Caucasus Military District


The Caucasus Military District was a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army. It was created in 1865 as the successor to the Caucasus Army, and was dissolved in 1917.

History

The Caucasus Military District was created as part of the military reforms of the minister Dmitry Milyutin.
During the entire existence of the District, the District Commander in Chief was also supreme civil authority in the Caucasus and Ataman of Caucasian troops. In 1865 - 1881 and again in 1905 - 1917, the District Commander in Chief was also His Majesty's Viceroy in the Caucasus.
On the formation of the District, the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich became its first Commander in Chief. On August 23, 1915, the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich was appointed to this post, a post he held until February 3, 1917.
The Caucasus Army was formed in July 1914 from units of the Caucasus Military District. This army ceased to exist in April 1917 when it was reorganized by the new Russian Republic as the Caucasus Front, although this Front contained many of the same units and continued fighting in the same theater. This Front in turn dissolved and formally ceased to exist in March 1918.

Area

After a series of changes in 1866, 1868, 1878, 1881, 1883, 1898 and 1899, by 1914 the area of the District included seven provinces and five regions - a total of 12 administrative divisions, of which three were in the north and nine in the Caucasus, these nine forming the Caucasian Viceroyalty of which the Commander in Chief of the district was viceroy.

Composition of forces

Commanders of the Caucasus Military District