Loris-Melikov, Mikhail Tarielovich

Loris-Melikov, Mikhail Tarielovich (mēkhəyēl` təryĕl`əvĭch lô`rĭs-mĕ`lyĭkəf), 1826–88, Russian general and statesman, of Armenian descent. He was created count for his services in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and in 1880 was made minister of the interior by Alexander II. He promoted some liberal reforms, specifically in the educational system, and drafted a program to allow members of the zemstvos to play a minor advisory role in legislation. Alexander II approved this reform on the day he was assassinated (1884), but Alexander III voided the reform and dismissed its author. Loris-Melikov in his youth is portrayed in Leo Tolstoy's Hadjii Murad.