Abel Makashvili
Encyclopedia
Abel Makashvili also known as Avel Gavrilovich Makaev (June 6 1860 – June 1920) was a Georgian
prince and soldier who served successively in the Russian
, Georgian
and Azerbaijani militaries and was killed by the Bolshevik
s upon their conquest of Azerbaijan in 1920.
Born of an old Georgian noble family, Makashvili graduated from Elizavetgrad military progymnasium and Kazan
infantry junker
school. He joined the Imperial Russian army in 1877 and commanded Bash-Kadyklar infantry regiment since 1910. He was promoted to major-general in 1914 and put in charge of the 16th Mingrelian grenadier regiment from 1914 to 1917. After Georgia’s declaration of independence from Russia, Makashvili joined the national Georgian army. He served as a governor-general and military commandant of Tiflis in the years 1918-1920. Early in 1920, he was invited by the government of independent Azerbaijan to head a military school at Ganja
. After Sovietization
of Azerbaijan in April 1920, Makashvili was arrested by the Soviet authorities and drowned in the Caspian Sea
.
Makashvili’s sons also served in the military. One of them, Vakhtang, commanded the Georgian Air Force
and died during the Red Army invasion
in 1921.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
prince and soldier who served successively in the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, Georgian
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and Azerbaijani militaries and was killed by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s upon their conquest of Azerbaijan in 1920.
Born of an old Georgian noble family, Makashvili graduated from Elizavetgrad military progymnasium and Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
infantry junker
Junker (Russia)
Junker has several meanings in the Imperial Russia. The word is from the German language, where it means "young lord".*Junker was a military rank for junior officers of dvoryan descent since 1902....
school. He joined the Imperial Russian army in 1877 and commanded Bash-Kadyklar infantry regiment since 1910. He was promoted to major-general in 1914 and put in charge of the 16th Mingrelian grenadier regiment from 1914 to 1917. After Georgia’s declaration of independence from Russia, Makashvili joined the national Georgian army. He served as a governor-general and military commandant of Tiflis in the years 1918-1920. Early in 1920, he was invited by the government of independent Azerbaijan to head a military school at Ganja
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
. After Sovietization
Sovietization
Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct meanings:*the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets .*the adoption of a way of life and mentality modelled after the Soviet Union....
of Azerbaijan in April 1920, Makashvili was arrested by the Soviet authorities and drowned in the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.
Makashvili’s sons also served in the military. One of them, Vakhtang, commanded the Georgian Air Force
Georgian Air Force
The Georgian Air Force is the air arm of the Georgian Armed Forces. Currently, it has 2,971 military and civilian personnel, fixed wing aircraft , helicopters of different types and air defense missiles of the "surface-to-air" class. The Air Force was founded in 1991 in the wake of the break-up...
and died during the Red Army invasion
Red Army invasion of Georgia
The Red Army invasion of Georgia also known as the Soviet–Georgian War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia was a military campaign by the Soviet Russian Red Army against the Democratic Republic of Georgia aimed at overthrowing the Social-Democratic government and installing the Bolshevik regime...
in 1921.