Alexander Kaulbars

Baron Alexander Vasilyevich Kaulbars was a general in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a noted explorer of Central Asia.

Kaulbars was born in Mdriku, presentday Estonia, and grew up in St. Petersburg. He came from a Baltic German noble family descended from the Swedish aristocratic family von Kaulbars of Swedish origin, which remained in Estonia after the country was ceded to Russia. Both his father and his brother rose to the rank of general in the Imperial Russian Army. He was educated at the Nikolaev Cavalry School. His first experience in combat was in 1861, while serving with the Egersky Guards Regiment in the suppression of the Polish Uprising. After graduating from the Nicholas General Staff Academy, Kaulbars was commissioned as a lieutenant, and was assigned to serve on the staff of the Turkestan Military District. He was promoted to senior aide in 1870, to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1871, and to colonel in 1872. Soon after his arrival in Russian Turkestan, he explored the country beyond the IssykKul into the Tien Shan mountains. His report was published as Materials on the Geography of th

Source: Wikipedia