Family tree of the Yusupovs. Family of princes Yusupov. About the hardships of family life

Shortly before the revolution it was difficult to find noble family, whose founders lived in ancient times. At that time, among the rich families there were mainly people from the merchant class, and this family was a model of respect and veneration for its roots and pedigree. Perhaps it is precisely this unbreakable connection with their ancestors that explains the stamina and endurance of all members of this influential family.

The history of the Yusupov family name dates back to the times of Ivan the Terrible. The ancestor of the future nobles was Yusuf-Murza, the Nogai Khan. He sent his descendants to Moscow so that they could feed the city of Romanov, receive baptism according to the Orthodox model and find new house. According to official data, the period from the 16th to the 17th centuries can be considered the time from which the history of the family began.

Yusuf's descendants always enjoyed respect and were close to royal family. So, great-grandson of the khan,Grigory Dmitrievichhad merits before Peter the Great. He took part in the Azov campaigns and the Northern War. His sonBoris Grigorievichserved as governor during the reign of Empress Anna Ioanovna.his descendant received from Paul I the title of Minister of the Department of Appanages, and Emperor Alexander I, who replaced him, made Nicholas a member of the State Council.

Tragedy of the family

Look at the photo of the family tree: the history of the Yusupov family is surprising in that they always had only one heir in the male line. There were other sons, but they never lived to see mature age. Therefore, their family tree has no additional lines, it is straight and unbranched. In those days, this was rare; usually high-born families had many relatives and descendants.

There is a legend that it is imposed on the whole family terrible curse. Allegedly, Yusuf's fellow tribesmen learned that he had converted his descendants to another faith, were angry and killed the khan himself as soon as he crossed the border of his state. They found a steppe witch who doomed family members to a terrible fate. Of all the children born within a generation, only one lived to be 26 years old.

This story was repeated from ancestors to descendants, and for good reason, there was too much evidence of its veracity. The couple actually had only one son left, who had reached the age of 26. Family members were wary of this frightening legend, and all the servants in the house, without any doubt, accepted the superstition at face value.

Historians who conducted research on the Yusupov noble family have a different opinion on this matter. They discovered that the death of sons at a young age did not begin immediately after the emergence of an eminent family. The legendary “curse of the family” manifested itself only after the death of Boris Grigorievich; before him, no such cases of death at a young age were recorded. In addition, the curse applied only to men. There were no such problems with girls; they lived to old age much more often. Therefore, researchers have put forward the version that the cause of the tragedy was not a mythical curse at all, but genetic disease transmitted through the male line.

Since there was only one son and heir in the family, the family of the Yusupov princes throughout for long years was on the verge of extinction. However, this had a positive impact on the well-being of the family. Unlike other famous families with many descendants, the funds were not distributed among the heirs, nor were they wasted by numerous relatives. The family's wealth always remained in the house and was concentrated in the hands of one owner.We will tell you about the most prominent representativesdynasties. Storiestheir lives are fascinating, full of mysteries and amazing events.

Zinaida Ivanovna

Boris Nikolaevich's wife came from an influential and noble Naryshkin family. She was betrothed at the age of fifteen, while her chosen one was already thirty. Boris was a widower at that time. Having met the young maid of honor Zinaida Ivanovna at the coronation celebrations, the prince was fascinated by her beauty. It was not easy to gain the favor of the bride's parents, so Boris Ivanovich was forced to get married several times. The history of the Yusupov family says that the wedding was postponed several times.

Finally, on January 19, 1827, the wedding took place in Moscow. The ceremony was extremely unsuccessful: the groom was forced to return home because he forgot to receive a blessing from his father, the bride dropped wedding ring and lost it, so I had to take another one. The couple's family life did not work out from the very beginning. Young and energetic Zinaida was unhappy in the company of her gloomy and thoughtful husband; in letters to her father she noted that she was bored in St. Petersburg. Soon a tragedy occurred that completely destroyed the already fragile family ties. After the birth of her son Nikolai, Zinaida gave birth to a daughter, but she died during childbirth. Having learned about the family curse, the princess flatly refused to give birth to more children and allowed her husband to have connections on the side and have mistresses. Their marriage from that moment became a formality.

The princess was young and very pretty. Historians who have studied the Yusupov dynasty note that, according to contemporaries, she was slender and tall, had a thin waist and beautiful dark eyes. The thirst for entertainment pushed her into numerous novels. All high society knew about her adventures and reputation, but many influential families continued to show respect to Zinaida Ivanovna because of her friendly disposition and noble surname.

After the death of her husband in 1849, the princess left the Russian Empire and met a young Frenchman. Their age difference was 20 years. They got married in 1861 in the homeland of Zinaida Ivanovna. The nobility reacted negatively to unequal marriage, therefore, the princess acquired for her husband the title of Count of Chauveau and Marquis de Serres, and she herself began to be called Countess de Chauveau. So she broke all ties with the cursed, in her opinion, family of the Yusupov princes and began a new life in France.

The only son of Zinaida Ivanovna, who went to France, Nikolai Borisovich. In fact, the history of the Yusupov family name is interrupted with him, since he was the last descendant in the male line.

Nikolai was a passionate collector, collecting musical instruments, works of art, and jewelry. One of the most great values, which was then passed down from generation to generation in the family - Pelegrin's pearl. With her, Zinaida, the daughter of Nikolai Borisovich, poses in almost all of her portraits.

Nikolai was very sensitive to art. He collected himself a unique collection of paintings, however, his gallery was always closed to visitors. Also, following the example of our ancestors, early age took part in charity work, for which he received the respect of his contemporaries.

The prince's family life was also not without difficulties. He was in love with his half-cousin, Tatyana Alexandrovna Ribopierre. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, such a marriage was unacceptable, so the newlyweds had to get married in secret. A case was opened against this union at the Synod, but Emperor Alexander II himself ordered the spouses to be left alone.

The marriage produced three children: son Boris and daughters Tatyana and Zinaida. The boy died at an early age from illness, and Tatyana died at the age of 22. By official version The cause of death was typhus, epidemics of which occurred quite often at that time. And again, in the biography of the Yusupov family, a moment arises when only one descendant of the prince remains alive. This time, not the heir, but the heiress of a multimillion-dollar fortune, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna, became the only legal owner of the family wealth.

Zinaida Nikolaevna

Contemporaries spoke of the princess as a woman of extraordinary intelligence and beauty. She received an excellent education, knew several languages, and the most noble suitors, including august persons, sought her hand in marriage. Her father admitted that he would like to see his daughter on the throne, but she was not ambitious and refused everyone, wanting to find a chosen one to her liking. He turned out to be Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, whom Zinaida Nikolaevna married in 1882. Their marriage was happy, despite the differences in views and interests of the spouses. Felix was a military man and did not really like the noble circles in which his wife preferred to be. However, the social receptions that the couple held on their estates were famous throughout the empire. Not only Russian but also Western aristocrats were invited to them.

Zinaida Ivanovna was passionate about dancing and knew how to perform both ballroom and Russian folk dances. During a costume ball in the Winter Palace, the princess danced so superbly that the guests applauded and called her out five times. Also, the owner of the fortune of the noble Yusupov family was famous for her generosity and conducted charitable activities.

During the marriage, the couple had two sons. The first-born, Nikolai, did not live to see his 26th birthday for only six months and was killed in a duel with Count Arvid Manteuffel. Their youngest son, Felix Feliksovich, survived - the last descendant in the history of the family of the Yusupov princes.

Felix Feliksovich

For those interested in the biography and history of the Yusupov family, it will be very interesting to read Felix’s memoirs. In them, he talks fascinatingly about his youth, relationships with family members, about his brilliant mother and brother Nikolai. He married Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, who was related to the ruling emperor of the Russian Empire.

During their honeymoon the First World War began World War. The couple were detained as prisoners of war in Germany until the end of the war. Prince Felix's father brought the Spanish ambassador into the matter. Thanks to his diplomatic actions, the young people managed to escape to Russia, where they began to arrange military hospitals.

Felix and Irina had a daughter, whose godparents were Emperor Nicholas himself and his wife.Felix Feliksovich was involved in the murder of Rasputin, as he considered him to be the culprit of all the misfortunes that were happening in the country at that time. The prince participated in organizing the murder of Rasputin. He stated that he must be removed by any means and his influence on the sovereign and empress must be stopped, even at the cost of murder.

After October revolution The Yusupov family moved abroad. At first they lived in London, and then, having sold several family jewels, acquired estates in France.To improve their financial situation, the couple opened a fashion house, but it did not bring significant profit. Felix's greatest success was his winning a lawsuit with Hollywood. One of the studios made the film “Rasputin and the Empress,” in which it was shown that Felix Feliksovich’s wife was the emperor’s mistress. The outraged prince sued for libel and received large monetary compensation. It is believed that after this incident, all Hollywood films began to warn about the fictitiousness of the plot and characters.

The couple adopted Mexican Victor Manuel Contreras. Later, the adopted son became a sculptor and artist, his works of art. His works can be found in various European countries, as well as in Mexico and the USA.

Prince Felix Feliksovich died in 1967, and three years later his wife died. The couple is buried in Paris. This ends the story of the noble Yusupov family.

The Yusupov family was one of the most famous noble dynasties of Tsarist Russia. This family included military men, officials, administrators, senators, collectors and philanthropists. The biography of each Yusupov is a fascinating story about the life of an aristocrat against the backdrop of his era.

Origin

The founder of the Yusupov princely family was considered the Nogai Khan Yusuf-Murza. In 1565 he sent his sons to Moscow. As major military leaders and Tatar nobles, the descendants of Yusuf received the Volga city of Romanov, not far from Yaroslavl, as their feeding. Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich they were baptized. Thus, the origin of the Yusupov family can be dated back to the 16th-17th centuries.

Grigory Dmitrievich

What is noteworthy in the history of this aristocratic family is that family tree The Yusupovs did not acquire many additional lines and branches over several centuries. A high-ranking family always consisted of a father and his only son, to whom all parental property passed. This state of affairs was unusual for the Russian nobility, among whom a large number of heirs was commonplace.

Yusuf's great-great-grandson Grigory Dmitrievich Yusupov (1676-1730) received the rank of steward granted to him by the Tsar in infancy Feodor III. Being the same age as Peter I, he spent his childhood with him, becoming one of the faithful comrades of the autocrat's youth. Gregory served in a dragoon regiment and in its ranks participated in the next Russian-Turkish war. The culmination of that campaign was the Azov campaigns, in which Peter wanted to gain access to the southern seas. After the victory over the Turks, Yusupov solemnly entered Moscow in the royal retinue.

Closer to Peter I

Soon it began North War. The history of the Yusupov family is the history of aristocrats who faithfully repaid their debt to the country from generation to generation. Grigory Dmitrievich set an example for his descendants in his service. He took part in the battle of Narva and the battle of Lesnaya, where he was wounded twice. In 1707, the military man received the rank of major in the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

Despite his injuries, Yusupov was with the troops during the Battle of Poltava and during the capture of Vyborg. He also took part in the unsuccessful Prut campaign. Georgy Dmitrievich was brought to work on the case of Tsarevich Alexei, who fled from his father abroad and was then put on trial. Yusupov, along with other close associates of the monarch, signed the verdict.

Under Catherine I, the aristocrat received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and became a commander in the Ukrainian Landmilitary Corps. Peter II made him one of the members of the Military Collegium, and Anna Ioannovna made him general-in-chief. Grigory Dmitrievich died in 1730. He was buried in the Moscow Epiphany Monastery.

Boris Grigorievich

The further history of the Yusupov family continued with the vivid biography of Grigory Dmitrievich’s son, Boris Grigorievich Yusupov (1695-1759). Peter I sent him, along with several other noble young people, to study in French military school in Toulon. In 1730 he became chamberlain, and at the age of 40 he entered the Senate.

Under Boris Grigorievich, the noble family of the Yusupovs achieved paramount importance. For two years (1738-1740), the head of the family was the Moscow vice-governor and manager of the provincial chancellery. The official initiated local reforms, the draft of which was adopted by the Senate. In particular, Yusupov advocated conducting a census of suburban and streltsy lands, as well as the creation of the post of Moscow commandant.

In 1740, Boris Grigorievich received the rank of Privy Councilor. Then he was briefly appointed Moscow governor. The official was removed from office already in 1741, when Elizaveta Petrovna came to power. The history of the Yusupov family knew many important appointments. Having resigned his gubernatorial powers, Boris Grigorievich received a new space for activity - the Empress made him president of the Commerce Collegium, which was responsible for the state of domestic trade. He was also appointed director of the Ladoga Canal.

In 1749, the nobleman served as Governor-General of St. Petersburg. He soon left this post, moving to the government Senate and beginning to manage the Land Noble Corps. Under him, deductions for the maintenance of cadets increased, and an educational printing house appeared. In 1754, Boris Grigorievich acquired a cloth factory in the Chernigov village of Ryashki. This enterprise began to supply almost the entire Russian army with fabrics. The factory used Dutch raw materials and employed foreign specialists. In 1759, Boris Grigorievich became seriously ill, resigned and died a few days later. The story of the Yusupov family, however, did not end.

Nikolay Borisovich

The continuation of the dynasty was the son of Boris Grigorievich, Nikolai Borisovich (1750-1831). He became one of the main art collectors of his era. Boris Grigorievich received a high-quality education abroad. In 1774-1777 he studied at Leiden University. There the young man developed an interest in European art and culture. He managed to visit almost all countries of the Old World and communicate with the great enlighteners Voltaire and Diderot. The princely family of the Yusupovs was always proud of these acquaintances of their ancestor.

In Leiden, the aristocrat began collecting rare editions of books, in particular the works of Cicero. German artist Jacob Hackert became his adviser on painting issues. Some paintings by this master turned out to be the first exhibits in the collection of the Russian prince. In 1781-1782 he accompanied the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, on a European tour.

Subsequently, Yusupov became the main link between the authorities and foreign artists. Thanks to his connection with the imperial family, the nobleman was able to establish contacts with the main artists of that time: Angelika Kaufman, Pompeo Batoni, Claude Vernet, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jean-Antoine Houdon, etc.

At the coronation of Paul I, which took place in 1796, Yusupov served as the supreme coronation marshal (he then acted in the same capacity at the coronations of the next two autocrats: Alexander I and Nicholas I). The prince was the director of the Imperial theaters, the Hermitage and palace factories for the production of glass and porcelain. In 1794 he was elected as an honorary amateur of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg. Under Yusupov, the Hermitage for the first time carried out an inventory of the entire wide collection of exhibits. These lists were used throughout the 19th century.

In 1810, the prince bought Arkhangelskoye, an estate near Moscow, which he turned into a unique palace and park ensemble. By the end of his life, the nobleman’s collection included more than 600 valuable paintings, thousands unique books, as well as works of applied art, sculpture, and porcelain. All these unique exhibits were placed in Arkhangelsk.

Numerous high-ranking guests visited Yusupov’s Moscow house on Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky Lane. For some time, the Pushkins lived in this palace (including the still child Alexander Pushkin). Shortly before his death, Nikolai Borisovich attended a festive dinner at the apartment of a newly married poet and writer. The prince died in 1831 during a cholera epidemic that swept through the central provinces of the country.

Boris Nikolaevich

Nikolai Borisovich's heir, Boris Nikolaevich (1794-1849), continued the Yusupov family. The 19th century became for the princely family a continuation of its brilliant aristocratic history. Young Boris went to get an education at the capital's pedagogical institute. In 1815 he began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Soon he was made chamberlain.

Like all young aristocrats, he conducted the traditional familiarization tour of Europe, which took a full year and a half. In 1826, he participated in the coronation of Nicholas I. At the same time, he went to work at the Ministry of Finance. Service in the previous diplomatic department did not work out, since Boris Nikolaevich constantly conflicted with colleagues, allowed himself to behave freely with his superiors, etc. As a representative of an influential and wealthy family, he did not cling to the service and always adhered to an independent line of behavior.

In 1839, Yusupov became the district leader of the St. Petersburg nobility. Soon he received the court title of chamberlain. In his youth, the prince was distinguished by his lifestyle as a reveler. After the death of his father, he received a gigantic inheritance and over time learned to handle money prudently. At the same time, Boris Nikolaevich allowed himself to do things unusual for a business executive. In particular, all his serfs were freed.

IN high society Boris Yusupov was best known as the organizer of luxurious balls, which became the main social events of the capital. The prince himself was a moneylender and, through financial transactions involving the purchase of enterprises, increased his family fortune several times. The nobleman had estates in 17 provinces of the country. During epidemics, he was not afraid to inspect his own estates, and during seasons of famine, he fed the gigantic servants at his own expense. The aristocrat donated significant sums to public charity institutions. He died in 1849 at the age of 55.

Nikolai Borisovich (junior)

The deceased prince had The only son Nikolai Borisovich (1827-1891). Relatives, so as not to confuse him with his grandfather, called him “junior”. The newborn was baptized by Tsar Nicholas I himself. The boy was taught music (piano and violin), as well as drawing, to which he became extremely addicted from a very early age. The Paris Conservatory and the Philharmonic Academy of Bologna made the prince an honorary member.

In 1849, the young man inherited his father's fortune. A few months later he graduated from St. Petersburg University, where he studied at the Faculty of Law. Having received his education, the college secretary began working in the imperial office. In 1852 he was transferred to the Caucasus and then to Riga. The reason for the rotation was the displeasure of Emperor Nicholas I. In Riga, Yusupov received leave and went on a European trip. There he took up music, visited artists' workshops and the best art galleries.

In 1856, the prince attended the coronation of Alexander I. Then he served for a short time in the Russian embassy in Paris. The aristocrat spent most of his time abroad. His family fortune allowed him not to worry about service, but simply to do what he loved.

Nikolai Borisovich continued to expand the Yusupov collection of works of art. He owned rare snuff boxes, rock crystal, pearls and other valuables. The prince always had a wallet with him filled with rare stones. His collection also included musical instruments: grand pianos, harps, upright pianos, organs, etc. The crowning glory of the collection were Stradivarius violins. Some of Yusupov's music collections are now kept in the Russian National Library. In 1858, a nobleman brought one of the first cameras to his homeland. Like his father, he was involved in charity work. During the Crimean campaign, Nikolai Borisovich financed the organization of two infantry battalions, and during the next war with Turkey he gave money for the creation of a sanitary train. Yusupov died in Baden-Baden in 1891 at the age of 63.

Zinaida Nikolaevna

Nikolai Borisovich had only daughter- Zinaida Yusupova (1861-1939). Having no male heirs, the prince asked permission for the princely dignity to be passed on to his grandchildren through the female line, although this was contrary to custom. In 1882 the girl got married. Her chosen one was Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, which is why Zinaida became known as Princess Yusupova, Countess Sumarokov-Elston.

The only heir to a huge fortune and a woman of rare beauty, the daughter of Nikolai Borisovich was the most enviable bride in Russia before her marriage. Not only Russian aristocrats, but even representatives of foreign monarchical families sought her hand.

The last of the Yusupov family lived in grand style. She organized regular high-profile balls. The life of the capital's elite was in full swing in its palaces. The woman danced beautifully. In 1903, she took part in a costume ball held in the Winter Palace and which became one of the most famous events of this kind in the history of Imperial Russia.

The husband, whom Zinaida Yusupova loved very much, was a military man and was not interested in art. Partly because of this, the woman sacrificed her hobbies. Nevertheless, she was involved in charity work with renewed energy. The aristocrat patronized and maintained gymnasiums, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other institutions. They were located not only in the capital, but throughout the country. After the start of the war with Japan, Zinaida Nikolaevna became the chief of the front-line sanitary echelon. Hospitals for the wounded were created on Yusupov's estates. No other women of the Yusupov family were as active and famous as Zinaida Nikolaevna.

After the revolution, the princess moved to Crimea, and from there abroad. Together with her husband she settled in Rome. Unlike many other nobles, the Yusupovs were able to send part of their fortune and jewelry abroad, thanks to which they lived in abundance. Zinaida Nikolaevna continued to do charity work. She helped Russian emigrants in need. After the death of her husband, the woman moved to Paris. There she died in 1939.

Felix Feliksovich

The last of the Yusupov princes was Zinaida's son Felix Feliksovich Yusupov (1887-1967). As a child, he was educated at the Gurevich gymnasium and was a bright figure of the golden youth of St. Petersburg in last years Tsarist Russia. At the age of 25 he graduated from Oxford University. At home, he became the head of the First Russian Automobile Club.

In 1914, Felix Feliksovich Yusupov married Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, the maternal niece of Nicholas II. The emperor himself gave permission for the marriage. During their honeymoon, the newlyweds learned about the outbreak of the First World War. The Yusupovs were in Germany, and Wilhelm II even ordered their arrest. Diplomats were brought in to resolve the sensitive situation. As a result, Felix and his wife managed to leave Germany shortly before Wilhelm issued a second order for their detention.

As the only son in the family, the prince was not subject to conscription into the army. Returning home, he began organizing the work of hospitals. In 1915, Felix had a daughter, Irina, from whom they descend modern descendants Yusupov family.

The aristocrat is best known for his own participation in the murder of Grigory Rasputin in December 1916. Felix was very close to the imperial family. He knew Rasputin and, like many, believed that the strange old man was a bad influence on Nicholas II and his prestige. The prince dealt with the royal friend along with his brother-in-law, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, and State Duma deputy Vladimir Purishkevich. The Emperor, having learned about the death of Rasputin, ordered Yusupov to move away from the capital to his own Kursk estate Rakitnoye.

There was no further accountability for the murder. Soon the revolution broke out, and Felix Feliksovich emigrated. The prince settled in Paris and lived from the sale of family treasures. During World War II, he did not support the Nazis, and after their defeat he refused to return to Russia, as many emigrants did (all of them were eventually repressed in their homeland). Prince Felix Yusupov died in 1967. His surname was dropped, although descendants from his daughter Irina continue to live abroad.

Possessions

As one of the richest families in Russia, the Yusupovs had many residences and properties in different parts of the country. A significant part of these buildings are today protected by the state as architectural and cultural heritage. The St. Petersburg Yusupov Palace, located on the banks of the Moika River, still bears their name, which has become a household name for the townspeople. It was built back in 1770.

The second Yusupov Palace (also in St. Petersburg) is located on Sadovaya Street. Built at the end of the 18th century, today it is the property of the University of Railways. Being an estate, this residence was one of the most spectacular and rich in the capital. The palace project belonged to the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi.

The Arkhangelskoye estate, which became the storage place for Yusupov's collection of antiques and works of art, was the favorite princely home outside St. Petersburg. The palace and park complex is located in the Krasnogorsk district of the Moscow region. Shortly before the revolution, the Yusupovs built their own Miskhor Palace in Crimea. In the Belgorod region it is still preserved main house the princely estate of Rakitnoye, around which a whole village grew up. Today it houses a local history museum.

Arkhangelskoe. Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Special mention must be made about the Arkhangelskoye estate near Moscow, which has now become an estate-museum.

“Russians feel the beauty of nature and even know how to decorate it. For example, the village of Arkhangelskoye, 18 versts from Moscow, can surprise even the British lord with the taste and splendor of its gardens; a happy, rare location still enhances their beauty,” wrote the famous historian of those years N.M. Karamzin in his famous book “Travel around Moscow.”

Arkhangelskoe is a phenomenon of exceptional significance in the history of Russian culture. Thanks to its beauty and diversity of collections, the estate has gained worldwide fame. The Church of the Archangel Michael, built on the high bank of the Moscow River (2nd half of the 17th century), Grand Palace(late 17th - early 19th centuries), like a magnificent frame decorated with marble sculpture of terraces, a strict regular park with the Small Palace "Caprice", pavilions and memorial columns, covered with old trees of the landscape park, the famous Theater with the decorations of the famous artist preserved in it P. Gonzaga, tomb - “Colonnade” (1916, architect R.I. Klein) turned Arkhangelskoye into one of the most beautiful places in the Moscow region.

The artistic appearance of the estate, which belonged to the Golitsyn princes until 1809 and was then acquired “for fun, not for profit” by the richest Russian nobleman, collector and philanthropist Prince N.B. Yusupov, was determined already in the 18th century; its heyday occurred in the first third of the 19th century. The process of construction and decoration of the estate was carried out thanks to the talent of the architects de Guern, Trombaro, Pettondi, Gonzaga, Beauvais, Tyurin and the high professionalism of the serf craftsmen.

The estate constantly attracted the attention of contemporaries. IN different time it was visited by outstanding figures of Russian culture: historian and writer N.M. Karamzin, poets A.S. Pushkin and P.A. Vyazemsky, writers A.I. Herzen and N.P. Ogarev, artists V.A. Serov, A. N. Benois, K. E. Makovsky, K. A. Korovin, musicians K. N. Igumnov and I. F. Stravinsky. Members of the Russian imperial family did not ignore the Arkhangelskoye estate. Alexander I and Nicholas I, Alexander II and Alexander III. There is also a temple-monument to Catherine II. Arkhangelsk is given special value by its famous collections. The imagination of the guests of the estate was amazed by the collections presented here: works of outstanding painters of the 17th - 1st half. XIX centuries. (A. Van Dyck, D.B. Tiepolo, F. Boucher, J. Roberta, P.A. Rotary, etc.), an extensive collection of objects of decorative and applied art, among which a special place is occupied by products made at the porcelain and crystal factories. Yusupov in the village of Arkhangelskoye, a rare collection of sculpture (7th century BC - early 20th century) and a unique estate library that has survived to this day (more than 16 thousand volumes of Russian and Western European authors).

All enlightened people know about Arkhangelskoye, but few even those interested in the Yusupov dynasty know about the Spasskoye-Kotovo estate near Moscow and its role in the life of Nikolai Borisovich. The oblivion of this place is all the more strange since this one of the most famous princes of the family is buried there.

Under Nikolai Yusupov, at the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries, the Spasskoye-Kotovo estate experienced an unprecedented heyday: a regular layout with “prespekt” alleys was created there, orchards, dug ponds. A brick factory was built in the village. In the refusal books for 1799 it is written: “In the village of Spassky, Kotovo, also, the stone church of the Savior Miraculous Image with the chapel of the Vladimir Mother of God, a wooden house with wooden services. A regular garden with greenhouses, fruitful trees, four ponds, brick factories.”

In his youth, Prince Nicholas traveled a lot and was received by many of the then rulers of Europe. It is known that Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov had short friendships not only with government officials, but also with people of art.

The relationship with the outstanding, world-famous Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837) deserves special attention. When the poet was still a child, the Pushkin family lived for some time in the Yusupov house, in Kharitonyevsky Lane. Alexander Pushkin was the same age as Nikolai Yusupov’s son, Boris. Alexander Sergeevich still has childhood impressions of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov. As a young man, Pushkin visited Arkhangelskoye more than once. The ambitious owner even erected a monument to the great poet on this estate, made unknown sculptor.

Many people know A. S. Pushkin’s ode “To a Nobleman,” written by him in 1830, dedicated to N. B. Yusupov. In it, he creates the appearance of two eras that replaced each other, gives a description of the lifestyle of the nobleman, Yusupov, who traveled all over the world. All historical and linguistic references indicate that the first part of the poem was written about Arkhangelsk:

Freeing the world from the northern shackles,
As soon as the marshmallows flow into the fields,
As soon as the first linden tree turns green,
To you, friendly descendant of Aristipus,
I appear to you; I'll see this palace
Where is the architect's compass, palette and chisel?
Your learned whim was obeyed
And the inspired ones competed in magic.

Yes, this is written about Arkhangelsk, but not in Arkhangelsk. The linguistic certificate says: “In one of the estates near Moscow.”
Linden alleys. Kotovo.

In the year the poem was written, Arkhangelskoye was being rebuilt after a huge fire. Nikolai Borisovich himself lived out his last years in Spassky, where he was buried. So it’s not Kotov’s linden trees that turn green in the first lines of Pushkin’s message “To the Nobleman”?

In A. S. Pushkin’s book “Refutation of Criticism” there are the following lines: “Returning from Arzrum, I wrote a letter to Prince Yusupov. It was immediately noticed in the world, and they were... unhappy with me. Secular people have a high degree of this kind of instinct. This forced the nobleman to call me to dinner on Thursdays...” (1830). At this time, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov lives in Spassky-Kotovo. Perhaps this is where Pushkin visited on Thursdays! It is a pity that this fact is forgotten and is not considered historically valuable.

In 1831, Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov died and was buried behind the altar of the northern aisle of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov

A chapel-tomb was built over his grave. It was adjacent to the apse of the northern aisle.

The heir to the untold wealth of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov was his only son, Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov (1794 - 1849). This was a man less emotional and less in love with art. He no longer lived in Arkhangelskoye, but, while in Moscow, stayed in Spassky. He began to transport Arkhangelsky’s artistic treasures to his St. Petersburg possessions, until the Emperor found out about this and forbade him to “rob himself.”

Boris Yusupov began further transformations of the village of Spasskoye-Kotovo. Under him, a project for a new chapel was created in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The chapel will be built on the site of the broken southern part of the bypass gallery, symmetrically to the northern Vladimir chapel, but it will be consecrated after the death of Boris Nikolaevich - in 1853. In addition, Boris Yusupov began the construction of a wooden almshouse in the name of the Holy Martyr Tatiana with seven cells “for the care of his courtyard people,” the completion of which, apparently due to his death, was delayed until 1859.

Prince Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov, actual state councilor, chamberlain, is buried in the crypt of the Spasskaya Church. On his tomb there is an inscription carved, written by him during his lifetime: “Here lies a Russian nobleman, Prince Boris, Prince Nikolaev, son of Yusupov. Born 1794, July ninth.” Attributed: “Died on October 25, 1849.” At the bottom was written in French his favorite saying: “Honor above all.”

Prince Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov was married twice. The first time was with Princess Praskovya Pavlovna Shcherbatova (1795-1820), with whom they had no children in common. She rests at the left choir in the quadrangle of the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

The second time the prince was married to Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina, from whom he had a son, Nikolai (1831-1891), who became the master of ceremonies and chamberlain of the Imperial Court, the last hereditary prince in the male line of the Yusupov princes. By special order of the tsar, he was allowed to transfer his title to his daughter, Zinaida Nikolaevna, so that the famous princely family would not sink into the centuries.

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova Married a descendant of the Prussian kings, Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, who took the title and became Prince Yusupov. They owned Arkhangelsk and Spassky until 1917. From this marriage two sons were born: Nikolai and Felix. In 1908, Nikolai was killed in a duel and the only heir in the Yusupov family remained Felix Feliksovich, Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (1887-1967). Now the princely title and surname of the Yusupovs could only pass to the eldest of his descendants.

In 1917, Felix Feliksovich emigrated to France and never returned to Russia. Felix Yusupov married Princess Irina (1887-1970), daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, niece of Nicholas II. From their marriage a daughter was born, Irina (1915-1983), in Sheremetyev’s marriage. Her daughter Ksenia (born in 1942, married Sfiri) and granddaughter Tatyana (born in 1968) live in Greece.

based on materials from http://www.spas-neru.orthodoxy.ru

How does it feel for a mother to know that of her equally beloved children, only one will survive? This is the curse of the family. Old wives' tales? Grandmother's, but not fairy tales...

Enchanted by Death

The old princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova firmly decided from a young age to explain to her granddaughters - Tatyana and her favorite Zinochka, named after her, what she herself learned too late. Their family is cursed, and this fact cannot be changed - everything happened too long ago, back in the time of Ivan the Terrible. The founder of the Yusupov family was Abdul-Murza, the son of the khan of the great Nogai Horde, Yusuf, who brought fear to Rus'. On one dark day for his descendants, he suddenly accepted and went into the service of the Russian autocrat, for which he was cursed in his homeland as a traitor forever and ever. A family legend with frightening mathematical precision said: of all the Yusupovs born in one generation, only one child will live to be twenty-six years old, and this will continue until the complete disappearance of the family from the face of the Earth.

When young Zinochka Naryshkina married Boris Yusupov, no one bothered to tell her the terrible truth about the family she was joining. From the outside, everything looked as good as possible for the Yusupovs: they were second in nobility and wealth after the Emperor of All Rus' himself. You couldn't find a better party. Zinaida was quite happy in her marriage, gave birth to a son, then a beautiful daughter (plus two in favor of the Yusupovs), and then the Nogai curse came into force: the baby suddenly died (minus one). The servants whispered in the corners, and the legend finally reached the princess’s ears. Being of a strong and decisive character, Zinaida announced to her husband that she was not going to “give birth to dead men” in the future, and if he didn’t have enough time, “let him give birth to the courtyard girls,” she would not object. So they lived in love and harmony until Yusupov’s death.

The widow was not yet forty, but family and children were no longer part of her plans, she was pretty and owned untold wealth, which gave her freedom of action unheard of for a woman of that era. Soon Yusupova was called nothing other than a la Balzac, for a whole string of dizzying performances. It seemed that she set out to die from voluptuousness, and not from hateful generational curse. The princess's desire to cheat death has turned into mania over the years. Disregarding the opinion of high society, she bought her young lover - a Narodnaya Volya member, a fighter against this very society - from prison, the impregnable and deadly damp Shlisselburg fortress, in fact, saved him from a slow death in captivity. And when he did die, she ordered his body to be embalmed in order to keep it forever in a secret room next to her bedchamber.

In her old age, my grandmother came up with another trick to avoid being hit ancient curse: she married the first Frenchman she met, left Russia and lived the rest of her days carefree, not for Yusupova, but for Madame de Chavaud-de Serre. Truly in Russian: I am not me, and the house is not mine!

Three minus two

The eldest in the Yusupov family could flirt with death as much as she wanted, but her only son, Nikolai, had to live in much greater fear. However, as a highly educated person, vice-director of the St. Petersburg Public Library, writer and violinist, he did not believe in any prophecies covered with centuries-old dust. He raised his three children (plus three) - Zinaida, Tatyana and Boris - to be secular, prudent and crystal clear souls. There shouldn’t have been any accounts with the ancient dark forces in their lives...

First, little Borenka, the only male heir of the Yusupovs (minus one), died of scarlet fever.

Then, during a horseback ride, the eldest daughter Zinaida injured her leg. At first the wound seemed trivial, but the very next day it began, and Botkin himself diagnosed it as blood poisoning. The medicine of that time was unable to help the young, blooming girl; the unfortunate woman fell into a coma. Desperate Yusupov abandoned all his principles and called the priest John of Kronstadt, known for his miraculous healings of the hopelessly ill, to the bedside of his dying daughter. Through the power of prayer, the elder brought Zinaida back to life.

And thereby doomed her sister to certain death - soon Tatyana burned out from typhus. She was 22 years old. The curse of the Yusupov family worked like a well-oiled mechanism - only one offspring was destined to overcome the 26-year mark. Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter.

Love is more valuable than gold

Zinaida became the sole heir to factories, manufactories and apartment buildings in every major Russian city, mines, villages, estates, estates, forests and lands in every Russian province, palaces furnished with furniture by Queen Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour, and collections of jewelry, among of which the world-famous pearl “Pelegrina”, which once belonged to Philip II and was considered the main decoration of the Spanish Crown. But what do all these fabulous riches mean in the face of Death? Dust and decay! Both the grandmother and the father insisted on the speedy marriage of the surviving child, they were afraid to leave this world without waiting for confirmation of the continuation of the family - grandchildren. The family needed to grow, and not deplorably strive for zero.

There was no shortage of suitors. Not only was Zinaida the richest bride in Russia, she was divinely beautiful. A relative of the emperor, a contender for the throne of Bulgaria, was predicted to be her husband. However, at the bride's ceremony, the girl did not look into the eyes of the Bulgarian prince, but over his shoulder, behind him stood her true betrothed - the modest officer Felix Elston, one of the numerous retinue of the foreign groom. The next day he appeared alone and proposed marriage to her. Yusupov did not contradict his daughter: title, wealth, connections, beauty, education, intelligence, kindness - his daughter already had everything, all that was required from her husband was love (we put the equal sign - children). The union of two loving hearts was sanctified by the sacrament of wedding and brought two children, moreover, sons. For the first time in many generations, the cursed seed of Khan Yusuf found hope of gaining a foothold on Russian land.

Two from the casket

In fact, Zinaida Nikolaevna gave birth to four children, two died in infancy, but the family preferred to remain silent about this bloody tribute to Nogaisky. They rejoiced at their two sons, the two most precious stones in the family treasury, the two hopes of the Yusupov family. The eldest, Nikolai, outwardly the spitting image of his father, was a copy of his mother and grandfather in his life’s hobbies - he played music, drew, wrote stories, acted in the theater, and at the same time brilliantly defended his law degree. It would not have been easy for the extremely gifted young man to find a worthy mate, but love itself overtook him. And she ruined it. Maria Heyden was already “given to another” and had no intention of breaking the oath of allegiance, even for the sake of the offspring of the Yusupovs themselves. Second people after the king can do everything, but not everyone can marry for love. Maria's husband did not indulge in long explanations about this, challenged Nikolai to a duel and did not miss. Mathematics is a cruel science: Zinaida Yusupova’s eldest son was supposed to turn twenty-six in six months.

Distraught with grief, the mother, like a lioness, grabbed onto youngest son Felix, not letting go of her one step, often getting confused and calling her Nikolenka, although the brothers are absolutely different. Felix inherited his mother's angelic appearance, but in society, while still very young, he received the reputation of a fallen angel. Neither art, nor science, nor military affairs interested him at all. Why study, much less work, if you are almost a fairy-tale prince from birth, half the kingdom belongs to you, and not today or tomorrow the ghost of Yusuf’s ancestor will come for you? You need to use every day of your life for pleasure.

It was not the soul of his mother, Zinaida Nikolaevna, known throughout Russia for her kindness, mercy, and charitable deeds, that prevailed in him, but the blood of his grandmother Zinaida Ivanovna was seething. The list of his love victories was truly Don Juan. However, he did not dare to contradict his mother, who demanded that he stop carousing and get married. At the beginning of the 20th century Russian state there were two recognized beauties: his mother and Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova. The choice is obvious, especially since Irina was a close relative of the reigning dynasty. On both sides, a boy was expected from the newlyweds, but, alas, a daughter was born, after which Felix no longer appeared in the marital bedroom. Why produce children who will inevitably die? Or maybe Yusupov Jr. was only covering up ancient legend their overly modern inclinations. It was rumored that Elder Rasputin, in whose murder he took the most Active participation, came to the Yusupovs’ house in order to reconcile Felix with his wife, who had learned about her husband’s homosexual relations. Felix, the only remaining descendant of Yusuf, believed that everything was allowed to him - adultery, perversion, murder.

After the revolution, the Yusupov family managed to emigrate not empty-handed. Of course, you can’t take palaces, factories and arable land with you to France, but his mother kept the family jewels, and she also had real estate abroad. Felix squandered everything. His wife, daughter and, finally, he himself were buried in the grave of his mother, Zinaida - there was no money for separate places. The sudden death of his brother Nikolai gave him a chance to live and continue his family, but the Nogai curse easily settled scores with him: if a person is weak in spirit, he is a complete zero in the fight against ancient forces.

History of the Yusupov family.

“The ancestors of the Yusupovs are from Abubekir, the father-in-law of the prophet, who ruled after Muhammad (about 570-632) over the entire Muslim family. Three centuries after him, his namesake Abubekir ben Rayok also ruled all the Muslims of the world and bore the title of Emir el-Omr, prince of princes and sultan of sultans, uniting in his person governmental and spiritual power.
During the era of the fall of the caliphate, the direct ancestors of the Russian princes Yusupov were rulers in Damascus, Antioch, Iraq, Persia, and Egypt. A direct descendant named Edigei was in the closest and closest friendship with Tamerlane himself, or Timur, the “Iron Lame” and the great conqueror. Edigei conquered Crimea and founded the Crimean Horde there.
Edigei's great-grandson was called Musa-Murza (Prince Moses, in Russian) and, according to custom, had five wives. The first, beloved, was called Kondaza. From her Yusuf was born - the founder of the Yusupov family. For twenty years Yusuf Murza was friends with Ivan the Terrible himself, the Russian Tsar. The descendant of the emirs considered it necessary to make friends and become related to their Muslim neighbors, “splinters” of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus'.
Beautiful Suyumbek, Queen of Kazan, beloved daughter of Yusuf Murza. She was born in 1520 and at the age of 14 she became the wife of the Tsar of Kazan, Enalei.
Suyumbek, remaining a widow, brilliantly led the defense of Kazan, so that the famous Russian commander Prince Andrei Kurbsky could not take the city by storm, and the matter was decided by a secret undermining and explosion of the city walls. The Queen of Kazan was taken with honor to Moscow along with her son.
The sons of Yusuf Murza, the Suyumbek brothers, came to the court of Ivan the Terrible, and from then on they and their descendants began to serve the Russian sovereigns, without betraying the Muslim faith and receiving awards for their service. So, Il-Murza was granted by Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich to the banks of the Volga near Yaroslavl the whole city Romanov with posad (now the city of Tutaev). In that beautiful city, before the revolution bore the name Romanov-Borisoglebsk, an event occurred that radically changed the fate and history of the Yusupov family.

It was during the reign of Fyodor Alekseevich. The great-grandson of Yusuf-Murza named Abdul-Murza, who is also the great-grandfather of Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, received Patriarch Joachim in Romanov and, unknowingly Orthodox posts, fed him a goose. The Patriarch mistook the goose for fish, tasted it and praised it, and the owner said: this is not a fish, but a goose, and my cook is so skilled that he can cook a goose like a fish. The Patriarch was angry and upon returning to Moscow he told the whole story to Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. The king deprived Abdul-Murza of all his grants, and the rich man suddenly became a beggar. He thought hard for three days and decided to be baptized in Orthodox faith. Abdul-Murza, the son of Seyush-Murza, was baptized under the name Dmitry and came up with a surname in memory of his ancestor Yusuf: Yusupovo-Knyazhevo. This is how Prince Dmitry Seyushevich Yusupovo-Knyazhevo appeared in Rus'.

Family coat of arms of the Yusupovs

But that same night he had a vision. A clear voice said: “From now on, for betrayal of faith, there will not be more than one male heir in your family in each generation, and if there are more, then all but one will not live longer than 26 years.”
Dmitry Seyushevich married Princess Tatiana Fedorovna Korkodinova, and according to the prediction, only one son succeeded his father. This was Grigory Dmitrievich, who served Peter the Great, a lieutenant general, whom Peter ordered to be simply called Prince Yusupov. Grigory Dmitrievich also only had one son who lived to see mature years- Prince Boris Grigorievich Yusupov, former governor of Moscow.

It is difficult to say why the curse sounded so ornate, 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 clan did not affect the well-being of the family. By 1917, the Yusupovs were second in wealth after the Romanovs. 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 Arkhangelskoye and in 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. Thus, the magnificent pearl “Pelegrina,” which the princess never parted with 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 the curse of the Tatar sorceress made the Yusupovs unhappy.

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 when she was still a very young girl, 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. This continued until 1849, when 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 refused social entertainment, followed him and through bribery and promises achieved that he was released to 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 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.
The story of the young Narodnaya Volya member Yusupov was recalled after the revolution. One of the emigrant newspapers published a message 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, this 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, she lost her daughter 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 relatives. For the rest, despite their untold wealth, life was much more dramatic.

Nikolay Yusupov

Zinaida Ivanovna's son, Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, had three children - 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, 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, the girl injured her 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 while 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 at that time and did not know that with her recovery she was dooming her younger sister to death.
Tanya died of typhus at twenty-two.

Lightning strike
There is little left of the once rich Yusupov archives in Russia. “The drunken sailor,” as Felix Yusupov described her in his memoirs, looked, first of all, for jewelry, and burned the incomprehensible papers that she came across. 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. Felix Yusupov’s memoirs published abroad cannot be completely trusted - 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 especially persistent in the matter of 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 love 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. A year later, the young couple had their first child, Nikolai, named after his 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, at Christmas 1887, when asked by her son what gift he would like, she received an 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 persecution and 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 applied for by 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.

Felix Yusupov
Fatal duel In the memoirs of Felix Yusupov, it is easy to see that all his life he was jealous of his mother and his older brother. He, although he was outwardly more similar to his father than to Zinaida Nikolaevna, with his inner world was unusually similar to her. He was interested in theater, playing music, and painting. His stories were published under the pseudonym Rokov, and even Lev Nikolaevich 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 Manteuffel, 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. Nikolai Yusupov would have turned twenty-six years old in six months.
“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 to have lost her mind. We are with with great difficulty They tore her away from her 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 Nikolai died in a duel, 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 Zinaida Nikolaevna’s features angelic, then her youngest son was none other than fallen angel didn't compare. There was a certain depravity in his whole cherubic appearance.
He was not, like his older brother or mother, inclined towards the arts. Had no interest in military and public service, like his father or maternal relatives. A playmaker, a golden boy, an eligible bachelor. But with marriage everything was not so simple.

Zinaida Yusupova

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, was unable to overcome himself. Only Zinaida Nikolaevna’s crafty 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.

Yusupov Palace

In 1913, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich came to Arkhangelskoye for December evenings. 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: Empress Maria Feodorovna, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Irina Alexandrovna 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 their daughter Irina was born.

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 assures that in this way he tried to free Russia from “ dark force leading her 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 would hardly have believed such behavior of the 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 be 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.
“You and I have always understood 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 all of the country's wealthy families 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 by moving 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 Rakityan sugar factory, Milyatinsky meat plant, 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 were transferred to Russia at the beginning of the war, 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 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 from idle life did not refuse, and, in the end, all the property exported and owned abroad was wasted. He, his wife and daughter Irina were buried in his mother’s grave. There was no money for another place in the cemetery.