The House of Keșco (Cheșco/Keșcu/Cheșcu) (; , ), was an ancient Moldavian Boyar

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

whose members held significant positions in

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

and later 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 ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Most notable member was Natalia Keshko, who became first modern

Queen of Serbia This is a list of consorts of Serbian monarchs during the history of Serbia. Middle Ages Princess and Queen consorts of Duklja (10th–12th century) Grand Princess consorts of Serbia (1091–1217) Queen consorts of Serbia and Syrmia Nemanji ...

History

According to historian Johann Svoboda, the family had its roots in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, where members of the family appeared in 1097 as

Knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

en in the

Principality of Kiev The inner Principality of Kiev was a medieval principality centered on the city of Kiev. The principality was formed during the process of political fragmentation of the Kievan Rus' in the early 12th century. As a result of that process, the e ...

. According to him, the family has descended 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 Wassilko, Prince of Rostov (1209–1238).

In Moldavia

Historically, the family was established even before the

Principality of Moldova Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later autonom ...

was founded in 1350. They owned the forest on the left bank of the Sereth river, Panka region, Mihodra river valley and founded Lucavăţ, which was all owned by Luca, member of the family. The family is said to be, along with the

House of Dragoș The House of Dragoș, also known as the House of Drăgoșești (), was founded by Dragoș (also known as ''Dragoș Vodă''Brezianu, Andrei and Spânu, Vlad (2007) "Dragoş Vodă (?–ca. 1353)" ''Historical Dictionary of Moldova'' (2nd ed.) Sc ...

, the oldest in this region. Luca's sons Stan and Șerbco were

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s at the court of Prince

Alexander I of Moldavia Alexander I, commonly known as Alexander the Good (; – 1 January 1432) was Voivode of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432. He was the son of Roman I and succeeded Iuga to the throne. As ruler he initiated a series of reforms while consolidating ...

. He officially confirmed their family possessions of Lucavăţ, Panka with Mihodra with hereditary rights for their descendants by the document of February 16, 1428. The church of Lucavăţ became first seat of Bishopric of

Rădăuți Rădăuți (; ; ; ; , ''Radivtsi''; ''Radevits''; ) is a town in Suceava County, north-eastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. According to the 2021 census, Rădăuți is the second largest urban settlement in the ...

, with its pastor, by proclamation of Prince Stephen the Great of Moldavia became its first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

on March 15, 1490. Prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu of Moldavia, grandson of Prince Alexander "the Good", not only confirmed the legality of the certificate issued by his grandfather on May 7, 1565, but also subsequently transferred to the family the co-ownership of a large number of villages in northern Moldova which expanded the land they owned. Later, during 17th century, brothers Vasile, Nicolae and Constantin Căzăcescul were again officially confirmed ownership of all their expanded possessions by Prince Illias III of Moldavia on March 12, 1667.

Counts Wassilko von Serecki

Vasile (Basilius) (1631–1701), the eldest of the above mentioned brothers, married in 1654 Candachia Cocoranul (1635–1688), the daughter of the

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 ...

Isac Cocoranul. He was, as historian Teodor Bălan wrote, an ancestor of the Counts Wassilko von Serecki, who were later one of the largest landowners in

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, with most of their properties in the

Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918. Name The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...

. They were the only family of ethnic Romanian origin to acquire the title 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: ...

throughout the Empire.

Keshko family

It was first mentioned as such in the 17th century. Constantin the Căzăcescul, younger brother of the above mentioned Vasile (Basilius) (1631–1701) and Nicolae, got confirmed in 1667 his noble status and his possessions in the

by ruling Prince Illias III. His descendants kept using his nickname as their family name, making him an ancestor of the Keshko (''Keșco''/''Keșcu''/''Cheșco''/''Cheșcu'') family, which in turn made them collateral branch of the Counts Wassilko von Serecki. Keshko family mostly had their family estates in the territories of the Russian Empire and the

Danubian Principalities The Danubian Principalities (, ) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774) ...

In the Russian Empire

Members of the Keshko family served the

. As such, they were granted the title of

Marshals of Nobility Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

of the

Bessarabia Governorate The Bessarabia Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its administrative centre in Kishinev (Chișinău). It consisted of an area of and a population of 1,935,412 inhabitants. The Bessarabia Governorate bordered t ...

(1812–1917) where they held large properties. Throughout the years they were also incorporated into 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 ...

, apart from already belonging to

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

and

Moldavian nobility Moldovan and Moldavian refer to something of, from, or related to Moldova or Moldavia. In particular, it may refer to: *Moldovans, the main ethnic group of the Republic of Moldova *''Moldavians'', the inhabitants of the historical territory of the ...

Family tree

*Constantin Căzăcescul, whose descendants adopted and used Keșco version of his nickname as their official surname, married Irina Ţica, daughter of Eni Ţica, Great Pitar of Moldavia **Gheorghe Keșco, married Ilinca Stârcea, daughter of Ioan Stârcea ***Peter Keșco (died in 1790), married firstly Balasa Vârnav; married secondly Ecaterina Kogălniceanu ****Maria Keșco, married Șeptilici ****daughter, married Gheorghe, a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Moldavian army ****Ioniță Keșco (died in 1817), married firstly his cousin, daughter of Ilie Crâste and Nastasia Keşco; married secondly Tsaritsa Costache (Costaki) (born in 1771), daughter of Manolache Costaki, the Great Logothete and his wife, Anastasia Hurmuzachi (c.1765-1792) *****Ioan Keșco (1809–1863), Great Vornic of Moldavia,

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

Marshal of Nobility in

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

, married firstly Romanian noblewoman Natalia

Balș Balș () is a town in Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna, and Teiș. Geography The town is situated on the Wallachian Plain and lies on the banks of the river Olteț. It is located in the northwe ...

(1812–1830), daughter of Iordache

, Grand treasurer of Moldova and Princess Ruxandra

Sturdza The House of Sturdza, Sturza or Stourdza () is the name of an old Moldavian noble family whose origins can be traced back to the 1540s. Members of the family played important political role in the history of Moldavia, Russia and later Romania. ...

(1785–1844), married secondly Zamfira Calmuțchi (Kalmuțki) (1819-1881), daughter of Gheorghe Calmuțchi ******Petre Keșco (1830–1865),

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, married his relative Princess Pulcheria

(1831–1874) ******* Natalie Keșco,

Queen consort of Serbia This is a list of consorts of list of Serbian monarchs, Serbian monarchs during the history of Serbia. Middle Ages Princess and Queen consorts of Duklja (10th–12th century) Grand Princess consorts of Grand Principality of Serbia, Serbia (10 ...

(1859–1941) married her second cousin,

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Milan I of Serbia Milan Obrenović IV ( sr-cyr, Милан Обреновић, Milan Obrenović; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901) reigned as the Prince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, when he became King of Serbia, a title he held until his abdica ...

. *******Ioniță (Ioann) Keșco (1860-1877), the only brother of the Keșco family *******Maria Keșco (1861–1935), who married on 13 April 1886

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 ...

Grigor Ghica-Brigadier (1847–1913). *******Ioana Ecaterina Keșco (1864-1954), who married on 5 February 1883 her relative Prince Eugen Ghica-Comănești (1840–1912). ******Viktoria Keșco (1835-1856), after capturing the heart of

Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian archduke who became emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Mexican Republic on 19 June 1867. A member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, her father forcefully married her off to her brothers comrade and her longtime admirer, a rich

n nobleman of Greek descent Alexander Dimitrievich Inglezi (1826-1903), son of Dimitri Spiridonovich Inglezi (1771-1846). *****Viktoria Keșco (born in 1802), who married Belarusian nobleman Felix Wakar,

Korwin Coat of Arms Korwin is a Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms. It was used by several szlachta families in the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and by the Russian Counts Korwin-Jelita coat of arms, Litwicki tracing their origin back to Empress Cath ...

(1792-1865). *****Gheorghe Keșco (born in 1813) ****Teodor Keșco (died of

pneumonic plague Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by the bacterium '' Yersinia pestis''. Symptoms include fever, headache, shortness of breath, chest pain, and coughing. They typically start about three to seven days after exposure. It is o ...

in 1772) ****Petru Keșco (died pneumonic plague in 1772) ****daughter (died pneumonic plague in 1772) ****daughter (died pneumonic plague in 1772) ****Mihalche Keșco *****Constantin Keşco *****Ilinca Keşco *****Nastasia Keşco, married Ilie Crâste,

Ispravnic An ''ispravnic'' or ''ispravnik'' was, in the Danubian principalities, the title owned by a clerk or a boyar in charge of law enforcement in a certain county. Initially, during the middle ages, ''ispravnics'' were people who used to carry out the ...

and Șătrar, awarded with the title of

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

in 1787 ******daughter, married her cousin, Ioniță Keșco (died in 1817) **Mihail Keșco (died in 1727)

Family members

File:Queen_Natalie_as_a_ten_year_old_girl.jpg, Natalie as a ten year old girl, photo taken in 1869 File:Natalia_and_her_brother,_Ioan_Keshko.jpg, Natalie and her brother Ioan Keshko at a costume ball File:Vlaho_Bukovac_-_Queen_Natalija_Obrenovic.jpg, Portrait Natalie Keshko,

, currently displayed in

National Museum of Serbia The National Museum of Serbia () is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square (Belgrade), Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three stree ...

File:Bukovac_kraljica_natalija_1882.jpg, Another portrait of Queen Natalie by painter

Vlaho Bukovac Vlaho Bukovac (; ; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painting, painter and academic. His life and work were eclecticism, eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed greatly over the course ...

File:Portret_Kraljice_Natalije.jpg, Bust of Queen Natalie by Hungarian sculptor and artist

Alajos Stróbl Alajos Stróbl ( slovakian ''Alojz Štróbl, full name Alojz Ján Viliam Štróbl, Strobl de Liptóujvár'', ''Aloysius Joannes Vilhelmus Strobel'' )) (21 June 1856 – 13 December 1926) was a Austro-Hungarian sculptor and artist of Slova ...

Queen Natalie in Paris.jpg, Queen Natalie during her exile in Paris with her

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

File:Diplomatic_passport_of_Queen_Natalie.jpg, Diplomatic passport of Queen Natalie issued on 9 July 1937, at the Royal Yugoslav Consulate in Paris, in the name of ''Nathalie, Countess of Rudnik'' stating that she was born in 1859 in Florence, as Nathalie Keshko. The document was signed by King

Peter II of Yugoslavia Peter II Karađorđević (; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) was the last King of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until he was deposed in November 1945. He was the last reigning member of the Karađorđević dynasty. The eldest ...

File:Ioan_Keshko.jpg, Ioan Keshko (1860-1877), brother of Queen Natalie, photo taken in 1873 File:Ecaterina_Keshko_Ghica.jpg, Ioana Ecaterina Keshko (1864-1954), later Princess

Ghica The House of Ghica r Ghika(; }; , ''Gikas'') was an Albanian noble family whose members held significant positions in Wallachia, Moldavia and later in the Kingdom of Romania, between the early 17th century and late 19th century. The Ghica famil ...

, sister of Queen Natalie, photo taken in 1905 File:Maria_Keshko_Ghica.jpg, Marieta Keshko (1861-1935), later Princess

, sister of Queen Natalie, photo taken in 1905 File:King_Milan_I_of_Serbia_and_Queen_Natalija_Obrenović.jpg, Natalie, Marieta and Ioana Ecaterina Keshko with

File:Peter_Keshko.jpg, Peter Keshko (1830-1865), father of Queen Natalie File:Pulcheria_Keshko.jpg, Pulcheria Keshko (1831-1874), mother of Queen Natalie File:Princess_Pulcheria_Sturdza.jpg, Pulcheria Keshko, née Princess

(1831-1874) File:Maria_Sturdza_Rosetti.jpg, Princess Maria Rosetti (1805-1887), mother of Pulcheria Keshko (1831-1874) and grandmother of Queen Natalie (c. 1875) File:ViktoriaKeshko.png, Viktoria Keshko (1835–1856), aunt of Queen Natalie and first love of

Maximilian I of Mexico Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Restored Republic (Mexico), Mexican Republ ...

Properties

File:Pronin House.jpg, Villa in Kishinev, built for Queen Natalie Obrenovic, Dowager Queen of Serbia, later owned by Russian merchant Gheorghii Pronin File:Villas_Biarritz.jpg, Villa Sacchino in

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the exile home of Queen Natalie, named after her son, King

Alexander I of Serbia Alexander I (; 14 August 187611 June 1903) was King of Serbia from 1889 until his death in 1903, when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. Acces ...

File:Летњиковац_Обреновића_на_Плавинцу_код_Смедерева_2.jpg, Natalie's summer villa in

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

surrounded by

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

File:Letnjikovac_Obrenovića_na_Plavincu_kod_Smedereva,_salon_01.jpg, Interior of her summer villa in Smederevo

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keșco Moldavian nobility Moldavian families People from Bessarabia Governorate