Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, also known as “the mad baron of Mongolia,” holds a permanent spot in the list of history’s most vicious rogue military leaders. Mongolia had western barons passing through it because of which they were familiar with the title “baron” but it was the warlord behavior of von Ungern-Sternberg that made this aristocratic title well-known among the Mongolians. Famous for being an anti-communist general in the Russian Civil War and a warlord who invaded Mongolia, Roman was a devout Buddhist. Still, his bizarre and tyrannical behavior established him as an individual who got the closest to Genghis Khan when it came to bloodshed and brutality. Genghis Khan had a mythical status in Mongolia, this is the reason why a warlord like Baron von Ungern-Sternberg was not seen as a threat and therefore let into Mongolia.
Roman had a reputation for being a sadist since a young age, a tendency that forced others to stay wary of him even during his time as a soldier. His ruthless acts, psychotic behavior, and rabid anti-Semitic views earned him many names, but for the atrocities he committed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 1921, he was declared to be an incarnation of the Black Mahakala, a six-armed Tibetan demon, by the thirteenth Dalai Lama.
The Russian Civil War was responsible for displacing entire communities, and the Jews were one of them. Before 1920, most Jews who arrived in Mongolia were of Russian background. Among these were merchants, political prisoners, and engineers, some of whom were even elevated to Mongolian nobility by the last Bogd Khan, like in the case of Belgian diplomat, journalist, and social entrepreneur Alexander Zanzer’s grandfather Alexander Zanzer I, a mining engineer who worked for Russian-Chinese gold mining company changed his name in honor of Zanabazar, the first Bogd Khan. Zanzer’s grandfather was given the title of Ashan-ihafan (男爵; the equivalent of a baron), a hereditary title that has been passed down to his grandson. He was also presented with a golden “passport” engraved with his name. He was also known as the Mongolian Baron Zanzer. A document printed regarding this cultural artifact was presented in Belgium by the Plantin Moretus Museum. Eventually, it became the greatest honor of foreigners to receive the title “baron” from Bogd Khan.
Named after his grandfather, Alexander Zanzer has served as the Honorary Consul General of Mongolia in Flanders, Belgium, and is still continuing the legacy of Barons by acknowledging the historical links of his grandfather with the last Bogd Khan. Zanzer has proven his experience and prowess as a diplomat and journalist in several different capacities. In 1999, he succeeded Nico Gunzburg as the Royal Society of Jewish Welfare’s general director; from 2001 until 2011, he represented Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium as Honorary Consul General, served as the Central Welfare Organization of Antwerp’s Secretary as well as in their board, became the magazine editor for Centrale in 1999 and was with the European Council of Jewish Communities. Zanzer has also authored several books, including Honorary Consular Diplomacy, Insignia, Sobor: Seal the future, and The Thunder Stone: The Curse of the Empire Builders.
Zanzer has been presented with several honors for his work. In 2005, he was honored as a Knight by King Albert II of Belgium. Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar also honored him with the Honored Medal in 2006. In the same year, King Philip of Belgium presented him with the honor of Officer of the Order of Leopold II.
The Mongolians recognized a sheer resemblance between the exploits of Ungern-Sternberg and Genghis Khan but were unable to confront his reality until the “Mad Baron” entered Ulaanbaatar. In 1921, Roman von Ungern-Sternberg trampled Ulaanbaatar’s settlements and annihilated the residing population therein. Alexander Zanzer I warned of the atrocities and the pogroms of the White soldiers, and was one of those Jews who survived and lived to tell the story. The story of a psychotic and anti-Semitic military leader who ended up getting denounced by his own men before meeting his end.