The House of Obolensky () is an ancient

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 ...

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ly family, claiming descent from the Olgovichi branch of the

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History

Their name is said to derive from the town of Obolensk in the Upper Oka Principalities near Moscow. Members of the family belonged to the Russian nobility and held the hereditary title of

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 ...

in the Empire of Russia. The Obolensky

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is composed of the emblems of

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and Chernigov.The family of aristocrats mostly fled Russia in 1917 during the

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Notable members

*Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (d.1523), nicknamed ''Repnya'', ancestor of the House of Repnin * Alexey Obolensky (1819–1884), Russian artillery general * Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (1853–1910), Governor-General of Finland * Alexei Dmitrievich Obolensky (24 November/6 December 1855-21 September 1933)-Russian state man, equerry, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod(1905—1906), an owner of the Berezichi estate After the

, part of the Obolensky family went into exile and their descendants carry "Obolensky" as a regular surname. * Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky (b. 1916, d. 1940 in

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), was a Russian prince and went on to represent England in international Rugby Union. He was popularly known as "The Flying Prince" or simply as "Obo" * Alexis Alekseevich Obolensky (1915–1986), socialite and "father of modern backgammon" * Alexis Nikolaevich Obolensky (1919–2006), senior U.S. State Department interpreter (nine languages), instrumental in completion of notable US-USSR Treaties and Agreements * Dimitri Alexandrovich Obolensky (1882–1964), son of Prince Alexander Dimitrievich Obolensky (1847–1917), after the revolution became a night watchman and a taxi driver in

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* Dimitri Dmitriyevich Obolensky (1918–2001), historian, son of Dmitri Alexandrovich Obolensky (1882–1964) and Countess Maria Shuvalov (1894–1973) * Ivan Sergeyevich Obolensky (1925–2019), son of Sergei Platonovich "Serge" Obolensky and Ava Alice Muriel Astor * Serge Obolensky (1890–1978), Sergei Platonovich "Serge" Obolensky (born at Tsarskoye Selo), was a Russian Prince; 1st husband of Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902–1956) (daughter of John Jacob Astor IV (1864–1912) of the

Astor family The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...

and Ava Lowle Willing (1868–1958)), and son of Platon Sergeyevich Obolensky and Marie Narishkin, he was Vice Chairman of the Board of Hilton Hotels Corporation. His first wife was a daughter of Emperor

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Grand Du ...

* Sergey Nikolaievich Obolensky (1909–1992), son of Nikolai Leonidovich Obolensky

References

{{reflist Russian noble families