The House of Shakhovskoy (alt. ''Shahovskoy'', ''Shahovskoi'', uk, Шаховської, russian: Шаховской, french: Chakhovskoï, german: Schachowskoi, it, Šachovskoj) is the name of a princely Russian family descending from the

Rurik Dynasty The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

, and as such, one of the oldest noble families of the Russian Empire. Most members of the family fled the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

in 1917 during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

. In the 19th century, and especially after the abolition of serfdom, the "Shakhovskoy" surname began to appear among peasants who adopted their employers' name but were not themselves descendants of the princely family.

Family history

The family was founded by Prince Konstantin Glebovich, nicknamed "Shah". Konstantin was a direct

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

descendant of Rurik, whose

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

formed ancient Rus' and ruled from the 9th to the 17th century. At the time, the land comprised many city-states and principalities, each of which was ruled by its own prince, or

knyaz , or (Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

(russian: князь). The Rurik dynasty brought these together under the authority of the Grand Duchy of Kiev and later

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. The land would later become modern-day

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. The family also descends cognatically from Ivan I of Moscow, through the latter's daughter Evdokia Ivanovna Moskovskaya (1314–1342), who married Vasili Mikhailovich, Prince of

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence ...

(died 1345). They were the great-grandparents of Andrej and Jurij, the first Shakhovskoy princes. This branch is the most senior extant branch of the

Rurikids The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...

, with many Shakhovskoys living outside of Russia after having fled during the

Pedigree from Rurik

* Rurik (835–879), prince and founder of ancient Rus' * Igor of Kiev (878–946), prince of

Kievan Rus Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...

Sviatoslav I ; (943 – 26 March 972), also spelled Svyatoslav, was Grand Prince of Kiev famous for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers of Eastern Europe, Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire. H ...

(942–972), grand prince of

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...

(956–1015), grand prince of

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...

(978–1054), grand prince of

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

and

Vsevolod I of Kiev Vsevolod I Yaroslavich ( Russian: Всеволод I Ярославич, Ukrainian: Всеволод I Ярославич, Old Norse: Vissivald) (c. 1030 – 13 April 1093), ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev from 1078 until his death. Early l ...

(1030–1093), grand prince of

Vladimir II Monomakh Vladimir II Monomakh ( Old East Slavic: Володимѣръ Мономахъ, ''Volodiměrŭ Monomakhŭ''; uk, Володимир Мономах, translit=Volodymyr Monomakh; russian: Владимир Мономах; Christian name: ''Vasiliy' ...

(1053–1125), grand prince of

Mstislav I of Kiev Mstislav I Vladimirovich Monomakh ( Russian: Мстислав Владимирович Великий, uk, Мстислав Володимирович Великий; February, 1076 – April 14, 1132), also known as Mstislav the Great, was ...

(1076–1132), grand prince of

Rostislav I of Kiev Rostislav Mstislavich ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ростисла́в Мстисла́вич) ( c. 1110–1167), Kniaz' (Prince) of Smolensk (1125–1160), Novgorod (1154) and Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1154, 1159–1167). He was t ...

(1110–1168), grand prince of

* Davyd Rostislavich (1140–1197), prince of

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

* Mstislav Davydovich (1193–1230), prince of

* Rostislav III Mstislavovich, prince of

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

and

* Fedor Rostislavovich “Chernyi” (died 1299), prince of

and

* Davyd Fedorovich (died 1321), prince of

* Vasili Davydovich (died 1345), prince of

* Gleb Vasilievich, prince of

* Konstantin Glebovich "Shah", prince of

Prince Konstantin Glebovich "Shah"

Prince Konstantin was the youngest of three sons of Prince Gleb Vasilievich, whose brother Vasili Vasilievich ruled the Principality of Yaroslavl. The rule was passed down to Vasili's sons. Nevertheless, Konstantin managed to earn the nickname "Shakh" - from Persian "Shah", meaning king. He eventually moved to the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lat ...

and held service under the high prince. In 1482, Konstantin appears as a

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

. His sons, princes Andrei and Yuri, also held their service in Moscow. In the 16th century, the descendants of Andrei split into eight primary branches.

Military & government service

As was true of many nobles, and particularly of those descending from Rurik, members of the Shakhovskoy family held high ranking leadership positions throughout Russia's history. They frequently appear in the role of

(russian: воевода), literally "war-leader" or "war-lord", denoting principal command of a military force. When not performing military service, members of the family often held roles of senator or judge. Aside from a few outliers, the Shakhovskoy family has maintained loyalty to the

Grand Prince Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) ( la, magnus princeps; Greek: ''megas archon''; russian: великий князь, velikiy knyaz) is a title of nobility ranked in honour below emperor, equal of king or ...

, later

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the te ...

, and finally

Emperor of Russia The emperor or empress of all the Russias or All Russia, ''Imperator Vserossiyskiy'', ''Imperatritsa Vserossiyskaya'' (often titled Tsar or Tsarina/Tsaritsa) was the monarch of the Russian Empire. The title originated in connection with Russia' ...

After the Russian Revolution

Most members of the Shakhovskoy family fled their homeland during the

of 1917. Today, many who bear the name are descendants of peasants who had adopted the surname of their employers. Of the princely family, there are several known descendants in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and in other parts of the world, as well as matrilineal descendants in a branch of the Derugin family.

Title

Members of the Shakhovskoy family bear the title of "prince" (

, russian: князь). Female members bear the title "princess" (''knyaginya'' referring to the wife of a knyaz, and ''knyazhna'' referring to the daughter of a knyaz). Originally, the title suggested royal ancestry from a current or former ruling dynasty. From the 18th century onwards, the title was occasionally granted by the

to exceptional persons not descending from a ruling house.

Coat of arms

The first and third sections of the shield are the arms of the Great Duchy of Kiev. The second and fourth sections are the arms of the Principality of Smolensk. In the middle of the arms a smaller shield bears the arms of the Yaroslav Principality.

Notable family members

* Prince Miron Mikhailovich Shakhovskoy (c. 1590 – 1632),

in Kargopol, Pskov,

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Popul ...

, led an unsuccessful expedition to build a fortress at the mouth of

Tara River The Tara ( sr-cyrl, Тара) is a river in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It emerges from the confluence of the Opasnica and Veruša rivers in the Komovi Mountains, part of the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro. The total length is 146 ...

and to collect taxes in the region, recruited cossacks in

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Cens ...

for government service (8th branch) * Prince Grigoriy Petrovich Shakhovskoy, political activist during the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...

, voivode in Putivl, follower of False Dmitri II (3rd branch) * Prince Ivan Fedorovich “Bol’shoi” Shakhovskoy (c. 1606 – 1647), voivode in Santschursk, Rylsk,

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...

, Krapivna, Chern', Tula,

Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population: His ...

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901 ...

Tsivilsk Tsivilsk (russian: Циви́льск; cv, Çӗрпӳ, ''Śĕrpü'') is a town and the administrative center of Tsivilsky District of the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary, at the crossroads o ...

, fought in the war against Poland, judge in Vladimir, judge (1st branch) * Prince Ivan Fedorovich “Men’shoi” Shakhovskoy,

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

, voivode in

, judge (1st branch) * Prince Semyon Ivanovich “Kharya” Shakhovskoy (late 16th century), poet, author of spiritual literature, liturgical composer, diplomat, voivode of

Yeniseysk Yeniseysk ( rus, Енисейск, p=jɪnʲɪˈsʲejsk) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: 20,000 (1970). History Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 as a stockaded town—the first town on the Yenise ...

(3rd branch) * Prince Yuriy Ivanovich “Kosoi” Shakhovskoy (c. 1612), held victory over the Polish army in 1612, voivode in

Mtsensk Mtsensk (russian: Мценск) is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Zusha River (a tributary of the Oka) northeast of Oryol, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 28,000 (1970). History It was first mentioned i ...

, Mikhaylov, Tara (2nd branch) * Prince Mikhail Nikitich Shakhovskoy (c. 1606–1663), voivode of

Orlov Orlov may refer to: Places *Orlov, Russia (''Orlova''), several inhabited localities in Russia *Orlov, Stará Ľubovňa District, village in Eastern Slovakia *Orlová, a town in Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic People *Orlov (family) ...

and Tara (2nd branch) * Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Shakhovskoy, judge in

and Vladimir (3rd branch) * Prince Aleksey Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (1688–1752), State Councillor, advisor of Collegium of Justice (2nd branch) * Prince Aleksey Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (c. 1690 – 1737), senator, General-in-chief, ruler of Malorussia (Ukraine) (branch) * Prince Yakov Petrovich Shakhovskoy (1705–1777), senator, head of police, General-Prosecutor of the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthod ...

* Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (c. 1753), privy councilor, senator, president of the

Collegium of State Income The Collegium of State Income (russian: Камер-коллегия, ''Kamer-kollegiya''; or Revenue) was a Russian executive body (collegium), created in the government reform of 1717. It was de-established during the decentralising reforms of Cat ...

(branch) * Prince Grigoriy Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (c. 1758, governor of

Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of B ...

, ambassador to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

* Prince Nikolay Leontievich Shakhovskoy (1777–1860), senator, general-major (6th branch) * Prince Ivan Leontievich Shakhovskoy (1770–1860), infantry general, member of the

Governing Senate The Governing Senate (russian: Правительствующий сенат, Pravitelstvuyushchiy senat) was a legislative, judicial, and executive body of the Russian Emperors, instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and last ...

(6th branch) * Prince Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shakhovskoy (1770–1846), academic of the Academy of Science (3rd branch) * Prince Aleksei Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (1821–1900), infantry general, hero of

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

(6th branch) * Prince Fedor Petrovich Shakhovskoy (1796–1829),

Decembrist The Decembrist Revolt ( ru , Восстание декабристов, translit = Vosstaniye dekabristov , translation = Uprising of the Decembrists) took place in Russia on , during the interregnum following the sudden death of Emperor Al ...

(7th branch) * Prince Dmitriy Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (1861–1939), liberal politician, minister of the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government ( rus, Временное правительство России, Vremennoye pravitel'stvo Rossii) was a provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediatel ...

(7th branch) * Prince Konstantin Yakovlevich Shakhovskoy (1905–1972), priest of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

, martyr (3rd branch) * Archbishop John (Dmitriy Alekseyevich Shahovskoy) (1902–1989), officer of the White Army, writer - pseudonym "Strannik", editor of an emigre literary journal in Paris, Russian Orthodox monk, archbishop of San Francisco and the West in the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions i ...

* Princess Zinaida Alekseyevna Shahovskaya (1906–2001), author, poet, director of the European publication, "Russian Thought" (russian: Русская мысль), sister of Dmitriy Alekseyevich Shakhovskoy * Prince Dmitriy Mikhailovich Shakhovskoy (born 1934), professor of Russian history and philosophy in

. In 2006, Prince Dmitriy had his DNA tested for the Rurikid Dynasty DNA Project, and was found to belong to the N1c1 genetic haplogroup. The Russian Newsweek had later confirmed his result by testing two other princes, namely Prince Andrei Gagarin of Russia and Prince Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky of Great Britain.

References

{{Reflist} Russian noble families Russian nobility Ukrainian nobility