Lavr Georgievich Kornilov (1870-1918) was a general in the imperial Russian army and the counterrevolutionary Volunteer Army. He is most famous for attempting a military coup against the Russian provisional government while serving as its commander in chief.

Lavr Kornilov was born on July 18, 1870, in Turkistan, the descendant of Russianized Tatars and Cossacks with long-established traditions of service to the Russian state. He graduated from the Nicholas Academy of the General Staff, a professional school for promising young officers of good family background.

After he served in obscure posts in Russian Central Asia and on the Afghan border, the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) provided Kornilov an opportunity to display his military skill and personal recklessness in a more significant arena. Out of this conflict, disastrous for Russia, Kornilov emerged a field-grade officer, tested in battle and ready for broader responsibilities. In addition to command experience, he served as Russian...