle of Eski Zagra]] ** [[Battle of Gorni Dubnik]] ** [[Siege of Plevna]] ** [[Battle of Tashkessen]] ** [[Battle of Sofia]] ** [[Battle of Plovdiv (1878)|Battle of Plovdiv]] {{tree list/end}} | awards = [[Order of Saint George (Russia)|Order of St. George]] | relations = | other_work = }}
'''Count Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko''' ({{langx|ru|Граф Ио́сиф Влади́мирович Роме́йко-Гурко́|Iósif Vladímirovič Roméjko-Gurkó}}; {{OldStyleDate|28 July|1828|16 July}} – {{OldStyleDate|28 January|1901|15 January}}), also known as '''Joseph''' or '''Ossip Gourko''', was a prominent Russian [[field marshal]] during the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Forbes |first=Archibald |author-link= Archibald Forbes |chapter= Soldiers I Have Known |title=Memories of War and Peace |publisher= Cassell and Company Limited |place= London, Paris & Melbourne |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/memoriesstudieso01forb#page/366/mode/1up |year=1895 |pages= 366 |edition=2nd |access-date= 26 July 2018 |via= Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Greene |first= F. V. |author-link= Francis Vinton Greene |chapter= Russian Generals |title= Sketches of Army Life in Russia |year= 1881 |place= London |publisher= W.H. Allen & Co. |pages= 143–147 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/sketchesofarmyli00greerich#page/143/mode/1up |access-date= July 26, 2018 |via= Internet Archive}}</ref>
==Biography==
=== Career === Of [[Belarus]]ian extraction, Gurko was educated in the Imperial Corps of Pages, entered the [[hussar]]s of the Imperial Guard as a sub-lieutenant in 1846, became captain in 1857, adjutant to [[Alexander II of Russia]] in 1860, colonel in 1861, commander of the 4th Hussar Regiment of Mariupol in 1866, and major-general of the emperor's suite in 1867.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
He subsequently commanded the grenadier regiment, and in 1873 the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, of the cavalry of the Imperial Guard. Although he took part in the [[Crimean War]], being stationed at Belbek, his claim to distinction is due to his service in the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Turkish war of 1877]]. He led the spearhead of the Russian invasion, took [[Veliko Tarnovo|Tarnovo]] on July 7, crossed the [[Balkans]] by the Haim Boaz pass—which [[debouches]] near Hainkyoi—and, despite considerable resistance, captured [[Uflani]], [[Maglizh]] and [[Kazanlak]]; on July 18 he attacked [[Battle of Shipka Pass|Shipka]], which was evacuated by the Turks the following day. Thus within 16 days of crossing the [[Danube]], Gourko had secured three Balkan passes and created a panic at [[Constantinople]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} [[File:Портрет русского генерала Иосифа Владимировича Гурко (в 1879-1880гг). Изд.1903г ГИМ e1t3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|General of the cavalry Iosif Gurko, 1879–1880.]] He then made a series of successful reconnaissances of the [[Tundzha]] valley, cut the railway in two places, occupied [[Stara Zagora]] ({{langx|tr|Eski Zagra}}) and [[Nova Zagora]] ({{langx|tr|Yeni Zagra}}), checked the advance of [[Suleiman Pasha (Turkish officer)|Suleiman Pasha]]'s army and returned again over the Balkans. In October he was appointed commander of the allied cavalry, and attacked the [[Siege of Plevna|Plevna]] line of communication to [[Botevgrad|Orhanie]] with a large mixed force, [[Battle of Gorni-Dubnik|captured Gorni-Dubnik]], [[Telish]] and [[Vratsa]] and, in the middle of November, Orhanie itself. [[Pleven]] was isolated, and after its [[Siege of Pleven|liberation]] in December Gourko led his troops amidst snow and ice over the [[Balkans]] to the fertile valley beyond. He [[Battle of Sofia|liberated]] [[Sofia]] and decisively defeated [[Suleiman Pasha (Turkish officer)|Suleiman Pasha]] at the [[Battle of Philippopolis (1878)|Battle of Philippopolis]] and occupied [[Edirne|Adrianople]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} The [[armistice]] at the end of January 1878 stopped further operations. With the help of Carol I of Romania and a few other Russian commanders such as : [[Michael Nikolaevich]] and Iosif Vladimirovich Gourko, the Russian Empire won the war. After the Russian victory, the [[Treaty of Berlin (1878)|Treaty of Berlin]] was signed, granting independence to Romania, Serbia and Montenegro.
=== Governor-General of Warsaw === In 1879–1880, Gurko was a governor of [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], and from 1883 to 1894 [[Governor-General of Poland]], where he enforced the [[Russification]] policies of [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]]. While in office as Governor-General of Poland, he carried out significant training maneuvers involving troops from all over the Empire.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-05-19 |title=RUSSIAN ARMY MANOEUVRES. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1890/05/19/archives/russian-army-manoeuvres.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=RUSSIA MOVING TROOPS. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1891/09/06/103333283.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In late 1883, notable military preparations took place along the Austrian and German borders. This included enhancing the military readiness of railways and steamships which led to delays in grain shipments on the [[Black Sea]]. Troops were also stationed between the [[Vistula]] and [[Bug (river)|Bug]] rivers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1883-09-24 |title=MILITARY ACTIVITY IN RUSSIA. |work=The New York Times |pages=1}}</ref> According to the [[The New York Times|''New York Times'']], Gourko gave a speech in 1883 where he claimed that the defense against all enemies, regardless of German opinion, was "the cause of all Slavs."<ref>{{Cite news |date=1883-09-16 |title=NOTES FROM OVER SEA |work=The New York Times |pages=6}}</ref> The anti-German nature of his rhetoric generated concern that he would be removed from office.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1883-08-28 |title=CURRENT FOREIGN NOTES |work=The New York Times |pages=1}}</ref>
In 1887, observers in Europe noted the buildup of troops in Russian Poland.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1887-12-08 |title=RUSSIA'S MENACE TO AUSTRIA.: VARIOUS THEORIES TO ACCOUNT FOR HER ACTIVITY ON THE FRONTIER. |work=The New York Times |pages=1}}</ref>
In 1890, Gourko was summoned to St. Petersburg, again sparking rumors that he would be removed from his post as governor. The ''[[The Times|Times of London]]'' reported that he would remain in office and that this was the preferred outcome to the Poles. According to the ''Times'', the Poles considered him neither hard nor unjust at that time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1890-11-18 |title=Poland |work=The Times |pages=5 |publication-place=London}}</ref>
In 1892, notable construction projects were underway including roads, railways, and fortifications. These projects employed 150,000 Poles.<ref>{{Cite news |title=RUSSIA IN POLAND.; EXTENSIVE FORTIFICATIONS AND RAILWAYS BEING CONSTRUCTED. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/03/17/291592762.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In that same year, Gourko heard complaints from factory workers about "brutal treatment" from German overseers. In response, he issued a policy requiring factory overseers to be able to speak Russian and Polish perfectly.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1892-11-16 |title=BRUTAL GERMAN OVERSEERS.; WELL-GROUNDED COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM IN RUSSIAN POLAND. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/11/16/archives/brutal-german-overseers-wellgrounded-complaints-against-them-in.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
During the [[History of cholera|cholera epidemic]] in 1892, Gourko held a conference in Warsaw to decide a response to the spread of the disease. Attendees to the conference included regional governors and police officials.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1892-10-03 |title=The Cholera. |work=The Times |pages=5 |publication-place=London}}</ref>
According to the ''New York Times'', Gourko also played a role in carrying out expulsions from Russian Poland.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1893-06-01 |title=JEWS DRIVEN FROM POLAND.; Four Hundred and Eighty Families Expelled from One District Alone. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/06/01/archives/jews-driven-from-poland-four-hundred-and-eighty-families-expelled.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
=== Later life === Gourko experienced paralysis on the entire left side of his body in 1894.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1894-01-01 |title=Court Circular |work=The Times |pages=9 |publication-place=London}}</ref>
He died in 1901, near the city of [[Tver]].
==Honour== Gurko was made a count and decorated with the [[Order of Saint George (Russia)|2nd class of St. George]], [[Order of the Cross of Takovo]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Acović|first=Dragomir|title=Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima|year=2012|location=Belgrade|publisher=Službeni Glasnik|pages=621}}</ref> and other orders.
[[Gurkovo]] town in South-central [[Bulgaria]] and [[General Yosif V. Gurko Street]] in [[Sofia]], Bulgaria are named after him.
== Notes == {{Reflist}}
==Sources == *{{EB1911|wstitle=Gourko, Joseph Vladimirovich|volume=12|page=288}}
{{Governors-General of Warsaw}} {{Governors of Saint Petersburg}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurko, Iosif}} [[Category:1828 births]] [[Category:1901 deaths]] [[Category:People from Veliky Novgorod]] [[Category:People from Novgorodsky Uyezd]] [[Category:Russian people of Belarusian descent]] [[Category:Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)]] [[Category:Governors-general of Warsaw]] [[Category:Russian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo]] [[Category:Battle of Shipka Pass]] [[Category:Governors-general of Saint Petersburg]]