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 the rooms 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 had 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 will 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.
B geographical reference book persons mentioned in letters from Tobolsk from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Her Children to Anna Alexandrovna Taneyeva (Vyrubova). The letters are given in the book by A.A. Taneyeva-Vyrubova “Pages of my life”
Mentioned:
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov-Sumarokov-Elston (03/11/24/1887, St. Petersburg - 09/27/1967, Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, Paris) - Prince (Yusupov), Count (Sumarokov-Elston), Felix Jr., “Felix III”.
Enough has been said about Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov-Sumarokov-Elston (or simply Prince Felix Yusupov the Younger). Trying to add something is a hopeless task. And yet... For some, Yusupov Jr. is the embodiment of the best qualities of the Russian aristocracy and nobility, one of the noblest, selfless, fearless men who committed a heroic act, for others - a vicious representative of his family, guilty of a serious crime. Or the third: book. F. Yusupov is a collective image that marked a special phenomenon in Russian life, lying at the origins of the Russian revolution.
For the first and last time in his life, this man committed an act of national importance, which left such a significant mark on the history of Russia - he killed the peasant Grigory Rasputin. I would like to understand whether his actions were dictated by a case in which extraordinary circumstances came into an insoluble conflict with the peculiarities and unique originality of nature, which led to such an excessive, grotesque, unjustified and momentary reflection, or a certain pattern emerged that began to form long before the appearance on the light of the titled heir of an ancient family, a bright representative of the world of Russian nobility, a secular handsome man and everyone's favorite - Felix Yusupov. The answer to this question is only possible as a result of a study of historical roots. However, even a brief consideration of the extensive history of the Yusupov family would significantly increase the already rather voluminous outline of his life. Therefore, let’s quickly look at some of the most important circumstances in the biography of Prince Felix Yusupov Jr.
Yusupovs
Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova with her sons at the Arkhangelskoye estate near Moscow
Prince Felix Yusupov at a costume ball, 1903
The Yusupovs were not only the noblest, but also the richest people of the Russian Empire. Their fortune at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century was fabulous and was estimated at several tens of millions of rubles, backed by gold in Tsarist Russia. L.P. Minarik gives the following figures: “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, Moscow house - 427.9 thousand rubles, anthracite mine - 970 thousand rubles, a 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." [Minarik. Uk. op.]
On his father's side, Felix Jr.'s pedigree begins with his grandfather, Adjutant General Count Felix Nikolaevich Elston (1820 - 1877). According to rumors, he was the illegitimate son of Prince Friedrich-Wilhelm-Ludwig of Prussia and Ekaterina Fedorovna Tizengausen (1803-1888) - maid of honor of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Emperor Nicholas I). These rumors were confirmed by his grandson, Prince Felix Yusupov (Junior) in his memoirs. However, according to another version of F.N. Sumarokov-Elston was the son of the unmarried Baron Hugel and the Hungarian Countess Forgacs, née Andrássy, while Ekaterina Tizenhausen was only his adoptive mother. One way or another, but having married Countess Elena Sergeevna Sumarokova (1829 - 1901) - the grandmother of Felix Yusupov Jr. on his father's side, Felix Nikolaevich acquired the dignity of count along with the count's motto of the Sumarokovs: “One way without bends.”
Father of Felix Yusupov Jr. - Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston - served in the Life Guards Cavalry Guards of Her Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna Regiment (from 1879), adjutant of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (from 1886 to 1904), adjutant general of the Suite of Emperor Nicholas II, head of the Moscow Military District (from May 5 to 19 June 1915), commander-in-chief in Moscow (Moscow governor) (until September 3, 1915).
In 1882 F.F. Sumarokov-Elston married Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova (1861-1939). Since Zinaida Yusupova remained the only descendant of the Yusupov family, and with the death of her and her father the glorious Yusupov family was cut short, Sovereign Emperor Alexander III on December 2, 1891 issued a letter of grant allowing the husband of Princess Zinaida Yusupova, Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston to bear the title and surname wife and father-in-law and be further referred to as Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston, leaving the same title for his wife - Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, Countess Sumarokov-Elston. This decision was contrary to the laws of the Russian Empire, but for them, like for their grandfather F.N. Sumarokov-Elston, an exception was made. Moreover, according to the royal will, the princely title and surname of the Yusupovs passed to the eldest male heir in the family in a descending line and only after the death of the title holder.
The mother of Felix Yusupov Jr. - Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, Countess Sumarokova-Elston cannot be likened to a “miserly knight” or an evangelical rich man. Owning treasures, she tried to separate them from those who needed them, which apparently constituted a hereditary trait of the Yusupov family. Stinginess and miserliness were not part of their family traditions, which is also emphasized by Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, devoting space to Princess Zinaida Yusupova in his memoirs: “A woman of rare beauty and deep spiritual culture, she courageously endured the hardships of her enormous fortune, donating millions to charity and trying to alleviate human need. She got married a few years before my wedding and came to Ai-Todor, accompanied by her handsome son Felix. Then I did not imagine that eighteen years later my little Irina would be his wife.” [Vel. book Alexander Mikhailovich. Uk. op.]
As a member of the committee for the establishment of the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, she donated about 50 thousand rubles. for the construction of the Roman Hall. At the expense of Princess Yusupova, a shelter for orphan girls was opened at the Elizabethan Society; in August 1914, a hospital for wounded soldiers was organized in Petrograd. And these are just some examples.
An important touch in the depiction of Zinaida Yusupova’s inner world is her friendship with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Their rapprochement was facilitated by the fact that the Moscow region estates of the Yusupovs in Arkhangelskoye and the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in Ilyinskoye were nearby. Princess Z.N. Yusupova shared the grief of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna after the murder of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.
The Yusupov-Sumarokov-Elston family also maintained friendly relations with the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who were frequent guests of the Yusupovs in their Arkhangelsk estate near Moscow, as well as in the Crimea (Koreiz). Confirmation of this can be found in the Diary of Emperor Nicholas II, and in the memoirs of contemporaries, in particular, S.K. Bugshoeveden. The visits were mutual.
Zinaida Nikolaevna became the mother of four boys. The middle two died in infancy. The elder brother Nikolai was killed on June 22, 1908 in a duel by Horse Guards Count A.E. Manteuffel, husband of Countess Marina Alexandrovna Manteuffel (ur. Heyden), with whom Nikolai Yusupov had an affair.
The originality of the nature of Felix Yusupov Jr.
Portrait of Felix Yusupov by Valentin Serov, 1903
The fourth and last child in the Yusupov family, Felix, is named after his grandfather and father. Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston (junior) remained the only heir to the title and the entire fortune. He received the title of “Prince Yusupov” only in 1914 in connection with his marriage to the princess of the imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova. However, he became widely known throughout the world under the name of Prince Felix Yusupov Jr. Felix Yusupov was baptized into the Orthodox faith. He left the following memory of this event: “At the christening in the 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.”
There is no doubt that Felix Yusupov inherited many of the good traits of his ancestors, which turned out to be closely intertwined with the special properties of his nature, which constituted the exceptional originality of Prince Felix Yusupov the Younger. Felix's inimitable character type was formed from childhood. Until the age of 15, he suffered from sleepwalking. In his youth, he had a passion for dressing up in women's clothes. In connection with this, he participated in many entertainment events in the company of his older brother Nikolai. According to Felix, he misled many men, including King Edward VII. This continued until the son’s hobbies became known to the father, who called his son “a scoundrel and a disgrace to the family, to whom no decent person would extend a hand,” after which the disguises were put to an end. But Felix’s love for reincarnation, in the form of a touch of theatricality and unbridled flights of fantasy, remained throughout his life.
Felix was friends with Vel from a young age. Prince Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, who among his contemporaries was known as a “rake and reveler.” It was on this basis that the young people came together. Surprisingly, in the future, accusing Rasputin of all the serious things and, ultimately, of discrediting the Royal Family, friends apparently did not consider that they themselves were discrediting the royal family, the Royal Family, and Russian aristocrats with the same behavior that they attributed Rasputin.
Another passion of Felix is spiritualism. A detailed description of cases involving the invocation of spirits, “observation of amazing things,” the fall of marble statues during seances, and the appearance of ghosts is given in the memoirs of Prince Felix Yusupov.
In 1908-1909 Felix Yusupov Jr. met with the Royal Family several times. In his memoirs, without mincing words, which distinguishes his style of narration, not constrained by self-esteem, he considered it necessary to say that the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna “sternly reprimanded him”, pointing out that “every self-respecting man should be a military man or courtiers." Felix dared to answer the Empress:
I can’t be a military man, because war is disgusting to me, and I’m not fit to be a courtier, because I love independence and say what I think. I see my calling in the reasonable management of estates and numerous lands and factories. Proper management of everything is also a kind of service to the Fatherland. And when I serve the Fatherland, I serve the Tsar!
The queen's face was covered with large red spots.
And the Tsar is the Fatherland! - she cried.
At that moment Nicholas II entered, and Alexandra Fedorovna told him:
Felix is a complete revolutionary! [Prince Felix Yusupov. Uk. op.]
Prince Felix Yusupov and Vel. Princess Elizaveta Feodorovna
Book Felix Yusupov Jr. and Vel. book Elizaveta Fedorovna Romanova
If you are not overly biased, the peculiar passions (or hobbies) of Felix Yusupov Jr. can be considered as temporary delusions of youth and treated with condescension. Apparently, not only their parents treated them this way, but also Vel. Princess Elizaveta Fedorovna, who took part in the spiritual education of Felix Yusupov. Here is a letter from Elizaveta Fedorovna to Felix dated February 28, 1911, permeated with a feeling of warmth and maternal care for her pupil. In this letter, Elizaveta Fedorovna warns Felix about the danger of another reckless hobby. As follows from the letter, the object of his sympathy was a certain E. - a married woman, by being carried away by whom he could destroy her fate, and himself repeat the fate of his brother. Elizaveta Fedorovna writes:
“Dear child!
God bless you.
<...>As I understand your joy and anxiety over the arrival of E., may the Lord deliver you from suffering, because these torments, unfortunately, can be disastrous when we do not have the strength to fight and fall victim to our feelings. May Saint Thomaida watch over you and protect you! How I wish you would get married and have children! How your parents would come to life! And the heart, in pursuit of unrealistic happiness, sometimes passes by - very close - to perfect joy, without noticing it, that’s what’s sad. Poor child. I will be happy to see you here; why not spend the summer in Arkhangelskoye and from here travel to other estates, instead of sitting in Tsarskoye? I’m afraid of this meeting, I’m afraid for her, because playing with someone else’s heart is very dangerous. You can't arrange her divorce and marry her - then why rush into danger, right? To say all this, I know, is essentially useless; all this has been known since the creation of the world. But, alas, no one is careful until it is too late.
I need to go to the temple now.
God bless you and give you strength and joy to be an honest person.
Elizabeth» [Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to GIM OPI, D. 84, L. 16-17 vol.].
Knowing Felix from childhood, having the opportunity to influence his upbringing with a good example and useful, gentle edification, Vel. Princess Elizaveta Feodorovna, throughout her life, nurtured feelings of love and hope for her spiritual pupil, maintaining them even after the murder of Felix G.E. Rasputin. From a letter from Elizabeth Feodorovna to Emperor Nicholas II dated December 29, 1916: “...For ten days I prayed for you, for your army, country, ministers, for those who are sick in soul and body, and the name of this unfortunate [Grigory Rasputin] was in the memorial so that God would enlighten him and... I return and find out that Felix killed him, little Felix, whom I knew as a child, who all his life was afraid of killing a living creature and did not want to become a military man, so as not to shed blood.” [Letters of the Prime Minister. Vel. book Elizaveta Feodorovna]
For his part, Felix Yusupov showed a mutual feeling of sympathy for Aunt Ella and treated her with deep respect. This is evidenced by the prince’s memoirs, in which he draws with love and gratitude the holy image of Elizabeth Feodorovna: “I do not intend to provide any new information about Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Enough has been said and written about this holy soul in the chronicles of the last years of Tsarist Russia. But I can’t keep silent about her in my memoirs. Her influence in my life turned out to be too important and necessary. And from childhood I loved her like a second mother.<...>The people called her a saint. I have no doubt that one day the church will recognize this.<...>My life is forever illuminated by the light of this wonderful woman, whom I already revered as a saint in those years.” [Prince Felix Yusupov. Uk. Op.]
In truth, Elizaveta Feodorovna was a guardian angel for Felix Yusupov. She literally fought for his soul. Here is the episode cited by Felix in his memoirs:
One day, speaking to her face to face, I told her about my adventures, which, as it seemed to me, were unknown to her.
Calm down,” she smiled. - I know much more about you than you think. That's why I called you. He who is capable of much evil is also capable of much good, if he finds the right path. And a great sin is no greater than sincere repentance. Remember that reason sins more than the soul. But the soul can remain pure even in sinful flesh. Your soul is important to me. This is what I want to reveal to you yourself. Fate has given you everything a person could want. And to whom it is given, it will be asked. Think that you are responsible. You must be an example. You must be respected. Trials have shown you that life is not fun. Think of all the good you can do! And how much harm to cause! I prayed a lot for you. I hope the Lord listened and will help you.”
How much hope and spiritual strength sounded in her words! - concludes Felix Yusupov.
Under the influence of Elizaveta Fedorovna, young Felix Yusupov was filled with noble impulses, plans, the implementation of which could create a precedent for a radical change in life in Russia, for example, “turn Arkhangelskoye into an artistic center”, turn the palace into a museum, turn Yusupov’s estates in Moscow and St. Petersburg into “hospitals, clinics, shelters for the elderly,” open sanatoriums in Crimean and Caucasian estates, “land would go to the peasants, plants and factories would become joint-stock companies.” Vel. Princess Elizabeth approved of Felix's plans, but his mother, Zinaida Yusupova, did not, believing that her son, the last of the Yusupov family, should marry and continue the family line. Alas, the plans of Felix Yusupov Jr. were not destined to come true. By his own admission, he did not read the books given to him by Elizaveta Fedorovna; he left his homeland (and much earlier than forced emigration), received his education at Oxford, and married favorably.
Nevertheless, young Yusupov made an attempt to take the path that Elizaveta Fedorovna showed him by her example. He financed the creation of a House for consumptive women at the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. For some time he walked through the Moscow slums, “where dirt and darkness reigned. People huddled in cramped conditions, sleeping on the floor in the cold, damp and slop.” Felix writes: “An unfamiliar world opened up to me, a world of poverty and suffering<...>I wanted to help everyone. But the enormity of the task was overwhelming. I thought how much is spent on war and on scientific experiments for the benefit of that same war, while people live and suffer in inhumane conditions. There were disappointments.<...>Almost every day I went to the hospital in Moscow to see consumptives. The patients thanked me with tears for my trifling handouts<...>I was immensely grateful to the Grand Duchess for understanding my despair and being able to guide me to a new life. However, I was tormented that she doesn’t know everything about me and considers me better than I am.” [Prince Felix Yusupov. Uk. op.]
On the persistent advice of Elizabeth Feodorovna, Prince Felix Yusupov Jr., on the eve of important events in his life related to his matchmaking with Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, made a trip to the Solovetsky Monastery with Elizabeth Feodorovna in June 1913, from where he wrote to his chosen one: “This is already the fourth day I am in the Solovetsky Monastery, living in a small, dark cell, sleeping on a wooden sofa without any mattress, eating monastic food and, despite all this, enjoying the journey. There are so many interesting things here. This is a completely independent small state, surrounded by a huge stone wall. They have their own ships, their own fleet, the abbot of the monastery - the king and ruler of this small country in the far north, surrounded by a raging sea.
How strange it is to come here after all our conversations about our life abroad, it’s all so different that you can’t even compare. We spend the whole day exploring the surrounding area, fishing in the huge lakes, of which there are about 400 and they are all connected by canals, so you can drive along them for hours, moving from one to another. The Grand Duchess [Elizabeth Feodorovna] has been in church more and more since 5 o'clock in the morning. Services last here for 5-6 hours, I’ve been there once, and that time is enough for me. While she is praying, I fish and come to the very end. There are a lot of schematics here in amazing costumes. It is completely impossible to sleep here, the bells ring day and night, hundreds of tame seagulls that scream incessantly and fly straight into the rooms, and the worst thing is the bedbugs, of which there are legions, and they bite mercilessly. The food is terrible and long monk hair sticks out and floats everywhere. It’s so disgusting that I only eat tea and prosphora.” [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: GMI OPI. F. 411. Op. 1. D. 84. L. 102-103 vol.].
In July 1913, Yusupov Jr. arrived in London to meet with Princess Irina Alexandrovna, who was there with her parents. On July 28, 1913, Vel also arrived in London. Princess Elizaveta Fedorovna. The purpose of her trip, in addition to the desire to see relatives, was to help Felix establish a good relationship with the Vel family. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich, thereby contributing to a favorable outcome for Felix in his matchmaking with Irina Alexandrovna. In a letter to his mother, Felix says: “Dear Mother, I saw the Grand Duchess, who is delighted to be in London. I went to meet her at the station, but was 5 minutes late, i.e. the train arrived earlier than expected. She found some amazing train passing at 7 1/2 in the morning. When I returned home, I immediately called her to find out when I could see her. She answered the phone and laughed terribly and made jokes, it’s clear that she was so happy to be in London after so many years.”
From a letter from Felix Yusupov to his mother (July 1913 London): “I just returned from Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who is leaving tomorrow for Kiel for a week, then to Russia... She and I talked a lot about me. She gave me very good advice, for which I am very grateful.” [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. op.]
As for Elizaveta Fedorovna, although she was not able to completely overcome the attraction of the Yusupov world, to which she belonged due to her origin, position, and upbringing, yet her world and the world of Princess Zinaida Yusupova entered into a contradiction carefully hidden by both - there was a struggle.
This can be judged from Zinaida Nikolaevna’s response letter to her son regarding Vel’s arrival in London. Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna: “I believe how glad Elizabeth Feodorovna is to be in London and how she enjoys it, forgetting that she now doesn’t care where to be! How exaggerated and false all this is! Sometimes I feel deeply sorry for her!” - The letter exposed the abyss of misunderstanding of the natural feelings and noble impulses of his friend!
From letters from Z.N. Yusupova to her son on September 23 and 28, 1909, it follows that Valentina Sergeevna Gordeeva, the daughter of the actual state councilor of the governor of the Samara province Sergei Petrovich Ushakov, the first assistant of Vel., also maintained friendship with the Yusupovs. Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna in the establishment of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy. Subsequently, Valentina Sergeevna, after the arrest and execution of Elizaveta Fedorovna, headed the monastery. Valentina Sergeevna was the same age as Elizaveta Fedorovna and, apparently, just like her, she had a touching, tender, motherly attitude towards everyone’s favorite Felix Yusupov. Zinaida Nikolaevna writes from Koreiz: “My dear Felix, You have already frightened us all with your long silence!.. There has been no news of your arrival in London for 36 hours!<...>Finally, at 7 1/2 o'clock your telegram arrived, and the whole house came to life! Valentina [Gordeeva] also did not sleep, the young ladies were worried<...>. We accompanied Valentina [Gordeeva] to Kokkoz. I'm very sorry that she left. She loves you so much that it was nice to talk to her about you! She is a good person with a sensitive, warm heart, but in vain they force her to put on a monastic robe! It will never suit her!” [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: GMI OPI. F. 411. Op. 1. D. 36. L. 27-28 vol.].
Again, a stone in Elizabeth Feodorovna’s garden: a strange attitude towards monasticism and the sincere impulses of a pure, believing, Orthodox soul.
Study at Oxford
Let us point out those aspects of the life of young Felix Yusupov in which, despite the oddities and carelessness of youth, serious grounds emerged.
In 1908, Felix became bored with the life of a young rake in St. Petersburg and decided to leave for England to get an education. In December 1908, Mr. Stanning, an English teacher, was discharged from London. In February 1909, Felix Yusupov made a study trip to England. In London, he was received by Princess Victoria of Battenberg (the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), Princess Marie-Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the Archbishop of London, who approved his decision to enroll in one of the British higher educational institutions. Having received letters of introduction, Felix, accompanied by his new English friend Mr. P. Steele and Mr. G. Stanning, visited Oxford, Cambridge and Winchester. In Oxford, Felix introduced himself to the rector of one of the university colleges. Having decided to enroll in the Faculty of Agriculture, Yusupov gave preference to Oxford, although Mr. Stanning, who took care of Felix, strongly recommended enrolling in Cambridge. “Not seeing the young prince’s obvious desire for study, the mentor advised Felix to enroll as a volunteer so as not to be bound by deadlines and to be able to travel at any time necessary.” [Yudin. Uk. op.]
At the end of September 1909, Felix began studying at Oxford University as a student. Mr. Stanning's recommendations were justified, since Felix's interest in studying really began to wane. Knowing English poorly, he decided, on the advice of the dean of the faculty, to change his chosen specialty - agriculture - to the study of English language and literature, but already at the end of 1910 he again decided to change his specialty to political economics.
The lifestyle of young Yusupov during this period can be understood from his letter to his mother: “Dear mother, ... Yesterday I dined at Lady Ripon and stayed overnight with an Englishwoman in the neighborhood. This morning a large group of us went to Brighton for the whole day. Tomorrow at Oxford. I'll be back in London on Monday. Yesterday the four of us dined, Lady Ripon, her husband, King Manuel and myself. We sat and chatted all evening. She remodeled her house and it turned out beautiful and just lovely. On Wednesday I have breakfast at Richmond. The king’s mother wants to meet me. I see him every day, he is truly touching, he comes to London every day, has breakfast, lunch with me, and goes to a concert with him.” [Yudin. Uk. op.]
As researcher E.E. writes Yudin: “An integral part of Felix Yusupov’s stay in England was his active involvement in British political and secular culture. Most of his time was occupied not by scientific studies, but by an endless series of receptions, visits, dinner parties, dinners and even breakfasts, visits to palaces and rural estates of the English aristocracy, balls and festive evenings. High English society showed significant interest in the young Prince Yusupov, as a representative of the elite of the great empire, which just in these years was becoming a foreign policy ally of Britain, and as, obviously, a man who possessed a huge fortune even in comparison with the high English standards. Felix Yusupov becomes a member of several elite closed clubs in Oxford and actively participates in the entertainment of the English “golden” youth. He acquires a large circle of not only social acquaintances, but also close friends. He often writes to his mother about the latter, praising their personal, human qualities. He will invite some of them to come to him in Russia later. It seems that Felix will maintain close personal contacts with his English friends in subsequent years, having already returned to Russia.” [Yudin. Uk. op.]
Perhaps the opinion of many researchers that Yusupov in England became a member of the Masonic lodge refers to this period of time, if “elite closed clubs” are associated with Masonic lodges. But there is no direct evidence of joining the lodge. Moreover, as one can judge from the letter from Princess Z.N. Yusupova to her son dated November 8, 1913 (written from Koreiz to Paris), in the Yusupov family this was considered reprehensible and unacceptable: “Be very careful with Nick. M. [Vel. Prince Nikolai Mikhailovich]. He is terribly false and many, not without reason, consider him Freemason». [Cit. according to Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: River of Time. Book 2. M., 1995. S. 135-136].
Apparently, during this period of time, Felix met and became friends with Oswald Reiner (Reiner), an agent of the British foreign intelligence service MI6, who also studied at Oxford.
At the same time, Felix became friends with ballerina Anna Pavlova. He writes the following about her: “I forgot Oxford, my studies, my friends. Day and night I thought about the ethereal creature that worried the hall, enchanted by the white feathers and the bloody sparkling heart of the ruby. Anna Pavlova was in my eyes not only a great ballerina and beauty, but also a heavenly messenger!<...>She understood me. “You have God in one eye, the devil in the other,” she told me.” [Prince Felix Yusupov. Uk. op.].
This is how the life of young Felix Yusupov proceeded in England - fun and carefree, not particularly bothered by studies and sciences. But now the time has come for exams, and according to their results - receiving (or not) a diploma. In this regard, E.E. Yudin draws attention to the research of Richard Thomas Batts, who, based on the diary entries of K.S. Lewis (“the famous English writer and apologist for Christianity, who served as professor at Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954”), as well as on the testimony of A.D. Carlyle (since 1893, acting chaplain of University College, Oxford), writes that Felix Yusupov could not pass a single exam. Therefore, Farquharson and Carlyle, by agreement with Yusupov, “did it themselves and presented him with the certificate, arranging everything very importantly and solemnly.”
The presentation of a certificate (certificate) - a Diploma of the third (lowest) degree, meant that the prescribed course of lectures had been attended, and the examinee, although he received the lowest grade, still passed the exams and received a diploma of higher university education - to the unspeakable joy of the mother of Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna, who wrote to her son on June 18, 1912: “My dear boy, thank God that I passed the exam, even if it’s for the 3rd diploma, and then thank you! Of course, if you had studied more, that is, more smoothly over these last two years, it would have been easier to get through now, but what’s past is past.” [Yudin. Uk. Op. with reference to the State Historical Museum of OPI. F. 411. Unit. hr. 39.]
Matchmaking and marriage of Prince Felix Yusupov Jr. to Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova
Felix and Irina Yusupov
Another serious act of Prince Felix Yusupov Jr., which characterizes him on the positive side, was matchmaking and marriage to the princess of imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova.
It is believed that the family of Victoria of Battenberg really wanted their daughter Princess Louise, who liked the Russian prince Felix Yusupov, to marry him. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wanted the same. There were rumors about their engagement, but they remained only rumors. There were other contenders in England. However, Felix's choice turned out to be different. His daughter Vel had long attracted his attention. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich and Vel. Princess Ksenia Alexandrovna - princess of the imperial blood Irina Alexandrovna, niece of the Emperor, beloved, as historians believe, granddaughter of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Judging by the memoirs, Felix was in love with Irina Alexandrovna, as they say, at first sight, from their first chance meeting, which took place in the Crimea, “during a horse ride,” when Felix “saw a lovely young girl” ... Since then , judging by the letters, he mentally did not part with her.
Among the contenders for Irina Alexandrovna's hand were the Greek Prince Christopher (the fifth son of King George I and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna), and the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Prince Vladimir Paley treated her very favorably.
Therefore, Felix Yusupov, in order to carry out his honest intentions towards Irina Alexandrovna, had to show persistence, patience and even ingenuity in order to get the hand of his chosen one. In addition, he was forced to wait patiently for several years until Irina Alexandrovna came of age. Irina had a mutual feeling for Felix, and her parents, who had long been friends with the Yusupovs, were also interested in the younger Yusupov and were ready to forgive his scandalous adventures in Paris, which they became aware of during the engagement period. In fairness, it should be noted that carousing at that time was characteristic not only of Felix Yusupov, but of youth in general, as, indeed, it always was and is. It's all about the atmosphere of gossip in which secular society lived, and the evil tongues that could inflate each case to incredible proportions. Although, thanks to Felix’s innate politeness, charm and determination, the incident was settled, an unpleasant aftertaste still remained with Irina’s parents - there is no smoke without fire.
The wedding of Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston and Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova took place on December 22 (old style) 1914 in the house church of the Anichkov Palace. Felix wrote in his memoirs: “I was happy, because this answered my secret aspirations. I could not forget the young stranger I met while walking on the Crimean road... In comparison with this new experience, all my previous hobbies turned out to be wretched. I understood the harmony of true feeling.”
Due to his marriage, Felix received the right from the Sovereign to bear the princely title and surname Yusupov during his father’s lifetime.
A year later, on March 8 (21), the Yusupov couple had a daughter, named, like her mother, Irina (1915-1983).
How the attitude towards Grigory Rasputin was formed in the Yusupov society
Probably, regarding the marriage of Felix and Irina, we can say that they were created for each other. Needless to say, both families also corresponded to each other in their way of thinking, their position, their neighborhood (dachas in the Crimea), and their mutual high-society interests. Despite many “buts”, in addition to purely human calculations, as well as petty claims, there was one common ground, or common theme, which undoubtedly contributed to the rapprochement of both respectable families, additionally giving family ties a certain dedication, a special conspiratorial status of people united by a common interest, a way of thinking, an idea, a common understanding of which provided a solid basis for strong, especially friendly relationships. The unifying super-idea was to rid the Royal Family, St. Petersburg, and the Empire from the terrible man Rasputin - the cause of all the troubles and evils of the Fatherland. Naturally, this attitude did not develop immediately, but the theme of Rasputin, from the very beginning of his appearance next to the Royal Family, excited minds, gradually acquiring more and more fantastic shapes.
Here, for example, are the feelings about this, which, however, are quite understandable, Vel. Princess Ksenia Alexandrovna, the Tsar’s sister, which are reflected in her diary entries: “In the carriage Olga [Vel. Princess Olga Nikolaevna] told us about her conversation with her [Alix]. She said for the first time that the poor little one had this terrible disease and that was why she herself was sick and would never completely recover. About Gregory, she said that how could she not believe in him when she sees that the little one feels better as soon as he is near him or prays for him.
In Crimea, it turns out that after our departure Alexey had bleeding in his kidneys (horror!) and they sent for Grigory. Everything stopped with his arrival! My God, how terrible this is and how sorry for them.
Anya Vyrubova visited Olga today and also talked about Grigory, how she met him (through Stana) in a difficult moment of her life (during her divorce), how he helped her, etc.
Horrified by all the stories and accusations - she talked about the bathhouse, laughing, and about the fact that they say that she lives with him! That everything now falls on her neck!” [Cit. according to Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: Meilunas A., Mironenko S. Nikolay and Alexandra. Love and life. M., 1998]
“On March 16, Princess Yusupova arrived for tea. They sat for a long time and talked a lot. She told me about her conversation with A[lix] about Gregory and that’s all. He went to Siberia, and not to Crimea at all. Someone sent him an encrypted message without a signature telling him to come here. Alix knew nothing about this, was delighted and is said to have said: “He always feels when I need him.” [Cit. according to Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: Meilunas A., Mironenko S. Nikolay and Alexandra. Love and life. M., 1998]
"October 16. I walked with Nikita in the morning. It’s wonderful, warm, quiet. - 12. - Felix was having breakfast. - There has been fermentation again about Rasputin - the newspapers are writing about him, God knows what. In "Evening Time" the impossible advanced is given. He just left here the other day. - Just despair.<...>» [Cit. by: Khrustalev with reference to: GARF. F. 662. Op. 1. D. 44. L. 23]
The increased interest in the Friend of the Royal Family of many high-ranking persons gradually gave way to hidden, and then undisguised irritation towards the Royal Family and, in any case, misunderstanding. On the part of the Yusupovs, the cause of discontent was the disapproval expressed by the Tsar and Tsarina of the marriage of the young Yusupov, because the scandalous Felix, who did not want to serve, became a relative of the Romanovs. From a letter from Princess Z.N. Yusupov's son November 8, 1913 from Koreiz:
“On the 6th there was a dinner and a ball in Livadia, to which Elena was also invited, which was very nice. I was seated at the royal table, and during the dances I was invited to sit next to the hostess [Empress Alexandra Feodorovna], who congratulated me and talked a lot about you both. Despite ostentatious courtesy, there was a conversation dry, and it was clear how much I didn’t like her! He [Tsar Nicholas II] got off with smiles and a handshake, but nothing words didn't say. I could say a lot about this evening in words, but I don’t want to write. Of course, she doesn’t like your departure to Paris. “Tolstaya” [Anna Aleksandrovna Taneyeva (Vyrubova)] as the fifth daughter, and keeps himself that way» [Cit. according to Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: River of Time. Book 2. M., 1995. S. 135-136]
After the wedding of Felix and Irina, another reason appeared for the Yusupovs’ attitude towards the Royal Family to change for the worse. In 1915, Felix's father - Prince F.F. Yusupov-Sumarokov-Elston (senior) with the support of Vel. Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich was appointed to two key posts: chief commander of the Moscow Military District (from May to June) and commander-in-chief of the city of Moscow (from May to September). However, he was soon removed due to incompetent leadership during the Moscow riots in 1915. Regarding these events, Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II writes to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in a letter dated June 16, 1915: “Yusupov, for whom I sent, was present at the council on the first issue; we cooled his ardor a little and gave him some clear instructions. There were funny moments when he read his report on the Moscow riot - he became excited, shook his fists and pounded them on the table.” [Cit. according to Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: Correspondence of Nicholas and Alexandra 1914-1917. - M: Zakharov, 2013].
Everything that came from the Royal Family caused overt irritation. The main reason for hostility was still Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy, and everything that was connected with him was subjected to malicious criticism, which determined the tone of the letters of Princess Z.N. Yusupova. In a letter to her son dated October 2, 1915, she writes: “I must say that what is happening in Tsarskoye Selo outrages me to such an extent that I would like to go somewhere far, far away and never return again! Gregory returned again. Barnabas [Bishop of Tobolsk Varnava (Nakropin), who was considered a protege of Gr. Rasputin], they say, is getting a promotion! And Samarin was directly pressed because of these scoundrels, on the orders of the crazy V[alida] [Empress Alexandra Feodorovna], who also drove her husband crazy. I’m literally choking with indignation and find that I can’t tolerate this any longer. I despise all those who endure all this and remain silent.” [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. cit., with reference to: From the Yusupov family correspondence. /Publication by N.B. Strizhevoy. // River of times. Book 2. M., 1995. S. 140-141.].
Princess Zinaida Yusupova rebelled for now in her letters and set up those around her and, above all, her son accordingly. Vel's assent sounded in unison. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich and Vel. Princess Ksenia Alexandrovna. The intensity, the pathos, the degree, as they say, went off scale. Seething indignation at the decisions made by the Sovereign found justification in Rasputin’s allegedly obscene behavior. However, an indignant feeling bordering on hatred quickly spread from Rasputin to Anna Vyrubova, the Empress, and then the Sovereign. The atmosphere that reigned in the Yusupov and Vel families. Prince Alexander Mikhailovich on the eve of the murder of Gr. Eph. Rasputin-New, can be described as hysterical, with an obsession with the guilt of Rasputin, Vyrubova and the Tsarina in everything - but this was only a cover for the true attitude towards the Tsar...
Prince Felix Yusupov Jr. and Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-New. Confrontation
Acquaintance with the romantic period in the life of Prince F.F. Yusupov's work by Count Sumarokov-Elston (matchmaking and marriage) allows us to draw an important conclusion: behind the outward shockingness, as one can notice if desired, a subtle nature could be hidden, capable of high feelings, deep experiences, responsible decisions and serious actions. In any case, what else could attract noble and honest people to him, sincere and kind people, such as, for example, Maria Evgenievna Golovina? Maria, or, as she was called among her friends, Munya, was the daughter of the chamberlain, actual state councilor Evgeniy Sergeevich Golovin, and was the niece of Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley (ur. Karnovich). Olga Valerianovna became the morganatic wife of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, respectively, stepmother to Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, a friend of Felix. Through Dmitry Pavlovich, apparently, Felix met the Golovin family.
Lyubov Valerianovna Golovina and her daughter Maria were admirers of the elder Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy, and were part of his close circle. Through the Golovins, Felix Yusupov Jr. also met Grigory Efimovich, which he writes about in his memoirs: “I met Rasputin in the G. family in St. Petersburg in 1909. I have known G.’s family for a long time, and I was especially friendly with one of the daughters, M..”
Felix did not like Rasputin, his appearance and manners. To emphasize his hostile attitude, Yusupov in his memoirs, when describing his acquaintance with Rasputin in the Golovins’ house, did not hesitate to apply thick colors: “a strange subject”, “smiled evilly”, did not approach, but “swimmed up to the young lady”, “pressed them to his chest and kissed him with the air of a father and benefactor,” “at first glance, there was something I didn’t like about him, even repulsed me,” he only “feigned ease,” noted that Rasputin “is secretly shy, even cowardly.” Nevertheless, “his manners amazed him,” and in general, Grigory Rasputin made an “indelible impression” on Yusupov.
Feeling that Felix did not like Grigory Efimovich, Maria Golovina wrote him a letter on August 20, 1910, where she tried to dispel unpleasant impressions and explain the “oddities” in the behavior and speeches of Elder Gregory:
“Dear Felix Feliksovich!
I am writing to you to ask you not to show anyone the piece of paper that I gave you from Ali [Alexandra Pistolkors, Anna Vyrubova’s sister]. Your new friend [G.E. Rasputin-Novy] was with us today and asked about it, and I also find that the less talk about him, the better. I would really like to know your opinion about him, I think that you could not bear a particularly good impression, for this you need to be in a very special mood and then you get used to treating his words differently, which always imply something spiritual. But they do not relate to our everyday life.
If you understood this, then I’m terribly glad that you saw him and I believe that it was good for your life, just don’t scold him, and if he’s unpleasant to you, try to forget. ... " [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. op.]
The way Felix Yusupov perceived Grigory Rasputin is strikingly different from the assessment given by G.E. Rasputin-New St. Petersburg journalist and publisher of the newspaper “Smoke of the Fatherland” A.F. Filippov, cited by V. Khrustalev: “There is no doubt that Rasputin has increased sensitivity and culture of the good old days, which gave us a peasant, equal in subtlety of perception to the bars, otherwise this semi-literate man would have long ago alienated representatives of the highest aristocracy, who are not often meet". [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. op.]
The natural nobility of Yusupov collided with the “nobility”, or rather the natural peasantry of Rasputin - two elements came together, which, as it turned out, were irreconcilable. Intransigence is not the fault of the peasant, who turned out to be open to the end (the end of mortal life), direct and honest in his desire to reconcile, comprehend, understand and love the master, but due to the fault of the lordly opposite, who did not want to descend from the impregnable peak of his lordship, his legalized prosperity and well-being to holy simplicity, hidden behind the veil of “ignorance” and “illiteracy”, ignorance of secular manners and prim etiquette.
Felix’s subtle nature was still able to sense something unusual, bright, although it did not fit into the usual ideas of light. Grigory Rasputin, contrary to the first impression, attracted Yusupov and aroused genuine interest in himself. The personality of the elder and the events associated with his name (perhaps under the influence of his mother) worried Felix Yusupov more and more. This is evidenced by a letter from Maria Golovina to Felix Yusupov dated February 1 (14), 1912:
“Dear Felix Feliksovich!
Your telegram touched me very much; it is good that you wanted to find out the truth and were not satisfied with the information that the newspapers are full of. From them you probably know the main facts that a request was made in the Duma why [G.E. Rasputin] is forbidden to write that Bishop Hermogenes [Saratov (Dolganov)], who was his friend while he was seeking promotion, now considers him the culprit of his downfall and is raising all his friends against him, of whom he suddenly had a lot, and on the other hand, they want make a scandal in order to strike where he is loved and appreciated [i.e. e. a blow to the Royal Family - approx. Yu.R.]. This, I think, is the main reason for the noise made against him. He is directed to a completely different place, and he is used as a tool to hurt his friends [the Tsar and Queen] and, if possible, take away even this consolation! How much anger people have, and most importantly, envy! How they strive to destroy and pollute everything beautiful and bright. Of course, they took up arms against him out of envy, he bears his cross and experiences suffering for Christ. If you could see how far he is from everything that happens around him, he is in a completely different area, in the area of the spirit and is far from our understandings and passions, and we all judge in our own way, and so we ourselves are immersed in sin and temptation that we cannot understand the true purity that he preaches and puts into practice. After all, sin would not have power over people if they were stronger than it, and no matter what century people appear who discover another life, they will always be persecuted and persecuted, as they persecuted everyone who followed in the footsteps of Christ.
You know him too little and have seen him too little to understand his personality and the power that guides him, but I have known him now for two years and am sure that he bears the cross of God and suffers for the truth, which is incomprehensible to us and, if you are a little familiar with occultism, then you know that everything great is hidden under a certain shell, which for the profane closes the path to the truth. Remember the words - “Enter through the narrow gate,” but few people understand this, preferring, as he says, “the inviolable tree” of Pharisaic virtue, which, in my opinion, often borders on cruelty, to true Christian love!
That's all I can tell you about him, if you are particularly interested in anything, then write, I will always write to you with pleasure. While he is still here and wants to talk to us in the first week of Lent, and then he leaves, for how long, I don’t know, and whether he will come when you are here, I also don’t know.
Write everything you think about it, I really value your opinion and want to feel you with me, just be frank, because I love you with a heartfelt, pure and clear love that will last until the grave and, I hope, that no human tricks will they will change our friendship, and we must tell a friend everything, without fear of offending him, because love must endure everything! The 5th is the feast day of the icon that I gave you, pray that it will save you!
And in general, write, goodbye.
Maria Golovina" [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: GMI OPI. F. 411. Op. 1. D. 48. L. 40-43 vol.].
Amazing letter. So much holy love and trust in the one who will soon mercilessly carry out a bloody reprisal against another object of holy true love - that person who himself loved people holy and truly, who loved even his enemies and murderers, and proved this by his martyrdom, extending his hand before death to his executioner.
What is also surprising is the depth of penetration into the subtleties of the situation and the clarity of the assessment of those events and circumstances that still remain unclear and foggy for those who are more inclined to trust the interpretation of the Yusupovs in this historical dispute, in this age-old, universal confrontation between two spiritual elements: good and evil , love and hate, life and death.
Grigory Rasputin is the man whose life is sanctified by faith. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ led him, by faith he trusted his thoughts and feelings, faith guided his actions. What actually happened to him in St. Petersburg? He was not accepted, he was rejected, pushed out of the environment. He was a stranger to this environment. And few who could understand and appreciate his faith from the powers that be and those around them. This is the reason for the confrontation. In high society they are accustomed to treating a person in accordance with his real status and data - what a person is worth. You had to get a pass to high society, and, having received it, behave in accordance with the place that society has assigned you, and don’t dare cross the line, so as not to hear a menacing, threatening shout: who are you?! Grigory Efimovich, contrary to these rules, went beyond what was permitted, stepped beyond the line, encroaching on the “sacred” - the inviolability of strict etiquette and hierarchy.
But what could Grigory Efimovich offer these people? Only one thing - his living faith and the fruits of the spirit with which he was gifted from God. And now this living faith came into conflict with the dead letter of secular customs and rules, with completely false etiquette.
Both sides understood that they were different: both Grigory Efimovich and representatives of the Yusupov world. But what did the different, opposite sides do in this situation? Grigory Efimovich tried to understand, love, teach, heal, help. He was even ready to accept something useful from them, to understand, to comprehend their truth with his peasant mind - to adapt to them, maybe even become like them in order to understand better. In this he acted after the example of the apostles, becoming like them.
On the opposite side, on the contrary, at first there was surprise, interest, but they did not understand, did not agree, began to endure, but not for long, quickly fell (fell) into the fetid pit of undisguised irritation, gross lies, vile slander, banal shameful envy, poisonous gossip and evil gossip. Gradually growing, these phenomena turned into hysteria, into some kind of frenzy, demonic possession. Finally, they got tired of it all, and, without much ceremony, they killed him.
Why did they kill, for what? The killer - the young prince Felix Yusupov was faced with what was destroying his life credo. No one ever questioned his primacy and superiority; neither his mother nor Aunt Ella, in essence, encroached on his freedom. Felix was unsurpassed, this was his element - social life, St. Petersburg, Paris, London, amusements, whims, no one limited him.
The appearance of Rasputin in his life became a threat to the world of his supremacy and independence. Felix Yusupov was afraid of losing freedom, but not freedom from sin, but freedom from restrictions in sin. In the face of the peasant Gregory, he felt something that was higher than him, that brought him from the patrician Olympus to the sinful earth, something that allowed him to feel weaker, more frail. Weaker, not in a physical or any other sense, but in a spiritual sense. For the first time he encountered the element of spirit, felt its power and height, and at the same time felt his insignificance and helplessness in front of it. Elder Gregory destroyed his idol, the idol of the secular crowd, Felix Yusupov. His authority, his position, his fortune were nothing before the truth and the height of genuine Christian love. His conscience denounced his wretchedness, but he could not agree with this, could not part with his undeniable superiority, which was given to him by secularly understood freedom, position and wealth - all dust, dust, ashes, nothing, and he himself, according to in truth, small, not in a figurative, but in a literal sense, his soul turned out to be small and insignificant. Grigory Efimovich called him “small.” Felix could not agree with this, he could not come to terms with this, like a child.
It’s hard to say how sincere Felix Yusupov’s friendship with Maria Golovina was. But his mother, Zinaida Yusupova, was clearly burdened by this friendship, and after Felix left for England, Zinaida Nikolaevna would like to get rid of the obsessive attention of Maria Golovina, who, apparently on her own initiative, as well as out of naivety and simplicity, continued as a friend to visit the Yusupovs even in Felix’s absence, which they were not particularly happy about. This can be judged from the letter from Z.N. Yusupova to her son dated September 23, 1909, where there is the phrase: “We didn’t get rid of Golovina, she was with Sonya [Dzhambakurian-Orbeliani] and drank tea with us.” [Cit. By: Khrustalev. Uk. Op. with reference to: GMI OPI. F. 411. Op. 1. D. 36. L. 23-26 vol.]
Thanks to Maria Golovina, Felix Yusupov was offered a choice: either continue the treacherous path of serving the world of the Yusupovs, or follow the path of correction and healing indicated by the Russian peasant-pagan, spiritual wanderer, Elder Gregory - the path of the primordial serving Russian nobility, the path of devotion and fidelity to God’s Anointed One and God's Russian people. But the noble impulse of a pure soul did not touch Yusupov. He did not want to accept the meaning of her words about the elder Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy, who, with his existence in St. Petersburg, the patrimony of the Yusupovs, posed a daring challenge to the world of the Yusupovs. And the son of this world, the prince of this world, Felix Feliksovich Yusupov Jr., accepted this challenge...
(To be continued)
Name: Felix Yusupov (Count Sumarokov-Elston)
Age: 80 years old
Activity: the last of the Yusupov princes, participant in the murder of Grigory Rasputin, author of books of memoirs about this, socio-political and church figure
Marital status: was married
Felix Yusupov: biography
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston, was the last of the famous branch of the Yusupov princes. He tried to do many things in life, but went down in history as one of the murderers. Subsequently, while in exile, Yusupov even wrote two books of memoirs about this, the fees for which were the main source of his income. In addition, Felix turned out to be one of the first people who managed to win a lawsuit against the film company and receive compensation for moral damages in the form of a fairly tidy sum.
The prince's early years | Russia of the Romanovs Yusupov was the youngest son of Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston and his wife Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. It should be noted that the princess wanted and was expecting a daughter, so when Felix was born, she did not treat him like a boy, but dressed him up in pink dresses, taught him to wear jewelry, and even taught him to put on makeup. The mother’s strange whim left a huge imprint on the entire future life of this unusual person. For many years, Yusupov’s main entertainment was the following: in a woman’s dress, trying not to be recognized, walking along the boulevard or having lunch in a restaurant. The entire Russian nobility spoke about the oddities of the “golden boy”; he was even accused of homosexuality, although no one had actual evidence of this.
Yusupov, dressed in a period costume for the performance | Russia of the Romanovs Felix graduated from a prestigious private gymnasium, and later from Oxford University, where he founded the Russian Society, since he was always and until the end of his life remained a patriot of his homeland, but exclusively in the monarchical version. In their youth, Yusupov and his older brother Nikolai were passionate theater fans. Moreover, the young people themselves performed on stage. Eyewitnesses claimed that Felix had extraordinary acting talent, which was especially noticeable in the art of impersonating other people. And we are talking not only about the very convincing performance of female roles, but also about the creation on stage of very realistic images of male characters - from commoners to Cardinal Richelieu.
Photo by Felix Yusupov | Russia of the Romanovs At the age of 21, Yusupov suddenly became the sole heir to his family's enormous heirloom fortune. The fact is that his older brother Nikolai died in a duel at the hands of Count Arvid Manteuffel, who thus defended the honor of his wife, seduced by Yusupov Sr. However, as later life would show, Felix was not destined to enjoy wealth to the fullest.
In 1916, Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, his brother-in-law, together with State Duma deputy Vladimir Purishkevich, organized a conspiracy against a friend and close associate of the Russian emperor, Grigory Rasputin. Felix later said: each of the three men independently came to the idea that all the troubles of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century were connected precisely with the name of the “royal elder.” When they began to discuss, they came to the conclusion that Rasputin must be stopped at any cost. But it is Yusupov who is considered the initiator and implementer of the conspiracy.
Conspirators: Dmitry Romanov, Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich On the penultimate day of 1916, he invited Grigory Rasputin to his house and, under the pretext of showing him the place where he usually feasted with guests, lured him into the basement. Having offered Gregory to leave St. Petersburg forever and having been refused, Felix took out a pistol and shot at Rasputin. The testimony in the investigator's office of the three conspirators will differ significantly from each other and greatly diverge from the facts discovered by the investigation. We can only say with certainty that three shots were fired at the old man, and later the dead body was taken by car to the Petrovsky Bridge and thrown into the river.
Wax figures in the Yusupov Museum, recreating the scene of the murder of Grigory Rasputin | LiveInternet The emperor's family was very angry at the act of Yusupov and his accomplices. Most likely, they would have faced a death sentence, but due to Prince Dmitry’s participation in the case, the investigation was delayed. Meanwhile, Purishkevich was sent to the front, Romanov to Persia, and Prince Felix faced house arrest on his family estate in the Kursk province. But the death of Rasputin led to the February and then the October revolutions, and Yusupov went abroad, where in any society he appears primarily as “that same killer.” By the way, the man would later write memoir books “The End of Rasputin” and “Memoirs” about these tragic events.
Social activities
It must be emphasized that Yusupov was a patriot and a rather generous person. During the First World War, he organized hospitals in St. Petersburg at his own expense. In the first of them, created in a house on Liteiny Prospekt, Felix worked himself until he received permission to go to a one-year officer course in the Corps of Pages. Looking ahead, it is worth adding that during the Second World War, Prince Yusupov would take a very interesting position: he did not want to support the Nazis who occupied France, but at the same time he also categorically refused the offer to return to St. Petersburg, citing his rejection of the Soviet Union as a state .
Photo by Felix Yusupov | PetroInfo After the October Revolution, the man and his family left Russia forever. He first settled in Malta, and later moved to London and from there to Paris. Having sold all the jewelry that they were able to take with them, the Yusupovs bought a house in the Bois de Boulogne on Pierre Guerin Street, where Felix lived until the end of his life. Interestingly, there was still so much property left on their estate in Russia that the looting of the house continued for at least a week. But, even becoming significantly poorer, Felix continued to help refugees. Together with his mother, he organized a special fund and also provided shelter in his home.
Felix Yusupov with a bulldog named Clown | LiveJournal In the 20s, Yusupov and his wife opened the Irfé fashion house, which became a unique phenomenon for France. The fact is that countesses and princesses acted as models and even seamstresses at Irfé, for which the Yusupov fashion house was called the most aristocratic. Irfé designers were guided by the Russian style, used silk painting, and the main innovation was the introduction of a completely unprecedented phenomenon - the so-called sports style in everyday clothing. The rise in popularity was so rapid that it can only be compared with an equally immediate fall. The time of the Great Depression came, and Felix was unable to rebuild and continued to lead a wasteful lifestyle, so the company went bankrupt.
Photo by Felix Yusupov | Russia of the Romanovs The budget was replenished through the release of a book about Rasputin, as well as through unprecedented audacity - filing a lawsuit against the American film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The fact is that in 1932 the film “Rasputin and the Empress” was released, which states that Yusupov’s wife was Grigory’s mistress. Felix, whom everyone convinced of the futility of his actions, goes to court and manages to prove the groundlessness and unfoundedness of the film's script. MGM pays him £25,000, which was considered a huge sum at the time. In addition, this precedent has led to the fact that movie credits now include phrases like “based on the work” and “the resemblance to real persons is not intentional.”
Personal life
Young Felix was considered one of the most handsome men among the Russian nobility. Many representatives of the fairer sex went crazy about him. It was rumored that men had repeatedly looked at such a luscious appearance. But Yusupov dispelled all suspicions about his unconventional orientation by marrying Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, the sovereign’s own niece. In 1915, the couple had a daughter, Irina, whose godsons, by the way, were the emperor himself and his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Russian seven In their old age, a few months before their death, Felix and Irina adopted 18-year-old Mexican Victor Manuel Contreras. Later, the young man would become famous as a sculptor and artist. His works adorn museums in many countries, and are also presented in central squares in North America and Europe.
Drawings from the "Monsters" series created by Felix Yusupov By the way, Yusupov himself also once tried his hand at fine arts. After the publication of the first edition of the book of memoirs, Felix unexpectedly took up ink and watercolor and created a whole series of infernal portraits under the general title “Monsters.” In just a few weeks, he painted 15 works, and Felix never returned to this activity. It is believed that these portraits are associated with nightmares that haunted Yusupov all his life. About half of these drawings were kept in the Christian Boutonnier gallery.
Death
The last heir of the famous family of princes Yusupov passed away at the age of 80, on September 27, 1967. He was buried in Paris, in the Russian cemetery in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois area, in the same grave with his mother Zinaida Nikolaevna. It is interesting that a cross was placed on the deceased’s chest, carved from wood chips from the coffin of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who patronized him all his life. Felix Yusupov's wife survived her husband by only three years. The absolutely amazing story of Felix's house on Pierre Guerin Street. Shortly after the death of Princess Irina Alexandrovna, the house suddenly fell into the ground, reminding witnesses of this picture of Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
Livejournal Many books have been written about Felix Feliksovich Yusupov and many films have been made. Almost always, when the life story of Emperor Nicholas II or is filmed, the character of this unusual person is always present. Recently, Felix has been portrayed on screen by James Frain and other actors.
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 Yusupov family, 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 played 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 this way: “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.
I wrote about the history of the Yusupov family in a post. Separately, I would like to remember Prince Felix, who became famous as the killer of Rasputin. The prince's story about the murder of this enemy is reminiscent of a modern horror film. In his youth, Felix led a bohemian lifestyle; his favorite pastime was singing and dancing in city cabarets, dressed in women's dress. “Russian Dorian Gray” tried all the pleasures of a vicious society, where the smell of opium was in the air. In circles of decadence, such a lifestyle was considered quite acceptable and commonplace.
The memoirs of Prince Felix are interesting; he describes with self-irony the oddities of his life, when he became the laughing stock of the public, speaks honestly about his personal shortcomings and talks in detail, without embellishment, about the murder of Rasputin - “a demon in a peasant’s guise.”
Prince Felix Yusupov in Russian costume. Here he resembles Fedka Basmanov, the beloved guardsman of Ivan the Terrible. Fedka also liked to “dress up like a woman.” I have this in my post
As Prince Felix himself writes, his fiancée, Princess Irina, the niece of Emperor Nicholas II, helped him reconsider his views on life and pleasures. The prince called his former hobbies “poor.”
This is how Felix wrote about his future wife:
“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.”
You can take Felix at his word. But an anecdote involuntarily appears.
The prince returns home in the morning. And his wife says to him:
- Where have you been?
- Played billiards with the officers.
- Why are you wearing a lady’s dress and your mother’s jewelry?
- Well, Ira, you walk like this every day. Did I even say a word to you?
Felix with his beloved wife Irina
It should be noted that Felix liked to dress up not only in women’s tchotchkes. He often appeared in the costumes of historical characters, perfectly fitting into the image of the heroes. The prince especially liked the character Cardinal Richelieu.
“At that time, costume balls became fashionable in St. Petersburg. I was a master of costumes, and I had many costumes, both men's and women's. For example, at a masquerade at the Paris Opera, I exactly repeated the portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne. The whole hall applauded me when I appeared in a cardinal’s robe, carried behind me by two black boys in gold trinkets.”
One day, dressed in a woman's dress, Prince Yusupov gained the favor of the English King Edward VII. This incident reminded me of the story of the Chevalier d'Eon, who almost became the royal favorite because of his disguise.
Masquerade scenes of the early 20th century in paintings by Konstantin Somov
“Once, we decided to go to a costume ball at the Opera as a couple: my brother put on a domino, and I put on a woman’s dress. Before the masquerade began, we went to the De Capucine Theater. We sat down in the first row of the stalls. Soon I noticed that an elderly person from the literary box was persistently lorning me. At intermission, when the lights came on, I saw that it was King Edward VII. The brother went out to smoke in the foyer and, upon returning, said with a laugh that a pompous fellow had approached him: I ask, on behalf of His Majesty, to tell you the name of your lovely companion! To be honest, I was pleased with it. Such a victory flattered one’s pride.”- Felix boasted.
By the way, the idea of jokes with dressing up belonged to Nikolai, Felix’s brother and his girlfriend Polenka. Just for fun, Nikolai even helped Felix get a job as a singer in the chic Aquarium cabaret. The debut of the “singer” was very successful; after the performance, the conspirators roared with laughter in the dressing room, reading love messages from enthusiastic fans.
Cabaret "Aquarium", where Prince Felix shone
“Having diligently visited cafes, I knew almost all the fashionable songs and sang them myself as a soprano. When we returned to Russia, Nikolai decided that it was a sin to bury my talent and that it was necessary to bring me to the stage of the Aquarium, the most luxurious cabaret in St. Petersburg. He came to the director of the Aquarium, whom he knew, and invited him to listen to a French singer with the latest Parisian verses...
This is what posters looked like during the Art Nouveau era
On my poster there were three stars instead of my name, whetting the public’s interest. As I walked onto the stage, I was blinded by the spotlights. Wild fear gripped me. I was numb and numb. The orchestra began to play the first bars of “Dreams of Paradise,” but the music seemed dull and distant to me. Someone in the audience clapped out of compassion. With difficulty opening my mouth, I began to sing. The public treated me coolly. But when I performed “Tonkinka,” the audience applauded wildly. And my “Lovely Child” caused an ovation. I encored three times.
Excited Nikolai and Polenka were waiting behind the scenes. The director came with a huge bouquet and congratulations. I thanked him as best I could, but I myself was choking with laughter. I stuck my hand out to the director for a kiss and hurried to send him away.
There was an agreement in advance not to let anyone in to see me, but while Nikolai, Polenka, and I fell on the sofa and roared with laughter, flowers and love notes arrived...
Six of my performances at the Aquarium went well. On the seventh evening, I noticed my parents’ friends in the box. They looked at me extremely carefully. It turned out that they recognized me by my resemblance to my mother and by my mother’s diamonds.
A scandal broke out. My parents made a terrible scene for me. Nikolai, defending me, took the blame upon himself. My parents' friends and our family swore that they would remain silent. They kept their word. The matter was hushed up. The café singer's career died before it even began. However, I didn’t give up this dress-up game. The fun was too great."
Living room of the Yusupovs' house on the Moika
Door to the bathroom
You can make a comedy about the adventures of Prince Felix. Perhaps the adventures of Prince Felix in the cabaret inspired the creators of the film “Some Like It Hot” (“Some Like It Hot”). The cross-dressing joke again led to a family scandal.
“I had a tragicomic story. I portrayed the Allegory of the Night, wearing a dress with steel sequins and a diamond star tiara. In such cases, my brother, knowing my eccentricity, accompanied me himself or sent reliable friends to look after me.
That evening, a guards officer, a well-known red tape guy, hit on me. He and three of his friends invited me to dinner at the Bear's. I agreed despite, or rather, because of the danger. The fun was breathtaking. At that moment my brother was playing nice with his mask and didn’t see me. I slipped away.
I came to “Bear” with four gentlemen, and they immediately asked for a separate office. The gypsies were called in to create the mood. Music and champagne inflamed the gentlemen. I fought back as best I could. However, the bravest one contrived to pull off my mask. Frightened by the scandal, I grabbed a bottle of champagne and threw it at the mirror. There was the sound of broken glass. The hussars were taken aback. At that moment I ran up to the door, pulled the latch and pulled. On the street I shouted to the cab driver and gave him Polenkin’s address. Only then did I notice that I had forgotten my sable fur coat at the Bear.
And a young beauty in a half-naked dress and diamonds in an open sleigh flew into the icy cold at night. Who would have thought that this crazy beauty is the son of worthy parents!”
Of course, Felix's father was outraged by such behavior and disobedience. Once he already demanded that his son stop the stupid antics that disgrace the family.
“My adventures, of course, became known to my father. One fine day he called me to his place. He called me only in the most extreme cases, so I chickened out. And for good reason. The father was pale with anger, his voice trembled. He called me a villain and a scoundrel, saying that a decent person would not shake hands with me. He also said that I was a disgrace to the family and that my place was not in the house, but in Siberia in hard labor. Finally he told me to get out. After all, he slammed the door so hard that a painting fell from the wall in the next room...”
Respectable family of the prince.
Mother - Zinaida Nikolaevna, father - Felix Feliksovich, older brother Nikolai and younger brother Felix.
For the first time, the prince dressed up as a young lady as a child; together with his cousin, they decided to fool around and, stealing outfits from his mother’s closet, went for a walk along Nevsky Prospekt...
“We were twelve or thirteen years old. One evening, when my father and mother were not there, we decided to take a walk, dressed in women's clothes. We found everything we needed in my mother’s closet. We dressed up, put on our rouge, put on jewelry, wrapped ourselves in velvet fur coats that were too tall for us, went down the far stairs and, waking up my mother’s hairdresser, demanded wigs, they say, for the masquerade.
In this form we went into the city. On Nevsky, a haven for prostitutes, we were immediately noticed. To get rid of the gentlemen, we answered in French: “We are busy” - and moved on importantly. They fell behind when we entered the chic restaurant “Bear”. We walked into the hall right in our fur coats, sat down at a table and ordered dinner. It was hot, we were suffocating in these velvets. They looked at us with curiosity. The officers sent a note inviting us to have dinner with them in their office. The champagne went to my head. I took off my pearl beads and began throwing them like a lasso over the heads of my neighbors. The beads, of course, burst and rolled across the floor to the laughter of the audience.
Bar of the restaurant "Bear" at the beginning of the 20th century
Now the whole hall was looking at us. We wisely decided to give it a go, picked up the pearls in a hurry and headed for the exit, but the head waiter caught up with us with the bill. We didn't have any money. I had to go explain to the director. He turned out to be a great guy. He laughed at our invention and even gave us money for a cab. When we returned to Moika, all the doors in the house were locked. I shouted out the window to my servant Ivan. He came out and laughed until he cried when he saw us in our coats. The next morning there was no time for laughter. The director of “The Bear” sent his father the rest of the pearls collected on the floor in the restaurant, and... the bill for dinner!”
The prince honestly explained his eccentric antics with his vanity and pride:
“In truth, this game amused me and, moreover, flattered my pride, because women liked me too little, but I could conquer men. However, when I was able to conquer women, my difficulties appeared. Women submitted to me, but did not stay with me for long. I was already used to being looked after, and I didn’t want to look after me. And most importantly, I loved only myself. I liked being the object of love and attention. And even this was not important, but it was important that all my whims were fulfilled. I believed that this was how it should be: I do what I want, and I don’t care about anyone.”
Prince Felix himself denied rumors about his dislike for ladies:
“They often said that I don’t like women. Not true. I love it when there is something for it. Others meant a lot to me, not to mention the friend who made my happiness. But I must admit that the ladies I knew rarely met my ideal. More often than not they charmed and disappointed. In my opinion, men are more honest and unselfish than women.”
Although the prince treated same-sex love with understanding.
“I have always been outraged by human injustice towards those who love differently. You can blame same-sex love, but not the lovers themselves. Normal relationships are contrary to their nature. Are they to blame for being created this way?”
As chronicler N. M. Romanov wrote: “I am convinced that there were some physical outpourings of friendship in the form of kissing, mutual groping and perhaps ... even more cynical. How great was Felix’s carnal perversion is still little clear to me, although rumors about his lusts were widespread. In 1914, he married the niece of Nicholas II and “reformed.”
Irina's sincerity and kindness especially attracted Felix. She did not have the characteristic qualities of secular young ladies, which repelled the prince. Secularism has always spoiled character.
“Irina little by little overcame her shyness. At first she spoke only with her eyes, but gradually I was able to appreciate her intelligence and correctness of judgment. I told her my whole life. Not at all shocked, she greeted my story with rare understanding. I understood what exactly disgusted me about female nature and why I was more drawn to the company of men. Women’s pettiness, unscrupulousness and indirectness disgusted her in the same way...”
As it turned out, Felix’s friend, Prince Dmitry (who later became an accomplice in the murder of Rasputin), also courted Irina, but seeing the reciprocity between the princess and Felix, he retreated.
“My engagement has not yet been officially announced. Unexpectedly, Dmitry came to me asking if I would really marry his cousin. I replied that nothing had been decided yet. “But I also wanted to marry her,” he said. I thought he was joking. But no: he said that he had never spoken more seriously.
Now it was up to Irina to decide. Dmitry and I promised each other not to influence her decision in any way. But when I conveyed our conversation to her, Irina declared that she would marry me and only me. Her decision was irrevocable, Dmitry retreated. The cloud overshadowed our friendship with him and never dissipated.”
Although historians argue who Prince Dmitry loved more - Irina or her fiancé - Felix, or maybe both at once, and therefore suffered doubly, not knowing who to prefer. And while he was suffering and thinking about his choice, both objects of his love decided to get married.
Is Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich a rival or lover of Felix Yusupov?
However, the bride's parents doubted the correctness of their choice and decided to terminate the engagement. Yusupov learned this news in Paris. Immediately, he went to Grand Duke Alexander to convince him. As it turned out, Felix was slandered in front of his future relatives by people whom he considered his friends.
Felix Yusupov in the portrait of Zinaida Serebryakova
“Arriving in Paris at the Gare du Nord, I met Count Mordvinov. I heard with horror that he had been sent by Grand Duke Alexander to announce to me that the engagement was broken! I was forbidden to even seek a meeting with Irina and her parents. In vain I bombarded the Grand Duke's envoy with questions. He stated that he was not authorized to speak further.
I was shocked. However, I decided that I would not allow myself to be treated like a small child. They have a responsibility to listen before they judge. I will defend myself and defend my happiness. I immediately went to the hotel where the Grand Duke and Princess lived, went straight up to their room and entered without report. The conversation was unpleasant for both. However, I managed to convince them and achieve their final agreement. On the wings of happiness, I rushed to Irina. My bride repeated once again that she would not marry anyone but me. Subsequently, it turned out that those who slandered me in the eyes of Irina’s parents, I considered, alas, my friends. I knew before that my engagement was a misfortune for others. It turned out that they resorted to meanness just to upset her. Their affection for me, even in this form, excited me.”
It is believed that Felix's rejected fans decided to stop his wedding.
The wedding day has arrived. Again there was some curiosity. The groom got stuck in the elevator, and the king himself, along with his relatives, had to rescue his future son-in-law from trouble.
“On the wedding day, a carriage drawn by four horses drove for the bride and her parents to take them to the Anichkov Palace. My own arrival did not shine with beauty. I got stuck in an old, shaky elevator halfway to the chapel, and the imperial family, led by the emperor himself, worked together to get me out of trouble.”
Description of the wedding from the prince's memoirs:
“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.
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.
Accompanied by my parents, I crossed two or three halls, already crowded and full of ceremonial dresses and uniforms with orders, and entered the chapel, where, waiting for Irina, I took the seats allotted to us.
Irina appeared arm in arm with the emperor. The Emperor brought her to me, and as soon as he took his place, the ceremony began.
The priest laid out a pink silk carpet, along which, according to custom, the bride and groom should walk. According to the legend, whichever of the young people steps on the carpet first will be the first in the family. Irina hoped that she would be quicker than me, but she got entangled in the train, and I got ahead.
After the wedding, we headed the procession to the reception hall, where we stood next to the imperial family to receive, as usual, congratulations. The line of congratulators lasted more than two hours. Irina could barely stand. Then we went to Moika, where my parents were already waiting. They met us on the stairs, as usual, with bread and salt. Then the servants came with congratulations. And again everything is the same as in Anichkovo.
Finally departure. A crowd of family and friends at the station. And again shaking hands and congratulations. Finally, the last kisses - and we are in the carriage. On a mountain of flowers rests a black dog’s muzzle: my faithful Punch reclined on wreaths and bouquets.
When the train started moving, I noticed the lonely figure of Dmitry in the distance on the platform.”
