Vorontsov (russian: Воронцо́в), also Woroncow and de Woroncow-Wojtkowicz,is the name of a Russian noble family whose members attained the dignity of

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: ...

s of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

in 1744 and became Princes of 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. ...

in 1852, with the style of

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

. Most likely, the Vorontsovs represent a collateral branch of the great Velyaminov family of Muscovite

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...

s, which claimed male-line descent from a

Varangian The Varangians (; non, Væringjar; gkm, Βάραγγοι, ''Várangoi'';Varangian
" Online Etymo ...

nobleman named

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 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

s of

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 ...

until the office was abolished by

Dmitry Donskoy Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( rus, Дми́трий Ива́нович Донско́й, Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry (12 October 1350 – 1 ...

(Prince of Moscow from 1359 to 1389), whose own mother 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 Fyodor, Fedor (russian: Фёдор) or Feodor is the Russian form of the name "Theodore" meaning “God’s Gift”. Fedora () is the feminine form. Fyodor and Fedor are two English transliterations of the same Russian name. It may refer to: Giv ...

, who became ''de facto'' ruler of Russia during the minority of

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

("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 Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

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

Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (russian: Михаи́л Илларио́нович Воронцо́в) (12 July 171415 February 1767) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, who laid foundations for the fortunes of the Vorontsov family. At ...

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

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, 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 emigrat ...

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

Peter III of Russia Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

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

Elizaveta Vorontsova Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova (russian: Елизавета Романовна Воронцова; 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 Febr ...

became the Emperor's mistress. Peter's wife

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, 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 Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova (russian: Екатери́на Рома́новна Воронцо́ва) (28 March, 1743 – 15 January, 1810) This source reports that Prince Dashkov died in 1761. was an influential noblewoman, a major figure o ...

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

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 ...

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

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (russian: Князь Михаи́л Семёнович Воронцо́в, tr. ; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars and most famous for his participati ...

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

New Russia Novorossiya, literally "New Russia", is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later become the southern mainland of Ukraine: the region immediately north of the Black Sea and Crimea. ...

and led the Russian army in the

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

. 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. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...

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

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 (russian: Илларио́н Ива́нович Воронцов-Дашков; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a notable representative of the Vorontsov family. He served as Minister of Imperial Pro ...

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

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

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish (''Sarighamishi chakatamart''), russian: Сражение при Сарыкамыше; tr, Sarıkamış Harekatı, lit=''Operation Sarıkamış'' was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World W ...

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

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Gallery

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

Vorontsov Palace (Saint Petersburg) The Vorontsov Palace (russian: Воронцо́вский дворе́ц) is a 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 ...

File:Alupka castle3.jpg,

Vorontsov Palace (Alupka) The Vorontsov Palace ( uk, Воронцовський палац; russian: link=no, Воронцо́вский дворе́ц) or the Alupka Palace; russian: link=no, Алупкинский дворец) name was contrived during Soviet times ...

File:Vorontsov-Daskov with daughter.jpg,

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 (russian: Шува́лов) 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 c ...

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