Biography. Yusupov dynasty Yusupov family history and descendants

At the very end of the 19th century, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova commissioned a painting from the increasingly popular artist Serov. More precisely, paintings, since she needed portraits of all members of her family. history of the Yusupov family Valentin Alexandrovich was famous for the fact that he really did not like to write “the rich, famous and arrogant,” but he liked the princess and her family. The artist gallantly noted that if all rich people were the same, then there would be no injustice and misfortune left in the world. The princess sadly replied that not everything in life is measured by money. Alas, the history of the Yusupov family was so complex and tragic that it had every reason to be sad. - Read more on FB.ru: genus The origin of the family was very ancient. Even at the end of the 19th century, when among the highest nobility of the Russian Empire there were more and more people from among wealthy merchants and manufacturers, the Yusupovs remained not only rich, but also respected their family and knew a lot about their ancient roots. In those years, not everyone could boast of this. So, the history of the Yusupov family begins with the khan of the Nogai Horde - Yusuf-Murza. He, knowing full well about the glory of Ivan IV the Terrible, did not at all want to quarrel with the Russians. Wanting reconciliation with the formidable sovereign, he sent his sons to his court. Ivan appreciated this behavior: Yusuf’s heirs were not only showered with villages and rich gifts, but also became “forever the rulers of all the Tatars in the Russian land.” So they found a new homeland. This is how the Yusupovs (princes) appeared. The history of Russian families has added another glorious page. The progenitor of the family himself ended badly. Khan knew perfectly well that in distant and alien Muscovy his sons would be much better off. As soon as they managed to cross the borders of their former state, their father was treacherously stabbed to death by his own brother. The history of the Yusupov family says that the tribesmen were so enraged by the news that the sons of the murdered khan had converted to Orthodoxy that they asked one of the most powerful steppe witches to place a curse on their entire family. It was scary. The curse of the Yusupov family, the history of the Yusupov family, passed down the words of the curse from generation to generation: “And let only one of the family live to be 26 years old. And so it will be until the entire race is destroyed.” Superstitions are superstitions, but the words of such an ornate spell came true without fail. No matter how many children the women from this family gave birth to, only one of them always lived to reach the ill-fated age of 26 or older. However, modern historians say that the family probably had some kind of genetic disease. The fact is that the “ancestral curse of the Yusupov princes” did not begin to manifest itself immediately, no matter what legend says. One child at a time began to survive only after Boris Grigorievich (1696-1759). Until then, there is no information about the small number of surviving heirs, which suggests a hereditary disease. This suspicion is confirmed by the fact that with the girls in the family everything was much better - they lived to adulthood much more often. Since then, each head of the clan had only one son. Because of this, throughout the 18th-19th centuries, the family was actually on the verge of complete extinction. However, this sad circumstance also had its positive side: unlike all other princely families, which by the end of the 19th century, for the most part, completely squandered their fortunes, the Yusupovs’ money was more than in order. What should a traveler's first aid kit be like? After the money and documents have already been placed in their places, the question of a medical first aid kit inevitably arises, which should not only help with the maximum number of possible ailments, but also weigh as little as possible, not cost much and... Read more on the website... Powered by SlickJump ® Family well-being However, problems with the gene pool did not in any way affect material well-being. By the time of the revolution, the Yusupov family was only slightly “poorer” than the Romanovs themselves. Although the history of the Yusupov family clearly hints that in fact the family was much richer than the imperial family. Yusupov princes history of Russian families Only according to official information, the distant descendants of Yusuf owned more than 250 thousand acres of land, they also owned hundreds of factories, mines, roads and other profitable places. Every year, the profit from all this exceeded 15 million (!) gold rubles, which, translated into modern money, exceeds 13 billion rubles annually. The luxury of the palaces that belonged to them aroused envy even among families whose ancestors came from the times of Rurik. Thus, in the St. Petersburg estate, many rooms were furnished with furniture that previously belonged to the executed Marie Antoinette. Among their property were such paintings that even the Hermitage collection would consider it an honor to have them in their collection. In the boxes of women from the Yusupov family, jewelry that had previously been collected all over the world lay carelessly. Their value was incredible. For example, the “modest” pearl “Pelegrina”, with which Zinaida Nikolaevna can be seen in all the paintings, once belonged to the famous Spanish crown and was the favorite decoration of Philip II himself. However, everyone considered their family happy, but the Yusupovs themselves were not happy about it. The history of the family has never been characterized by an abundance of happy days. Countess de Chauveau Zinaida Nikolaevna's grandmother, Countess de Chauveau, probably lived the happiest life (compared to the rest of the women in the family). She came from an ancient and noble family of the Naryshkins. Zinaida Ivanovna was married to Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov at a very young age. She gave birth to her mature husband, first a son, and then a daughter, who died during childbirth. Only later did she find out that all the Yusupovs faced this. The story of the family so impressed the still young girl that she flatly refused to give birth again: “I don’t want to produce dead people.” An incredible story about the hardships of Yusupov's family life. She immediately told her husband that he was free to run after all the courtyard girls, she would not force him. This is how they lived until 1849, when the old prince died. The princess at that time was not even forty years old, and therefore she, as they say now, “went into all kinds of troubles.” In those years, gossip about her adventures was spread throughout the empire, to say nothing of St. Petersburg! But the most scandalous episode of her biography was her passion for one young Narodnaya Volya member. When he was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress, she abandoned all balls and masquerades, by hook or by crook, seeking a softening of the prison regime for her beloved. New husband In those years, even for lesser sins it was possible to fly out of high society, but they pitied Zinaida Ivanovna: after all, they were the Yusupovs! The incredible story continued, but for a long time it was believed that the princess’s quirks were over. Her revelry suddenly stopped; the woman lived as a complete recluse for a long time. Then she meets a handsome, well-born, but completely ruined Frenchman, falls in love and leaves Russia forever. She abandoned the “cursed name” and became Countess de Chauveau, Marquise de Serres. Strange discovery Everyone forgot about this strange and stupid story, but then a revolution broke out. The Bolsheviks were well aware of the family’s wealth, since the curse of the Yusupov family was well known even in Moscow. They assumed that the “crazy potbelly stove” could well have hidden her jewelry somewhere in her former home on Liteiny Prospekt, and therefore they rattled all its premises literally millimeter by millimeter. An absolutely incredible discovery awaited them: they discovered a secret room, the door to which was walled up. In the room there was a coffin in which rested the embalmed body of a young man. We can safely assume that the solution to the missing Narodnaya Volya has been found. Most likely, the countess was unable to get the sentence reviewed, and therefore went on a spree. Only after redeeming the body of her executed lover did she manage to calm down. the history of the princely family of the Yusupovs. Zinaida Ivanovna, as we have already said, had an only son. Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov himself had three children at once. The eldest was son Boris. There were two daughters - Zinaida and Tatyana. No one was surprised that Boris died of scarlet fever at an early age. The parents were only consoled by the fact that their daughters grew up to be beautiful and were completely healthy. It was only in 1878 that a misfortune befell Zinaida. New trouble The family lived in their Arkhangelsk estate in the fall of that year. Nikolai Borisovich, being constantly busy at work, came home rarely and not for long. Tatyana preferred to read, and Zinaida loved to go on long horseback rides. One day she injured her leg. The wound was tiny and did not seem to pose any danger, but by the evening the girl had a fever. Doctor Botkin, hastily summoned to the estate, made a disappointing diagnosis. Blood poisoning in those days only resulted in death. By morning, Zinaida’s fever did not subside, she fell into unconsciousness. It seemed that the family of the Yusupov princes would soon suffer another loss. John of Kronstadt: apparition Subsequently, Zinaida recalled that in that strange and unsteady state that separated reality from dreams, she dreamed of Saint John of Kronstadt, with whom her family had long been friends. When she suddenly regained consciousness, the elder was urgently called to the estate. He prayed for her, and the girl quickly recovered. But the sad story of the Yusupov princely family did not end there. At 22, Tatyana died of measles. Continuation of the family line of the Yusupov princes It is not surprising that the old prince passionately desired his daughter’s marriage. Zinaida Nikolaevna then recalled that her father, who by that time had begun to get sick a lot, was very afraid of not living to see his grandchildren. Soon a contender was found. Young Yusupova was wooed by the Bulgarian prince Battenberg, who was a direct relative of the imperial couple. The prince's retinue included a modest young man, Felix Elston, whose duties included introducing the future bride to the groom. And then thunder struck. Felix and Zinaida fell in love literally at first sight, and the feelings were mutual. Soon the young people got married. Nikolai Borisovich at first almost fainted from such an extravagant decision of his daughter, but he did not dare to contradict his only heiress. Just a year later, the young couple had their first child, who was named Nikolai in honor of his grandfather. New shocks The boy was very withdrawn and unsociable; the princess tried all her life to bring him closer to her, but did not achieve much success. On Christmas Day 1887, a little boy said to his mother with icy calm, “I don’t want you to have any other children.” It soon turned out that one of the nannies told him that the Yusupovs were a cursed family. The stupid woman was immediately fired. Zinaida, who by that time was expecting the birth of her second child, thought with fear how his older brother would greet him. At first, everything indicated that the boy hated his younger brother Felix. Only when he turned ten years old did they begin to communicate normally. But all contemporaries noted that the relationship between the two young princes simply resembled strong friendship, but not brotherly love. This is how the history of the Yusupov family continued. Discussion of the terrible curse that hung over their family gradually faded away. But then 1908 came. The death of Nikolai Nikolai fell madly in love with Maria Heyden, who was soon to marry Arvid Manteuffel, and the wedding took place because the young people loved each other. Yusupov's cursed family Despite the desperate admonitions of all his friends, the offended Nikolai followed them on their honeymoon. The duel was only a matter of time. It took place on June 22, 1908. Nikolai died six months before his twenty-sixth birthday. The parents almost went crazy with grief, and from now on all their thoughts were directed towards young Felix. Unfortunately, the obvious happened: the spoiled boy became a “spoiled cherub,” greedy and capricious. However, the trouble was not this, but his exceptional wastefulness. When the family sailed from burning Russia in 1919, they had more than enough money. For just a couple of “small and faded” diamonds, Felix bought French passports for all his household, and they bought a house in the Bois de Boulogne. Alas, the prince did not give up the comfortable life he led in his homeland. As a result, his wife and daughter Irina were buried right in the grave of Zinaida Nikolaevna. There was no money for the funeral. The line was completely interrupted. Yandex.Direct - Read more on FB.ru: Education History Av. Volkhin Ivan Anatolyevich - Read more on FB.ru:
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Yusupov family
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The family curse of the Yusupov princes

On the eve of the twentieth century, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova ordered portraits of all family members from the fashionable artist Serov. Usually Valentin Aleksandrovich did not write “swaggering and rich”, but Yusupova did not refuse: “If all rich people, princess, were like you, then there would be no room for injustice.”

The artist’s answer was surprising: “Injustice cannot be eradicated, and especially not with money, Valentin Alexandrovich.”

It is unlikely that Zinaida Nikolaevna had social justice in mind. For her, brought up in luxury, any lack of money was a consequence of thoughtlessness and idleness, and therefore quite fair. Yusupova g

She spoke about the highest justice, which, in her opinion, her family was deprived of.
A curse

The legend about the Yusupov family curse exists in several versions. Even in the family they retold it differently. Zinaida Nikolaevna herself adhered to the grandmother’s version - Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina-Yusupo

Voie de Chavaux de Serres.

The founder of the family is considered to be the Khan of the Nogai Horde, Yusuf-Murza. Wanting, contrary to the will of most of his fellow tribesmen, to make peace with Moscow and fearing for the lives of his sons, he sent them to the court of Ivan the Terrible. The Russian chronicle says: “The sons of Yusuf, having arrived in Moscow, were granted many

They control the villages and hamlets in the Romanov district, and the service Tatars and Cossacks settled there are subordinate to them. From that time on, Russia became the fatherland for the descendants of Yusuf.”

The old khan was not mistaken: before his sons had even reached Moscow, he was treacherously stabbed to death by his own brother. When did the Horde reach

It is known that the sons of Murza renounced Mohammedanism and converted to Orthodoxy; one of the witches placed a curse on them. According to which, of all the Yusupovs born in one generation, only one will live to be twenty-six years old, and this will continue until the complete destruction of the family.

Why is it good?

The lie sounded so ornate, it’s hard to say, but it came true without fail. No matter how many children the Yusupovs had, only one lived to be twenty-six.

At the same time, such instability of the family did not affect the well-being of the family. By 1917, the Yusupovs were second in wealth after the Romanovs

Yah. They owned 250 thousand acres of land, they were the owners of sugar, brick, sawmills, factories and mines, the annual income from which was more than 15 million gold rubles. And the luxury of the Yusupov palaces could be the envy of the great princes. For example, Zinaida Nikolaevna’s rooms in

Arkhangelsk and the palace in St. Petersburg were furnished with furniture from the executed French queen Marie Antoinette. The art gallery rivaled the Hermitage in its selection. And Zinaida Nikolaevna’s jewelry included treasures that previously belonged to almost all the royal courts of Europe. T

Ak, the magnificent pearl of “Pelegrina”, with which the princess never parted and is depicted in all portraits, once belonged to Philip II and was considered the main decoration of the Spanish Crown.

However, Zinaida Nikolaevna did not consider wealth happiness, and it was the curse that made the Yusupovs unhappy

The Tara sorceress.
Grandmother de Chaveau

Of all the Yusupovs, perhaps only Zinaida Nikolaevna’s grandmother, Countess de Chavo, managed to avoid great suffering due to the untimely death of her children.

Born Naryshkina, Zinaida Ivanovna married Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov while still a very young girl.

Oh, she bore him a son, then a daughter who died during childbirth, and only after that did she learn about the family curse.

Being a sensible woman, she told her husband that she was not going to “give birth to dead men” in the future, but if he hadn’t had enough, “let him give birth to the courtyard girls,” and she would not object. It went on like this

Until 1849, when the old prince died.

Zinaida Ivanovna was not forty, and she, as they would say now, went into all serious troubles. There were legends about her dizzying novels, but the greatest noise was caused by her passion for the young Narodnaya Volya member. When he was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress, the princess from

She seemed to be out of social entertainment, followed him, and through bribes and promises got him to be allowed to visit her at night.

This story was well known, they gossiped about it, but strangely enough, Zinaida Ivanovna was not condemned, recognizing the right of the stately princess to extravagances a la de Balzak.

Then in

Suddenly it all ended, for some time she lived as a recluse on Liteiny, but then, having married a ruined but well-born Frenchman, she left Russia, renounced the title of Princess Yusupova and began to be called Countess de Chaveau, Marquise de Serres.

We were reminded of the story of the young Narodnaya Volya member Yusupov

After the revolution. One of the emigrant newspapers published a report that, trying to find Yusupov’s treasures, the Bolsheviks knocked all the walls of the palace on Liteiny Prospekt. No jewelry was found, but they discovered a secret room adjacent to the bedroom in which stood a coffin with an embalmed man.

Most likely, it was the Narodnaya Volya member sentenced to death, whose body was bought by his grandmother and transported to St. Petersburg.
Miracles of the Holy Elder

However, despite all the drama in the life of Zinaida Naryshkina-Yusupova-de Chavaux-de-Serre, her family considered her happy. All husbands died of old age, daughter

She lost her during childbirth, when she had not yet had time to get used to her, she loved a lot, did not deny herself anything, and she died surrounded by her family. For the rest, despite their untold wealth, life was much more dramatic.

Zinaida Ivanovna’s son, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, had three children - a son

Boris and daughters Zinaida and Tatyana. Boris died in infancy from scarlet fever, but his daughters grew up not only very beautiful, but most importantly, healthy girls. The parents were happy until a misfortune happened to Zinaida in 1878.

The family spent the autumn of that year in Arkhangelskoye. Prince Nikolai

Borisovich, the honorary guardian, chamberlain of the court, being busy at work, came rarely and briefly. The princess introduced her daughters to her Moscow relatives and organized musical evenings. In her free time, Tatyana read, and the eldest Zinaida went horseback riding. During one of them, a girl was injured

And the leg. At first, the wound seemed insignificant, but soon the temperature rose, and Doctor Botkin, called to the estate, made a hopeless diagnosis - blood poisoning. Soon the girl fell into unconsciousness, and the family prepared for the worst.

Then Zinaida Nikolaevna said that she was unconscious

She dreamed of Father John of Kronstadt, who was familiar with their family. Having come to her senses, she asked to call him, and after the elder who arrived prayed for her, she began to recover. At the same time, the princess always added that she had not heard about the family tradition then and did not know that with her recovery she was dooming

To the death of my younger sister.

Tanya died of typhus at twenty-two.
Lightning strike

There is little left of the once rich Yusupov archives in Russia. The “drunken sailor girl” - as Felix Yusupov described her in his memoirs - was looking, first of all, for jewelry, and the ones she came across were incomprehensible

She burned the papers. Thus, the priceless library and archive of Alexander Blok perished, and the archives of almost all noble families of Russia burned in fires. Now it is necessary to restore family chronicles using acts preserved in state archives.

The Yusupovs are no exception. Completely trust those who have gone abroad

Felix Yusupov’s memoirs are impossible - he embellishes his role in the murder of Rasputin, and presents revolutionary events rather subjectively. But due to the proximity to the imperial family, the Yusupov family chronicle is not difficult to restore.

After the illness of his eldest daughter, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov became special

Enno is persistent about her marriage. As Zinaida Nikolaevna later recalled, the prince, who was ill a lot, was afraid that he would not see his grandchildren.

And soon the princess, who did not want to upset her father, agreed to meet the next contender for her hand - a relative of the emperor, the Bulgarian prince Battenberg

The contender for the Bulgarian throne was accompanied by a modest officer, Felix Elston, whose duty was to introduce the prince to the future bride and take his leave. Zinaida Nikolaevna refused the future monarch and accepted Felix’s proposal, which he made to her the day after they met. It was lu

God at first sight, and for Zinaida Nikolaevna, which everyone noted, the first and only.

Nikolai Borisovich, no matter how embarrassed his daughter’s decision was, did not contradict her, and in the spring of 1882 Felix Elston and Zinaida Yusupova got married. And a year later, the young couple had their first child, Nikolai, named

In honor of my grandfather.
Yusupovs in a straight line

The boy grew up silent and withdrawn, and no matter how hard Zinaida Nikolaevna tried to bring him closer, she failed. All her life she remembered the horror that gripped her when, on Christmas Day 1887, when she asked her son what gift he would like, he received

And the unchildish and icy answer: “I don’t want you to have other children.”

Then Zinaida Nikolaevna was confused, but it soon became clear that one of the mothers assigned to the young prince told the boy about the Nagai curse. She was fired, but the princess began to wait for the expected child with a feeling of excitement.

And also acute fear.

And at first the fears turned out to be unfounded. Nikolai did not hide his dislike for Felix, and only when he was ten years old did a feeling emerge between them that was more like friendship than the love of two relatives.

Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov died in 1891.

Shortly before his death, he asked for the highest mercy to preserve the illustrious surname, and after mourning, Zinaida Nikolaevna’s husband, Count Sumarokov-Elston, was given permission to be called Prince Yusupov.

Family rock made its presence known in 1908.
Fatal duel

In Feli's memories

Ksa Yusupova is not difficult to notice that all his life he was jealous of his mother and his older brother. He, although outwardly more like his father than Zinaida Nikolaevna, was unusually similar to her in his inner world. He was interested in theater, playing music, and painting. His stories were published under the pseudonym Rock

And even Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, who was stingy with praise, once noted the author’s undoubted talent.

After graduating from St. Petersburg University, he received a law degree. The family started talking about the upcoming marriage, but Nikolai unexpectedly fell in love with Maria Heyden, who was already engaged to Count Arvid M

Anteifel, and soon this wedding took place.

The young couple went on a trip to Europe, Nikolai Yusupov followed them, a duel could not be avoided. And it happened

On June 22, 1908, at the estate of Prince Beloselsky on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, Count Manteuffel did not miss. Nikolay Yusupov

In six months, she would have turned twenty-six years old.

“Rending screams were heard from my father’s room,” Felix Yusupov recalled years later. “I walked in and saw him, very pale, in front of the stretcher where Nikolai’s body was stretched out. His mother, kneeling before him, seemed deprived

Reason. With great difficulty we tore her away from our son’s body and put her to bed. Having calmed down a little, she called me, but when she saw me, she mistook me for her brother. It was an unbearable scene. Then my mother fell into prostration, and when she came to her senses, she did not let me go for a second.”
Vicious Cherub

When on d

Ueli Nikolai died, Zinaida Nikolaevna was nearly fifty. Now all her hopes were connected with her youngest son.

Outwardly, Felix resembled his mother extraordinarily - regular facial features, large eyes, a thin nose, puffy lips, an elegant figure. But, if contemporaries called the features of Zinaida Nikolaevna

Angelic, then no one compared her youngest son other than to a fallen angel. There was a certain depravity in his whole cherubic appearance.

He was not inclined, like his older brother or mother, towards the arts. He had no interest in military and public service, like his father or maternal relatives

Whose lines. A playmaker, a golden boy, an eligible bachelor. But with marriage everything was not so simple.

Zinaida Nikolaevna tried to influence her son, wrote to him: “Don’t play cards, limit your fun time, use your brain!” But Felix Yusupov, although he adored his mother, had to overcome himself

I was unable to. Only Zinaida Nikolaevna’s sly statement that she was sick, but did not want to die until she saw her grandchildren, prompted him to agree to marriage and promise to settle down. Opportunity presented itself quite quickly.

In 1913, the great

Prince Alexander Mikhailovich. He himself started a conversation about the marriage of his daughter Irina and Felix, and the Yusupovs happily responded. Irina Alexandrovna was not only one of the most enviable brides in the country, but also stunningly beautiful. By the way, at the beginning of the twentieth century in Russia there were three recognized beauties: Emperor

Ritsa Maria Fedorovna, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova.

The wedding took place in February 1914 in the church of the Anichkov Palace. Since the Yusupovs were now related to the reigning dynasty, the entire imperial family arrived to congratulate the newlyweds. A year later they had a baby

Che Irina.
Killer's mother

Almost everything is known about the role of Felix Yusupov in the murder of Rasputin. They lured the voluptuous old man under the pretext of meeting with Irina Alexandrovna to the palace on the Moika. First they poisoned him, then they shot him and, in the end, they drowned Rasputin in the river.

In his memoirs, Yusupov

He believes that in this way he tried to free Russia from “the dark force leading it to the abyss.” Several times he refers to his mother, who quarreled with the empress because of her dislike for Rasputin. But is it really worthy to lure a victim under the pretext of intimacy with one’s own wife? And Grigory Rasputin is unlikely

I would believe such behavior of a noble prince.

Even then, contemporaries suspected some slyness in Yusupov’s explanations and assumed that Rasputin agreed to come to settle the quarrel between the spouses caused by Felix’s homosexual inclinations.

The Empress insisted that

The conspirators were shot, but since Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov was among them, the punishment was limited to exile. Felix was exiled to the Kursk estate of Rakitnoye.

Having learned about the events in St. Petersburg, Zinaida Nikolaevna, who was in Crimea, paid a visit to the Dowager Empress.

“We always understand with you

“Ali each other,” Maria Feodorovna said slowly, slightly drawing out her words. “But I'm afraid our prayers were answered too late.” The Lord punished my son long ago by depriving him of his head. Gather your family. If we have time, it’s not much.”
Damned wealth

At the beginning of the war, almost everyone

The country's wealthy families have transferred their foreign savings to Russia. The Yusupovs were no exception. This was caused not only and not so much by patriotism, but by the desire to preserve property - no one doubted Russia’s victory.

When the revolution broke out, Felix tried to save the family

Jewels, transporting them to Moscow. But it was not possible to take them from there, and the jewelry was accidentally found eight years later.

When the Yusupovs sailed from Crimea on the destroyer Marlboro on April 13, 1919, they remained in Russia: 4 palaces and 6 apartment buildings in St. Petersburg, a palace and 8 apartment buildings

In Moscow, 30 estates and estates throughout the country, the Rakityansky sugar factory, the Milyatinsky meat plant, the Dolzhansky anthracite mines, several brick factories and much more.

But even in emigration, the Yusupovs were not among the poor. Although we have already mentioned that foreign savings starting in

The Oyns were transferred to Russia, real estate remained abroad, and the princesses constantly carried the most valuable jewelry with them and took them into exile.

After Felix bought passports and visas for several diamonds, the Yusupovs settled in Paris. They bought a house in the Bois de Boulogne, where

And they lived for many years.

The old prince died in 1928, Zinaida Nikolaevna in 1939.

She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris.

Felix Yusupov did not give up his idle life, and, in the end, all the property exported and owned abroad was wasted.

History From the military leader who was in the service of Tamerlane, and the sovereign Nogai prince (died at the beginning of the 15th century) Edigei Mangit, Musa-Murza was born in the third generation, whose son Yusuf-Murza (died in 1556) was the ancestor of the Yusupov family. He had two sons, Il-Murza and Ibrahim (Abrey), who were sent to Moscow in 1565, and a daughter by the great Tatar queen Soembike; their father's killer, Uncle Ishmael. Some of their descendants in the last years of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich received St. baptism and were written by the princes Yusupov or Yusupovo-Knyazhevo until the end of the 18th century, and after that they began to be written simply by the princes Yusupov. The homeland of the Yusupovs is considered to be the city of Saraichik, now a village in the Atyrau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From Il-Murza came two branches of the Yusupov princes: the eldest, along the line of Suyush-Murza, which died out in the 18th century. with the death of his descendant in the fifth generation, Prince Semyon Ivanovich, and the second in the line of Chin-Murza (later the senior branch), direct descendants on the paternal line in the 19th generation remained faithful to Muslim traditions and still live in Tatarstan; from Ibrahim - one junior branch of the Yusupov princes. Grigory Dmitrievich (1676-1730), the great-grandson of Il-Murza began to serve as a steward under Peter the Great; participated with him in the Azov campaigns; in the Northern War - he fought with the Swedes near Narva, Poltava and Vyborg; under Catherine I he was a senator, under Peter II he was general-in-chief (1730), the first member of the state Military Collegium and headed it from 1727 to 1730. Prince Nikolai Yusupov His son Boris Grigorievich (1696-1759) during the reign of Anna Ioannovna and under John Antonovich was the Moscow governor, under Elizaveta Petrovna he was a senator, president of the commercial board and chief director of the cadet corps. Boris Grigorievich's son Nikolai Borisovich (1750-1831) was an envoy in Turin from 1783 to 1789, then a senator; Emperor Paul I made him minister of the Department of Appanages (1800-16), and Alexander I made him a member of the State Council (from 1823). Director of the Imperial Theaters (1791-96), directed the Hermitage (1797). Owner and builder of the Arkhangelskoye estate, philanthropist. He had an art gallery and a library. His son, Boris Nikolaevich, chamberlain, left the only heir. After the death of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Jr. (1827-1890), due to the suppression of male offspring in the Yusupov family, by another imperial decree in 1891, the Yusupov title was transferred to the Sumarokov-Elston counts. In 1882, having married Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, the son of Felix Nikolaevich Sumarkov-Elston, Felix Feliksovich (1856-1928), lieutenant general (1915), in 1915 the chief commander of the Moscow Military District, since 1919 in exile. .. ...It is the highest permission to be called Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston to his son-in-law, guard lieutenant Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston, so that the princely title and surname Yu pass only to the eldest in the family of his descendants. The family of princes Yu was recorded in Part V of the genealogical book of the provinces of Oryol, Kursk and St. Petersburg. The coat of arms is included in the III part of the General Armorial. With this decree issued in 1891, he inherited the princely title of his wife and became known as: “Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarkov-Elston.” Accordingly, their children also received the right to this double title. Felix Feliksovich (1887-1957) (junior), son of Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and son of the first Yusupov-Sumarkov-Elston - Felix Feliksovich, as a joke with obvious subtext, he was called “Felix III”, in 1914 he married the niece of Emperor Nicholas II Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna, further strengthening her blood relationship with the Romanov family. This F.F. Yusupov went down in Russian history most of all because he was the organizer and active participant in the murder of G.E. Rasputin. Since 1917 in exile. [edit] Notable representatives

The fortune of the Yusupov family, which played a well-known and controversial role in the political events of the last months of the Russian monarchy, has long been the subject of assessments and discussion in popular and scientific literature. One can come across claims that on the eve of the 1917 revolution the Yusupovs were the richest people in the empire and could equal the royal family in wealth. The fabulous luxury of such persons surrounding the monarch became part of the myth of the “old order” and a convenient explanation for the hatred and violence that was demonstrated by the social “lower classes” in the revolutionary events that began. On the other hand, Soviet historians argued that the largest landowners in Russia were at the beginning of the twentieth century. in a deep economic crisis and were on the eve of financial ruin. And only support from “tsarism” kept them afloat. How did things really go?

On the eve of 1917, the last representatives of the family in Russia - Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, her husband Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov Sr., Count Sumarokov-Elston and their son Felix Feliksovich Jr. (the eldest son Nikolai died in a duel in 1908) - were indeed considered richest people in the empire. The general opinion was that the Yusupovs' wealth was no less than that of the representatives of the new industrial and financial classes, and could even be comparable to the wealth of the Romanovs. The wealth and luxury in which the Yusupovs lived amazed even members of the imperial family.

Prince Gabriel Konstantinovich, whose childhood and youth were spent in the magnificent grand ducal residences, in Pavlovsk and the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg, recalled his visit to the Yusupovs on their Crimean estate: “We once dined with the Yusupovs. They lived like a king. At the princess’s chair there stood a Tatar embroidered with gold and changed her dishes. I remember that the table was very beautifully set and that there were very beautiful plates of Danish porcelain" 1 .

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, sister of Nicholas II, also left memories of visiting the magnificent residences of the Yusupovs and the luxury that amazed even her: “I still remember their [Yusupovs’] living rooms and tables, lined with crystal bowls and uncut sapphires, emeralds and opals - all this was used For decoration". At the same time, she added the following: “I think that fabulous wealth did not spoil Princess Yusupova at all” 2. It is curious that even the personal fortune of the bride of Felix Yusupov Jr., princess of imperial blood Irina Alexandrovna 3, daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, was very modest in comparison with the capital of the family of her future husband 4.

"For the young prince there was no question of cost"

The secular chronicle of that time did not fail to pay attention to the gifts that the emperor's niece received from her groom on her wedding day. The published list includes the Yusupov family diamonds (tiara and necklace); an openwork diamond tiara, “remarkable in that diamonds alternate with rock crystal - the work of Cartier”; diamond earrings with large pendants - pear-shaped pearls; bracelet made of two large diamonds; pendant 5.

Prince M.V. Golitsyn, the son of the Moscow governor, who was present at one of the Yusupovs’ receptions at their estate near Moscow, noted: “In Arkhangelskoye, the luxury of the furnishings was striking, much greater than in Ilyinskoye 6 , and the desire of the owners to show off their wealth was evident.” 7

One of the Yusupovs’ relatives, Prince S. Obolensky, wittily noted that the Yusupovs owned so much, their monetary incomes were so great that even they themselves did not really know the true size and value of their wealth 8 .

Architect A.Ya. Beloborodov, who carried out the reconstruction of part of the Yusupov Palace on the Moika in 1914-1916. wrote in his memoirs: “One of the reasons for the exclusivity of the work for the Yusupovs was their untold wealth. For the young prince there was no question about the cost of this or that work. He was only interested in the result. There was not a shadow of petty stinginess in him, so often characteristic of very rich people ..." 9

V.A. Serov, who carried out numerous and expensive orders for the Yusupovs, in one of his letters to his wife, for example, wrote about his conversation with Prince. F.F. Yusupov-sr. regarding the financial side of his work: “Prince Yusupov, in a conversation about portraits, deigned to note that he does not ask about the price - whatever I charge, that’s how much he will pay - that’s how princely, I approve...” 10

21 million capital

In the list of the largest landowners of the Russian Empire (102 names), the Yusupovs occupied 17th place (246,400 dessiatines in 1900). However, of the 16 families whose land holdings were larger than the Yusupov estates, 13 were Ural landowners (land values ​​in these infertile areas were low, and the main income was based on industrial production and forestry). The Yusupovs' possessions were located in the central and southern Russian regions, where the cost of land was high and farming brought significant profits 11 .

In 1900, the value of the estates, city possessions and monetary capital of the Yusupov princes was 21.7 million rubles. Land holdings continued to represent the basis of the wealth of this aristocratic family. The Yusupovs' debts by January 1, 1901 amounted to 1.8 million rubles, that is, a fairly moderate amount compared to the total amount of capital 12. In subsequent years, significant investments were made in shares and bonds of commercial banks and industrial companies. By 1914, the Yusupovs already had 3.2 million rubles. securities kept in the State Noble, Moscow Merchant, Azov-Don, St. Petersburg International, St. Petersburg Commercial and Industrial, Russian for Foreign Trade and other banks 13.

The above assessment of capital is based on data from the general balance sheet of the Main Directorate for the Affairs and Estates of the Yusupovs, which included information about the estate’s real estate, land, forests, buildings, factories, movable property, and securities. The Yusupovs also owned a magnificent and numerous collection of artistic treasures, which included paintings, sculptures, a collection of musical instruments, and a huge library. Their real value can be determined very conditionally. Much of the Yusupovs’ art collection was classified as masterpieces of world significance, which, of course, determined their enormous cost. The actual size of the Yusupovs’ fortune at the beginning of the twentieth century. were significantly higher than the figures that can be found in the reports of the Main Directorate 14.

In the 1920s Soviet officials were amazed to compile lists of artistic treasures located in the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg 15. (See table No. 1)

Table No. 1

Income and expenses

What income did this huge property bring? The net profit of the Yusupov household already in the 1890s. amounted to hundreds of thousands of rubles. For example, receipts from agricultural estates and urban real estate in 1892 amounted to 365,073 rubles. 16 During 1890 - 1914 Due to significant investments and favorable economic conditions, total profitability and net profit have been constantly growing.

Statements that the aristocracy extracted only traditional land rent and spent all the funds received unproductively are untrue. Through the sale of part of the land and lending to banks, including collateral for land holdings, the Yusupovs in the two pre-war decades invested significant sums in the serious restructuring of several agricultural economies (primarily the Rakityanskoye estate in the Kursk province), the operation of industrial establishments (the Rakityanskoye sugar plant, Dolzhansky anthracite mine), organization of forestry, urban real estate. Part of the capital was transferred to securities of industrial companies, state and private banks.

The ratio of the total profitability and losses of the economy of the Yusupov princes for 1910 - 1914. can be presented in the following table 17. (See table No. 2.)

These data, which assess the profitability of the Yusupovs' farm based on income from agricultural and forestry estates, industrial funds, urban real estate and securities, require some explanation. It is obvious that, in general, the efficiency of the diversified economy of this aristocratic family was high. Fluctuations in profitability were within a fairly high general level. And 1914 brought record revenues. A sharp increase in losses in 1913 - 1914. was explained by huge interest payments on mortgages and financial loans to commercial and state banks. Actually, the losses of Yusupov's estates and industrial enterprises were negligible. And farming in the “economies”, and forestry, and industrial enterprises, and urban real estate brought constant profits.

Table N2

Extravagance of the Yusupovs

The Yusupovs had no intention of giving up their extremely wasteful lifestyle and continued to increase their personal expenses. In the pre-war years, with the high level of overall profitability of the Yusupovs' farm not decreasing, net profit decreased to 200 - 300 thousand rubles. in year:

in 1910 - 865.6 thousand rubles,

in 1911 - 797.3 thousand rubles,

in 1912 - 560.7 thousand rubles,

in 1913 - 229.9 thousand rubles,

in 1914 - 378.3 thousand rubles.

At the same time, the Yusupovs’ expenses for the personal budget, for the maintenance of residences and for charity items amounted to the following amounts 18:

in 1910 - 608.5 thousand rubles,

in 1911 - 877.3 thousand rubles,

in 1912 - 891.3 thousand rubles,

in 1913 - 910.9 thousand rubles,

in 1914 - 1,219,184 rubles.

The unproductive expenses of the Yusupovs already in 1910 absorbed most of the profits received, and starting from 1911 they even began to progressively exceed cash receipts. The huge sum over the past year was caused by the extraordinary expenses of the Yusupovs on the occasion of the marriage in February 1914 of the young Prince Felix to the princess of the imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna. The reconstruction of the chambers in the St. Petersburg Yusupov Palace on the Moika alone required more than 200 thousand rubles. Significant sums were also required for the daily maintenance of the residences of the Yusupov princes - the Arkhangelskoye estate near Moscow, palaces in Moscow and St. Petersburg, a house in Tsarskoye Selo, the luxurious Crimean estates Kokkoz and Koreiz: in 1914, 325.1 thousand rubles were spent on this. All expenses of the Yusupovs for personal needs in 1910 - 1914. by 57% exceeded the profit received 19.

General capital estimates

According to data as of January 1, 1914, the general assessment of capital (excluding debt) for the possessions and property of Princess Z.N. Yusupova amounted to 28.2 million rubles. At the same time, the total debt amounted to a huge amount of 11 million rubles. As a result, Princess Z.N.’s net worth Yusupova (minus all debt) amounted to 17.1 million rubles on January 1, 1914. 20 Capital of her husband, Prince F.F. Yusupov Sr., was estimated at 1.6 million rubles. (debts amounted to only 30,708 rubles). The capital of their son, Prince F.F. Yusupov Jr. was 0.8 million rubles. The total capital of the Yusupov family by January 1, 1914 was estimated at 30.5 million rubles. With the deduction of all debts and obligations (as was done by the Main Directorate for Estate Affairs), the estimate was significantly lower - 19.4 million rubles. 21

The economic situation of the Yusupovs was far from critical. During the period 1890 - 1914. they managed to increase their wealth. The overall assessment of the Yusupovs' capital and the overall profitability of their farm almost doubled. This reserve of financial strength allowed the Yusupovs to spend huge sums on the maintenance of luxurious palace residences, luxury goods, entertainment, hunting, personal cars and even comfortable railway carriages. This aristocratic family allocated about 5-10% (50 - 70 thousand rubles annually) of personal expenses to charity. Recipients of the funds were educational and medical institutions, as well as private individuals.

1. Gabriel Konstantinovich, leader. book In the Marble Palace. M., 2001. S. 132 - 133.
2. Meilunas A., Mironenko S. Nikolai and Alexandra. Love and life. M., 1998. P. 376.
3. The marriage between them was concluded in February 1914.
4. Thus, according to the Office of the Court, on January 1, 1917, the personal capital of Irina Aleksandrovna Yusupova was 540,775 rubles, of which 540,100 rubles. accounted for securities (RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 2. D. 4674. L. 3 vol., 4 vol.).
5. Capital and estate. St. Petersburg, 1914. N 5. P. 9-10.
6. Estate of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
7. Golitsyn M.V., book. My memories (1873 - 1917). M., 2007. pp. 109-110.
8. Obolensky S. One Man in His time. N.-Y., 1958. P. 48.
9. Beloborodov A.Ya. Work in the prince's palace. Felix Yusupova // New Journal (New York). 1962. N 70. P. 187.
10. Serov - O.F. Serova. After July 6, 1903 Arkhangelskoye // Valentin Serov in correspondence, documents and interviews. L., 1985. T. 1. P. 426.
11. Minarik L.P. Economic characteristics of the largest land owners in Russia con. XIX - early XX century M., 1971. S. 13 - 19; Lieven D. Aristocracy in Europe. 1815 - 1914. St. Petersburg, 2000. P. 70.
12. RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 347. L. 10.
13. Minarik L.P. Economic characteristics of the largest land owners in Russia con. XIX - early XX century M., 1971. P. 33; RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 347. L. 10; D. 940. L. 9 - 12.
14. The magazine “Capital and Estate” noted at the beginning of 1917: “The Yusupov mansion on the Moika is a real palace-museum, and a museum at that... alive, without collector’s deadness... One cannot help but regret that until now, with Despite the popularity of the Yusupov collections, there is no complete description of the art treasures collected in their houses in Petrograd, Moscow and Arkhangelskoye" (Capital and Estate. Pg., 1917. N 73. P. 17).
15. Gessen V.Yu. Petrograd palace-museums of the Yusupov princes and other nobles (1917 - 1927). St. Petersburg, 2016. pp. 48 - 49.
16. RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5 . D. 223. L. 27ob. - 28.
17. RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 1084. L. 16 - 18.
18. RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 1007. L. 1 - 4.
19. Anfimov A.M. Large landed estates in European Russia (late 19th - early 20th centuries). M., 1969. S. 277, 312 - 313; RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 1007. L. 3.
20. RGADA. F. 1290. Op. 5. D. 1003. L. 12 - 14.
21. Ibid. L. 14 - 16.

Prince Felix Yusupov forever went down in history primarily as the murderer of Rasputin. The dramatic events of 1916 that took place in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika River have been filmed more than once. A reliable image of Felix Yusupov in cinema was embodied by Vladimir Koshevoy in the film “Conspiracy” (2007) and in the First Channel series “Gregory R.” (year 2014). This time, the actor gave a tour of the renovated Yusupov Palace, talked about his significant meeting with Princess Ksenia Nikolaevna, the granddaughter of Felix Yusupov, who recently came to St. Petersburg, and shared with HELLO! some of her memories.

Felix Yusupov, 1916Vladimir Koshevoy in the Yusupov Palace. The actor has played Prince Yusupov more than once, and now plans to embody this image on the stage of the palace’s home theater Ksenia Nikolaevna was born in 1942 in Rome. By that time, only memories remained of the fabulous state of the family. But her grandfather and grandmother were alive, whose stories kept bringing Ksenia back to the times when the Yusupovs owned palaces in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1965, Ksenia married a Greek businessman and received the surname Sfiri. Then she gave birth to a daughter, Tatyana, and then granddaughters appeared. Nothing disturbed the measured life in Athens, but Ksenia wanted to visit St. Petersburg.

The princess first came to Russia not so long ago. It was from her that blood was taken to identify the royal remains, because the maiden name of her grandmother Irina Yusupova is Romanova, she is the niece of Nicholas II. Ksenia came to St. Petersburg for the burial ceremony of the royal family.

It was an amazing event,” Ksenia Nikolaevna said then. - We, the descendants of old Russian aristocrats, walked behind the royal coffins along the streets of St. Petersburg, which I consider the most beautiful city on earth, and felt like a part of our homeland.

Ksenia Yusupova with her daughter Tatyana and granddaughters Marilya and Jasmine-Ksenia in the former princely library

The return was very solemn: the presentation of a Russian passport and even a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Ksenia, of course, dreams of coming home more often. But, paradoxically, Ksenia Yusupova-Sfiri simply has nowhere to stay: the family is not so rich as to afford hotels in the capital.

This time she came at the invitation of the director of the Yusupov Palace, who wanted to demonstrate the updated interiors and discuss the upcoming production of “Felix. The Return” based on Yusupov’s memoirs. The play will be performed in the new theater season on the stage of the Palace's Home Theater.

The museum administration has always maintained warm relations with the descendants of Prince Yusupov. Ksenia Nikolaevna arrived at the invitation of the director of the Yusupov Palace Nina Vasilievna Kukuruzova (pictured) After touring the halls, Ksenia Nikolaevna held a two-hour service in the house church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Yusupov Palace. Back in 2005, when work began on the revival of the church, not a single detail of the interior decoration reminded that there had once been a temple here. Ksenia Yusupova cried with happiness and gratitude, because her grandfather, Felix Yusupov, was baptized here. Our conversation took place in the restored Moorish drawing room. The princess took off her shoes, climbed up onto a chair and lit a cigarette. I took a puff of pleasure and plunged into memories...

Vladimir Koshevoy and granddaughter of Felix Yusupov Ksenia NikolaevnaYouth

I was 16 years old when we began to communicate closely with my grandfather,” said the princess. - And often spent time just the two of us. He knew how to listen. He didn’t talk about Russia, we talked only about life, talked about what concerned us. I don't remember the details. I remember him entirely - his posture, his voice... He opened up the world for me. And he called her “little one,” and could always guess which member of the family was walking down the corridor. Oh, who's there? Little... We understood each other well, felt each other. We walked a lot, went to restaurants, cinema, theater. They especially loved comedies. We laughed a lot. He wanted more joy than drama. Grandfather didn't sing well, but he sang sweetly. With guitar, ballads. As for music, Albinoni always sounded in the house. My granddaughters and I have a record by a Venetian composer; when we play it, we remember our grandfather.

Holidays

The most important holidays in the family are birthdays. What could be more important than our family members? We ourselves. One day when I was little, they were deciding what to give as a gift. We had very little money. Thinking: throw a party or buy a gift? And grandfather decided: shoes. Said, "I want to be the first man to give you shoes." I remember they were fashionable and white. This is the beauty of the act."

Character

He became very angry when his requests were not fulfilled. I didn't like to put it off until tomorrow. He demanded it be done this minute. If his grandmother, Irina Yusupova from the Romanov family, was a pessimist, then he was always determined for the best - an optimist. Yes, even if today is not the way we would like, but tomorrow will be a new day. Everything will change. And grandfather also said: “Look at everything with kindness and love, and then a beautiful world will be open to you.”

Rasputin

I knew nothing about this story, and my grandfather asked me to read his memoirs. He said that he wrote everything in the book for me. He was sure that Rasputin was a bad person. I read the book 15 times and every time I hear his voice, he is not a writer - a storyteller.

Movie

I never watch films about my grandfather. Because everyone is only interested in Rasputin, and Felix’s identity is never revealed. Grandfather was a very theatrical person, and he wanted to live brightly. I wanted to make a good impression, but inside I remained a 16-year-old boy. And this was its beauty and spontaneity. He had charisma and star appeal, thanks to which he always found himself at the epicenter of events.

Actions

"Grandfather was impractical, romantic and very kind. In recent years, he set himself the goal of helping the dying. He found time to go to the hospital to the seriously ill to cheer them up. Not many people know about this. And when seriously ill people died, from the hospital They telephoned and asked: “Come, they are waiting for your conversations and are leaving life lightly.” This is his youthful credo: “The good that we have comes from the good that we give.” I always repeated this to me. I’ll remember a few of these things and I’ll cry... But I don’t want to at all.”

Home theater

“Whoever has performed on this stage - Franz Liszt, Pauline Viardot, Fyodor Chaliapin, Eduard Napravnik, Anna Pavlova! The performances attracted famous guests, including members of the imperial family. I don’t like it when they call it a “palace” - for For me, this is a house with its own special aura. I would really like to see a play about the life of Yusupov’s grandfather on this unique stage, which can be called the “cultural core” of Russian emigration. A production based on his memoirs is a return to the roots, a combination of modern Russia and emigrant Russia. This is the connection between generations."

Ksenia Yusupova was very pleased with the restoration in the palace and the work of the team. In parting, she cordially thanked her family for the warm welcome and promised to attend the premiere of the play "Felix. The Return"

The Yusupov family is very ancient. Its history goes back to the Muslim Middle Ages, to the Baghdad Caliphate of the 10th century. This is evidenced not only by family legends, but also by the ancient family document “Genealogy of the Yusupov princes from Abubekir.” The chronicle is dated 1602 and is stored in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts in Moscow. The text is illegible, with losses. Perhaps this is why many historians called the legendary Abu Bakr (Abubekir) (572–634), the friend and father-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, who after his death was elected the first caliph of the Islamic state, the ancestor of the Yusupovs.

However, in 1866–67. Prince N.B. Yusupov Jr. amended this version. In the historical work “On the Family of Princes Yusupov”, he wrote that his ancestor was the same-name father-in-law of Mohammed three centuries later, Abubekir ben-Rayok, who also ruled all Muslims. Caliph al-Radi bi-l-lah (934–940) granted his supreme commander all power, spiritual and temporal, as well as the right to dispose of the treasury. The governor of Babylonia and the ancestor of the Yusupovs was treacherously killed during his sleep in 942.

Twelve generations of Abu Bakr's descendants lived in the Middle East. They were sultans, emirs, caliphs throughout the entire space from Egypt to India.

One of them, the third son of Sultan Babatiukles, who ruled in Mecca, Termes, in the 12th century. went with people devoted to him to the north and settled between the Don and the Volga, and then between the Volga and the Urals.

His descendant - the legendary Edigei (1340s–1419), an ally of Tamerlane and the killer of Tokhtamysh, founded at the beginning of the 15th century. Nogai Horde. Edigei's great-great-grandson, Khan Yusuf (1480s–1555), lived and corresponded with Ivan the Terrible for 20 years. Under him, the Nogai Horde reached the peak of its power, the “Tsar of All Rus'” recognized its sovereignty and regularly purchased hardy steppe horses from the Nogais - the main wealth of the nomads. However, having conquered Kazan, Grozny captured the queen of the Kazan kingdom, Syuyumbek, the daughter of Khan Yusuf. Angry, the ruler of the Nogai Horde wanted to terminate the peace treaty with Russia. This was prevented by Yusuf's brother Ishmael. He killed the khan, and Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupov-Knyazhevo (?–1694) (Abdul-Murza), the great-grandson of Nogai Khan Yusuf, who converted to Orthodoxy in 1681, sent his two sons, Il-Murza and Ibrahim-Murza, to Moscow as a guarantee peace.

John IV granted the descendants of Yusuf many villages and hamlets in the Romanov district (now Tutaevsky district of the Yaroslavl region). Thus began the Yusupovs’ service to Russia.

Il-Murza's grandson Abdul-Murza fought for his new homeland against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. Under Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, during During Lent, out of ignorance, he fed Patriarch Joachim, who was visiting, a goose. The Patriarch praised the “fish”, after which Abdul-Murza boasted of his cook, who could cook a goose “for fish”. Joachim and the king, when they learned about what had happened, were terribly angry. Abdul-Murza thought hard for three days and decided to convert to Orthodoxy. During the ritual, he received the name Dmitry and the title “prince” instead of the Tatar “Murza”, was forgiven and saved from ruin.

That same night, according to family legend, the prophet Muhammad appeared to him in a dream and cursed the Yusupov family for apostasy. According to the curse, from now on only one man in each generation would survive to the age of 26. And so it happened.

During the Streltsy revolt of 1682, Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupov led a detachment of warriors and Tatars to the Trinity Lavra to guard the young Tsars John and Peter Alekseevich, for which he was granted estates in the Romanovsky district into hereditary possession.

His son, Grigory Dmitrievich (1676–1730), is one of the closest associates of Peter I. A brave warrior, he fought for his emperor in many battles: Azov campaigns, the siege of Narva, the capture of the Nyenschanz fortress at the mouth of the Neva, the battle near the village of Lesnoy. Grigory Dmitrievich also participated in civil affairs: he led the creation of a rowing flotilla in Nizhny Novgorod, controlled the supply and financial support of the Russian army, and conducted investigations in search commissions for abuses. When Peter I died, three people were the first to follow his coffin: His Serene Highness Prince A.D. Menshikov, Count F.M. Apraksin and Prince G.D. Yusupov.

The prince was also favored by subsequent emperors. Catherine I awarded him the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. The grandson of Peter I - Peter II - granted Grigory Dmitrievich an old Moscow mansion in Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky Lane, elevated him to lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and confirmed him as a senator. Since 1727, Yusupov became the leading member of the Military Collegium, and shortly before his death he was promoted to general-in-chief by Empress Anna Ioannovna.

Prince Grigory Dmitrievich received the largest land grants in the history of the family. Under different rulers, he received estates in the Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Kaluga, Kursk, Kharkov, Voronezh and Yaroslavl provinces from the possessions of the disgraced princes Koltsov-Masalsky and Menshikov.

His son - Boris Grigorievich (1695–1759) - in 1717 among 20 Russian nobles sons were sent by Peter I to study in France - at the Toulon School of Midshipmen. However, he did not inherit his father's warlike character and preferred civilian service to military service. During the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, Boris Grigorievich was appointed Moscow Governor-General (1740), and under Elizaveta Petrovna he received the status of an actual Privy Councilor, served as the chief director of the Ladoga Canal, president of the Commerce Collegium, director of Russia's first Land Noble Cadet Corps - a privileged educational institution for noble children. During the performance of his service, Boris Grigorievich was noted for his initiative to connect the Ladoga Canal with the Volga and Oka, introduced improvements in the methods of producing Russian cloth in state-owned factories, and also contributed to the theatrical activities of students of the cadet corps. Among the latter at that time was A.P. Sumarokov, a future outstanding playwright. The stage experiences of noble children delighted Elizaveta Petrovna so much that in 1756 she issued a decree establishing the first Russian public theater.

The son of Boris Grigorievich, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (1751–1831), a brilliant nobleman of the “golden age”, became especially famous for his affinity for art. Catherine" and one of her many favorites, and perhaps for some time her lover. In any case, in his office there hung a painting in which he and Catherine II were depicted naked in the form of Apollo and Venus.

“The envoy of a young crowned wife,” as Pushkin put it, was friends with Voltaire, Diderot and Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais dedicated an enthusiastic poem to him. In Europe, Yusupov was received by all monarchs: Joseph II in Vienna, Frederick the Great in Berlin, Louis XVI and Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris. The prince assembled a brilliant collection of contemporary Western European painting and sculpture, comparable, according to the art critic and artist Alexandre Benois, with similar departments of the Louvre and the Hermitage. He was in correspondence and friendship with the most important masters of the French and Italian school: J.-B. Grezôme, J.-L. David, J. Vernet, G. Robert. The Russian aristocrat quickly gained a reputation as a “connoisseur of the arts.” Catherine II took advantage of the prince’s connections and entrusted him with the purchase of paintings for the recently created Hermitage, as well as the study of porcelain making in Europe. Yusupov acquired the best works of art for Russia and at the same time for himself. For example, in Italy he convinced Pope Pius VI to give permission for a complete copy of Raphael's famous loggias. Later he transported copies to St. Petersburg.

Returning to Russia, the prince occupied a number of important government posts. At various times he served as director of the Hermitage, imperial theaters, glass and porcelain factories, tapestries manufactory, president of the Manufacture College, minister of appanages, commander-in-chief of the Kremlin Buildings Expedition and the Armory Chamber. Since 1823 N.B. Yusupov is a member of the State Council. Unique in history, he was the supreme marshal at the coronation of three Russian emperors - Paul I, Alexander I and Nicholas I. When this nobleman received all imaginable posts and awards, a precious pearl epaulette was created especially for him.

Having married a relative of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin, the prince leaves her and the children in St. Petersburg, and he himself moves to Moscow. Not the least role in traveling The dignitary's famous love for women played a role. This feature was noted by many contemporaries. On his estate hung 300 portraits of women whose favor he enjoyed. All of Moscow was full of stories about the love affairs of the elderly prince. In addition to cohabiting with many of his serf actresses, Yusupov had another house opposite the palace in Bolshoy Kharitonyevsky, surrounded by a high stone wall, where the seraglio with 15–20 of his most pretty courtyard girls was located. In addition, the prince openly supported the famous dancer Voronina-Ivanova, to whom he presented rare diamonds at a benefit performance.

Having moved to Moscow, Yusupov buys the Arkhangelskoye estate near Moscow from Prince Golitsyn and completes the creation of the “Russian Versailles” begun by the previous owner. He transports his huge collection of works of art here, creates a park, and builds new buildings. The life of Nikolai Borisovich in his old age was a typical example of the life of a brilliant nobleman of Catherine’s times. “Surrounded by marble, painted and living beauty,” according to Herzen, “the old skeptic and epicurean Yusupov... magnificently died out for 80 years...” A fish with gold earrings at the gills swam in the fountains of Arkhangelsk, and a tame eagle after a certain period of time flew up to the spire . It was rumored that Prince Yusupov, while in Paris, took the elixir of eternal youth, because it seemed as if he was not aging. At the age of 80, Nikolai Borisovich had an 18-year-old mistress from a serf theater troupe. The sybarite nobleman, in order to maintain his pleasures, went into debt and died quite suddenly from a cholera epidemic. Prince P.A. Vyazemsky, having visited Arkhangelskoye, left the following description of Yusupov: “On the street there was an eternal holiday, in the house there was an eternal celebration of celebrations... Everything about him was radiant, deafening, intoxicating.”

His son, Boris Nikolaevich (1794–1849), is the complete opposite of his father. He was distinguished by his remarkable practical acumen, but showed indifference to the arts. The new owner of Arkhangelsky dissolved the theater troupe, rented out the porcelain factory and buildings, and moved the collection of paintings to St. Petersburg to a newly acquired mansion on Moika, 94. Herzen complained that the estate near Moscow was turning from “a beautiful flower into a garden plant.” True, a garden plant, for all its lack of aesthetics, brings practical benefits, unlike a beautiful flower. “Art connoisseur” Nikolai Borisovich left to his descendants not only “483 paintings and 21 marble sculptures,” but also almost two and a half million different debts, and the richest of the Yusupov estates were unprofitable at the time of his death. Having entered into inheritance rights, Boris Nikolaevich became the owner of about 250 thousand acres of land and over 40 thousand peasants. A straightforward, sincere, patriotic, religious, active and very practical man, he sent his yard boys to learn crafts rather than literacy, took care of their religious education, and considered teaching dancing and music unnecessary. Under him, the profitability of Yusupov's estates increased sharply.

Boris Nikolaevich's wife, nee Naryshkina, was a very beautiful lady. 15 years younger than her husband, she led a social salon life, and after his death she left married a young French nobleman, accepted a new citizenship and settled in her own mansion in the middle of the royal park in Boulogne.

The son of Prince Boris, Nikolai, named after the legendary grandfather, is the last representative of the Yusupov family in the male line. Having received his education at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, he made a good court career - he was promoted to full state councilor and granted chambermaster of the highest court. The prince devoted all his free time to his various hobbies. The artistically gifted and subtle nature of Nikolai Borisovich Jr. combined a passion for collecting, music, history and philosophy. The prince was a member of the Paris Conservatory, the Roman Academy of Music, and the Munich Art Society. In 1866–67 he published a two-volume historical work “On the Family of Princes Yusupov.” N.B. died Yusupov Jr. abroad in 1891, where he spent a considerable part of his life, carrying out diplomatic assignments for the court.

The health of the last Yusupov, like the health of his wife, Tatyana Alexandrovna, née Ribopierre, was quite fragile; in addition, the spouses were cousins ​​to each other. They had two beautiful daughters. The youngest, Tatyana, died of typhus at the age of 22. It was rumored in the world that from that time on the Yusupov family curse spread to the female half.

Seven years before his death, N.B. Yusupov Jr. petitioned the highest name for permission to transfer his name, title and coat of arms to his son-in-law - the husband of his eldest daughter. The chosen one of Zinaida Nikolaevna (1861–1939) was Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston, a cornet of the Cavalry Guard Regiment and, according to rumor, a descendant of M.I. Kutuzov and the Prussian king Frederick William IV. The Count, a tall, stately brunette with an energetic gait, belonged to the highest military aristocracy: from 1911 he was a general in His Majesty's retinue, in 1914 he was appointed chief commander of the Moscow Military District and Governor-General of Moscow. Zinaida Nikolaevna chose him solely at the call of her heart, because at one time representatives of the most noble families of Europe, not excluding the reigning families, wooed her, for example, two French infantas or the Bulgarian Crown Prince Batenberg. At the end of the 19th century. The Yusupovs owned fabulous wealth and one of the largest landowner estates in the country. In terms of capital, they occupied one of the first places in the empire; in 1900, the value of the real estate they owned was 21.3 million rubles.

The more significant is the step taken by the Yusupovs in 1900. Zinaida Nikolaevna and Felix Feliksovich bequeathed all the artistic values ​​of the family in the event of its sudden termination in favor of the state. These include extensive collections of art and jewelry, palaces in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Arkhangelsk, as well as a number of estates in Central Russia.

A major role in making this decision belonged to Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna. A beauty, a subtle, spiritual woman, she had exceptional spiritual qualities, which were recognized by many contemporaries. During her reign, all the Yusupov estates were restored. Arkhangelskoye came back to life again, great princes began to visit there, and, as in the old days, famous artists and cultural figures visited here. The Moscow Palace in Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky underwent artistic restoration and came to life after a long break. With funds from the family, in 1912 they created the Roman Hall of the Museum of Fine Arts named after Emperor Alexander III in Moscow (now the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts). The artist Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov, who painted exclusively people he liked, created portraits of the Yusupovs and their two sons. He visited Arkhangelskoye several times and left the following opinion about Zinaida Nikolaevna: “a glorious princess... there is something subtle, good in her... she is generally understanding.”

The fate of her children was dramatic and even tragic. The eldest son - Nikolai -
a multi-talented young man, as if once again confirming the family
legend of a curse, was killed in a duel over a woman at the age of 25. During the duel with Count Meineufel, Nikolai deliberately shot into the air twice. As a sign of this tragic event, the Yusupovs commissioned the architect Klein, the author of the Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka, to build a temple-tomb in Arkhangelskoye. The building has 26 pairs of columns - the fatal number of the family.

The fate of the youngest son - Felix Feliksovich, Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston Jr. (1887–1967) - is full of twists and turns. Handsome and a master of outrageousness, a reveler and a frivolous rake, he was one of the main scandalous heroes of the secular bohemia of the pre-war years. In 1914, Felix married the fragile princess of imperial blood “with the profile of a cameo” Irina Alexandrovna. A mansion was built for the young couple in St. Petersburg, and soon they had a girl, Princess Irina Feliksovna. Further events are more reminiscent of an action-packed detective story.

In November 1916, Felix Yusupov organized the murder of the Tsar's favorite Grigory Rasputin. In addition to him, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, famous politician V. Purishkevich, front-line soldier Lieutenant A. Sukhotin and military doctor S. Lazovert are participating in the conspiracy. Yusupov, under some pretext, brings the “old man” to a mansion on the Moika, after which he feeds him cakes with potassium cyanide. The murder turned out to be very bloody and difficult, as if marking the near future of the country. Rasputin does not die for a long time - he is repeatedly shot at, beaten, and eventually thrown into an icy river. The Empress is furious - she demands Felix's execution. But Nicholas II exiles him to the Rakitnoye estate in the Kursk province, where the young prince’s mother and wife immediately arrive. Here they learned about the February Revolution and the abdication of the sovereign.

Until the spring of 1919, the entire family lived in the Crimean Romanov estate Ai-Todor. Previously, on the peninsula, the Yusupovs owned a palace in Koreiz near Yalta, as well as an estate in Kokkozy. Now the Bolsheviks are in charge there - the time of “Red Terror” has come. The situation is very unstable and resembles anarchy. Felix visits Petrograd and Moscow several times to hide some of his wealth. Together with the butler Grigory Buzhinsky, he makes several hiding places in the palaces on the Moika and Bolshoy Kharitonyevsky. The Yusupovs hope to return. Afterwards, the Bolsheviks tortured Buzhinsky, and all the treasures were found and expropriated. And in 1919, returning to Crimea, Felix took two of the best portraits by Rembrandt from his collection.

In April 1919, the Dowager Empress and her relatives, including the Yusupovs, left Russia. Zinaida Nikolaevna and Felix Feliksovich Sr. settled in Rome. Irina and Felix Yusupov first settled in London, then moved to Paris, buying a small house in the Boulognesur-Seine area.

In 1928, Felix Feliksovich Sr. died. His wife moved to Paris with her son. The famous fashion salon IRFE gathered in Felix’s house; here you could meet Kuprin, Bunin, Teffi, Vertinsky and many others. The owner of the salon, a tall, slender man “with an iconographic face of Byzantine writing,” was known as “the man who killed Rasputin.” Rich American women did everything they could to get to know him. The prince himself missed Russia and wrote memoirs, which ended up in Hollywood and became the basis for the film.

Since the late 1930s. Yusupov more than once received offers from the Nazis for cooperation, which he rejected. They took revenge by not returning the wealth stored in Berlin banks. After the war, the Yusupovs completely went bankrupt.

In 1967, at the age of 80, Felix Yusupov died in Paris. A few months before his death, he adopted 18-year-old Mexican Victor Contreras, who later became a famous sculptor and painter.

The daughter of Felix and Irina, the younger Irina, married Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev. The newlyweds settled in Rome, where in 1942 their daughter Ksenia was born. It was she who managed to set foot on Russian soil after more than 70 years of emigration. In the spring of 1991, she crossed the threshold of the palace on the Moika, where five generations of her ancestors lived. Three years later, Princess Ksenia attended the funeral liturgy in a dilapidated family church in the village of Spasskoe near Moscow - five Yusupov burials have been preserved here. The same number of graves of an ancient family are located in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois in the outskirts of Paris.

In 2000, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Ksenia Nikolaevna Yusupova-Sheremeteva, married to Sfiri, in response to her request, Russian citizenship was granted. In 2004, the family of Tatiana, the only daughter of the princess, gave birth to their first child, a girl named Marilla. The ancient line continues.