Aleksander von der Bellen (Russian politician)

The Van der Bellen family (also spelled von der Bellen or van der Bellen, russian: ван дер Беллен, , originally russian: фон дер Беллен, ,) is a Russian noble family of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

patrilineal descent. By intermarriage and cultural assimilation it became part of the Russian-German population in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War. ...

. Its most famous member is

Alexander Van der Bellen Alexander Van der Bellen (; born 18 January 1944) is the current president of Austria. He previously served as a professor of economics at the University of Vienna, and after joining politics, as the spokesman of the Austrian Green Party. ...

, the President of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Family members held high offices in the regional government of the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

area in

Imperial Russia 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 ...

and the family was recognised as noble by Russian authorities in the early 19th century. After the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), 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 ad ...

, family members fled to

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and, following the 1940 Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia, to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

History

The family is descended from Johann Abraham van der Bellen, who moved to the Russian Empire around 1763. According to Russian official records, he was born in the Netherlands. In 1787, he volunteered for service with the Military Hospital in

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 ...

. Around 1793 he moved to

, and became a military doctor. He was involved in the construction of the local hospital and refused to receive any pay for his work. During the 1806–1807

War of the Fourth Coalition The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...

, he took responsibility for the care of French

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

and bought medical equipment and housing for them with his own resources. In 1801 he married the Russian-German noblewoman Elisabeth von Römer in Pskov. In the early 19th century the family was recognised as noble in the

via Johann Abraham being made a knight of the

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

Aleksander von der Bellen Aleksander Konstantin von der Bellen (russian: Александр Фон дер Беллен; 5 July 1859 – 11 February 1924), later known as Alexander van der Bellen, and called Sascha by family and friends, was a Russian Empire, Russian liber ...

, a liberal politician, became head of the Pskov government before the Russian Revolution. After the revolution, he and his sons fled to

. He was the grandfather of the Austrian President and former

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

leader

. During the 19th and early 20th century, the family name was spelled ''von der Bellen'' or ''von-der-Bellen''.

References

{{reflist Russian noble families Russian people of German descent