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Afrikan BogaevskyRussian military leader
Date of Birth: 08.01.1873
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Content:
- Early Life and Military Career
- Service in World War I
- Role in the White Movement
- Emigration and Continued Leadership
- Awards and Honors
- Order of St. Vladimir, Second Class
Early Life and Military Career
Afrikan Petrovich Bogaevsky was born on August 28, 1872, into a family of hereditary nobility of the Don Cossack Host. His father, Pyotr Grigorievich Bogaevsky, was a participant in the defense of Sevastopol.
Bogaevsky completed his studies at the Don Cadet Corps in 1890 and the Nikolaev Cavalry School in 1892, graduating first in his class and earning a coveted spot on the marble plaque of honor. He was then commissioned as a cornet into the Leib-Guard Ataman Regiment.
In 1895, Bogaevsky enrolled in the Imperial Nicholas Academy of the General Staff, where he excelled and graduated with distinction. He served in the General Staff of the Guards Corps and the St. Petersburg Military District.
Service in World War I
Promoted to colonel in December 1908, Bogaevsky became Chief of Staff of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division from 1909 to 1914.
At the outbreak of World War I, Bogaevsky commanded the 4th Mariupol Hussar Regiment. For his valor in battle, he was awarded the prestigious St. George's Sword in 1914. He later led the Life Guards Consolidated Cossack Regiment and was promoted to major general in 1915. That same year, he was enrolled in His Imperial Majesty's Retinue.
Bogaevsky served as Chief of Staff to Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich, the March Ataman of all Cossack troops, from 1915 to 1917. He also commanded the 1st Transbaikal Cossack Division and was awarded the St. George's Cross, Fourth Class, with a Laurel Branch for his role in the battles near Tarnopol.
Role in the White Movement
With the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, Bogaevsky left the 1st Guards Cavalry Division and made his way to the Don region. However, he was arrested by Bolsheviks in Luhansk but managed to escape execution. He eventually reached Novocherkassk, the capital of the Don Host.
In 1918, Bogaevsky joined the Volunteer Army and commanded the Алексеевский Partisan Regiment during the First Kuban (Ice) Campaign. He became the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Volunteer Army in March 1918 and subsequently served as Foreign Minister in the Don Government of Ataman Pyotr Krasnov.
Promoted to lieutenant general in 1918, Bogaevsky was elected Ataman of the All-Great Don Host in February 1919, succeeding Krasnov. In 1920, he briefly served as Chairman of the South Russian Government.
Emigration and Continued Leadership
In November 1920, Bogaevsky fled from Crimea with General Pyotr Wrangel. He settled in Paris in 1923 and remained active in Cossack affairs. He founded the United Council of the Don, Kuban, and Terek and was unanimously elected by all Don Cossack émigré organizations to represent their interests.
Bogaevsky died of a heart attack in Paris on October 21, 1934, and was buried at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Cemetery.
Awards and Honors
Afrikan Bogaevsky received numerous military decorations and honors, including:
Order of St. Vladimir, Second Class
Knight of the Order of St. Anna, four classesKnight of the Order of St. Stanislav, three classes
St. George's Sword
St. George's Cross, Fourth Class, with a Laurel Branch
Badge of the First Kuban (Ice) Campaign
Order of Prince Danilo, three degrees (Montenegro)
Order of the Sword (Sweden)
Order of the Lion and the Sun (Persia)
Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)
Legion of Honour (France)
Order of St. Michael and St. George, Second Class (United Kingdom)
Family
Afrikan Bogaevsky's brothers included Mitrofan, a journalist and leader of the Don Cossack government, and Yanuary, a captain who was buried with Ataman Bogaevsky.
Bogaevsky married Nadezhda Vasilievna Perret, the sister of General Yevgeny Perret. They had two sons, Yevgeny and Boris.
His nephew, Nikolai Vorobyov (Bogaevsky), was a prominent Cossack poet, and his other nephew, Yuri Lyubavin-Bogaevsky, is a historian living in Novocherkassk.
