The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Loris-Melikoff, Mikhail Tarielovitch Tainoff, Count

LORIS-MELIKOFF, lō′rĭs-mĕl′ĭ-kŏf, Mikhail Tarielovitch Tainoff, Count, Russian soldier and statesman: b. Tiflis, Russia, 1 Jan. 1826; d. Nice, France, 22 Dec. 1888. He was of Armenian descent, entered the army in 1843, served in several campaigns in the Caucasus and became major-general in his 30th year and distinguished himself at the capture of Kars in 1854. He served in the Crimean War and was made lieutenant-general in 1863. In the Turco-Russian War of 1877 he won the victory of Aladja Dagh in October, following up which he took Kars in November and for his services in the campaign was made a count in 1878. He was recalled from Tiflis (where in charge of several districts he had introduced liberal reforms) during the Nihilist menace in 1879, and in 1880 was appointed Minister of the Interior, in which post he began by introducing liberal measures, but the assassination of the Tsar (13 March 1881) was followed by the adoption of a reactionary policy on the accession of Alexander III, his position became untenable and he resigned.