Since ancient times, a surname could change a person’s life, it carried the whole history of the family and gave many privileges. People spent a lot of effort and finances on having a good title, and sometimes sacrificed their lives for this. For a simple resident of Tsarist Russia, it was almost impossible to get on the list of nobles.
Types of Titles
There were many titles in tsarist Russia, each of them had its own history and carried its own capabilities. All the noble families followed the family tree and very carefully selected couples for their family members. The marriage of two noble families was, rather, a thoughtful calculation, rather than a love relationship. Russian noble families kept together and did not let members without a title into their families.
Among such genera could be:
- Princes
- Counts.
- Barons.
- Kings.
- Dukes.
- Marquises.
Each of these genera had its own history and led its own family tree. The nobleman was strictly forbidden to start a family with a commoner. Thus, it was almost impossible for an ordinary ordinary citizen of tsarist Russia to become a nobleman, except for very great achievements in front of the country.
Princes of Rurikovich
Princes - one of the highest noble titles. Members of such a family always had a lot of land, finance and slaves. It was a great honor for a family representative to be at court and help the ruler. By showing himself, a member of the princely family could become a trusted special ruler. Famous noble families of Russia in most cases had a princely title. But the titles could be divided by the methods of obtaining them.
One of the most famous princely surnames of Russia was Rurikovich. The list of noble families begins with her. Rurikovich are immigrants from Ukraine and descendants of the Grand Duke of Great Russia Igor. The roots of many European rulers come from the Rurik dynasty. This is a strong dynasty, which brought the world many famous rulers who for a long time were in power throughout Europe. But a number of historical events that took place at that time divided the family into many branches. Russian noble families, such as Pototsky, Przemysl, Chernigov, Ryazan, Galitsky, Smolensk, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Belozersky, Suzdal, Smolensk, Moscow, Tver, Starodubsky belong to the genus Rurikovich.
Other princely titles
In addition to the descendants of the Rurikovich clan, the noble families of Russia can be such as the Otyaevs. This clan got its title thanks to the good warrior Khvostov, who had the nickname Otyai in the army, and has been going on since one thousand five hundred and forty-three.
The Offrosmovs are an example of a strong will and a great desire to achieve a goal. The founder of the clan was a strong and courageous warrior.
Pogozhevs are immigrants from Lithuania. Oratory and the ability to conduct military negotiations helped to obtain the princely title to the founder of the clan.
The list of noble families can also include Pozharsky, Field, Pronchishchev, Protopopov, Tolstoy, Uvarov.
Earl titles
But surnames of noble origin are not only princes. Also, the high dynasty and powers at court were count dynasties. This title was also considered very high and gave a lot of authority.
To receive the count's title was a great achievement for any member of the royal society. Such a title in the first place made it possible to have power and be closer to the ruling dynasty. The noble families of Russia for the most part consist of counts. To achieve this title was easiest when conducting successful military operations.
One of these names is Sheremetev. This is a count kind that exists in our time. Army General Boris Sheremetyev received this title for his achievements in conducting military operations and serving the royal family.
Ivan Golovkin - the founder of another surname of noble origin. According to many sources, this is the count of the Roman Empire, who appeared in Russia after the wedding of his only daughter. One of the few count families that ended in the only representative of the dynasty.
The noble surname Minich had many branches, and the main reason for this was a large number of women in this genus. At the marriage, the women Milich took a double surname and mixed the titles.
The courtiers received many counts during the reign of Ekaterina Petrovna. She was a very generous queen and awarded the titles of many of her commanders. Thanks to her, such names as Efimovsky, Gendrikov, Chernyshev, Razumovsky, Ushakov and many others appeared in the list of nobles.
Barons at court
Famous noble families also had many holders of baron titles. Among them there are tribal families and granted barons. Get this, like all other titles, it was possible with the good service of the royal family. And of course, the simplest and most effective way was to conduct military operations for the homeland.
This title was very popular in the Middle Ages. The family title could be obtained by wealthy families who sponsored the royal family. This title appeared in the fifteenth century in Germany and, like everything new, gained great popularity. The royal family practically sold it to all wealthy families who had the opportunity to help and sponsor all the royal undertakings.
To approach the rich families, Peter the Great introduced a new title - the Baron. One of the first owners of this title was the banker de Smith. Thanks to banking and trading, this clan earned its finances and was elevated by Peter to the rank of baron.
Russian noble families with the title of baron also replenished with the surname Fridriks. Like de Smith, Yuri Fridriks was a good banker who lived and worked at the royal court for a long time. Born in the titled family of Yuri, also received the title under Tsarist Russia.
In addition to them, there were a number of surnames with the title of baron, information about which was stored in military documents. These are warriors who earned their titles by actively participating in hostilities. Thus, the noble families of Russia were replenished with such members as: Baron Plotto, Baron von Rummel, Baron von Malama, Baron Ustinov and the family of brothers Baron Schmidt. Most of them came from European countries and came to Russia on work matters.
Royal families
But not only the titled births are included in the list of noble families. Russian noble families for many years led the royal families.
One of the most ancient royal families of Russia was the Godunovs. This is a royal family that has been in power for many years. The first of this family was Tsarina Godunova, who formally ruled the country for only a few days. She abandoned the throne, and decided to spend her life in a monastery.
The next, no less famous surname of the Tsarist Russian family is Shuiskys. This dynasty spent a little time under power, but was included in the list of noble families of Russia.
The great Queen Skavronska, better known as Catherine the First, also became the founder of the royal family dynasty. Do not forget about such a royal dynasty as Biron.
Dukes at court
The noble families of Russia also have the title of dukes. Obtaining the title of duke was not so easy. Basically these families belonged to the very rich and ancient families of Tsarist Russia.
The owners of the title Duke in Russia were the Chertozhansky family. The clan existed for many centuries and was engaged in agriculture. It was a very rich family that had a lot of land.
The Duke of Nesvizh is the founder of the city of the same name Nesvizh. There are many versions of the origin of this family. The duke was a great connoisseur of art. His castles were the most wonderful and beautiful buildings of the time. Possessing large lands, the duke had the opportunity to help Tsarist Russia.
Menshikov is another of the famous ducal families in Russia. Menshikov was not just a duke, he was a famous military leader, army general and governor of St. Petersburg. Received his title for the achievement and service of the royal crown.
Marquise title
The title of marquise in tsarist Russia was mainly given to wealthy families of foreign origin. It was an opportunity to join foreign capital into the country. One of the most famous surnames was Traverse. This is an ancient French clan whose representatives were at the royal court.
Among the Italian marquises was the genus Paululchi. Having received the title of Marquis, the family remained in Russia. Another Italian clan received the title of Marquis at the royal court of Russia - Albizzi. This is one of the richest Tuscan families. They earned all their income from entrepreneurial activities in the manufacture of fabrics.
