Portrait of Count F. F. Sumarokov-Elston-Yusupov. 1903. Valentin Serov
The Yusupovs traced their family lineage, dating back about 1,500 years, to Abubekir Ben Rayok, the first caliph after the death of Mohammed. The surname “Yusupov” came from the name of Ivan the Terrible’s ally Yusuf. Abdul Mirza Yusuf, baptized in Orthodoxy by Dmitry, received the title of prince from Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and was recorded by Yusupov.
However, the last Felix Yusupov, who is called Felix III according to family genealogy, did not belong to the heirs in the direct line, which ended in the family of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov.
Felix Yusupov's father, Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, received the princely title and surname Yusupov in his marriage to Princess Zinaida Yusupova. Elston himself, by the way, was the grandson of Frederick William IV of Prussia, though from his illegitimate son with Countess Tiesenhausen.
Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston and Princess Yusupova had two sons - the eldest Nikolai (1883-1908) - killed in a duel, and the youngest - Felix, who will be discussed.
The formation of homosexual habits may have begun for Felix at the very moment when the eldest of the last Yusupovs, Nikolai, fell from a shot in a duel at the hands of his legal cuckolded husband.
It is known that among related couples, homosexuality is more often expressed by the younger brothers. There may be many reasons for this, but one of them lies in the field of education. Having remained the only heir in the Yusupov family (for the second time in 100 years), young Felix bathed in family tenderness, love and used all the pleasant aspects of permissiveness. However, he was already the fourth boy in the family (two died before they even lived a year). In addition, Princess Zinaida, Felix’s mother, was so hopeful about the birth of a girl that she even sewed a pink trousseau. She allowed herself to correct some “sadness” from the birth of her son by dressing little Felix like a girl until he was five years old and trying to give him an appropriate upbringing. The boy enjoyed playing with his mother’s diamonds and trying on her chic dresses. His mother's bedroom, covered in blue patterned silk, seemed to him like a mysterious alcove. “There were brooches and necklaces in the wide piles.” Young Felix's favorite pastime was dressing up, or the so-called "living pictures" with the participation of servants in his father's office. Felix put on his mother’s jewelry and introduced himself as either a sultan or a satrap...
Princess Zinaida’s luxurious wardrobe remained one of Felix’s most vivid childhood impressions... “Mother’s whim subsequently left an imprint on my character,” Prince Yusupov said meaningfully in his memoirs written in French in the mid-twentieth century.
Mother instilled in Felix a love of dance and theater, which was also in the style of the enlightened Yusupovs, who were on good terms with both Voltaire and Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Felix studied rather poorly. The only class he enjoyed was dancing on weekends. For Felix, his mother is an example of a high society lioness. But the relationship with his father remained rather cool: there was “always a distance” between them. Young Felix was more pleased to feel like the heir to the noble and wealthy Yusupov family, reveling in high society fame, untold riches and “flashy luxury in the Russian style with French grace.”
At the age of thirteen, Felix had his first sexual adventure. On vacation in Europe, in a secluded gazebo in a resort park, he found an Argentinean squeezing a pretty lady. Excited, he again appeared in the gazebo, where he found the same couple in love and dared to ask about what was happening. The next day, the Argentine brought him to his room and “introduced him to adult secrets.” Felix Yusupov’s first intimate experience was bisexual... He connected with the boy’s “rag” hobbies and, to a certain extent, formed his preferences as a transvestite.
Dressing as a woman gradually turned from entertainment into almost a physical necessity. In the winter of 1900, Felix and his relatives, two brothers and a sister, made a noisy visit to the famous Bear restaurant (almost an elite gay club in these days), dressed as young ladies - “they dressed up, put on rouge, and put on jewelry.” When things went too far and some of the excited regulars of the Bear wanted to go with Felix in disguise to the offices, the visitors, recognized by the head waiter, fled in disgrace. The next day, Felix's father received the bill for the restaurant and the remainder of the pearls from the necklace that had been torn from his son's chest by an impatient lover of young men in ladies' dresses.
After failing his military school exams, his parents sent the capricious and lazy Felix to the Gurevich gymnasium. But the heir, in whose veins beat the blood of distant nomadic ancestors, did not let up - this time he became friends with the gypsies. Dressed in ladies' clothes, Felix sang gypsy romances in a real soprano voice...
Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston. 1900s Hood. R. de San Gallo
Isn’t it strange that this way of life - with carnivals, dressing up, jokes and intrigues - was for Felix the embodiment of his, so to speak, maternal patriotism. He, young Felix Yusupov, was the only heir to the ancient Yusupov family, whose history is full of scandalous details. But this piquant picture was contained in such a noble and refined frame of exploits, achievements, and most importantly - high-profile historical names and events that it obscured the most shameless details of human life with its brilliance.
In the winter of 1909, Felix met Grigory Rasputin for the first time - he seemed “cunning, evil, voluptuous.”
Prince Yusupov spent two years traveling around Europe and unsuccessfully trying to study at Oxford. Meanwhile, the famous Diaghilev seasons began in Paris and London, and Yusupov spent more time in theaters and at balls than in Oxford auditoriums.
In the autumn of 1912, Felix's first meetings took place with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who heard a lot about Felix's "scandalous adventures" and was impressed by the beauty of the young man. He openly told Yusupov that he would like to meet with him. But Felix was afraid of new scandals, and the Emperor, having learned that his brother, prone to gay love, was showing interest in the “disgraced” person, forbade them to meet.
But the meeting between Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov later took place. The foundation of the union, the purpose of which was to rid Russia of the elder Grigory Rasputin, was the homosexual love of the two princes.
Their connection was not destroyed by the rivalry between Felix and Dmitry in the fight for the hand of Princess Irina, daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, to whom the Yusupovs announced their engagement at the end of 1913.
When the newlyweds went on a honeymoon to Paris in 1914, from the window of the moving train, Felix “noticed the lonely figure of Dmitry in the distance on the platform.” Who did the Grand Duke come to say goodbye to - his cousin, who never became his wife, or his dear friend, whose meetings had to be carefully hidden from the world?..
Portrait of Felix Yusupov. 1925. Hood. Zinaida Serebryakova
Felix dedicated an entire book, which he wrote in 1927 - “The End of Rasputin,” to his attitude towards Rasputin and what happened on the night of December 29-30, 1916 in the basement of a mansion on the Moika. By 1916, all state institutions of tsarist Russia rebelled against Rasputin - both the Russian Orthodox Church and the State Duma. But Yusupov claims that the initiative to kill Rasputin belonged to him. Felix shared his idea with Grand Duke Dmitry - perhaps the closest person with whom he had already been connected by many years of friendship and love. He promised support...
In order to win Rasputin’s attention, Felix came up with the idea of turning to him for help in treating “homosexuality.” The elder promised to cure him and suggested orgies in the company of gypsies as a cure. Felix refused several times, but the “elder” did not let up and called him for “treatment” with the gypsies. It can be assumed that the bisexual Rasputin experienced a certain kind of attraction to Yusupov. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the frankness with which Rasputin told Yusupov about the techniques and methods of his influence on the imperial family - unless all this was invented by the prince to justify the bloody murder.
Of the State Duma deputies, Vladimir Purishkevich agreed to help in eliminating Rasputin, and Prince Dmitry, who inspected the basement prepared for the massacre, provided a car in which the unfinished old man was taken to the Neva and lowered into the ice hole.
After the murder, Felix took refuge in the apartment of Grand Duke Dmitry, and in the morning they were both arrested “by order of the Empress” for several days. They spent the nights waiting for the Emperor's decision together. On the fourth day it was reported: Dmitry was exiled to Persia on the Turkish front, and Felix was sent into exile to the Rakitnoye estate.
There Yusupov would meet the revolution and the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne.
Prince Felix Yusupov and his wife, Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova. 1932. Photo unknown. auto
“They often said that I don’t like women,” Felix admits in his diaries at the end of his life. “This is not true. I love it when there is a reason... But I must admit, ladies rarely corresponded to my ideal... In my opinion, men are more honest and more unselfish than women."
And one more thing - “I have always been outraged by human injustice towards those who love differently. You can blame same-sex love, but not the lovers themselves.”
Felix will live a long, stormy life: the inheritance will end, the European palaces and houses of the Yusupovs will go under the hammer. He will die in 1967. With him the male line of the Yusupov family will be interrupted.
Shortly before the revolution, it was difficult to find a noble family whose founders lived in ancient times. At that time, among the rich families there were mainly people from the merchant class, and this family was a model of respect and veneration for its roots and pedigree. Perhaps it is precisely that unbreakable connection with their ancestors that explains the stamina and endurance of all members of this influential family.
The history of the Yusupov family name dates back to the times of Ivan the Terrible. The ancestor of the future nobles was Yusuf-Murza, the Nogai Khan. He sent his descendants to Moscow so that they could feed the city of Romanov, be baptized according to the Orthodox model, and find a new home. According to official data, the period from the 16th to the 17th centuries can be considered the time from which the history of the family began.
Yusuf's descendants were always respected and were close to the royal family. So, great-grandson of the khan,Grigory Dmitrievichhad merits before Peter the Great. He took part in the Azov campaigns and the Northern War. His sonBoris Grigorievichserved as governor during the reign of Empress Anna Ioanovna.his descendant received from Paul I the title of Minister of the Department of Appanages, and Emperor Alexander I, who replaced him, made Nicholas a member of the State Council.
Tragedy of the family
Look at the photo of the family tree: the history of the Yusupov family is surprising in that they always had only one heir in the male line. There were other sons, but they never lived to adulthood. Therefore, their family tree has no additional lines, it is straight and unbranched. In those days, this was rare; usually high-born families had many relatives and descendants.
There is a legend that a terrible curse has been placed on the entire family. Allegedly, Yusuf's fellow tribesmen learned that he had converted his descendants to another faith, were angry and killed the khan himself as soon as he crossed the border of his state. They found a steppe witch who doomed family members to a terrible fate. Of all the children born within a generation, only one lived to be 26 years old.
This story was repeated from ancestors to descendants, and for good reason, there was too much evidence of its veracity. The couple actually had only one son left, who had reached the age of 26. Family members were wary of this frightening legend, and all the servants in the house, without any doubt, accepted the superstition at face value.
Historians who conducted research on the Yusupov noble family have a different opinion on this matter. They discovered that the death of sons at a young age did not begin immediately after the emergence of an eminent family. The legendary “curse of the family” manifested itself only after the death of Boris Grigorievich; before him, no such cases of death at a young age were recorded. In addition, the curse applied only to men. There were no such problems with girls; they lived to old age much more often. Therefore, researchers have put forward the version that the cause of the tragedy was not a mythical curse at all, but a genetic disease transmitted through the male line.
Since the family had only one son and heir, the family of the Yusupov princes was on the verge of extinction for many years. However, this had a positive impact on the well-being of the family. Unlike other famous families with many descendants, the funds were not distributed among the heirs, nor were they wasted by numerous relatives. The family's wealth always remained in the house and was concentrated in the hands of one owner.We will tell you about the most prominent representativesdynasties. Storiestheir lives are fascinating, full of mysteries and amazing events.
Zinaida Ivanovna
Boris Nikolaevich's wife came from an influential and noble Naryshkin family. She was betrothed at the age of fifteen, while her chosen one was already thirty. Boris was a widower at that time. Having met the young maid of honor Zinaida Ivanovna at the coronation celebrations, the prince was fascinated by her beauty. It was not easy to gain the favor of the bride's parents, so Boris Ivanovich was forced to get married several times. The history of the Yusupov family says that the wedding was postponed several times.
Finally, on January 19, 1827, the wedding took place in Moscow. The ceremony was extremely unsuccessful: the groom was forced to return home because he forgot to receive a blessing from his father, the bride dropped her wedding ring and lost it, so she had to take another one. The couple's family life did not work out from the very beginning. Young and energetic Zinaida was unhappy in the company of her gloomy and thoughtful husband; in letters to her father she noted that she was bored in St. Petersburg. Soon a tragedy occurred that completely destroyed the already fragile family ties. After the birth of her son Nikolai, Zinaida gave birth to a daughter, but she died during childbirth. Having learned about the family curse, the princess flatly refused to give birth to more children and allowed her husband to have connections on the side and have mistresses. Their marriage from that moment became a formality.
The princess was young and very pretty. Historians who have studied the Yusupov dynasty note that, according to contemporaries, she was slender and tall, had a thin waist and beautiful dark eyes. The thirst for entertainment pushed her into numerous novels. All high society knew about her adventures and reputation, but many influential families continued to show respect to Zinaida Ivanovna because of her friendly disposition and noble surname.
After the death of her husband in 1849, the princess left the Russian Empire and met a young Frenchman. Their age difference was 20 years. They got married in 1861 in the homeland of Zinaida Ivanovna. The nobility reacted negatively to the unequal marriage, so the princess acquired for her husband the title of Count Chauveau and Marquis de Serres, and she herself began to be called Countess de Chauveau. So she broke all ties with the cursed, in her opinion, family of the Yusupov princes and began a new life in France.
The only son of Zinaida Ivanovna, who went to France, Nikolai Borisovich. In fact, the history of the Yusupov family name is interrupted with him, since he was the last descendant in the male line.
Nikolai was a passionate collector, collecting musical instruments, works of art, and jewelry. One of the greatest treasures, which was then passed down from generation to generation in the family, is the Pelegrina pearl. With her, Zinaida, the daughter of Nikolai Borisovich, poses in almost all of her portraits.
Nikolai was very sensitive to art. He collected himself a unique collection of paintings, however, his gallery was always closed to visitors. Also, following the example of his ancestors, he took part in charity work from an early age, for which he received the respect of his contemporaries.
The prince's family life was also not without difficulties. He was in love with his half-cousin, Tatyana Alexandrovna Ribopierre. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, such a marriage was unacceptable, so the newlyweds had to get married in secret. A case was opened against this union at the Synod, but Emperor Alexander II himself ordered to leave the spouses alone.
The marriage produced three children: son Boris and daughters Tatyana and Zinaida. The boy died at an early age from illness, and Tatyana died at the age of 22. According to the official version, the cause of death was typhus, epidemics of which occurred quite often at that time. And again, in the biography of the Yusupov family, a moment arises when only one descendant of the prince remains alive. This time, not the heir, but the heiress of a multimillion-dollar fortune, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna, became the only legal owner of the family wealth.
Zinaida Nikolaevna
Contemporaries spoke of the princess as a woman of extraordinary intelligence and beauty. She received an excellent education, knew several languages, and the most noble suitors, including august persons, sought her hand in marriage. Her father admitted that he would like to see his daughter on the throne, but she was not ambitious and refused everyone, wanting to find a chosen one to her liking. He turned out to be Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, whom Zinaida Nikolaevna married in 1882. Their marriage was happy, despite the differences in views and interests of the spouses. Felix was a military man and did not really like the noble circles in which his wife preferred to be. However, the social receptions that the couple held on their estates were famous throughout the empire. Not only Russian but also Western aristocrats were invited to them.
Zinaida Ivanovna was passionate about dancing and knew how to perform both ballroom and Russian folk dances. During a costume ball in the Winter Palace, the princess danced so superbly that the guests applauded and called her out five times. Also, the owner of the fortune of the noble Yusupov family was famous for her generosity and conducted charitable activities.
During the marriage, the couple had two sons. The first-born, Nikolai, did not live to see his 26th birthday for only six months and was killed in a duel with Count Arvid Manteuffel. Their youngest son, Felix Feliksovich, survived - the last descendant in the history of the family of the Yusupov princes.
Felix Feliksovich
For those interested in the biography and history of the Yusupov family, it will be very interesting to read Felix’s memoirs. In them, he talks fascinatingly about his youth, relationships with family members, about his brilliant mother and brother Nikolai. He married Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, who was related to the ruling emperor of the Russian Empire.
During their honeymoon, World War I began. The couple were detained as prisoners of war in Germany until the end of the war. Prince Felix's father brought the Spanish ambassador into the matter. Thanks to his diplomatic actions, the young people managed to escape to Russia, where they began to arrange military hospitals.
Felix and Irina had a daughter, whose godparents were Emperor Nicholas himself and his wife.Felix Feliksovich was involved in the murder of Rasputin, as he considered him to be the culprit of all the misfortunes that were happening in the country at that time. The prince participated in organizing the murder of Rasputin. He stated that he must be removed by any means and his influence on the sovereign and empress must be stopped, even at the cost of murder.
After the October Revolution, the Yusupov family moved abroad. At first they lived in London, and then, having sold several family jewels, acquired estates in France.To improve their financial situation, the couple opened a fashion house, but it did not bring significant profit. Felix's greatest success was his winning a lawsuit with Hollywood. One of the studios made the film “Rasputin and the Empress,” in which it was shown that Felix Feliksovich’s wife was the emperor’s mistress. The outraged prince sued for libel and received large monetary compensation. It is believed that after this incident, all Hollywood films began to warn about the fictitiousness of the plot and characters.
The couple adopted Mexican Victor Manuel Contreras. Later, the adopted son became a sculptor and artist, his works of art. His works can be found in various European countries, as well as in Mexico and the USA.
Prince Felix Feliksovich died in 1967, and three years later his wife died. The couple is buried in Paris. This ends the story of the noble Yusupov family.
The handsome prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov still amazes the imagination of many ladies and still remains one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history. The last heir of one of the richest families of Tsarist Russia, the killer of Grigory Rasputin, he was constantly in the spotlight even in exile: everyone from journalists to politicians wanted to know the secrets of his family. After World War II, Felix, apparently summing up his life, wrote memoirs in French, which have now been successfully translated into Russian and are available to everyone. A very interesting story about the Yusupov family, starting from very distant times from the ancestors of the Tatars and ending with sad nostalgia about Russia abandoned forever... Well, a few interesting excerpts from the memoirs and photographs will once again allow you to immerse yourself in the life of this interesting man and his circle... .
Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston
I was born on March 24, 1887 in our St. Petersburg house on the Moika. The day before, they assured me, my mother danced the night away at a ball in the Winter Palace, which means they said the child would be cheerful and inclined to dance. Indeed, by nature I am a merry fellow, but I am a bad dancer. At baptism I received the name Felix. I was baptized by my maternal grandfather, Prince Nikolai Yusupov, and my great-grandmother, Countess de Chauveau. At the christening in my home church, the priest almost drowned me in the font, where he dipped me three times according to Orthodox custom. They say I forcibly came to my senses.
Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"
Family photo of the Yusupovs - young Felix in a children's dress in the arms of Zinaida Yusupova
I was born the fourth boy. Two died in infancy. While carrying me, my mother was expecting her daughter, and they made a pink trousseau for the children. My mother was disappointed with me and, to console herself, she dressed me as a girl until I was five years old. I was not upset, on the contrary, I was proud. “Look,” I shouted to passers-by on the street, “how beautiful I am!” Mother's whim subsequently left its mark on my character.
Coat of arms of the Yusupov family
The famous great-grandmother of Felix Yusupov is Zinaida Ivanovna, Countess de Chauveau. Portrait by Christina Robertson
As a child, I was lucky enough to know my great-grandmother, Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina, by her second marriage, Countess de Chauveau. She died when I was ten years old, but I remember her very clearly. My great-grandmother was a beautiful woman, she lived a happy life and had more than one adventure. When her son got married, she gave the newlyweds a house on the Moika, and she settled on Liteiny. This new house of hers was exactly like the old one, only smaller... In 1925, while living in exile in Paris, I read in the newspaper that during a search of our St. Petersburg houses, the Bolsheviks found a secret door in my great-grandmother’s bedroom, and behind the door - a male skeleton in a shroud... Then I wondered and wondered about him.
Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"
Newlyweds - Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston
Felix Yusupov's father, Count Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston, Lieutenant General
« The straight road» - this is the motto of the Sumarokovs. My father remained faithful to him all his life. And he was morally superior to many people in our circle. He was very handsome, tall, thin, elegant, brown eyes and black hair. Over the years, he became heavier, but did not lose his stateliness. Had more common sense than profundity. Ordinary people, especially his subordinates, loved him for his kindness, but sometimes his superiors disliked him for his directness and harshness. In his youth he wanted a military career. He entered the guards regiment and subsequently commanded it, and even later became a general and was a member of the imperial retinue.
Young Felix on a horse
Family photo of the Yusupovs: father Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, mother Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, eldest son Nikolai and youngest son Felix
Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova
Serov V.A. Fragment of a portrait of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova 1900
Mother was amazing. Tall, thin, graceful, dark and black-haired, with eyes shining like stars. Smart, educated, artistic, kind. No one could resist her charms.
Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova with her beloved Spitz
Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova against the background of her portrait by K.E. Makovsky 1900s
Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova in Russian costume, 1900s
Mother was very loved by the entire imperial family, in particular the queen’s sister, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. Mother was also on friendly terms with the Tsar, but she was not friends with the Tsarina for long. Princess Yusupova was too independent and said what she thought, even at the risk of angering her. No wonder the empress whispered something, and she stopped seeing her. In 1917, the life physician, dentist Kastritsky, returning from Tobolsk, where the royal family was under arrest, read to us the last sovereign message conveyed to him:
« When you see Princess Yusupova, tell her that I realized how correct her warnings were. If they had been listened to, many tragedies would have been avoided».
Francois Flameng Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova in Arkhangelsk 1894
Let us take a break at this point from the memoirs of Felix Yusupov and read what was written by L.P. Minarik. in the book “Economic characteristics of the largest landowners in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. M., 1971” about the wealth of the Yusupovs: “In In 1900, the cost of their estates, dachas and houses was 21.7 million rubles, including the cost of St. Petersburg houses - 3.5 million rubles, a Moscow house - 427.9 thousand rubles, an anthracite mine - 970 thousand rubles ., sugar factory - 1.6 million rubles, cardboard and paper factories - 986 thousand rubles. In 1900, the Yusupovs owned 23 estates; the largest of them were estimated: Rakitnoye - 4 million rubles, Milyatinskoye - 2.3 million rubles, Klimovskoye - 1.3 million rubles, Arkhangelskoye - 1.1 million rubles. By 1914, the Yusupovs had 3.2 million rubles. securities kept in the State Noble, Moscow Merchant, Azov-Don, St. Petersburg International, St. Petersburg Commercial and Industrial and Russian for Foreign Trade banks"It is worth remembering that all these capitals were backed by real gold at that time, and not just pieces of paper, which we now have in our hands.
Family photo of the Yusupovs
Our winter and summer travel remained unchanged: in winter St. Petersburg - Moscow - Tsarskoe Selo; Arkhangelskoye in the summer, and an estate in Rakitnoye in the fall for the hunting season. At the end of October we went to Crimea.
We rarely traveled abroad, but our parents often took my brother and me on trips to their own factories and estates. They were numerous and scattered throughout Russia, and some were so far away that we never managed to get to them.
In Arkhangelsk among the peasants. Felix Yusupov in the background
Yusupov's son and mother
We went to Arkhangelskoye for the summer. Many friends went to see us off, stayed to visit and settled down until the fall. Whether I loved the guests or not depended on their attitude towards the Arkhangelsk estate. I could not stand those who were insensitive to her beauty, but only ate, drank and played cards. I considered their presence blasphemous. I always ran away from them to the park. I wandered among the trees and fountains and tirelessly admired the happy combination of nature and art. This beauty strengthened, calmed, and reassured.
The Yusupov family on the stairs of the park
Yusupovs in the park
Finally, Arkhangelsky found an admirer to my taste - the artist Serov, who came to the estate in 1904 to paint portraits of us. He was a wonderful man. Of all the great people of art that I have met in Russia and Europe, he is the most dear and vivid memory. At first sight we became friends. Our friendship was based on our love for Arkhangelsky. In between sessions, I took him to the park, sat him down on my favorite bench in the forest, and we talked to our heart's content. His ideas had a noticeable influence on my young mind. By nature he was independent and unselfish and could not hide what he thought. He told me that when he was painting the portrait of the sovereign, the empress constantly annoyed him with advice. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore, handed her a brush and palette and asked her to finish it for him. This was the best portrait of Nicholas II. In the 17th revolution, when a brutal crowd broke into the Winter Palace, the painting was torn to shreds. An officer I knew picked up one scrap on Palace Square and brought it to me, and I cherish this relic like the apple of my eye.
Young Felix Yusupov
Felix Yusupov poses for artist Valentin Serov
Serov V.A. Portrait of Felix Yusupov
Felix Yusupov years later...
Serov was pleased with my portrait. Diaghilev took it from us to the exhibition of Russian painting that he organized in Venice in 1907. The picture brought unnecessary fame to me. Her father and mother did not like this, and they asked Diaghilev to take her away from the exhibition.
Young Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova with her brothers
Once, on a horseback ride near Koreiz, I saw a lovely girl accompanying a lady of respectable years. Our eyes met. She made such an impression on me that I stopped my horse and looked after her for a long time.
The next day and after, I walked the same way, hoping to see the beautiful stranger again. She didn't show up and I was very upset. But soon Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna visited us together with their daughter, Princess Irina. Imagine my joy and surprise when I recognized my stranger in Irina! This time I had enough of admiring the wondrous beauty, the future companion of my life. She looked very much like her father, and her profile resembled an ancient cameo.
Prince Felix Yusupov in Russian costume 1910
Upon returning to England, I received an invitation to a costume ball at the Albert Hall. I had enough time, and having managed to go to Russia for the holidays, I ordered a Russian costume made of gold brocade with red flowers from the 16th century in St. Petersburg. It turned out great. The caftan and hat were embroidered with diamonds and trimmed with sables. The suit created a sensation. That evening the whole of London became acquainted with me, and the next day all London newspapers published my photograph.
Felix Yusupov in Russian costume
I spent the winter in St. Petersburg with my parents. The year 1913 was marked by a huge event for me. Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich once came to my mother to discuss the proposed marriage between his daughter Irina and me. I was happy, because this answered my secret aspirations. I could not forget the young stranger I met while walking on the Crimean road. From that day I knew that this was my destiny. While still a girl, she turned into a dazzlingly beautiful young lady. She was reserved out of shyness, but her restraint added to her charm, surrounding her with mystery. Compared to this new experience, all my previous hobbies turned out to be wretched. I understood the harmony of true feeling. Soon after returning from Crimea, we officially announced our engagement. Finally, the wedding day was set: February 22, 1914 in St. Petersburg with the Dowager Empress in the chapel of the Anichkov Palace.
Prince Felix Yusupov 1915
Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna was not going to attend our wedding. The presence of a nun at a secular ceremony was, in her opinion, inappropriate. The day before, however, I visited her in Moscow. She received me with her usual kindness and blessed me.
The Emperor asked me through my future father-in-law what to give me for my wedding. He wanted to offer me a position at court, but I replied that the best wedding gift from His Majesty would be to allow me to sit in the theater in the imperial box. When my answer was conveyed to the sovereign, he laughed and agreed. We were inundated with gifts. Next to the luxurious diamonds lay simple peasant gifts.
Princess Irina Alexandrovna Yusupova in a wedding dress
Irina’s wedding outfit was magnificent: a white satin dress with silver embroidery and a long train, a crystal tiara with diamonds and a lace veil from Marie Antoinette herself. But it took me a long time to choose an outfit. I didn’t want to be in a tailcoat in broad daylight and wanted to get married in a business card, but the card outraged my relatives. Finally, the uniform of the nobility - a black redingote with a gold-embroidered collar and cuffs and white trousers - suited everyone.
Prince and Princess Yusupov
Members of the royal family who married persons of non-royal blood were required to sign an abdication of the throne. No matter how far Irina was from the throne, she too submitted to the rule. However, I wasn’t upset.
Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"
Here we will skip a large number of chapters in the Memoirs of Felix Yusupov concerning the murder of Rasputin and the political situation in Russia at that time and immediately move on to the tragedy of Russia in the year 1917, or rather already to 1918, to the period when the entire royal family was already destroyed.. Surprisingly, Felix Yusupov was denied the right to defend his Fatherland from the Bolsheviks...
Describing the history of our region (Rakityansky district of the Belgorod region), it is impossible to ignore the story of one of the influential princely families - the Yusupovs, who left an indelible mark on the history of Russia.
In the book of Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov “Before the expulsion 1887-1917” a brief biography of the Yusupov family is given:
“The family archive presents us with the founder of the family of the Yusupov princes - Abubekir ben Rayok, who lived in the 6th century and was a descendant of the Prophet Ali - the nephew of Mohammed. He was the supreme ruler and received the name Emir al Omr - prince of princes, sultan of sultans and khans. His descendants also held prominent positions: they were kings in Egypt, Damascus, Antioch and Constantinople. Some of them ruled Mecca...
...Khan Yusuf among the Murzas / Murza - Tatar prince / was the most powerful and the most educated"
Khan Yusuf was the ruler of the Nogai Horde.
“...Tsar Ivan the Terrible, to whom Khan Yusuf was devoted for twenty years, considered the Nogai Horde a sovereign state and addressed its head as an equal, calling his ally: “My friend. My brother."
Yusuf had eight sons and one daughter, Sumbek, who became the queen of Kazan. The princess became famous for her beauty, intelligence, ardor and courage...
Sumbek ruled her kingdom in peace for several years. Soon she had quarrels with Ivan the Terrible. Besieged Kazan capitulated to the more powerful Russian army, and Queen Sumbek became a prisoner...
Sumbek died as a captive at the age of thirty-seven. But memories did not allow her name to sink into eternity...
...After the death of Yusuf, his descendants fought with each other without respite until the end of the 17th century. His great-grandson Abdul-Murza converted to Orthodoxy, was named Dmitry, and under Tsar Fyodor received the surname and title of Prince Yusupov...” Dmitry was married to the Russian princess Tatiana Fedorovna Korkodinova. The newly-minted Russian princes married representatives of the most noble families.
“...The son of Prince Dmitry Grigory Dmitrievich was one of the associates of Peter the Great. He participated in the creation of the fleet and took an active part in the battles, as well as in the government reforms of the great king. His intelligence and his character earned him the respect and friendship of the Emperor...”
Lieutenant General Prince Grigory Dmitrievich Yusupov /1676-1730/ was the hero of the Battle of Poltava.
Under Peter II (reigned from 1727 to 1730), large grants were made to the Yusupov princes in the Kursk province, including the Rakitnaya settlement; the same emperor grants Grigory Dmitrievich the current Yusupov Palace in Moscow.
“...Grigory Yusupov’s son Boris /1695-1759/ continued the work of his ancestors... During the reign of Empress Anna, Prince Boris Grigorievich received the rank of Governor General of Moscow, and under Empress Elizabeth he was director of the Gentry Cadet Corps. He was very popular among his students, and they saw him more as a friend than as a boss. He selected the most gifted of them to create an amateur troupe of actors. They performed classical plays, as well as works by their peers... Empress Elizabeth heard rumors about a troupe consisting exclusively of Russians, which was a novelty for that time. They were invited to give a performance at the Winter Palace. This made an impression on the empress, and subsequently she even found some charm in dressing the actors herself; she provided her best clothes and her jewelry to the young men who played female roles. This prompted Prince Boris to ensure that Empress Elizabeth signed an order in 1756 to create the first public theater in St. Petersburg. The prince's artistic activity did not distract him from government affairs...
Prince Boris had two sons and four daughters..."
His daughters married Izmailov, Protasov, Golitsyn, Duke of Courland. Of all the children of Boris Grigorievich Yusupov, the most significant person was his son Nikolai /1751-1831/.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov writes about him like this: “Prince Nikolai is one of the most remarkable figures in our family. He lived the life of an intellectual and an original: a great traveler, erudite, who knew five languages, was a very famous person for his era. Nikolai Borisovich showed himself as a philanthropist of science and art and was also an adviser and friend of Empress Catherine; lived during the reigns of Paul I, Alexander I, Nicholas I...
Prince Nicholas was proud of his friendship with King Frederick the Great of Prussia and Emperor Joseph II of Austria. He was familiar with Diderot, D'Alembert and Beaumarchais. The latter composed poems for him wishing him happiness. After his first meeting with the prince, Voltaire wrote to Catherine II that he thanked her for the pleasure of meeting a very interesting person..."
Nikolai Borisovich was also a relative and interlocutor of A.S. Pushkin. Among the highest awards of the empire, titles, stars and estates, the highest is A.S. Pushkin’s message to him, consisting of 106 lines of poetry.
“In 1793, Prince Nikolai married Tatyana Vasilyevna Engelhardt /1767-1841/, five years earlier the former wife of Prince Potemkin /we are talking about General Potemkin M.S. - a relative of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin/...
After the death of Prince Nikolai Borisovich, all estates passed to his son Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov /1794-1849/. He did not share his father's worldview. His independent nature, directness and frankness provided him with more enemies than friends. When he was elected leader of the St. Petersburg nobility, the decisive role was played not by his rank and fortune, but by kindness and decency ... "
Prince Boris was married twice. First on Princess Praskovya Pavlovna Shcherbatova, who died of childbirth when she was 24 years old. Then to Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina /later Countess de Chevaux/, from whom was born a son, Nikolai Borisovich, the youngest.
Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov - Jr. /1827-1891/, writer, musician, philosopher-theologian, vice-director of the Imperial Library. Author of the two-volume publication “On the Family of Princes Yusupov...”, 1866-67. From his marriage to Countess Tatiana Alexandrovna de Ribopierre /1828-1879/ he had three children. Unfortunately, son Boris died very early, daughter Tatyana died at 22 years old. Thus, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna remained the heiress of a huge fortune. As a result of the fact that Nikolai Borisovich had no male heirs, it was Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova who ended the direct line of the Nogai Murzas.
The elite magazine “Our Heritage” /5th issue, 1990/ published a portrait of her as a child, painted by an unknown artist. Even then, the girl promised to become a beauty and became one to the delight of her mother. L.N. Tolstoy in his “Autobiographical Notes” writes: “Zinaida Nikolaevna remains for everyone who knew her the perfect type of a charming secular woman. It seemed that she set out to charm and enchant everyone, and everyone who approached her unwittingly fell under her spell. A very pleasant face with charming light gray eyes, which she sometimes squinted, sometimes opened in a special way, smiling at the same time with her charming small mouth. Her slender figure and early graying hair later gave her the appearance of a powdered doll...”
In 1887, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova married Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston. His father, Felix Nikolaevich Sumarokov-Elston /1828-1877/, was the illegitimate son of the Hungarian Countess Josephine Forgacs and the Prussian King Frederick William IV. /Other authors call the father of Felix Nikolaevich Baron Karl Huegel or “a certain Viennese banker”/ (Note from the site keeper: in the Yusupov family tradition, the mother of Felix Nikolaevich is recognized as Countess Katharina von Tyzenhausen, granddaughter of His Serene Highness Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky). As a seven-year-old boy in 1827, for unknown reasons, he was transported to Russia by Countess Tizenhausen, née Kutuzova. He was given the surname Elston - after the name of the hero of an English novel. Felix Nikolaevich Elston married Countess Sumarokova in 1856 and received the title of count.
And years later, his son Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov - Elston, thanks to his marriage to Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, was elevated to princely dignity with the condition that only his eldest son would inherit the princely title. The eldest son of Zinaida Nikolaevna and Felix Feliksovich was Nikolai, but since at the age of 26 he was shot in a duel, the title, with the special permission of Nicholas II, passed to his younger brother Felix.
So, the last name of Prince Yusupov reads: Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston.
The last bearer of these high-profile titles was Felix Felixovich Yusupov /1887-1967/, who graduated from Oxford University, Major General of the Retinue (Note from the site keeper: here the author of the article confused Prince Felix with his father Felix Yusupov Sr., he was the adjutant general. His son did not have the rank of general.), who married Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova /niece of Tsar Nicholas II/, was most remembered by the residents of Rakitan.
The Yusupov family inspired great works and great artists. One of these artists was the wonderful Russian painter Valentin Serov. He painted many paintings of members of this family; portrait of Z.N. Yusupova, 1900-1902; portrait of F.F. Sumarokova-Elston, 1903; portrait of F.F. Yusupov, 1903, etc.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, thanks to his high origin, without making the slightest effort, was the heir to fabulous wealth, which, as if from a cornucopia, rained down on him. He had weight in secular society, an impeccable reputation, high connections, in short, everything to live carefree.
Constantly traveling around the world, Felix Yusupov did not forget to visit his family estates. This is what he writes in the book Before the Expulsion.
“...Before heading to the Crimea, where we spent the autumn, we stopped for hunting in Rakitnoye, in the Kursk province. This was one of our most extensive estates and included a sugar refinery, numerous sawmills, brick and woolen mills, and many cattle farms. The house of the manager and his subordinates was in the center of the property. Each unit - stables, kennels, sheepfolds, chicken coops, etc. – had separate management. Horses from our factories have won more than one victory at the hippodromes of St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Horses were my favorite sport, and at one time I was exclusively interested in hound hunting. I loved to gallop through fields and forests with greyhounds on a leash. Often the dogs noticed the game ahead and made such leaps that I could hardly stay in the saddle. The rider held the reins on a strap over his shoulder, and squeezed the other end in his right hand: it was enough to open his hand to release the dogs, but if he did not have a keen eye and quick reaction, he risked being knocked out of the saddle.
My interest in hunting was short-lived. The cries of the hare, which I wounded with a gun, were so painful that from that day on I refused to participate in the cruel game.
Our life in Rakitnoye did not leave me with particularly pleasant memories. Since I lost my taste for hunting, I have seen only a disgusting spectacle in it. One day I gave away all my weapons and refused to go with my parents to Rakitnoye...”
But still, Felix Yusupov still had to visit his estate in Rakitnoye. After the murder of Grigory Rasputin, initiated by the prince, he was exiled here...
Tsar Nicholas II punishes the organizers and perpetrators of the murder: Purishkevich goes to the front, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich goes to Persia, and Prince Felix Yusupov is assigned an estate in the Kursk province - Rakitnoe - as a place of exile.
From the book by F.F. Yusupov “Before the expulsion 1887-1917”:
“...The journey was slow and without entertainment, but upon arrival I was glad to see my parents and Irina, who, warned by my father-in-law, immediately left Crimea to join me in Rakitnoye, leaving our little daughter with a wet nurse in Ai-Todor.
My arrival in Rakitnoye did not go unnoticed, but the curious came across an order not to let anyone in.
Our life in Rakitnoye flowed rather monotonously. The main entertainment was sleigh rides. The winter was frosty, but magnificent. The sun was shining, and not the slightest breath of wind; we went out in open sleighs at 30 degrees below zero and did not freeze. In the evening we read aloud..."
The last years of Yusupov's life were spent in Paris. At 60 years old, he looked dashing, dressed just as elegantly as in his youth (before and after marriage), lightly painted his lips and cheeks, loved to take relaxed poses, while a long-learned ambiguous smile reigned on his face. All the decades separating him from the night of December 18, 1916, when he committed his most significant act, Felix Yusupov lived as the murderer of Rasputin and no longer embarked on any political adventures. In Parisian, London, and New York drawing rooms they whispered at his appearance, looked at him with exciting curiosity, and he took such signs of attention for granted.
By killing Rasputin, Yusupov probably dreamed of becoming the idol of all of Russia.
During the first years of emigration, the Yusupovs did not live in poverty. Some part of their fortune ended up abroad. But the habit of luxury soon undermined this base.
In the Russian cemetery of Saint-Genevieve des Bois near Paris, under the Russian Orthodox cross, are buried: Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, her son Felix Feliksovich Yusupov and daughter-in-law Princess Irina Alexandrovna, nee Grand Duchess Romanova (Note from the site keeper: Irina Alexandrovna did not bear the title of Grand Duchess, but , being the great-granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I on her father’s side and the granddaughter of Emperor Alexander III on her mother’s side, held the title of Princess of the Imperial Blood), the daughter of Felix and Irina is Countess Irina Feliksovna Sheremetev and her husband Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev.
Count and Countess Sheremetev had a daughter, Ksenia, in 1942. In 1965, in Athens, she married the Greek Ilia Sfiri, and in 1968 they had a daughter, Tatyana, the great-granddaughter of Felix and Irina Yusupov.
After the revolution, Ksenia and her daughter Tatyana, the only ones from the Yusupov family, visited Russia, the homeland of their ancestors.
This is the history of the family of former owners and organizers of the Rakitan land.
The “golden boy” of the degenerating Russian aristocracy, he did a lot to become famous, but in history he remains the murderer of Grigory Rasputin.
Frivolous aristocrat
The blood of the nomadic ancestors who founded the Yusupov family, oddly enough, left a special imprint on the indirect heir of the dynasty. In all European salons they talked about Felix’s unbridled and frivolous disposition. Contemporaries retained memories of how, after failing the military school exams, he, without hesitation, became friends with the gypsies, participated in camp performances, singing the soprano part. After lengthy attempts to enter Oxford, having finally achieved his goal, he preferred the comfortable chairs of London theaters to the hard benches of university auditoriums.
The prestige of his own family did not seem to bother Felix at all. For some time he even performed in a cabaret - an unheard of baseness for an aristocrat. Moreover, he played a female role, instead of one of the “blue-eyed actresses” of the Aquarium Theater. The deception was discovered when one of the guests noticed the Yusupov family diamonds on the singer.
Zinaida Nikolaevna, Felix's mother, wanted a daughter. She even made a pink dress for the unborn child. The woman compensated for the disappointment of the birth of her son by raising Felix to be a future lady. Until the age of four, Felix wore a “girl’s” dress, loved to try on his mother’s jewelry and put on makeup. “Mother’s whim subsequently left its mark on my character,” Felix recalled in his memoirs. Felix Yusupov loved to dress up in women’s clothes even in adulthood. Despite his high origins, he remained one of the first “freaks” of his time: he loved to come to a restaurant wearing makeup, in a woman’s dress, and performed romances in this form. They couldn’t help but talk about this; they gossiped about the oddities of the “golden boy” on every corner. The marriage to Irina Romanova largely “whitened” Felix’s biography, although even after the wedding he did not abandon his old habits.
Rasputin's killer
Hundreds of books have been written and dozens of films have been made about this page in the life of Felix Yusupov. The official version is that the murder was committed in the interests of the monarchy. Rasputin was invited to Yusupov’s house, either under the pretext of curing Felix of homosexuality, or for the sake of Rasputin’s acquaintance with Irina (who was in Crimea at that time). One way or another, Felix Yusupov remained in history primarily as the murderer of Grigory Rasputin. A non-military man, a sophisticated esthete, he took part in a bloody affair, which largely determined his future life. Wherever Felix found himself after December 1916, he was first and foremost the “same” killer of Rasputin.
English spy
Felix Yusupov’s connections with British intelligence were unofficial. One of the participants in the murder of Rasputin, Oswald Reiner, a close friend of Yusupov since his Oxford days, was an agent of British intelligence. The death of the "old man" was beneficial to the British Empire. Rasputin advocated peace with Germany; Russia's exit from the war threatened Great Britain with defeat. Eliminating the influence of the “old man” on the royal family was thus the primary task of British intelligence. Reiner and Yusupov dealt with it. It is not surprising in this regard that Yusupov was released from exile by Kerensky, who was an open lobbyist for the interests of the British.
The IrFe fashion house, opened in exile by Felix and Irina, was a unique phenomenon of its kind. Countesses and princesses worked there as models and seamstresses. One of the models, for example, was Natalie Paley, daughter of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, a fatal beauty who later became the face of Vogue. The rise of IrFe was rapid, Felix and Irina focused on the “Russian style”, used silk painting, and produced several lines of clothing, including a “sports” style that was revolutionary for that time. However, as quickly as the spurugs took off, they went bankrupt just as quickly. The Great Depression, the Yusupov spouses’ habit of unjustified spending, and a change in society’s tastes towards simplification had an impact. In 1930, IrFe went bankrupt.
As they say, if you want to live, know how to spin. What did Felix Yusupov take with him abroad, except for a small part of the family jewelry? Felix took with him the glory of the murderer of Rasputin. He was not at all embarrassed by such fame. Even more: this fame allowed him to save money for subsistence. He gave reminiscences, gave interviews, and wrote an autobiography. All he had left of Russia was memory. It is not surprising that he was very unhappy when they tried to slander this memory. In 1932, the film “Rasputin and the Empress” was released. It proved that Irina Yusupova, Felix’s wife, was the “elder’s” mistress. No one believed in the success of Felix's venture, but he sued the MGM film studio and won the case, receiving $25,000 in compensation. It is significant that just after this incident, the credits of Hollywood films began to indicate that everything that happens on the screen is fiction, and any coincidences are unintentional.
