The House of Sheremetev () was one of the wealthiest and most influential
Russian noble families
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 ...
, descending from
Feodor Koshka.
History
The family held many high commanding ranks in the Russian military, governorships and eventually the rank 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: ...
of 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 ...
.
Notable members
*
Yelena Sheremeteva, third wife of
Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich (1554–1581), son of
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...
.
*
Fedor Sheremetev (1570–1650) cousin of
Tsar Michael I and head of government in 1613–18 and 1642–46
*
Vasily Borisovich Sheremetev (1622–1682) fought in Ukraine
*
Count Boris Sheremetev (1652–1719) military leader and diplomat during the Great Northern War
*
Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev (1713—1788) son of Boris; courtier and noted patron of Russian theater
*
Princess Natalia Borisovna Dolgorukova, daughter of Boris and wife of Prince Ivan Dolgorukov
*
Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev (1751–1809) son of Pyotr; noted patron of Russian theater
*
Praskovia Kovalyova-Zhemchugova, a
serf woman belonging to the Sheremetev family, who became an actress in the Sheremetev Serf Theatre and later married Nikolai Sheremetev
*
Count Aleksandr Dmitriyevich Sheremetev (1859–1931) grandson of Nikolai and son of Dmitri; conductor, composer and entrepreneur
* Count Pierre
Sheremetev, noted patron of the
Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris
*
Romuald Szeremietiew (born 1945), Polish politician and independence activist in the
Confederation of Independent Poland
Confederation of Independent Poland (KPN, ) was a Polish nationalist political party founded on 1 September 1979 by Leszek Moczulski and others declaring support for the pre-war traditions of Sanacja and Józef Piłsudski.
It was the first ind ...
.
The
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport (, , Internal code: ШРМ) is one of four international airports that serve the city of Moscow. It is the busiest airport in Russia and the post-Soviet states, as well as the ninth-busiest airport in Euro ...
, built in the 1950s and named from the nearby settlement of (dating from about 1901), from its railway-station and from the railway-line founder (1844-1918), indirectly commemorates the family.
Etymology
Russian surnames are gender sensitive, the masculine form of the name being ''Sheremetev'' (''Шереметев'') and the feminine being rendered as ''Sheremeteva'' (''Шереметева'').
There are three theories about the origin of the surname, all of them indicate a
Tatar and eastern origin for the family. One theory proposes that the name originated with the
Turkic Chuvash language
Chuvash ( , ; , , ) is a Turkic languages, Turkic language spoken in European Russia, primarily in the Chuvashia, Chuvash Republic and adjacent areas. It is the only surviving member of the Oghur languages, Oghur branch of Turkic languages ...
word ''seremet'' (''шеремет''), meaning "poor man". Another theory translates the nickname ''Seremet'' as "having light steps", "hot" (about a horse), while the third theory suggests that the name originates with the
Tatar/Turkic-Persian ''shir Akhmat,'' which literally translates to "Tiger Ahmet" and can be read as both "brave Ahmet" and "Pious Ahmet."
References
{{Authority control
Russian noble families