Editing Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (section)

===Service in the Imperial Russian Army===
Mannerheim served in the Imperial Chevalier Guard until 1904. In 1896, he took part in the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, standing for four hours in his full-dress Imperial Chevalier Guard uniform at the bottom of the steps leading up to the imperial throne.{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=24}} Mannerheim always considered the coronation a high-point of his life, recalling with pride his role in what he called an "indescribably magnificent" coronation.{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=24}} An expert rider and trained horseman, Mannerheim bought horses for the Russian army as one of his official duties. In 1903, he was put in charge of the model squadron in the Imperial Chevalier Guard and became a member of the equestrian training board of the cavalry regiments.{{sfnp|Clements|2009|page=40}}
[[File:Coronation 1896, walking under cover.jpg|thumb|After his coronation, [[Nicholas II of Russia]] leaves [[Dormition Cathedral, Moscow|Dormition Cathedral]]. The [[Chevalier Guard Regiment|Chevalier Guard]] Lieutenant marching in front to the Tsar's left (to the viewer's right) is Mannerheim.]]
Mannerheim volunteered for active service with the [[Imperial Russian Army]] in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] in 1904. He was transferred to the 52nd Nezhin Dragoon Regiment in [[Manchuria]], with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. During a reconnaissance patrol on the plains of Manchuria, he first saw action in a skirmish and had his horse shot out from under him.{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=24}} He was promoted to Colonel for bravery in the [[Battle of Mukden]] in 1905{{sfnp|Screen|1970|pages=43–49}} and briefly commanded an irregular unit of ''[[Hong Huzi]]'', a local militia, on an exploratory mission into Inner Mongolia.{{sfnp|Clements|2009|pages=80–81}} During the war, Mannerheim also managed to lead a group of local bandits with whom he sought the rear of the enemy to defeat them.<ref name="27jan21">{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a31dca17-fd7c-4bfc-aec0-ce097f7d13d8|title=Mannerheim halusi diktaattoriksi ja lähes sai haluamansa|work=[[Iltalehti]]|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=January 27, 2021|language=fi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115173432/https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/a31dca17-fd7c-4bfc-aec0-ce097f7d13d8 |archive-date=15 November 2023}}</ref>

Mannerheim, who had a long career in the Imperial Russian army, also rose to become a courtier of [[Emperor of all the Russias]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]].<ref name="27jan21" /> When Mannerheim returned to Saint Petersburg, he was asked to undertake a journey through [[Russian Turkestan|Turkestan]] to [[Beijing]] as a secret intelligence officer. The Russian General Staff wanted accurate, on-the-ground intelligence about the reforms and activities by the [[Qing dynasty]], as well as the military feasibility of invading [[Western China]]: a possible move in their [[The Great Game|struggle with Britain for control of inner Asia]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://horsethatleaps.com/|title=Horse That Leaps Through Clouds – Retracing Mannerheim's Journey Across Asia|website=horsethatleaps.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Start to Finnish|author=Caldwell, Christopher |author-link=Christopher Caldwell (journalist) |work=[[Washington Examiner]]|date=11 August 2017|access-date=4 February 2020|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/weekly-standard/start-to-finnish|quote=It was an 8,000-mile spying expedition. Russia was drawing up plans to invade China from the west—but failed to.}}</ref> Disguised as an ethnographic collector, he joined the French archeologist [[Paul Pelliot]]'s expedition at [[Samarkand]] in Russian Turkestan (now [[Uzbekistan]]). They started from the terminus of the [[Trans-Caspian Railway]] in [[Andijan]] in July 1906, but Mannerheim quarreled with Pelliot,<ref name="auto" /> so he made the greater part of the expedition on his own.{{sfnp|Clements|2009|pages=100–103}}

[[File:Horsethatleaps Map1 wikipedia.jpg|thumb|left|Gustaf Mannerheim's route across Asia from Saint Petersburg to Peking, 1906–1908.<ref>Tamm, Eric Enno (2010). [http://horsethatleaps.com/''The Horse That Leaps Through Clouds: A Tale of Espionage, the Silk Road and the Rise of Modern China'']. Vancouver: [[Douglas & McIntyre]]. {{ISBN|978-1-55365-269-4}}.</ref>]]
[[File:La expedición de Mannerheim.jpg|thumb|The expedition of Mannerheim]]
With a small caravan, including a Cossack guide, Chinese interpreter, and Uyghur cook, Mannerheim first trekked to [[Khotan]] in search of British and Japanese spies. After returning to [[Kashgar]], he headed north into the [[Tian Shan]] range, surveying passes and gauging the stances of the tribes towards the Han Chinese. Mannerheim arrived in the provincial capital of [[Urumqi]], and then headed east into Gansu province. At the sacred Buddhist mountain of [[Mount Wutai]] in [[Shanxi province]], Mannerheim met the [[13th Dalai Lama]] of Tibet. He showed the Dalai Lama how to use a pistol.{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=29}}

He followed the [[Great Wall of China]], and investigated a mysterious tribe known as [[Yugurs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://horsethatleaps.com/map/|title=Horse That Leaps Through Clouds – Retracing Mannerheim's Journey Across Asia|website=horsethatleaps.com}}</ref> From Lanzhou, the provincial capital, Mannerheim headed south into Tibetan territory and visited the lamasery of [[Labrang]], where he was stoned by [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] monks.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://horsethatleaps.com|title=Horse That Leaps Through Clouds – Retracing Mannerheim's Journey Across Asia|website=horsethatleaps.com}}</ref> During his trip to Tibet in 1908 Mannerheim became the third European who had met with the Dalai Lama.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mannerheim tapasi Dalai-laman|url=https://www.kaleva.fi/mannerheim-tapasi-dalai-laman/2292812|access-date=2021-09-07|newspaper=[[Kaleva (newspaper)|Kaleva]] 
 |language=fi}}</ref> Mannerheim arrived in [[Beijing]] in July 1908, returning to Saint Petersburg via [[Japan]] and the [[Trans-Siberian Railway|Trans-Siberian Express]]. His report gave a detailed account of Chinese modernization, covering education, military reforms, colonization of ethnic borderlands, mining and industry, railway construction, the influence of Japan, and opium smoking.<ref name="auto1"/> He also discussed the possibility of a Russian invasion of Xinjiang, and Xinjiang's possible role as a bargaining chip in a putative future war with China.{{sfnp|Clements|2009|page=155}} His trip through Asia left him with a lifelong love of Asian art, which he thereafter collected.{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=29}}

After returning to Russia in 1909, Mannerheim presented results of the expedition to Emperor Nicholas II. There are many artifacts still on display in the museum.<ref name="27jan21"/> After that, Mannerheim was appointed to command the 13th Vladimir [[Uhlan]] Regiment in the [[Congress Kingdom of Poland]]. The following year, he was promoted to major general and was posted as the commander of the Life Guard Uhlan Regiment of [[His Imperial Majesty]] in [[Warsaw]]. Next Mannerheim became part of the Imperial entourage and was appointed to command a cavalry brigade.<ref name="Putensen">{{cite magazine |title=Der größte Finne aller Zeiten? |language=de |first=Dörte |last=Putensen |magazine=[[Damals]] |year=2017 |issue=5 |pages=72–76}}</ref>

At the beginning of [[World War I]], Mannerheim served as commander of the Separate Guards Cavalry Brigade (the 23rd Army Corps), and fought on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Austro-Hungarian]] and [[Romania during World War I|Romanian fronts]]. In December 1914, after distinguishing himself in combat against the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Austro-Hungarian forces]], Mannerheim was awarded the [[Order of St. George]], 4th class. In March 1915, Mannerheim was appointed to command the 12th Cavalry Division.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Haarmann |author-first=Harald |author-link=Harald Haarmann |date=2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KEA4DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |title=Modern Finland |page=122|publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-2565-2 }}</ref>

Mannerheim received leave to visit Finland and Saint Petersburg in early 1917 and witnessed the outbreak of the [[February Revolution]]. After returning to the front, he was promoted to [[lieutenant general]] in April 1917 (the promotion was backdated to February 1915), and took command of the 6th Cavalry Corps in the summer of 1917. However, Mannerheim fell out of favour with the [[Russian Provisional Government|new government]], who regarded him as not supporting the revolution, and was relieved of his duties. He retired and returned to Finland.<ref name="Putensen" /> Mannerheim kept a large portrait of Emperor Nicholas II in the living room of his house in Helsinki right up to his death, and when asked after the overthrow of the [[House of Romanov]] why he kept the portrait up, he always answered: "He was my emperor".{{sfnp|Trotter|2013|page=29}}