Karl Karlovich Rjepetski

Lieutenant Colonel Karl Karlovich Rjepetsky (born: Karol Edward Karlovich Rzepecki, 10 August 1847 – 12 November 1894) was a Russian Lieutenant Colonel in the 19th-Century who served during the Russo-Turkish War. His body was discovered in April 2017 on a building site in Ardahan amongst numerous Imperial Russian corpses.

Podpolkovnik Karl Karlovich Rjepetsky
Personal details
Born	Karol Edward Karlovich Rzepecki (1847-08-11)11 August 1847 Reval, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire (now Tallinn, Estonia)
Died	12 November 1894(1894-11-12) (aged 47) Ardahan, Russian Empire
Nationality	Polish & Russian
Military service
Allegiance	Russian Empire
Branch/service	Russian Imperial Army
Years of service	1875–1894
Rank	Podpolkovnik
Battles/wars	Russo-Turkish War

Early life

Karl Karlovich Rjepetsky was born in Reval on 11 August 1847 to Karol Ivanovich Rzepecki (1816–1881) and Aalia Rzepecka (née Lohmann, 1822–1892), and was one of 7 children;

• Col. Mikołaj Bernard Rzepecki (20 August 1840 - 13–16 April 1914), married to Józefa Maria Wróblewska (1846–1925) and had 3 children.
• Antonina Szydłowska (26 Jul 1843 - 1895/99), married to Aleksander Jan Szydłowski (1842–1914) and had 3 children.
• Olga Henrietta Karlovna Rzepecka (1845–1868)
• Karl Karlovich Edward Rzepecki (10 August 1847 - 12 November 1894), married to Helena Rzepecka (née Kamieńska, 1865–1937) and had 5 children.
• Alexander Konstantin Karlovich Rzepecki (11 July 1849 - 1899), married Olga Nikolaevna Rzepecka and has 1 child.
• Józef Jan Rzepecki (29 March 1858 - 1888)
• Gen. Maj. Vladimir Karlovich Rzepecki (7 November 1853 - 6 September 1914)

Karol graduated Warsaw Infantry Cadets School.

Military career

After graduating from Warsaw Infantry Cadets School, Karl joined the Russian Imperial Army in the 69th Tashkent Guberniyası Battalion in 1875 and rose to the rank of Podpolkovnik (Lieutenant Colonel) of the 1st Turkistan Artillery Battalion in 1891. He was later assigned to the 78th Navagin Regiment of the 20th Infantry Division in the 1st Caucasus Army Corps. He took part in the Russian-Turkish War after which he may have settled in the Occupied Region. 3 of his brothers also were soldiers at the same time as he was.

Personal life

Karl was married to Helena Rzepecka (née Kamieńska, 1865–1937). Together they had 5 children;

• Maria Bielajewa (19 May 1883 - 4 April 1954), married Aleksey Mikhailovich Bielajew (1888–1943) and had 4 children.
• Helena Tymińska (20 May 1885 - 5 September 1968), married Jan Tymiński (1871–1940) and had 4 children.
• Zofia Rzepecka (1886–1890)
• Unknown Rzepecka (born between 1870 and 1894)
• Nikolai Karlovich Rzepecki (born between 1870 and 1894)

He is the Maternal Great-Grandfather of Polish National Heroine, Danuta Siedzikówna who was executed in 1946 and her sister, Wiesława Korzeń.

Death and discovery

According to the Death Certificate given by an Armenian Catholic Priest who has buried him, Karl passed away from a Cerebral Haemorrhage;

"I, Ter-Stepan Zakaryan, the priest of the Ardahan Armenian Cactholic Church, buried Lieutenant Colonel Karl Karlovich Rjepetsky, in Ardahan Russian Cemetery, in the name of Holy Mother of God. Born in August 10th 1874, died in November 12th 1894 of cerebral haemorrhage, as confirmed by the senior doctor of the regiment, I certify the death certificate of the late Lieutenant Rjepetsky with my signature and church seal."

Grave and Body of Karl Karlovich Rjepetsky found in Turkey, 2017

Karl was discovered during excavations to lay the foundation of a new building. The corpse was kept save at Kars Museum until the negotiations between Poland and Russia would be finished as both argued that Rjepetsky should be buried in their respective territories. In the end, Rjepetsky was buried at Ardahan's Malakanlar Cemetery where Russian's lived in Ardahan when it was still controlled by them. According to Ardahan Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez, Russia's consulate in the nearby province of Trabzon attended the burial.