Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

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 ...

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style (manner of address), style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Until 1918, it was also associated with the p ...

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

Varangian The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Šimon Šimon (Old Norse: ''Sigmundr'') was a Varangian (Viking) whose story is related in the Kievan '' Patericon'' and his story concerns the creation of the Kievan cave monastery, where he is reported to have been its most important donor. Story Šimo ...

. The Velyaminovs served as hereditary

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

s 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 ...

until the office was abolished by

Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...

(Prince of Moscow from 1359 to 1389), whose mother Alexandra came from this family.

History

The Vorontsov branch of the Velyaminovs reached a zenith of its power in the person of the boyar Feodor Vorontsov, who became ''de facto'' ruler of Russia during the minority of

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. ...

("Ivan the Terrible", 1543). Three years later, he was accused of treason and beheaded. For the next two centuries, the family history is obscure. Under

Empress Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna (; ) was Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous constructio ...

(reigned 1741-1762), its fortunes soared once again, when

Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov () (12 July 171415 February 1767) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, who laid foundations for the fortunes of the Vorontsov family. At the age of fourteen, Vorontsov was appointed a kammerjunker at the ...

became Vice-Chancellor of the Russian Empire. The Vorontsov Palace in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, designed by

Rastrelli Rastrelli may refer to the following persons: * Antonio Rastrelli (politician) (1927–2019), Italian politician * Antonio Rastrelli (born 1945), Italian Olympic swimmer * Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1675–1744), Italian sculptor who emigr ...

, remains a monument to his power. During the reign of

Peter III of Russia Peter III Fyodorovich (; ) was Emperor of Russia from 5 January 1762 until 9 July of the same year, when he was overthrown by his wife, Catherine II (the Great). He was born in the German city of Kiel as Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holst ...

(January to July, 1762), Mikhail Vorontsov was the most powerful man in Russia, as his niece

Elizaveta Vorontsova Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova (; 13 August 1739 – 2 February 1792) was a Russian noblewoman and lady-in-waiting. She was a mistress of Emperor Peter III of Russia (reigned February to July 1762). During their affair, rumors suggest ...

became the Emperor's mistress. Peter's wife

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, alarmed by her husband's plans to divorce her and marry Elizaveta Vorontsova, deposed her husband, with great help from her bosom friend,

Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova Princess Yekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (born Countess Vorontsova; ; 28 March 1743 – 15 January 1810) This source reports that Prince Dashkov died in 1761. was an influential noblewoman, a major figure of the Russian Enlightenment and a close f ...

, the wife of Prince Dashkov and Elizaveta's own sister. Yekaterina Dashkova's brothers,

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

and Semyon Romanovich, both became notable diplomats. The latter's son,

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic Wars and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853. Early life Vorontsov was born on ...

(1782–1856), became a prominent general who fostered the colonisation of

New Russia Novorossiya rus, Новороссия, Novorossiya, p=nəvɐˈrosʲːɪjə, a=Ru-Новороссия.ogg; , ; ; ; "New Russia". is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later becom ...

and led the Russian army in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. The Vorontsovs from this branch were inveterate

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. In some cases, Anglophilia refers to an individual's appreciation of English history and traditional English cultural ico ...

s and supported many English servants, painters, and architects.

Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova Princess Yekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (born Countess Vorontsova; ; 28 March 1743 – 15 January 1810) This source reports that Prince Dashkov died in 1761. was an influential noblewoman, a major figure of the Russian Enlightenment and a close f ...

bequeathed her vast possessions and the Vorontsov-Dashkov surname to her cousin, who formed a junior branch of the Vorontsov family with the distinct Vorontsov-Dashkov surname. Its most notable representative,

Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a Russian general and official. He served as served as Minister of Imperial Properties between 1881 and 1897 and as Governor-General of the Caucasus Viceroyalty b ...

(1837–1916), served as Minister of Imperial Properties (1881–1897) and as the General Governor of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

in 1905–1915. He was officially in charge of the victorious Russian forces in the

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian Empire, Russian and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914, to January 17, 1915, as part of the Caucasus campaign. The battle resul ...

(December 1914 to January 1915) during the early months of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.

Gallery

File:Cnt Sadovaja Voroncovsky 17-04-2005.jpg,

Vorontsov Palace (Saint Petersburg) The Vorontsov Palace () is a Baroque architecture, Baroque palace compound which occupies a large parcel of land located between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The palace of 50 rooms was built at enormous expen ...

File:Alupka castle3.jpg,

Vorontsov Palace (Alupka) The Vorontsov Palace (; ) or the Alupka Palace is a historic palace situated at the foot of the Crimean Mountains near the town of Alupka in Crimea. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea, and is one of the most ...

File:Vorontsov-Daskov with daughter.jpg,

Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a Russian general and official. He served as served as Minister of Imperial Properties between 1881 and 1897 and as Governor-General of the Caucasus Viceroyalty b ...

with his daughter, Countess Irina Illarionovna File:Alexandr Illarionovich Vorontsov-Dashkov.jpg, Count Alexander Illarionovich Vorontosv-Dashkov File:Sofia Illarionovna Demidova.jpg, Countess Sofia Illarionovna Demidova (born Vorontsova-Dashkova) File:SheremetevaIrIl.jpg, Countess Irina Illarionovna Sheremeteva (born Vorontsova-Dashkova) File:M. I. Musina-Pushkina.jpg, Countess Maria Illarionovna Musin-Pushkina (born Vorontsova-Dashkova) File:Cabanel - Portrait-of-Countess-Elizabeth-Vorontsova-Dashkova.jpg, Countess Elizabeth Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova (born

Shuvalov The House of Shuvalov () is the name of a Russian noble family, which was documented since the 16th century. The Shuvalov family rose to distinction during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and was elevated to the rank of count on 5 September 174 ...

a)

References

External links

{{commonscat, House of Vorontsov
Online museum of the Vorontsov Familyarchived
Russian noble families Vorontsov family

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links