Today they talk more and more about the Romanov dynasty. Her story can be read like a detective story. And its origin, and the history of the coat of arms, and the circumstances of accession to the throne: all this still causes ambiguous interpretations.
Prussian origins of the dynasty
The ancestor of the Romanov dynasty is considered to be the boyar Andrei Kobyla at the court of Ivan Kalita and his son Simeon the Proud. We know practically nothing about his life and origins. The chronicles mention him only once: in 1347 he was sent to Tver for the bride of Grand Duke Simeon the Proud, daughter of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich of Tver.
Finding himself during the unification of the Russian state with a new center in Moscow in the service of the Moscow branch of the princely dynasty, he thus chose the “golden ticket” for himself and his family. Genealogists mention his numerous descendants, who became the ancestors of many noble Russian families: Semyon Stallion (Lodygins, Konovnitsyns), Alexander Elka (Kolychevs), Gavriil Gavsha (Bobrykins), Childless Vasily Vantey and Fyodor Koshka - the ancestor of the Romanovs, Sheremetevs, Yakovlevs, Goltyaevs and Bezzubtsev. But the origins of the Mare himself remain a mystery. According to the Romanov family legend, he traced his ancestry back to the Prussian kings.
When a gap is formed in genealogies, it provides an opportunity for their falsification. In the case of noble families, this is usually done with the aim of either legitimizing their power or achieving extra privileges. As in in this case. The blank spot in the Romanov genealogies was filled in the 17th century under Peter I by the first Russian king of arms Stepan Andreevich Kolychev. The new history corresponded to the “Prussian legend”, fashionable even under the Rurikovichs, which was aimed at confirming the position of Moscow as the successor of Byzantium. Since Rurik’s Varangian origin did not fit into this ideology, the founder of the princely dynasty became the 14th descendant of a certain Prus, the ruler of ancient Prussia, a relative of Emperor Augustus himself. Following them, the Romanovs “rewrote” their history.
Family tradition, subsequently recorded in the “General Armorial Book” noble families All-Russian Empire,” says that in 305 AD, the Prussian king Pruteno gave the kingdom to his brother Veidewut, and he himself became the high priest of his pagan tribe in the city of Romanov, where the evergreen sacred oak tree grew.
Before his death, Veidevuth divided his kingdom among his twelve sons. One of them was Nedron, whose family owned part of modern Lithuania (Samogit lands). His descendants were the brothers Russingen and Glanda Kambila, who were baptized in 1280, and in 1283 Kambila came to Rus' to serve the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich. After baptism, he began to be called Mare.
Who fed False Dmitry?
The personality of False Dmitry is one of the biggest mysteries of Russian history. In addition to the unresolved question of the identity of the impostor, his “shadow” accomplices remain a problem. According to one version, the Romanovs, who fell into disgrace under Godunov, had a hand in the conspiracy of False Dmitry, and the eldest descendant of the Romanovs, Fedor, a contender for the throne, was tonsured a monk.
Adherents of this version believe that the Romanovs, Shuiskys and Golitsins, who dreamed of the “Monomakh’s cap,” organized a conspiracy against Godunov, using mysterious death young prince Dmitry. They prepared their contender for the royal throne, known to us as False Dmitry, and led the coup on June 10, 1605. Afterwards, having dealt with their biggest rival, they themselves joined the fight for the throne. Subsequently, after the accession of the Romanovs, their historians did everything to connect the bloody massacre of the Godunov family exclusively with the personality of False Dmitry, and leave the Romanovs’ hands clean.
The Mystery of the Zemsky Sobor 1613
The election of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov to the throne was simply doomed to be covered with a thick layer of myths. How did it happen that in a country torn apart by turmoil, a young, inexperienced youth was elected to the throne, who at the age of 16 was not distinguished by either military talent or a sharp political mind? Of course, the future king had an influential father - Patriarch Filaret, who himself once aimed for the royal throne. But during the Zemsky Sobor, he was captured by the Poles and could hardly have somehow influenced the process. According to the generally accepted version, decisive role played by the Cossacks, who at that time represented a powerful force to be reckoned with. Firstly, under False Dmitry II, they and the Romanovs found themselves in the “same camp”, and secondly, they were certainly satisfied with the young and inexperienced prince, who did not pose a danger to their liberties, which they had inherited during the time of unrest.
The warlike cries of the Cossacks forced Pozharsky’s followers to propose a break of two weeks. During this time, widespread campaigning in favor of Mikhail unfolded. For many boyars, he also represented an ideal candidate who would allow them to keep power in their hands. The main argument put forward was that supposedly the late Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, before his death, wanted to transfer the throne to his relative Fyodor Romanov (Patriarch Filaret). And since he languished in Polish captivity, the crown passed to his only son, Mikhail. As the historian Klyuchevsky later wrote, “they wanted to choose not the most capable, but the most convenient.”
Non-existent coat of arms
In the history of the Romanov dynastic coat of arms there are no less blank spots than in the history of the dynasty itself. For some reason, for a long time the Romanovs did not have their own coat of arms, they used state emblem, with the image of a double-headed eagle, as personal. Their own family coat of arms was created only under Alexander II. By that time, the heraldry of the Russian nobility had practically taken shape, and only the ruling dynasty did not have its own coat of arms. It would be inappropriate to say that the dynasty did not have much interest in heraldry: even under Alexei Mikhailovich, the “Tsar’s Titular Book” was published - a manuscript containing portraits of Russian monarchs with the coats of arms of Russian lands.
Perhaps such loyalty to the double-headed eagle is due to the need for the Romanovs to show legitimate continuity from the Rurikovichs and, most importantly, from the Byzantine emperors. As is known, starting with Ivan III, people begin to talk about Rus' as the successor of Byzantium. Moreover, the king married Sophia Palaeologus, the granddaughter of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine. They took the symbol of the Byzantine double-headed eagle as their family coat of arms.
In any case, this is just one of many versions. It is not known for certain why the ruling branch of the huge empire, which was related to the noblest houses of Europe, so persistently ignored the heraldic orders that had developed over the centuries.
The long-awaited appearance of the Romanovs' own coat of arms under Alexander II only added more questions. The development of the imperial order was undertaken by the then king of arms, Baron B.V. Kene. The basis was taken as the ensign of the governor Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, at one time the main oppositionist Alexei Mikhailovich. Its description is more accurate, since the banner itself was already lost by that time. It depicted a golden griffin on a silver background with a small black eagle with raised wings and lion heads on its tail. Perhaps Nikita Romanov borrowed it from Livonia during the Livonian War.
The new coat of arms of the Romanovs was a red griffin on a silver background, holding a golden sword and tarch, crowned with a small eagle; on the black border there are eight severed lion heads; four gold and four silver. Firstly, the changed color of the griffin is striking. Historians of heraldry believe that Quesne decided not to go against the rules established at that time, which prohibited placing a golden figure on a silver background, with the exception of the coats of arms of such high-ranking persons as the Pope. Thus, by changing the color of the griffin, he lowered the status of the family coat of arms. Or the “Livonia version” played a role, according to which Kene emphasized the Livonian origin of the coat of arms, since in Livonia since the 16th century there was a reverse combination of coat of arms colors: a silver griffin on a red background.
There is still a lot of controversy about the symbolism of the Romanov coat of arms. Why is so much attention paid to lion heads, and not to the figure of an eagle, which, according to historical logic, should be in the center of the composition? Why is it with lowered wings, and what, ultimately, is the historical background of the Romanov coat of arms?
Peter III – the last Romanov?
As you know, the Romanov family ended with the family of Nicholas II. However, some believe that the last ruler of the Romanov dynasty was Peter III. The young infantile emperor did not have a good relationship with his wife at all. Catherine told in her diaries how anxiously she waited for her husband on her wedding night, and he came and fell asleep. This continued - Peter III did not have any feelings for his wife, preferring her to his favorite. But a son, Pavel, was nevertheless born, many years after the marriage.
Rumors about illegitimate heirs are not uncommon in the history of world dynasties, especially in turbulent times for the country. So here the question arose: is Paul really the son of Peter III? Or perhaps Catherine’s first favorite, Sergei Saltykov, took part in this.
A significant argument in favor of these rumors was that the imperial couple had not had children for many years. Therefore, many believed that this union was completely fruitless, as the empress herself hinted at, mentioning in her memoirs that her husband suffered from phimosis.
Information that Sergei Saltykov could be Pavel’s father is also present in Catherine’s diaries: “Sergei Saltykov made me understand what the reason for his frequent visits was... I continued to listen to him, he was as beautiful as day, and, of course, no one could not compare with him at court... He was 25 years old, in general, both by birth and by many other qualities, he was an outstanding gentleman... I did not give in all spring and part of the summer.” The result was not long in coming. On September 20, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son. Only from whom: from her husband Romanov, or from Saltykov?
The choice of name for members of the ruling dynasty has always played an important role in political life countries. Firstly, intra-dynastic relations were often emphasized with the help of names. So, for example, the names of the children of Alexei Mikhailovich were supposed to emphasize the connection of the Romanovs with the Rurikovich dynasty. Under Peter and his daughters, they showed close relationships within the ruling branch (despite the fact that this was completely inconsistent with the real situation in the imperial family). But under Catherine the Great it was completely introduced new order names. The former clan affiliation gave way to other factors, among which the political played a significant role. Her choice came from the semantics of names, going back to the Greek words: “people” and “victory”.
Let's start with Alexander. The name of Paul's eldest son was given in honor of Alexander Nevsky, although another invincible commander, Alexander the Great, was also implied. She wrote the following about her choice: “You say: Catherine wrote to Baron F. M. Grimm, that he will have to choose who to imitate: a hero (Alexander the Great) or a saint (Alexander Nevsky). You apparently do not know that our saint was a hero. He was a courageous warrior, a firm ruler and a clever politician and surpassed all other appanage princes, his contemporaries... So, I agree that Mr. Alexander has only one choice, and it depends on his personal talents which path he will take - holiness or heroism "
The reasons for choosing the name Constantine, unusual for Russian tsars, are even more interesting. They are connected with the idea of Catherine’s “Greek project,” which implied the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the restoration of the Byzantine state led by her second grandson.
It is unclear, however, why Paul's third son received the name Nicholas. Apparently, he was named after the most revered saint in Rus' - Nicholas the Wonderworker. But this is just a version, since the sources do not contain any explanation for this choice.
Catherine had nothing to do with the choice of name for youngest son Pavel - Mikhail, who was born after her death. Here the father’s long-standing passion for chivalry already played a role. Mikhail Pavlovich was named in honor of the Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly army, the patron saint of the emperor-knight.
Four names: Alexander, Konstantin, Nicholas and Mikhail - formed the basis of the new imperial names of the Romanovs.
The House of Romanov celebrated its four hundredth anniversary in 2013. In the distant past there is a day when Mikhail Romanov was proclaimed tsar. For 304 years, the descendants of the Romanov family ruled Russia.
For a long time it was believed that the execution of the imperial family of Nicholas II was the end of the entire royal dynasty. But even today the descendants of the Romanovs are alive, the Imperial House exists to this day. The dynasty is gradually returning to Russia, to its cultural and social life.
Who belongs to the dynasty
The Romanov family dates back to the 16th century, with Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin. He had five children, who gave birth to numerous offspring that have survived to this day. But the fact is that most of the descendants no longer bear this surname, that is, they were born on the maternal side. Representatives of the dynasty are considered only descendants of the Romanov family in the male line who bear an old surname.
Boys were born less frequently in the family, and many were childless. Because of this, the royal family was almost interrupted. The branch was revived by Paul I. All living descendants of the Romanovs are the heirs of Emperor Pavel Petrovich,
Branching of the family tree
Paul I had 12 children, two of them illegitimate. Their ten legitimate sons are four:
- Alexander I, who ascended the Russian throne in 1801, did not leave behind legitimate heirs to the throne.
- Konstantin. He was married twice, but the marriages were childless. Had three who were not recognized as descendants of the Romanovs.
- Nicholas I, All-Russian Emperor since 1825. He had three daughters and four sons from his marriage to the Prussian princess Frederica Louise Charlotte, in Orthodoxy Anna Fedorovna.
- Mikhail, married, had five daughters.
Thus, the Romanov dynasty was continued only by the sons of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I. So all the remaining descendants of the Romanovs are his great-great-great-grandchildren.
Continuation of the dynasty
Sons of Nicholas the First: Alexander, Konstantin, Nikolai and Mikhail. They all left behind offspring. Their lines are unofficially called:
- Alexandrovichi - the line came from Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov. The direct descendants of the Romanov-Ilyinskys, Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich, live today. Unfortunately, they are both childless, and with their passing this line will end.
- Konstantinovichi - the line originates from Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov. The last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line died in 1992, and the branch was cut short.
- Nikolaevichs - descended from Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov. To this day, the direct descendant of this branch, Dmitry Romanovich, lives and lives. He has no heirs, so the line fades away.
- The Mikhailovichs are the heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov. It is to this branch that the remaining male Romanovs living today belong. This gives hope to the Romanov family for survival.
Where are the descendants of the Romanovs today?
Many researchers were interested in whether there were any descendants of the Romanovs left? Yes, this great family has heirs in male and female lines. Some branches have already been interrupted, other lines will soon fade away, but the royal family still has hope for survival.
But where do the descendants of the Romanovs live? They are dispersed throughout the planet. Most of them do not know Russian and have never been to the homeland of their ancestors. Some people have completely different surnames. Many became acquainted with Russia solely through books or television news reports. And yet, some of them visit their historical homeland, they do charity work here and consider themselves Russian at heart.
When asked whether there are any descendants of the Romanovs left, one can answer that today there are only about thirty known descendants of the royal family living in the world. Of these, only two can be considered purebred, because their parents married according to the laws of the dynasty. It is these two who can consider themselves full representatives of the Imperial House. In 1992, they were issued Russian passports to replace the refugee passports under which they had lived abroad until that time. Funds received as sponsorship from Russia allow family members to pay visits to their homeland.
It is unknown how many people live in the world who have “Romanov” blood flowing in their veins, but they do not belong to the clan, since they descended through the female line or from extramarital affairs. Nevertheless, genetically they also belong to an ancient family.
Head of the Imperial House
Prince Romanov Dmitry Romanovich became the Head of the House of Romanov after Nikolai Romanovich, his elder brother, died.
Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich, son of Prince Roman Petrovich and Countess Praskovya Sheremeteva. He was born in France on May 17, 1926.
Since 1936 in Italy, later in Egypt. In Alexandria he worked at the Ford automobile plant: he worked as a mechanic and sold cars. Upon returning to sunny Italy, he worked as a secretary in a shipping company.
I visited Russia for the first time back in 1953 as a tourist. When he got married in Denmark to his first wife Johanna von Kaufmann, he settled in Copenhagen and served in a bank there for more than 30 years.
All numerous members of the royal family call him the Head of the House, only the Kirillovich branch believes that he has no legal rights to the throne due to the fact that his father was born in an unequal marriage (the Kirillovichs, the heirs of Alexander II, are Princess Maria Vladimirovna, who herself claims for the title of head of the Imperial House, and her son Georgy Mikhailovich, claiming the title of Tsarevich).
Dmitry Romanovich's long-time hobby is orders and medals different countries. He has a large collection of awards, about which he is writing a book.
He was married for the second time in the Russian city of Kostroma to Dorrit Reventrow, a Danish translator, in July 1993. He has no children, therefore, when the last direct descendant of the Romanovs passes into another world, the Nikolaevich branch will be cut off.
Legitimate members of the house, the fading branch of the Alexandrovichs
Today such true representatives of the royal family are alive (in the male line from legal marriages, direct descendants of Paul I and Nicholas II, who bear royal family, title of prince and belong to the Alexandrovich line):
- Romanov-Ilyinsky Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954 - direct heir of Alexander II in the male line, lives in the USA, has 3 daughters, all married and changed their last names.
- Romanov-Ilyinsky Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1959 - half-brother of Prince Dmitry Pavlovich, also lives in the USA, has a daughter.
If the direct descendants of the Romanovs do not become fathers of sons, then the Alexandrovich line will be interrupted.
Direct descendants, princes and possible successors of the Romanov family - the most prolific branch of the Mikhailovichs
- Alexey Andreevich, born in 1953 - direct descendant of Nicholas I, married, no children, lives in the USA.
- Petr Andreevich, born in 1961 - also a purebred Romanov, married, childless, lives in the USA.
- Andrey Andreevich, born in 1963 - legally belongs to the House of Romanov, has a daughter from his second marriage, lives in the USA.
- Rostislav Rostislavovich, born in 1985 - direct descendant of the family, not yet married, lives in the USA.
- Nikita Rostislavovich, born in 1987 - legitimate descendant, not yet married, lives in the UK.
- Nicholas-Christopher Nikolaevich, born in 1968, is a direct descendant of Nicholas I, lives in the USA, has two daughters.
- Daniel Nikolaevich, born in 1972 - a legal member of the Romanov dynasty, married, lives in the USA, has a daughter and a son.
- Daniil Danilovich, born in 2009 - the youngest legitimate descendant of the royal family in the male line, lives with his parents in the USA.
As can be seen from the family tree, only the Mikhailovich branch gives hope for the continuation of the royal family - the direct heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov, the youngest son of Nicholas I.
Descendants of the Romanov family, who cannot pass on the royal family by inheritance, and controversial contenders for membership of the Imperial House
- Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, born in 1953. - Her Imperial Highness, claims the title of Head of the Russian Imperial House, the legitimate heir of Alexander the Second, belongs to the Alexandrovich line. Until 1985, she was married to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, with whom she gave birth to her only son, George, in 1981. At birth he was given the patronymic Mikhailovich and the surname Romanov.
- Georgy Mikhailovich, born in 1981 - the son of Princess Romanova Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, claims the title of Tsarevich, however, most representatives of the House of Romanov rightly do not recognize his right, since he is not a descendant in the direct male line, but it is through the male line that the right of inheritance is transferred. His birth is a joyful event in the Prussian palace.
- Princess Elena Sergeevna Romanova (after her husband Nirot), born in 1929, lives in France, one of the last representatives of the House of Romanov, belongs to the Alexandrovich line.
- Born 1961 - legal heir of Alexander II, now lives in Switzerland. His grandfather Georgy was an illegitimate son from the Emperor’s relationship with Princess Dolgorukova. After the relationship was legalized, all of Dolgorukova’s children were recognized as legitimate children of Alexander II, but the Yuryevskys received the surname. Therefore, de jure Georgy (Hans-Georg) does not belong to the House of Romanov, although de facto he is the last descendant of the Romanov dynasty in the Alexandrovich male line.
- Princess Tatyana Mikhailovna, born in 1986 - belongs to the Romanov house through the Mikhailovich line, but as soon as she gets married and changes her last name, she will lose all rights. Lives in Paris.
- Princess Alexandra Rostislavovna, born in 1983 - also a hereditary descendant of the Mikhailovich branch, unmarried, lives in the USA.
- Princess Karlain Nikolaevna, born in 2000 - is a legal representative of the Imperial House through the Mikhailovich line, unmarried, lives in the USA,
- Princess Chelli Nikolaevna, born in 2003 - direct descendant of the royal family, unmarried, US citizen.
- Princess Madison Danilovna, born in 2007 - on the Mikhailovich side, a legal family member, lives in the USA.
Unification of the Romanov family
All other Romanovs are children from morganatic marriages, and therefore cannot belong to the Russian Imperial House. All of them are united by the so-called “Union of the Romanov Family,” which was headed by Nikolai Romanovich in 1989 and fulfilled this responsibility until his death, in September 2014.
Below are the biographies of the most prominent representatives of the Romanov dynasty of the 20th century.
Romanov Nikolay Romanovich
Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Watercolor artist.
Saw the light on September 26, 1922 near the French city of Antibes. He spent his childhood there. In 1936 he moved to Italy with his parents. In this country, in 1941, Mussolini directly received an offer to become king of Montenegro, which he refused. Later he lived in Egypt, then again in Italy, in Switzerland, where he married Countess Svevadella Garaldeschi, then returned to Italy again, where he took citizenship in 1993.
He headed the Association in 1989. On his initiative, a congress of male Romanovs was convened in Paris in 1992, at which it was decided to create a Fund for Assistance to Russia. In his opinion, Russia should be a federal republic where it is strong central government, whose powers are strictly limited.
He has three daughters. Natalya, Elizaveta and Tatyana started families with Italians.
Vladimir Kirillovich
Born on August 17, 1917 in Finland, in exile with Sovereign Kirill Vladimirovich. He was raised to be a truly Russian man. He was fluent in Russian and many European languages, knew the history of Russia very well, was a well-educated, erudite person and felt true pride that he belonged to Russia.
At the age of twenty, the last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line became the Head of the Dynasty. It was enough for him to enter into an unequal marriage, and by the 21st century there would be no more legal members of the imperial family left.
But he met Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, who became his legal wife in 1948. In this marriage, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was born in Madrid.
He was the Head of the Russian Imperial House for several decades and by his own decree declared the right of his daughter, born in a legal marriage, to inherit the throne.
In May 1992 he was buried in St. Petersburg in the presence of many family members.
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna
The only daughter of Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, a member of the Imperial House in exile, and Leonida Georgievna, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, Prince Georg Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani. Born in legal marriage on December 23, 1953. Her parents provided her with a good upbringing and excellent education. At the age of 16, she swore allegiance to Russia and its peoples.
After graduating from Oxford University, she received a diploma in philology. Speaks fluently in Russian, many European and Arabic. She worked in administrative positions in France and Spain.
The imperial family owns a modest apartment in Madrid. A house in France was sold due to the inability to maintain it. The family maintains an average standard of living - by European standards. Has Russian citizenship.
Upon reaching adulthood in 1969, according to the dynastic act issued by Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, she was proclaimed guardian of the throne. In 1976 she married Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. With the adoption of Orthodoxy, he received the title of Prince Mikhail Pavlovich. The current contender for the Russian throne, Prince Georgy Mikhailovich, was born from this marriage.
Tsarevich Georgy Mikhailovich
Claims to be the heir to the title His Imperial Highness the Sovereign.
The only son of Princess Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, born in marriage on March 13, 1981 in Madrid. Direct descendant of the German Emperor Wilhelm II, the Russian Emperor Alexander II, and the English Queen Victoria.
He graduated from school in Saint-Briac, then continued his studies in Paris at the College of St. Stanislas. Lives in Madrid since 1988. He considers French to be his native language; he speaks Spanish and English perfectly; he knows Russian a little less well. I saw Russia for the first time in 1992, when I accompanied the body of my grandfather, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, and his family to the burial place. His independent visit to his homeland took place in 2006. Worked in the European Parliament and the European Commission. Single.
In the House's anniversary year, it established a research fund to combat cancer.
Andrey Andreevich Romanov
Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Alexander III. Born in London on January 21, 1923. Now lives in the United States, California, in Marin County. He knows Russian perfectly, because everyone in his family always spoke Russian.
Graduated from the London Imperial Service College. During World War II he served on a British Navy warship as a sailor. It was then, accompanying cargo ships to Murmansk, that he visited Russia for the first time.
Has had American citizenship since 1954. Worked in America agriculture: farming, agronomy, agricultural technology. B studied sociology. Worked for a shipping company.
His hobbies include painting and graphics. He creates works in a “childish” manner, as well as color drawings on plastic, which is later heat-treated.
He is in his third marriage. From his first marriage he has a son, Alexei, and from his second, two: Peter and Andrey.
It is believed that neither he nor his sons have rights to the throne, but as candidates they can be considered by the Zemsky Sobor along with other descendants.
Mikhail Andreevich Romanov
Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Mikhail Nikolaevich, was born in Versailles on July 15, 1920. Graduated from King's College Windsor, London Institute of Aeronautical Engineers.
He served in World War II in Sydney in the British Navy Volunteer Air Force Reserve. He was demobilized in 1945 to Australia. He remained there to live, working in the aviation industry.
He was an active member of the Maltese Order of Orthodox Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and was even elected protector and grand prior of the Order. He was part of the Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy movement.
He was married three times: in February 1953 to Jill Murphy, in July 1954 to Shirley Crammond, in July 1993 to Julia Crespi. All marriages are unequal and childless.
He passed away in September 2008 in Sydney.
Romanov Nikita Nikitich
Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Born in London on May 13, 1923. He spent his childhood in Great Britain, then in France.
Served in the British Army. In 1949 he moved to the USA. He received a master's degree in history from Berkeley University in 1960. He earned his own living and education by working as a furniture upholsterer.
At Stanford University, and later at San Francisco, he taught history. He wrote and published a book about Ivan the Terrible (co-author - Pierre Payne).
His wife is Janet (Anna Mikhailovna - in Orthodoxy) Schonwald. Son Fedor committed suicide in 2007.
He has been to Russia several times and visited the estate of his business, Ai-Todor, in Crimea. He lived in New York for the last forty years until he died in May 2007.
Brothers Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich Romanov-Ilyinsky (sometimes under the name Romanovsky-Ilyinsky)
Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954, and Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1960
Dmitry Pavlovich is married to Martha Merry McDowell, born in 1952, and has 3 daughters: Katrina, Victoria, Lela.
Mikhail Pavlovich was married three times. First marriage to Marsha Mary Lowe, second to Paula Gay Mair and third to Lisa Mary Schisler. The third marriage produced a daughter, Alexis.
Currently, the descendants of the Romanov dynasty live in the United States and recognize the legality of the rights of members of the Imperial House to the Russian throne. Princess Maria Vladimirovna recognized their right to be called princes. Dmitry Romanovsky-Ilyinsky is recognized by her as a senior representative masculine all descendants of the Romanovs, regardless of what marriages they entered into.
In conclusion
There has been no monarchy in Russia for about a hundred years. But to this day, someone breaks spears, arguing about which of the living descendants of the royal family has legal right to the Russian throne. Some people today resolutely demand the return of the monarchy. And although this issue is not simple, since laws and decrees relating to issues of succession to the throne are interpreted differently, the disputes will continue. But they can be described by one Russian proverb: the descendants of the Romanovs, whose photos are presented in the article, “share the skin of an unkilled bear.”
The family belongs to the ancient families of the Moscow boyars. The first ancestor of this family known to us from the chronicles is Andrei Ivanovich, who had the nickname Mare, in 1347 he was in the service of the Great Prince of Vladimir and Moscow, Semyon Ivanovich Proud.
Semyon Proud was the eldest son and heir and continued the policies of his father. At that time, the Moscow principality strengthened significantly, and Moscow began to claim leadership among other lands of North-Eastern Rus'. The Moscow princes not only established good relationship with the Golden Horde, but also began to play a more important role in all-Russian affairs. Among the Russian princes, Semyon was considered the eldest, and few of them dared to contradict him. His character was clearly evident in his family life. After the death of his first wife, the daughter of the Great Prince of Lithuania Gedimina, Semyon married again.
His chosen one was the Smolensk princess Eupraxia, but a year after the wedding the Moscow prince for some reason sent her back to her father, Prince Fyodor Svyatoslavich. Then Semyon decided on a third marriage, this time turning to Moscow's old rivals - the Tver princes. In 1347, an embassy went to Tver to woo Princess Maria, the daughter of Tver Prince Alexander Mikhailovich.
At one time, Alexander Mikhailovich died tragically in the Horde, falling victim to the intrigues of Ivan Kalita, Semyon’s father. And now the children of irreconcilable enemies were united by marriage. The embassy in Tver was headed by two Moscow boyars - Andrei Kobyla and Alexey Bosovolkov. This is how the ancestor of Tsar Mikhail Romanov appeared on the historical stage for the first time.
The embassy was successful. But Metropolitan Theognost unexpectedly intervened and refused to bless this marriage. Moreover, he ordered the closure of Moscow churches to prevent weddings. This position was apparently caused by Semyon’s previous divorce. But the prince sent generous gifts to the Patriarch of Constantinople, to whom the Moscow Metropolitan was subordinate, and received permission for the marriage. In 1353, Semyon the Proud died from the plague that raged in Rus'. Nothing more is known about Andrei Kobyl, but his descendants continued to serve the Moscow princes.
According to genealogists, the offspring of Andrei Kobyla was extensive. He left five sons, who became the founders of many famous noble families. The sons' names were: Semyon Stallion (didn't he get his name in honor of Semyon the Proud?), Alexander Yolka, Vasily Ivantey (or Vantey), Gavrila Gavsha (Gavsha is the same as Gabriel, only in a diminutive form; such endings of names in “-sha” were common in Novgorod land) and Fedor Koshka. In addition, Andrei had a younger brother Fyodor Shevlyaga, from whom came the noble families of Motovilovs, Trusovs, Vorobins and Grabezhevs. The nicknames Mare, Stallion and Shevlyaga (“nag”) are close in meaning to each other, which is not surprising, since several noble families have a similar tradition - representatives of the same family could bear nicknames from the same semantic circle. However, what was the origin of the brothers Andrei and Fyodor Ivanovich themselves?
The genealogies of the 16th – early 17th centuries do not report anything about this. But already in the first half of the 17th century, when they gained a foothold on the Russian throne, a legend about their ancestors appeared. Many noble families traced themselves to people from other countries and lands. This became a kind of tradition of the ancient Russian nobility, which, thus, almost entirely had “foreign” origin. Moreover, the most popular were the two “directions” from which the noble ancestors supposedly “exited”: either “from the Germans” or “from the Horde”. “Germans” meant not only the inhabitants of Germany, but all Europeans in general. Therefore, in the legends about the “excursions” of the founders of the clans, one can find the following clarifications: “From German, from Prus” or “From German, from Svei (i.e., Swedish) land.”
All these legends were similar to each other. Usually, a certain “honest man” with a strange name, unusual for Russian ears, came, often with a retinue, to serve one of the Grand Dukes. Here he was baptized, and his descendants became part of the Russian elite. Then, from their nicknames, noble surnames arose, and since many clans traced themselves back to one ancestor, it is quite understandable that various options the same legends. The reasons for creating these stories are quite clear. By inventing foreign ancestors for themselves, Russian aristocrats “justified” their leadership position in society.
They made their families more ancient, constructed a high origin, because many of the ancestors were considered descendants of foreign princes and rulers, thereby emphasizing their exclusivity. Of course, this does not mean that absolutely all the legends were fictitious; probably, the most ancient of them could have had a real basis (for example, the ancestor of the Pushkins, Radsha, judging by the end of the name, was related to Novgorod and lived in the 12th century, according to some researchers, could actually be of foreign origin). But highlight these historical facts behind the layers of conjectures and conjectures it is quite difficult. And besides, it can be difficult to unambiguously confirm or refute such a story due to the lack of sources. By the end of the 17th century, and especially in the 18th century, such legends acquired an increasingly fabulous character, turning into pure fantasies of authors poorly familiar with history. The Romanovs did not escape this either.
The creation of the family legend was “took upon themselves” by representatives of those families who had common ancestors with the Romanovs: the Sheremetevs, the already mentioned Trusovs, the Kolychevs. When the official genealogical book of the Muscovite kingdom was created in the 1680s, which later received the name “Velvet” because of its binding, noble families submitted their genealogies to the Rank Order, which was in charge of this matter. The Sheremetevs also presented the painting of their ancestors, and it turned out that, according to their information, the Russian boyar Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla was in fact a prince who came from Prussia.
The “Prussian” origin of the ancestor was very common at that time among ancient families. It has been suggested that this happened because of the “Prussian Street” at one end of ancient Novgorod. Along this street there was a road to Pskov, the so-called. "The Prussian Way". After the annexation of Novgorod to the Moscow state, many noble families of this city were resettled to the Moscow volosts, and vice versa. Thus, thanks to a misunderstood name, “Prussian” immigrants joined the Moscow nobility. But in the case of Andrei Kobyla, one can rather see the influence of another legend, very famous at that time.
At the turn of the 15th–16th centuries, when a unified Moscow state was formed and the Moscow princes began to lay claim to the royal (cesar, i.e., imperial) title, the well-known idea “Moscow is the Third Rome” appeared. Moscow became the heir to the great Orthodox tradition of the Second Rome - Constantinople, and through it the imperial power of the First Rome - the Rome of the emperors Augustus and Constantine the Great. The continuity of power was ensured by the marriage of Ivan III with Sophia Palaeologus, and the legend “about the gifts of Monomakh” - the Byzantine emperor, who transferred the royal crown and other regalia of royal power to his grandson Vladimir Monomakh in Rus', and the adoption of the imperial double-headed eagle as a state symbol. Visible proof of the greatness of the new kingdom was the magnificent ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin built under Ivan III and Vasily III. This idea was also maintained at the genealogical level. It was at this time that the legend about the origin of the then ruling Rurik dynasty arose. Rurik’s foreign, Varangian origin could not fit into the new ideology, and the founder of the princely dynasty became a 14th-generation descendant of a certain Prus, a relative of Emperor Augustus himself. Prus was supposedly the ruler of ancient Prussia, once inhabited by Slavs, and his descendants became the rulers of Rus'. And just as the Rurikovichs turned out to be the successors of the Prussian kings, and through them the Roman emperors, so the descendants of Andrei Kobyla created a “Prussian” legend for themselves.
Subsequently, the legend acquired new details. In a more complete form, it was drawn up by the steward Stepan Andreevich Kolychev, who under Peter I became the first Russian king of arms. In 1722, he headed the Heraldry Office under the Senate, a special institution that dealt with state heraldry and was in charge of accounting and class affairs of the nobility. Now the origins of Andrei Kobyla have “acquired” new features.
In 373 (or even 305) AD (at that time the Roman Empire still existed), the Prussian king Pruteno gave the kingdom to his brother Weidewut, and he himself became the high priest of his pagan tribe in the city of Romanov. This city seemed to be located on the banks of the Dubissa and Nevyazha rivers, at the confluence of which a sacred, evergreen oak tree of extraordinary height and thickness grew. Before his death, Veidevuth divided his kingdom among his twelve sons. The fourth son was Nedron, whose descendants owned the Samogit lands (part of Lithuania). In the ninth generation, a descendant of Nedron was Divon. He lived already in the 13th century and constantly defended his lands from the knights of the sword. Finally, in 1280, his sons, Russingen and Glanda Kambila, were baptized, and in 1283 Glanda (Glandal or Glandus) Kambila came to Rus' to serve the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich. Here he was baptized and began to be called Mare. According to other versions, Glanda was baptized with the name Ivan in 1287, and Andrei Kobyla was his son.
The artificiality of this story is obvious. Everything about it is fantastic, and no matter how hard some historians tried to verify its authenticity, their attempts were unsuccessful. Two characteristic motifs are striking. Firstly, the 12 sons of Veydevut are very reminiscent of the 12 sons of Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', and the fourth son Nedron is the fourth son of Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise. Secondly, the author’s desire to connect the beginning of the Romanov family in Rus' with the first Moscow princes is obvious. After all, Daniil Alexandrovich was not only the founder of the Moscow principality, but also the founder of the Moscow dynasty, whose successors were the Romanovs.
Nevertheless, the “Prussian” legend became very popular and was officially recorded in the “General Arms Book of the Noble Families of the All-Russian Empire,” created on the initiative of Paul I, who decided to streamline all Russian noble heraldry. The noble family coats of arms were entered into the armorial book, which were approved by the emperor, and along with the image and description of the coat of arms, a certificate of the origin of the family was also given. The descendants of Kobyla - the Sheremetevs, Konovnitsyns, Neplyuevs, Yakovlevs and others, noting their “Prussian” origin, introduced the image of a “sacred” oak as one of the figures in their family coats of arms, and borrowed the central image itself (two crosses above which a crown is placed) from the heraldry of the city of Danzig (Gdansk).
Of course, as historical science developed, researchers not only were critical of the legend about the origin of the Mare, but also tried to discover any real historical basis in it. The most extensive study of the “Prussian” roots of the Romanovs was undertaken by the outstanding pre-revolutionary historian V.K. Trutovsky, who saw some correspondence between the information in the legend about Glanda Kambile and the real situation in Prussia lands XIII V. Historians did not abandon such attempts in the future. But if the legend of Glanda Kambila could convey to us some grains of historical data, then its “external” design practically reduces this significance to nothing. It may be of interest from the point of view of the social consciousness of the Russian nobility of the 17th–18th centuries, but not in the matter of clarifying the true origin of the reigning family. Such a brilliant expert on Russian genealogy as A.A. Zimin wrote that Andrei Kobyla “probably came from native Moscow (and Pereslavl) landowners.” In any case, be that as it may, it is Andrei Ivanovich who remains the first reliable ancestor of the Romanov dynasty.
Let's return to the real pedigree of his descendants. The eldest son of Mare, Semyon Stallion, became the founder of the nobles Lodygins, Konovnitsyns, Kokorevs, Obraztsovs, Gorbunovs. Of these, the Lodygins and Konovnitsyns left the greatest mark on Russian history. The Lodygins come from the son of Semyon Stallion - Grigory Lodyga (“lodyga” is an ancient Russian word meaning foot, stand, ankle). The famous engineer Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin (1847–1923), who in 1872 invented the electric incandescent lamp in Russia, belonged to this family.
The Konovnitsyns descend from the grandson of Grigory Lodyga - Ivan Semyonovich Konovnitsa. Among them, General Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyn (1764–1822), the hero of many wars waged by Russia at the end of the 18th century, became famous. early XIX century, including the Patriotic War of 1812. He distinguished himself in the battles for Smolensk, Maloyaroslavets, in the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig, and in the Battle of Borodino he commanded the Second Army after Prince P.I. was wounded. Bagration. In 1815–1819, Konovnitsyn was Minister of War, and in 1819, together with his descendants, he was elevated to the dignity of count of the Russian Empire.
From the second son of Andrei Kobyla, Alexander Yolka, came the families of the Kolychevs, Sukhovo-Kobylins, Sterbeevs, Khludenevs, Neplyuevs. Alexander's eldest son Fyodor Kolych (from the word "kolcha", i.e. lame) became the founder of the Kolychevs. Of the representatives of this genus, the most famous is St. Philip (in the world Fyodor Stepanovich Kolychev, 1507–1569). In 1566 he became Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'. Angrily denouncing the atrocities of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Philip was deposed in 1568 and then strangled by one of the leaders of the guardsmen, Malyuta Skuratov.
The Sukhovo-Kobylins descend from another son of Alexander Yolka, Ivan Sukhoi (i.e., “thin”). The most prominent representative of this family was the playwright Alexander Vasilyevich Sukhovo-Kobylin (1817–1903), author of the trilogy “Krechinsky’s Wedding”, “The Affair” and “The Death of Tarelkin”. In 1902 he was elected honorary academician Imperial Academy sciences in the category of fine literature. His sister, Sofya Vasilyevna (1825–1867), an artist who received a major prize in 1854 for a landscape from life gold medal Imperial Academy of Arts (which is depicted in the painting of the same name from the collection Tretyakov Gallery), also painted portraits and genre compositions. Another sister, Elizaveta Vasilyevna (1815–1892), married Countess Salias de Tournemire, gained fame as a writer under the pseudonym Evgenia Tour. Her son - Count Evgeniy Andreevich Salias de Tournemire (1840–1908) - was also a famous writer and historical novelist in his time (he was called the Russian Alexandre Dumas). His sister, Maria Andreevna (1841–1906), was the wife of Field Marshal Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko (1828–1901), and his granddaughter, Princess Evdokia (Eda) Yuryevna Urusova (1908–1996), was an outstanding theater and film actress of the Soviet era.
The youngest son of Alexander Yolka, Fyodor Dyutka (Dyudka, Dudka or even Detko), became the founder of the Neplyuev family. Among the Neplyuevs, Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuev (1693–1773), a diplomat who was a Russian resident in Turkey (1721–1734), and then the governor of the Orenburg region, and from 1760 a senator and conference minister, stands out.
Vasily Ivantey's descendants ended with his son Gregory, who died childless.
From the fourth son of Kobyla, Gavrila Gavsha, came the Boborykins. This family produced the talented writer Pyotr Dmitrievich Boborykin (1836–1921), author of the novels “Dealers”, “China Town” and, among others, by the way, “Vasily Terkin” (except for this name literary character has nothing to do with the hero A.T. Tvardovsky).
Finally, Andrei Kobyla's fifth son, Fyodor Koshka, was the direct ancestor of the Romanovs. He served Dmitry Donskoy and is repeatedly mentioned in the chronicles among his entourage. Perhaps it was he who was entrusted by the prince to defend Moscow during the famous war with Mamai, which ended in the victory of the Russians on the Kulikovo Field. Before his death, the Cat took monastic vows and was named Theodoret. His family became related to the Moscow and Tver princely dynasties - branches of the Rurikovich family. Thus, Fyodor’s daughter Anna was married to the Mikulin prince Fyodor Mikhailovich in 1391. The Mikulin inheritance was part of the Tver land, and Fyodor Mikhailovich himself was the youngest son of the Tver prince Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail Alexandrovich was at enmity with Dmitry Donskoy for a long time. Three times he received a label from the Horde for the Great Reign of Vladimir, but each time, due to Dmitry’s opposition, he could not become the main Russian prince. However, gradually the strife between the Moscow and Tver princes faded away. Back in 1375, at the head of an entire coalition of princes, Dmitry made a successful campaign against Tver, and since then Mikhail Alexandrovich abandoned attempts to seize leadership from the Moscow prince, although relations between them remained tense. The marriage with the Koshkins was probably supposed to help establish friendly relations between the eternal enemies.
But not only Tver was embraced by the descendants of Fyodor Koshka with their matrimonial politics. Soon the Moscow princes themselves fell into their orbit. Among the sons of Koshka was Fyodor Goltai, whose daughter, Maria, was married in the winter of 1407 by one of the sons of the Serpukhov and Borovsk prince Vladimir Andreevich, Yaroslav.
Vladimir Andreevich, the founder of Serpukhov, was Dmitry Donskoy’s cousin. They always had the best friendly relations. Many important steps The brothers did everything together in the life of the Moscow state. So, together they supervised the construction of the white-stone Moscow Kremlin, together they fought on the Kulikovo Field. Moreover, it was Vladimir Andreevich with the governor D.M. Bobrok-Volynsky commanded an ambush regiment, which at a critical moment decided the outcome of the entire battle. Therefore, he entered with the nickname not only Brave, but also Donskoy.
Yaroslav Vladimirovich, and in his honor the city of Maloyaroslavets was founded, where he reigned, he also bore the name Afanasy at baptism. This was one of the latest cases, when, according to a long-standing tradition, the Rurikovichs gave their children double names: secular and baptismal. The prince died of a pestilence in 1426 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where his grave exists to this day. From his marriage to the granddaughter of Fyodor Koshka, Yaroslav had a son, Vasily, who inherited the entire Borovsk-Serpukhov inheritance, and two daughters, Maria and Elena. In 1433, Maria was married to the young Moscow prince Vasily II Vasilyevich, grandson of Dmitry Donskoy.
At this time, a brutal strife began on Moscow soil between Vasily and his mother Sofia Vitovtovna, on the one hand, and the family of his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich, Prince of Zvenigorod, on the other. Yuri and his sons - Vasily (in the future blinded in one eye and becoming Kosym) and Dmitry Shemyaka (the nickname comes from the Tatar “chimek” - “outfit”) - laid claim to Moscow reign. Both Yuryevichs attended Vasily’s wedding in Moscow. And it was here that the famous historical episode took place, fueling this irreconcilable struggle. Seeing Vasily Yuryevich wearing a gold belt that once belonged to Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna tore it off, deciding that it did not rightfully belong to the Zvenigorod prince. One of the initiators of this scandal was Fyodor Koshka’s grandson Zakhary Ivanovich. The offended Yuryevichs left wedding feast, and soon the war broke out. During it, Vasily II was blinded by Shemyaka and became Dark, but ultimately victory remained on his side. With the death of Shemyaka, poisoned in Novgorod, Vasily could no longer worry about the future of his reign. During the war, Vasily Yaroslavich, who became the brother-in-law of the Moscow prince, supported him in everything. But in 1456, Vasily II ordered the arrest of a relative and sent him to prison in the city of Uglich. There the unfortunate son of Maria Goltyaeva spent 27 years until he died in 1483. His grave can be seen on the left side of the iconostasis of the Moscow Archangel Cathedral. There is also a portrait image of this prince. The children of Vasily Yaroslavich died in captivity, and his second wife and her son from her first marriage, Ivan, managed to flee to Lithuania. The family of Borovsk princes continued there for a short time.
From Maria Yaroslavna, Vasily II had several sons, including Ivan III. Thus, all representatives of the Moscow princely dynasty, starting with Vasily II and up to the sons and granddaughter of Ivan the Terrible, were descendants of the Koshkins on the female line.
Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna tearing off the belt from Vasily Kosoy at the wedding of Vasily the Dark. From a painting by P.P. Chistyakova. 1861
Descendants of Fyodor Koshka consistently wore as family surnames Koshkins, Zakharyins, Yuryevs and, finally, the Romanovs. In addition to his daughter Anna and son Fyodor Goltai, mentioned above, Fyodor Koshka had sons Ivan, Alexander Bezzubets, Nikifor and Mikhail Durny. Alexander's descendants were called the Bezzubtsevs, and then the Sheremetevs and Epanchins. The Sheremetevs descend from Alexander’s grandson, Andrei Konstantinovich Sheremet, and the Epanchins from another grandson, Semyon Konstantinovich Epancha (ancient clothing in the form of a cloak was called an epancha).
The Sheremetevs are one of the most famous Russian noble families. Probably the most famous of the Sheremetevs is Boris Petrovich (1652–1719). An associate of Peter the Great, one of the first Russian field marshals (the first Russian by origin), he participated in the Crimean and Azov campaigns, became famous for his victories in the Northern War, and commanded the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava. He was one of the first to be elevated by Peter to the dignity of a count of the Russian Empire (obviously, this happened in 1710). Among the descendants of Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, Russian historians especially revere Count Sergei Dmitrievich (1844–1918), a prominent researcher of Russian antiquity, chairman of the Archaeographic Commission under the Ministry of Public Education, who did a lot for the publication and study of documents of the Russian Middle Ages. His wife was the granddaughter of Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky, and his son Pavel Sergeevich (1871–1943) also became a famous historian and genealogist. This branch of the family owned the famous Ostafyevo near Moscow (inherited from the Vyazemskys), preserved through the efforts of Pavel Sergeevich after the revolutionary events of 1917. The descendants of Sergei Dmitrievich, who found themselves in exile, became related there with the Romanovs. This family still exists today, in particular, the descendant of Sergei Dmitrievich, Count Pyotr Petrovich, who now lives in Paris, heads the Russian Conservatory named after S.V. Rachmaninov. The Sheremetevs owned two architectural pearls near Moscow: Ostankino and Kuskovo. How can one not recall here the serf actress Praskovya Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, who became Countess Sheremeteva, and her wife Count Nikolai Petrovich (1751–1809), the founder of the famous Moscow Hospice House (now the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Emergency Medicine is located in its building). Sergei Dmitrievich was the grandson of N.P. Sheremetev and the serf actress.
The Epanchins are less noticeable in Russian history, but they also left their mark on it. In the 19th century, representatives of this family served in the navy, and two of them, Nikolai and Ivan Petrovich, heroes of the Battle of Navarino in 1827, became Russian admirals. Their great-nephew, General Nikolai Alekseevich Epanchin (1857–1941), a famous military historian, served as director of the Corps of Pages in 1900–1907. Already in exile, he wrote interesting memoirs “In the Service of Three Emperors,” published in Russia in 1996.
Actually, the Romanov family descends from the eldest son of Fyodor Koshka, Ivan, who was a boyar of Vasily I. It was Ivan Koshka’s son Zakhary Ivanovich who identified the notorious belt in 1433 at the wedding of Vasily the Dark. Zachary had three sons, so the Koshkins were divided into three more branches. The younger ones - the Lyatskys (Lyatskys) - left to serve in Lithuania, and their traces were lost there. The eldest son of Zakhary, Yakov Zakharyevich (died in 1510), a boyar and governor under Ivan III and Vasily III, served as viceroy in Novgorod and Kolomna for some time, took part in the war with Lithuania and, in particular, took the cities of Bryansk and Putivl, which then seceded to the Russian state. The descendants of Yakov formed the noble family of the Yakovlevs. He is known for his two “illegal” representatives: in 1812, the wealthy landowner Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev (1767–1846) and the daughter of a German official Louise Ivanovna Haag (1795–1851), who were not legally married, had a son, Alexander Ivanovich Herzen (d. . in 1870) (grandson of A.I. Herzen - Pyotr Aleksandrovich Herzen (1871–1947) - one of the largest domestic surgeons, a specialist in the field of clinical oncology). And in 1819, his brother Lev Alekseevich Yakovlev was born illegitimate son Sergei Lvovich Levitsky (died in 1898) is one of the most famous Russian photographers (thus being A.I. Herzen’s cousin).
Zakhary's middle son, Yuri Zakharyevich (died in 1505 [?]), a boyar and governor under Ivan III, like his older brother, fought with the Lithuanians in the famous battle near the Vedrosha River in 1500. His wife was Irina Ivanovna Tuchkova, a representative of a famous noble family. The surname Romanov came from one of the sons of Yuri and Irina, the okolnichy Roman Yuryevich (died in 1543). It was his family that became related to the royal dynasty.
On February 3, 1547, the sixteen-year-old Tsar, who had been crowned king half a month earlier in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, married the daughter of Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin, Anastasia. Ivan's family life with Anastasia was happy. The young wife gave her husband three sons and three daughters. Unfortunately, the daughters died in childhood. The fate of the sons was different. The eldest son Dmitry died at the age of nine months. When the royal family made a pilgrimage to the Kirillov Monastery on Beloozero, they took the little prince with them.
There was a strict ceremony at court: the baby was carried in the arms of a nanny, and she was supported by two boyars, relatives of Queen Anastasia. The journey took place along rivers and on plows. One day, the nanny with the prince and the boyars stepped onto the shaky gangplank of the plow, and, unable to resist, they all fell into the water. Dmitry choked. Then Ivan named his youngest son from his last marriage with Maria Naga by this name. However, the fate of this boy turned out to be tragic: at the age of nine he... The name Dmitry turned out to be unlucky for the Grozny family.
The tsar’s second son, Ivan Ivanovich, had a difficult character. Cruel and domineering, he could become a complete image of his father. But in 1581, the 27-year-old prince was mortally wounded by Grozny during a quarrel. The reason for the unbridled outburst of anger was allegedly the third wife of Tsarevich Ivan (he sent the first two to the monastery) - Elena Ivanovna Sheremeteva, a distant relative of the Romanovs. Being pregnant, she appeared to her father-in-law in a light shirt, “in an indecent appearance.” The king beat his daughter-in-law, who later had a miscarriage. Ivan stood up for his wife and immediately received a blow to the temple with an iron staff. A few days later he died, and Elena was tonsured with the name Leonidas in one of the monasteries.
After the death of the heir, Ivan the Terrible was succeeded by his third son from Anastasia, Fedor. In 1584 he became the Tsar of Moscow. Fyodor Ivanovich was distinguished by a quiet and meek disposition. He was disgusted by the cruel tyranny of his father, and he spent a significant part of his reign in prayers and fasts, atonement for the sins of his ancestors. Such a high spiritual attitude of the tsar seemed strange to his subjects, which is why the popular legend about Fedor’s dementia appeared. In 1598, he serenely fell asleep forever, and his brother-in-law Boris Godunov took over the throne. Fyodor's only daughter Theodosia died before reaching the age of two. Thus ended the offspring of Anastasia Romanovna.
With her kind, gentle character, Anastasia restrained cruel temper king But in August 1560 the queen died. An analysis of her remains, now located in the basement chamber of the Archangel Cathedral, already carried out in our time, showed a high probability that Anastasia was poisoned. After her death it began new stage in the life of Ivan the Terrible: the era of Oprichnina and lawlessness.
Ivan's marriage to Anastasia brought her relatives to the forefront of Moscow politics. The queen’s brother, Nikita Romanovich (died in 1586), was especially popular. He became famous as a talented commander and brave warrior during the Livonian War, rose to the rank of boyar and was one of the close associates of Ivan the Terrible. He was part of the inner circle of Tsar Fedor. Shortly before his death, Nikita took monastic vows with the name Nifont. Was married twice. His first wife, Varvara Ivanovna Khovrina, came from the Khovrin-Golovin family, which later produced several famous figures in Russian history, including Peter I’s associate, Admiral Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin. Nikita Romanovich’s second wife, Princess Evdokia Alexandrovna Gorbataya-Shuyskaya, belonged to the descendants of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod Rurikovichs. Nikita Romanovich lived in his chambers on Varvarka Street in Moscow, where mid-19th century V. a museum was opened.
Seven sons and five daughters of Nikita Romanovich continued this boyar family. For a long time, researchers doubted which marriage of Nikita Romanovich gave birth to his eldest son Fyodor Nikitich, the future Patriarch Filaret, the father of the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty. After all, if his mother was Princess Gorbataya-Shuiskaya, then the Romanovs are thus descendants of the Rurikovichs through the female line. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, historians assumed that Fyodor Nikitich was most likely born from his father’s first marriage. And only in recent years has this issue apparently been finally resolved. During the study of the Romanov necropolis in the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, the tombstone of Varvara Ivanovna Khovrina was discovered. In the tombstone epitaph, the year of her death should perhaps be read as 7063, i.e. 1555 (she died on June 29), and not 7060 (1552), as previously believed. This dating removes the question of the origin of Fyodor Nikitich, who died in 1633, being “more than 80 years old.” The ancestors of Varvara Ivanovna and, therefore, the ancestors of the entire royal House of Romanov, the Khovrins, came from the trading people of the Crimean Sudak and had Greek roots.
Fyodor Nikitich Romanov served as a regimental commander, took part in campaigns against the cities of Koporye, Yam and Ivangorod during the successful Russian-Swedish war of 1590–1595, and defended the southern borders of Russia from Crimean raids. A prominent position at court made it possible for the Romanovs to become related to other then-known families: the princes of Sitsky, Cherkasy, as well as the Godunovs (Boris Fedorovich’s nephew married Nikita Romanovich’s daughter, Irina). But these family ties did not save the Romanovs from disgrace after the death of their benefactor Tsar Fedor.
With his accession to the throne, everything changed. Hating the entire Romanov family and fearing them as potential rivals in the struggle for power, the new tsar began to eliminate his opponents one by one. In 1600–1601, repression fell on the Romanovs. Fyodor Nikitich was forcibly tonsured a monk (under the name Filaret) and sent to the distant Anthony Siysky Monastery in Arkhangelsk district. The same fate befell his wife Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova. Tonsured under the name of Martha, she was exiled to the Tolvuisky churchyard in Zaonezhye, and then lived with her children in the village of Klin, Yuryevsky district. Her young daughter Tatyana and son Mikhail (the future Tsar) were taken to prison on Beloozero along with her aunt Anastasia Nikitichna, who later became the wife of a prominent figure in the Time of Troubles, Prince Boris Mikhailovich Lykov-Obolensky. Fyodor Nikitich's brother, boyar Alexander, was exiled on a false denunciation to one of the villages of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, where he was killed. Another brother, the okolnichy Mikhail, also died in disgrace, transported from Moscow to the remote Perm village of Nyrob. There he died in prison and in chains from hunger. Another son of Nikita, steward Vasily, died in the city of Pelym, where he and his brother Ivan were kept chained to the wall. And their sisters Efimiya (monastically Evdokia) and Martha went into exile together with their husbands - the princes of Sitsky and Cherkassy. Only Martha survived imprisonment. Thus, almost the entire Romanov family was destroyed. Miraculously, only Ivan Nikitich, nicknamed Kasha, survived, returned after a short exile.
But the Godunov dynasty was not allowed to rule in Rus'. The fire of the Great Troubles was already flaring up, and in this seething cauldron the Romanovs emerged from oblivion. The active and energetic Fyodor Nikitich (Filaret) returned to “big” politics at the first opportunity - False Dmitry I made his benefactor Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl. The fact is that Grigory Otrepiev was once his servant. There is even a version that the Romanovs specially prepared the ambitious adventurer for the role of the “legitimate” heir to the Moscow throne. Be that as it may, Filaret took a prominent place in the church hierarchy.
He made a new career “leap” with the help of another impostor - False Dmitry II, the “Tushinsky Thief”. In 1608, during the capture of Rostov, the Tushins captured Filaret and brought the impostor to the camp. False Dmitry invited him to become patriarch, and Filaret agreed. In Tushino, in general, a kind of second capital was formed: it had its own king, it had its own boyars, its own orders, and now also its own patriarch (in Moscow, the patriarchal throne was occupied by Hermogenes). When the Tushin camp collapsed, Filaret managed to return to Moscow, where he participated in the overthrow of Tsar Vasily Shuisky. The Seven Boyars that formed after this included the younger brother of the “patriarch” Ivan Nikitich Romanov, who received the boyars on the day of Otrepiev’s crowning. As is known, the new government decided to invite the son of the Polish king, Vladislav, to the Russian throne and concluded a corresponding agreement with Hetman Stanislav Zolkiewski, and in order to settle all the formalities, a “great embassy” was sent from Moscow to Smolensk, where the king was located, headed by Filaret. However, negotiations with King Sigismund reached a dead end, the ambassadors were arrested and sent to Poland. There, in captivity, Filaret remained until 1619 and only after the conclusion of the Deulin truce and the end of the many years of war did he return to Moscow. His son Mikhail was already the Russian Tsar.
Filaret had now become the “legitimate” Moscow Patriarch and had a very significant influence on the policies of the young tsar. He showed himself to be a very powerful and at times even tough person. His courtyard was built on the model of the royal one, and several special, patriarchal orders were formed to manage land holdings. Filaret also cared about education, resuming the printing of liturgical books in Moscow after the ruin. Much attention he paid attention to questions foreign policy and even created one of the diplomatic ciphers of that time.
Fyodor-Filaret's wife Ksenia Ivanovna came from the ancient Shestov family. Their ancestor was considered to be Mikhail Prushanin, or, as he was also called, Misha, an associate of Alexander Nevsky. He was also the founder of such famous families as the Morozovs, Saltykovs, Sheins, Tuchkovs, Cheglokovs, Scriabins. Misha's descendants became related to the Romanovs back in the 15th century, since the mother of Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin was one of the Tuchkovs. By the way, the Shestovs’ ancestral estates included the Kostroma village of Domnino, where Ksenia and her son Mikhail lived for some time after the liberation of Moscow from the Poles. The headman of this village, Ivan Susanin, became famous for saving the young king from death at the cost of his life. After her son’s accession to the throne, the “great old lady” Martha helped him in governing the country until his father, Filaret, returned from captivity.
Ksenia-Marfa had a kind character. So, remembering the widows of previous tsars who lived in monasteries - Ivan the Terrible, Vasily Shuisky, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich - she repeatedly sent them gifts. She often went on pilgrimages, was strict in matters of religion, but did not shy away from the joys of life: in the Ascension Kremlin Monastery she organized a gold-embroidery workshop, which produced beautiful fabrics and clothes for the royal court.
Mikhail Fedorovich's uncle Ivan Nikitich (died in 1640) also occupied a prominent place at his nephew's court. With the death of his son, boyar and butler Nikita Ivanovich in 1654, all other branches of the Romanovs, except for the royal offspring of Mikhail Fedorovich, were cut short. The ancestral tomb of the Romanovs was the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, where in recent years the great work for the study and restoration of this ancient necropolis. As a result, many burials of the ancestors of the royal dynasty were identified, and from some remains, experts even recreated portrait images, including those of Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin, the great-grandfather of Tsar Mikhail.
The Romanov family coat of arms dates back to Livonian heraldry and was created in the mid-19th century. the outstanding Russian heraldist Baron B.V. Köne based on emblematic images found on objects that belonged to the Romanovs in the second half of the 16th - early 17th centuries. The description of the coat of arms is as follows:
“In a silver field is a scarlet vulture holding a golden sword and tarch, crowned with a small eagle; on the black border there are eight severed lion heads: four gold and four silver.”
Evgeny Vladimirovich Pchelov
Romanovs. History of a great dynasty
The first of the dynasty to become king. He was placed on the throne by the boyars in 1613, and until 1917 Russia was ruled by the Romanov dynasty.
After Mikhail Fedorovich, Alexei Mikhailovich ascended the throne, and then his three sons. In 1696, young Peter the Great became king, radically changing Russia and turning it into one of the great European powers. He was the last one to bear the title of king. In 1721, he took the title of emperor, and from then on Russia began to be called Russian Empire.
Next family tree The Romanovs are continued by the wife of Peter the Great who reigns for two years, from 1725 to 1727. After her death, the throne passes to the grandson of Peter the Great - Peter II. He inherited the throne at the age of eleven and was the last male-line descendant of Peter. He did not rule for long, only three years, and, unfortunately, at the age of 14 he died of smallpox.
After the death of Peter II, during palace intrigues, the throne of the Russian Empire was transferred to the daughter of Peter the Great's elder brother, Anna Ioannovna. She ruled for ten years, from 1730 to 1740. After her, John VI ruled until 1741, who was overthrown by the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine the First, Elizaveta Petrovna.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna never married and remained childless until the end of her life. She made the heir to the throne the son of Anna Petrovna (daughter of Peter the Great) - Peter III, who was proclaimed emperor in 1761, but did not remain so for long and was overthrown in 1762. Afterwards, the family tree of the Romanov family was continued by his wife Catherine the Second, who went down in history as Catherine the Great. Under her, the Russian Empire gained enormous power and became one of the leading European empires. During her reign, the borders of the state were significantly expanded. And she can rightfully be called a brilliant and wise politician.
After the death of Catherine the Great, the Romanov family tree is continued by her son Pavel the First. He ruled from 1796 to 1801, was killed during a conspiracy, and the throne was taken by his son Alexander the First. During his reign, Russia experienced the Great Patriotic War 1812.
In 1825, the emperor dies without leaving an heir. Nicholas the First, brother of Alexander the First, is proclaimed Emperor. His accession to the throne was overshadowed by the Decembrist uprising, and towards the end of his reign, in the fifties of the 19th century, the Crimean War flared up.
Subsequently, the family tree of the Romanovs was continued by Nicholas's son, Alexander II. He went down in history as the emperor who abolished serfdom and carried out a number of major reforms.
After his reign, Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty, inherited the throne. During his reign, Russia was drawn into the First World War, a series of popular unrest swept across the country and, as a result, in 1917, the February bourgeois-democratic revolution took place, during which the monarchy in Russia was overthrown.
Thus, all Russian emperors were Romanovs. The family tree can be traced to the present day, as descendants of the dynasty are still alive.
Romanovs - big family rulers and kings of Russia, an ancient boyar family. The family tree of the Romanov dynasty goes back to the 16th century. Numerous descendants of this famous surname live today and continue the ancient family.
House of Romanov 4th century
At the beginning of the 17th century, there was a celebration dedicated to the accession to the throne of Moscow by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov. The crowning ceremony, which took place in the Kremlin in 1613, marked the beginning of a new dynasty of kings.
The Romanov family tree gave Russia many great rulers. The family chronicle dates back to 1596.
Origin of the surname
The Romanovs are an inaccurate historical surname. First well-known representative there was a boyar Andrei Kobyla back in the days ruling prince Ivan Kalita. The descendants of Mare were called Koshkins, then Zakharyins. It was Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin who was officially recognized as the founder of the dynasty. His daughter Anastasia married Tsar Ivan the Terrible, they had a son, Fyodor, who, in honor of his grandfather, took the surname Romanov and began to call himself Fyodor Romanov. This is how the famous surname was born.
The family tree of the Romanovs grows from the Zakharyins’ family, but from what places they came to Muscovy is unknown to historians. Some experts believe that the family were natives of Novgorod, others claim that the family came from Prussia.
Their descendants became the most famous royal dynasty in the world. Numerous family is called the House of Romanov. The family tree is extensive and huge, with branches in almost all the kingdoms of the world.
In 1856 they acquired an official coat of arms. The sign of the Romanovs depicts a vulture holding a fabulous blade and tarch in its paws; the edges were decorated with the severed heads of lions.
Ascension to the throne
In the 16th century, the boyars of Zakharyin acquired a new position by becoming related to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Now all relatives could hope for the throne. The chance to seize the throne came quite soon. After the interruption of the Rurik dynasty, the decision to take the throne was taken up by the Zakharyins.
Fyodor Ioannovich, who, as mentioned earlier, took the surname Romanov in honor of his grandfather, was the most likely contender for the throne. However, Boris Godunov prevented him from ascending the throne, forcing him to take monastic vows. But this did not stop the smart and enterprising Fyodor Romanov. He accepted the rank of patriarch (called Filaret) and, through intrigue, elevated his son Mikhail Fedorovich to the throne. The 400-year era of the Romanovs began.
Chronology of the reign of direct representatives of the clan
- 1613-1645 - years of reign of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov;
- 1645-1676 - reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov;
- 1676-1682 - autocracy of Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov;
- 1682-1696 - formally in power, Ivan Alekseevich was co-ruler of his younger brother Peter Alekseevich (Peter I), but did not play any political role,
- 1682-1725 - the family tree of the Romanovs was continued by the great and authoritarian ruler Peter Alekseevich, better known in history as Peter I. In 1721 he established the title of emperor, from then on Russia began to be called the Russian Empire.
In 1725, Empress Catherine I ascended the throne as the wife of Peter I. After her death, a direct descendant of the Romanov dynasty, Peter Alekseevich Romanov, the grandson of Peter I (1727-1730), came to power again.
- 1730-1740 - The Russian Empire was ruled by Anna Ioannovna Romanova, niece of Peter I;
- 1740-1741 - formally Ivan Antonovich Romanov, the great-grandson of Ivan Alekseevich Romanov, was in power;
- 1741-1762 - as a result of a palace coup, Elizaveta Petrovna Romanova, daughter of Peter I, came to power;
- 1762 - Peter Fedorovich Romanov (Peter III), nephew of Empress Elizabeth, grandson of Peter I, reigns for six months.
Further history
- 1762-1796 - after the overthrow of her husband Peter III, Catherine II rules the empire
- 1796-1801 - Pavel Petrovich Romanov, son of Peter I and Catherine II, came to power. Officially, Paul I belongs to the Romanov family, but historians are still fiercely debating his origins. Many consider him an illegitimate son. If we assume this, then in fact the family tree of the Romanov dynasty ended with Peter III. Subsequent rulers may not have been blood descendants of the dynasty.
After the death of Peter I, the Russian throne was often occupied by women representing the House of Romanov. The family tree became more branchy, as descendants of kings from other states were chosen as husbands. Paul I already established a law according to which only a male blood successor has the right to become king. And from that time on, women were not married to the kingdom.
- 1801-1825 - reign of Emperor Alexander Pavlovich Romanov (Alexander I);
- 1825-1855 - reign of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich Romanov (Nicholas I);
- 1855-1881 - Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov (Alexander II) reigns;
- 1881-1894 - the years of the reign of Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov (Alexander III);
- 1894-1917 - autocracy of Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), along with his family, shot by the Bolsheviks. The imperial family tree of the Romanovs was destroyed, and with it the monarchy in Rus' collapsed.
How the reign of the dynasty was interrupted
In July 1917, the entire royal family, including children, Nicholas, and his wife, were executed. The only successor, Nikolai's heir, was also shot. All relatives hiding in different places were identified and exterminated. Only those Romanovs who were outside Russia were saved.
Nicholas II, who acquired the name "Bloody" due to the thousands killed during the revolutions, became the last emperor to represent the House of Romanov. The family tree of the descendants of Peter I was interrupted. Descendants of the Romanovs from other branches continue to live outside Russia.
Results of the board
During the 3 centuries of the dynasty, many bloodsheds and uprisings took place. However, the Romanov family, whose family tree covered half of Europe in shadow, brought benefits to Russia:
- complete separation from feudalism;
- the family increased the financial, political, and military power of the Russian Empire;
- the country was transformed into a large and powerful State, which became on an equal footing with developed European countries.