The House of Demidov (russian: Деми́довы) also Demidoff, was a prominent
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
noble family
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 characteris ...
during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originating in the city of
Tula in the 17th century, the Demidovs found success through
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
products, and were entered into the
European nobility by
Peter the Great. Their descendants became among the most influential
merchants and earliest
industrialists in the Russian Empire, and at their peak were predicted to be the second-richest family in Russia, behind only the
Russian Imperial Family
The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...
. The Demidov family lost its fortune after the
February Revolution of 1917
The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...
, but continues to exist under the rendering Demidoff.
History
Their
progenitor,
Demid Antufiev
Nikita Demidov (full name Nikita Demidovich Antufiev), (5 April 1656 Tula – 28 November 1725 Tula) was a Russian industrialist who founded the Demidov industrial dynasty.
Peter I of Russia charged the enterprising blacksmith Nikita with casting ...
, was a free
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
from
Tula, where their family
necropolis is preserved as a museum. His son
Nikita Demidov
Nikita Demidov (full name Nikita Demidovich Antufiev), (5 April 1656 Tula – 28 November 1725 Tula) was a Russian industrialist who founded the Demidov industrial dynasty.
Peter I of Russia charged the enterprising blacksmith Nikita with casting ...
(March 26, 1656November 17, 1725) made his fortune by his skill in the manufacture of weapons, and established an iron foundry for the government.
Peter the Great, with whom he was a favorite, ennobled him in 1720.
For two centuries, the Demidov plants produced a large portion of Russia's iron and steel. The
Palace of Westminster was one of many notable buildings constructed of Demidov metal products.
Nikita's son,
Akinfiy Demidov
Akinfiy Nikitich Demidov (russian: Акинфий Никитич Демидов) (1678 Tula - 5 August 1745 Yatskoye Ustye, Menzelinsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate) was a Russian industrialist of the Demidov family.
Life
He was the eldest s ...
(1678–1745), increased his inherited wealth by the discovery and working of gold, silver and copper mines.
He also founded the
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
n town of
Barnaul
Barnaul ( rus, Барнау́л, p=bərnɐˈul) is the largest city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As of the 2021 Census, its population was ...
, whose central square still bears his name. He also commissioned the
Leaning Tower of Nevyansk
The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk (russian: Невья́нская ба́шня) is a tower in the town of Nevyansk in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, built in the 18th century. Its construction was funded by Peter the Great's associate Akinfiy ...
. His fortune was inherited by his eldest son
Prokofi Demidov
Prokofi Akinfiyevich Demidov (1710–1786) was a Russian industrialist and philanthropist.
The eldest son of Akinfiy Demidov, Prokofi inherited the enormous Demidov family fortune on his father's death in 1745. He gave freely to charitable works, ...
, whilst his younger son
Nikita Akinfievitch Demidov (1724–1789) became an arts patron.
Akinfiy's nephew,
Pavel Grigoryevich Demidov (1738–1821), was a great traveller and benefactor of Russian scientific education who befriended
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
and
Pallas
Pallas may refer to:
Astronomy
* 2 Pallas asteroid
** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas
* Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon
Mythology
* Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena
* Pa ...
. He established the
Demidov Lyceum
The Yaroslavl Demidov State University ( Russian: ''Ярославский государственный университет имени П. Г. Демидова'') is an institution of higher education in Yaroslavl, Russia. In 1918, Yarosla ...
in
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 confluenc ...
, the Demidov chair in
Natural history at
Moscow University, and founded an annual prize for Russian literature, awarded by the
Academy of Sciences
An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...
.
A
bronze monument to him was installed in
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 confluenc ...
in 1828.
Pavel's nephew,
Nikolay Nikitich Demidov (1774–1828), fought in the
Napoleonic War
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
with distinction, raised and commanded a regiment to oppose
Napoleon's invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
, and carried on the accumulation of the family wealth from mining; he contributed liberally to the erection of four bridges in
St Petersburg, and to the propagation of scientific culture in Moscow.
He was created a
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: ...
by the Grand Duke of
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
.
Nikolay's son Count
Pavel Nikolayevich Demidov (1798–1840) fought as an officer in his father's regiment and received his baptism of fire at the
battle of Borodino in 1812. After the war, he entered the
Chevalier Guards regiment
The Chevalier Guard Regiment (russian: Кавалергардский полк, Kavalergardskiy polk) was a Russian heavy cavalry guard regiment, created in 1800 by the reformation of the Chevalier Guard corps, itself created in 1764 by Catherin ...
. He received his discharge in 1831 with the rank of captain when he entered civil service as governor of the province of Kursk. In 1834, he entered service in the Ministry of the Exterior as court Huntsmaster, later State Councillor. Count Pavel Demidov is best known for his philanthropy, primarily for having founded the
Demidov Prize. He married the well-known society beauty and maid-of-honour to her majesty the Empress Alexandra Feodorovnya
Aurora Stjernvall
Eva Aurora Charlotta Karamzin (née Stjernvall) (1 / 7 August 1808 Ulvila – 13 May 1902 Helsinki) was a Finnish philanthropist. Her better-known names are Princess Aurora Demidova and Aurora Karamzin, titles that were acquired after her firs ...
(1808–1903) in 1836. Their son,
Pavel Pavlovich Demidov, who became the 2nd Prince of San Donato, was the grandfather of
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.
Nikolay's second son,
Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato (1813–1870), was a well-known traveller and patron of art. In 1840, he acquired the Italian title of
Prince of San Donato {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
The princedom of San Donato was created by Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, for the Russian Italophile Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov in 1840, so that Demidov could marry Mathilde Bonapar ...
and married
Princess Mathilde, daughter of
Jérôme Bonaparte.
His
Villa Demidoff
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
is a minor landmark of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
. Anatole's great grand nephew,
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, was regent of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
between 1934 and 1941.
The second and last Prince Lopukhin, Pavel Petrovich Lopukhin (son of
Pyotr Lopukhin
Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Lopukhin (1753, Saint Petersburg – 1827) was a Russian politician and member of the Lopukhin family. He was president of the Council of Ministers from 1816 to 1827.
Marriage and issue
He married twice:
# Praskovia Iva ...
), was granted in 1873 the right to pass his title and name to his great-nephew, Nikolai Demidoff, a representative of another branch of this industrialist clan. The revolution impoverished the princes Lopukhin-Demidov, who settled in Finland where they (for a while) owned the manor of
Anttolanhovi near
Mikkeli
Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34,000 ...
. The dowager princess Natalia deceased in Mikkeli in 1957. The princely family (surname rendered as Demidoff) still exist.
Hereditary commanders of the Knights Hospitaller
In 1798, Nikolay Nikitich Demidov was made a Family Commander of the
Russian Grand Priory of the Order of Saint John, by
Tsar Paul I
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
. Those favoured by Emperor Paul and his son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. 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 are Aleksandar, Al ...
had been given beneficed Commanderies, and others were encouraged to use their wealth to create their own Commanderies; it is these which were known as Family or Ancestral Commanderies.
In 1811, a Ukase was enacted which brought this institution to an end. However, by personal grant of the Emperor, the title of "
Hereditary Commander" was held by some descendants who qualified.
In 1928, a group of descendants of the original Family Commanders formed an Association. By 1958, the group was chaired by Grand Duke Vladimir (successor to the Russian Throne). This group regulated the claims of the descendants. On 14 April 1958, under his signature of Grand Duke Vladimir decided in favour of Paul Demidoff; "''de faire droit à Votre requête et de confirmer Votre titre de Commandeur Héréditaire de l'Union des Descendants des Commandeurs Héréditaires et Chevaliers du Grand Prieuré Russe de l'Ordre de St. Jean de Jérusalem en tant que descendant direct de Demidoff Nicolas fils de Nicétas qui, par grâce de Mon trisaïeul, S.M. l'Empereur Paul I-r Grand Maître de l'Ordre de St. Jean de Jérusalem avait été élevé le 2I Juillet 1799''" - in translation; "''to grant Your request and to confirm Your title of Hereditary Commander of the Union of the Descendants of the Hereditary Commanders and Knights of the Russian Grand Priory about St John of Jerusalem as a direct descendant of Demidoff Nicholas son of Nicétas which, by grace of My great-great-grandfather, H.M. the Emperor Paul I Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem had been elevated 21 July 1799''".
Alexandre Tissot Demidoff (of Berkshire, England) chairs an Association which seeks to continue the humanitarian tradition of the Russian Grand Priory, to which Alexander Demidoff (of Paris, and son of Paul Demidoff above) belongs.
Publications
* Anatole Demidoff,
Travels in Southern Russia, and the Crimea; through Hungary, Wallachia, & Modavia, during the Year 1837', London, J. Mitchell, 1853,
See also
*
Alla Demidova
*
Aurora Demidov
*
Demidov collection
The Demidov collection was a collection of artworks gathered by the Russian industrialist Count Nikolay Nikitich Demidov and considerably expanded by his second son Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato. It was mainly on show at ...
*
Demidov Square
*
Demidovsky Pillar, Barnaul
The Demidovsky Pillar is a modern obelisk on Demidov Square in the Central District of Barnaul, Russia. It is a memorial to 100 years of mining in the Altai Krai. It was begun on the initiative of Pyotr Kozmitch Frolov, with the first stone bein ...
*
Demidovsky Pillar, Yaroslavl
*
Pavel Grigoryevich Demidov
*
Pavel Nikolaievich Demidov
Pavel (called Paul) Nikolaievich Demidov (russian: Павел Николаевич Демидов; 6 September 1798 Saint Petersburg - 25 March 1840 Mainz) was a Russian nobleman of the Demidov dynasty, philanthropist and industrialist. His fat ...
*
Pavel Pavlovitch Demidov
*
Princedom of San Donato
*
Prokofi Demidov
Prokofi Akinfiyevich Demidov (1710–1786) was a Russian industrialist and philanthropist.
The eldest son of Akinfiy Demidov, Prokofi inherited the enormous Demidov family fortune on his father's death in 1745. He gave freely to charitable works, ...
*
Villa San Donato
The Villa San Donato is a Palladian palace built by Russian industrialist Nikolay Demidov on 42 hectares of marshland to the north of Florence at Polverosa which he had bought from the Catholic church, after he was made Russia's ambassador to the ...
References
External links
History and portraits of the DemidovsHistory of the Demidov Family (from the website of Demidov University)
{{Authority control
Russian noble families