The House of Volkonsky, also spelled Volkonski or Wolkonsky and later times Wlodkowski is an ancient Russian princely family, part of the

Russian nobility The Russian nobility or ''dvoryanstvo'' () arose in the Middle Ages. In 1914, it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members, out of a total population of 138,200,000. Up until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian noble estates staffed ...

History

The family claims descent from the

Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...

, in particular from the

Princes of Chernigov A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fe ...

. It was named after the Volkona river, south of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Members of the family held the title of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Notable members

* Alexander Volkonsky (1866–1934), Russian diplomat * Alexey Volkonsky (born 1978), Russian canoer *

Andrei Volkonsky Prince Andrei Mikhaylovich Volkonsky (also ''Andrey, André, Mikhailovich, Michailovich, Volkonski, Volkonskiy'') (; 14 February 1933 – 16 September 2008) was a Russian composer of classical music and harpsichordist. He was a key figure in Early ...

(1933–2008), Russian composer * Maria Mikhailovich Volkonskaya (1863–1943), Russian aristocrat * Maria Volkonsky (1805–1863), Russian aristocrat * Nikita Volkonsky (1781–1844), Russian general * Peeter Volkonski (born 1954), Estonian musician * Peter Volkonsky (1861–1948), Russian aristocrat * Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky (1776–1852), Russian general * Serge Wolkonsky (1860–1937), Russian theatre director * Sergei Volkonsky (1788–1865), Russian general * Zinaida Volkonskaya (1792–1862), Russian writer * Alexander Volkonsky (1985-Present), Russian musician/painter * Oleg Volkonsky (1948-2023), Russian Painter/writer

References

{{surname Russian-language surnames Russian noble families