(Source: book cover)
Hello everyone,
There's a saying in almost every language for what the English called 'truth is stranger than fiction'. This is definitely applicable to the book I'm writing this review about. The long-winded title reads: 'The bloody white baron; the extraordinary story of the Russian nobleman who became the last Khan of Mongolia'. It was written in 2009 by James Palmer.
Setting
The title is a lot to take in, so allow me to set the stage. The book follows the life of Roman von Ungern-Sternberg in a chronological order. Ungern had a somewhat varied background: Born in Austria in 1886 of German nobility, his parents moved to Estonia, where they also were subjects of the Russian. There had been a German upper class in the Baltic coutries for centuries, since the days that the Teutonic and Livonian Orders were on crusade against the Lithuanians, some of the few remaining pagans in Europe at the time.
But back to Ungern himself: he did not do well in school, and in the end joined the Russian army, with varying success. He was posted in Siberia, on the border with Manchuria (today north-eastern China) and also close to Mongolia. This, combined with his travels through Mongolia itself are what ignited Ungern's fascination with Eastern/Mongolian culture, and also with Buddhism, according to Palmer. Ungern was a Lutheran himself.
He returned to Europe for the start of the First World War, to fight for Russia. He was considered a very brave soldier by his fellow soldiers and superiors: his attacks/charges showed that he did not fear death in the slightest. He received multiple medals signifying his good record. On the other hand, he was quite unstable: his drunkenness (and following violent behaviour) caused him to be discharged and even imprisoned for a short time.
The Revolution
There was more trouble on the horizon than the Germans on the Western front for the Czar, however: the Russian Revolution was unleashed on Russia, and Ungern was vehemently opposed to it. Ungern was an avowed monarchist, and saw the antithesis of this (rightfully so) in the Bolshevist threat. By this time, he was back in Siberia close to Manchuria, and from here he declared for the White (opposed to the Bolshevist Red) cause.
Together with Semyonov, his superior in rank in the region, he started the Special Manchurian Regiment, in which he collected men who would fight the Bolsheviks in Siberia. This 'regiment' did not consist of more than a handful of men whan it started in 1917, though they had some success in fights and in recruiting more troops. Ungern en Semyonov held a significant part of the Far Eastern Railway; railways were the lifeblood of these far-flung regions, of great strategic importance.
The Mad Baron
Ungern was granted the city of Dauria and surrounding regions to rule as he saw fit. And here is where his reputation became the stuff of legends, and most of the time not in a good way. The civil war between the Reds and Whites was brutal, and prisoners were seldom taken. When an enemy combatant was caught, he was killed. And Dauriya became known as the place where many of the Bolsheviks caught in the Transbaikal would be executed. It would lead to Ungern being known as either the Baron, Mad Baron or Bloody Baron. His 'rule' led to the baron-title, and his unstable character (suspected to be fuelled by copious opium-use) was cause for the 'mad' epithet.
Entry into Mongolia
As you probably know, the civil war did not end well for the Whites in Russia. Ungern knew it was trending the wrong way for his chances. He was always on the lookout for more potential troops for his personal band, which cconsisted of Russians, Cossacks, Mongols and Chinese troops. He saw potential in Mongolia, and moved into there in 1920, retreating from Russian soil.
Mongolia, after being an independent power for a short while, was occupied by the Chinese again in 1919. Ungern saw an opportunity: to liberate Mongolia and install its traditional ruler, the Bogd Khan (captive at the time), he could surely recruit more men. To make a long story short, his first part of the plan succeeded. He was able to take Ugra (today Ulaanbatar), the Mongolian capital, from the Chinese in february 1921.
The Bogd Khan was rescued, and restored as ruler of an independent Mongolia. Sternberg received the title 'khan' among others for his efforts. Ungern could be considered the head of the Mongolian army at the time, for there was no structure in place yet, and his band was the closest thing to an army that the Mongolians had then. He was also somewhat of a prime minister: he had a say in many departments of the (rudimentary) Mongol government outside of the army, through the appointment of people he knew and trusted. Palmer contends that he could be considered a dictator, with the Bogd Khan only being a figurehead, though Ungern was on record denying such claims.
The fall
His administration in Mongolia would only last a few months. Words of his exploits soon reached the Soviets in Moscow, who sent part of their army in Siberia to deal with Ungern and Mongolia. Ungern decided to ride out and meet them, but was defeated near Khyagt on the Russian/Mongolian border in june of 1921. After this, the Soviets soon took the Mongolian capital Urga.
Ungern had to deal with massive mutinies while on the retreat from the Soviets, and this combination of events soon lead to his capture. The Soviets brought him back to Novosibirsk, where a short show-trial was held. The outcome, however, was already certain: Ungern was executed on 15 september 1921. He was 35 years old.
Conclusion
The book reads like a semi-mythical fantasy novel in some parts. This is due to several causes: the setting and the story itself are quite outlandish, of course. But Palmer noted something else: there are not that many sources from this time and era, and many of them are embellished or total fabrication. The myth surrounding Ungern is blown out of proportion in many witness-documents, and this makes it hard to separate actual history from the myth he became in Mongolia.
The book also delves more into the spiritual, and clears up a lot about the setting from a geopolitical perspective, which is sorely needed for most readers. It's hard to do a book numbering almost 300 pages justice in not too many words, but I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I'll be doing more non-fiction reviews in due time. Until the next one,
-Pieter
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