Princess Zinaida Yusupova (September 2, 1861 - November 24, 1939) was a Russian noblewoman, the sole heiress of the largest family in Russia. This rich aristocrat went down in history not only of her homeland. Famed for her beauty, generosity and hospitality, Princess Zinaida Yusupova became a leading figure in pre-revolutionary Russian society. In 1882, she married Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston, who for some time served as Governor General of Moscow (1914-1915). Zinaida is known as the mother of Prince Felix Yusupov, the murderer of Rasputin. The biography of Princess Yusupova took a tragic turn after the revolution. She fled her native country and spent her remaining years living in exile.
Princess Yusupova died at the age of 83 in Paris. A year before her death, she expressed a desire to return to her homeland. But she couldn't do it.
Early life
The Princess was the only surviving child of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (October 12, 1827 - July 31, 1891), Marshal of the Imperial Court, andCountess Tatiana Alexandrovna de Ribopierre (June 29, 1828 - January 14, 1879). Prince Yusupov loved art, he served in the office of Tsar Nicholas I. The mother of Princess Yusupova is the maid of honor of the Empress, the daughter of Count Alexander de Ribopierre and his wife Ekaterina Mikhailovna Potemkina, the niece of Prince Potemkin.
Zinaida's only brother, Prince Boris Nikolaevich Yusupov, died in early childhood. She also had a younger sister, Tatyana Nikolaevna, who died in 1888. Zinaida, the only surviving child of an eminent, high-ranking and extremely we althy couple, enjoyed great favor at court.
Property
Princess Yusupova was the greatest Russian heiress, in fact the last of the Yusupov family. The Yusupovs came from the Crimean Tatars, they were very rich, they owned huge we alth. Their property included four palaces in St. Petersburg, three palaces in Moscow, 37 estates in various regions of Russia (Kursk, Voronezh and Poltava). They owned more than 100,000 acres (400 km 2) of land and industrial enterprises, including sawmills, textile and cardboard factories, iron ore mines, mills, distilleries and oil fields in the Caspian sea.
Princess Yusupova was known for being smart, hospitable, beautiful; qualities that fully manifested in her later life.
Marriage
The richest family of the Yusupovs at the very beginning of the 20th century included Felix, Nikolai, Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston and Zinaida. Prince Nikolai Borisovich YusupovI hoped that Zinaida would arrange for herself a wonderful marriage with the best party, but at a reception organized to introduce her to Prince Battenberg, Princess Yusupova fell in love with Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston. He was a lieutenant. On April 4, 1882, they got married in St. Petersburg.
Four sons were born in this marriage, only two of whom survived childhood: they were Nikolai and Felix. Their fate was also filled with rather tragic events that caused suffering to Princess Yusupova. After the death of his father, Nikolai, Felix received special permission from Emperor Alexander III, allowing him to bear the title of Prince Yusupov. Prince Felix was appointed adjutant to the representative of the Romanov House, Sergei Alexandrovich, in 1904 and commanded the cavalry of the Imperial Guard. In 1914 he was appointed governor-general of Moscow, a post he held for a short time. For just one year, he ruled the largest city in the country.
The couple had their own mansion. This is the House of Princess Yusupova on Liteiny Prospekt, where the Institute of Economic Relations, Economics and Law is currently located. She owned a palace at 86 Nevsky Prospekt. This is also the famous palace of Princess Yusupova.
Before the revolution
Zinaida, as a leading figure in pre-revolutionary Russian society, was famous for her beauty, elegance and generosity. In her memoirs, Dame Meriel Buchanan (1886-1959), the daughter of the British ambassador to the Russian court, composed a portrait of Princess Zinaida Yusupova as follows: “Tender in her he alth, slightly emaciated, in factwomanly, she was not one of those capable, competent women who could run large charitable organizations. She was always ready to give, freely and generously, to all who approached her, to do everything in her power to help those in distress, to lend her name, home, resources to any worthy cause.”
Princess Zinaida Yusupova served as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria Feodorovna, and later Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. She was a close friend of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. The eldest son of Zinaida Nikolay, at the age of 26, was killed in a duel in 1908. It was an event that cast a shadow over the rest of her life. In February 1914, the youngest son, Felix, married Princess Irina Alexandrovna, the only niece of Tsar Nicholas II. Felix fell out of favor for his part in the assassination of Grigory Rasputin.
After the revolution
After the revolution, the princess lost her enormous we alth. She and her husband moved to Rome, living in cramped conditions. After his death, she moved to Paris, where she died in 1939. In total, she managed to live abroad for 22 years.
Pearl of the collection
As a representative of one of the most important noble families in Russia, she also inherited a huge fortune. She possessed the largest collection of historical treasures in Russia, inferior only to the storerooms of the Russian imperial family. It is known that 21 diadems, 255 brooches, bracelets, 210 kg and hundreds of thousands ofunaccounted stones. Some of the famous stones are from the mid-16th century La Perle, the "North Star" (diamond 41.28 carats), the "Pearl" (the fifth largest pearl in the world) and many other treasures.
After her escape during the revolution, she was forced to leave all her financial assets in Russia. Her precious collection was hidden in a secret vault in the house of Princess Yusupova on Nevsky Prospekt in the hope that she would keep them and return to Russia one day, but they were all found and sold by the Bolsheviks in 1925. During her exile, she only took large jewels and those of historical significance with her and sold them to provide for her family.
From the memories of Felix
Princess Yusupova was a highly educated, very witty woman. She was distinguished by attentiveness, a craving for adventure was inherent in her from the very beginning. In any case, this is how the portrait of Princess Yusupova was preserved in the memory of Felix Yusupov.
Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova
There is evidence that Zinaida felt a fairly quick disappointment in marriage, this effect was smoothed out by the birth of her son Nikolai. The second child died shortly after birth. And soon a legend about the curse of this kind appeared at all: among the surviving children in this family, only one boy was supposed to remain, and the rest would die under the age of 26 years. Allegedly, the curse dates back to the time of Khan Nogai, who lived during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
Zinaida decided not to have more children and plunged intopublic life. There were legends about the number of suitors of the princess, but no one can find the facts and confirm them, she shrouded her life in a veil of secrecy. It is known, however, that her husband expressed dissatisfaction with the way of life of his wife. But he was powerless to change anything. In the end, he became interested in charity, and subsequently threw himself into it.
Portrait
The portrait of Princess Yusupova Serov of 1902 became famous. The aristocrat appears on it in an exquisite dress, sewn according to the latest fashion of the 20th century. The portrait of Princess Yusupova Serov became famous all over the world for a reason. The whole surrounding interior perfectly complements its spirit. Her appearance is noble and stately, the soft curves of the environment complement the feminine features of the princess. The dress is written wide. While the facial features are written subtly. Both in the photo of Princess Yusupova and in the portrait, her radiant eyes are striking. She seems to be understanding. This is what her contemporaries used to say about her. In her portrait, Princess Yusupova looks amiable, but her eyes are somewhat distracted. Her hands are amazingly thin, chiseled.
It was no coincidence that the artist placed a dog in his work - this is the most important element of portraits in the spirit of the Renaissance.
Myths
The Yusupov House, and the princess in particular, are shrouded in myths. So, there is another mysterious story associated with the house on Liteiny, no one can confirm whether this is true or not. However, this is described in the memoirs of Felix Yusupov. He wrote that, while in exile in Paris, he read in a newspaper that the Soviet authorities, having seized the palacePrincess Yusupova, found a secret room. This was in 1925. They opened it, found a terrifying find - a human skeleton.
The Yusupov Curse
Zinaida Nikolaevna herself did not perceive we alth, did not believe that it was connected with happiness. Meanwhile, there were rumors everywhere regarding her family that she was cursed. Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova managed to avoid numerous sufferings due to the early death of children, which representatives of her family constantly encountered. Boris was her husband. They got married when Princess Yusupova was still very young. She told her husband that she was not going to suffer. And so that he "belly yard girls." And so it continued until 1849, until the death of Boris. And Zinaida, not yet reaching the 40-year milestone, embarked on novels. After that, she closed herself in the palace on Liteiny. Soon she took the title of Countess de Chavot, linking her fate with a French aristocrat. Before the revolution, she was associated with the People's Will. Allegations have been preserved that when the Bolsheviks found the secret rooms of the Yusupov Palace, the skeleton of this Narodnaya Volya, with whom the princess was connected, was also discovered there. He was once sentenced to death.
In the photo, Princess Zinaida Yusupova looked happy. Subsequently, the Countess de Chavo, she loved to do a lot. Her daughter died immediately after birth, and the countess did not have time to get used to her properly. She died among people close to her.
Nikolai, her son, originally had three children. Everything was fine until the moment when in 1878 the daughter Zinaida did not get sick. It was the autumn period, familyintroduced children to relatives in Moscow. Zinaida Nikolaevna loved to ride and once injured her leg. The wound was small, but when the temperature rose, the doctor diagnosed her with blood poisoning. The family prepared for the tragedy. Later, Zinaida Nikolaevna reported that in her delirium she saw Father John of Kronstadt, this was her acquaintance. When she recovered, she asked to call him. And in the family legend, a legend has been preserved that because of the recovery of Zinaida, her younger sister died: Tatiana contracted typhus at the age of two and left this world.
Archives
Only a small part of the family's archives has survived to this day. Those who searched the palaces of Princess Yusupova took jewelry, but destroyed all paper documentation. So the most valuable library was lost, which could tell the world more about the princess. Some of the information about her has come down to our days from the memoirs of Felix Yusupov. At the same time, historians do not advise to fully trust his memoirs. It is known that he somewhat embellished his own role in the massacre of Rasputin. His view of what was happening is subjective.
It is known about Zinaida that her father was afraid not to babysit his grandchildren until his own death. The princess did not want to upset him, she agreed to look at those who offered her a hand and a heart. But the final choice of her life partner came as a surprise to the whole family. Nikolai Borisovich did not oppose her choice. A year later, the couple had a son, Nikolai, named after his grandfather, who managed to babysit his grandson.
It is known that the princess made efforts toto talk to his son. He was quite a reserved person. She described the horror she felt when the boy announced that as a Christmas present he wanted his mother not to have other children. Princess Yusupova described that she later learned that the boy had said so after hearing stories from a nanny hired for him. She informed the child about the ancient curse of an aristocratic family. The nanny was fired. But already Princess Yusupova was expecting her next child with a bad feeling. Soon Nicholas died. Then the husband of Zinaida received the title of Prince Yusupov. Someone claims that subsequently the curse of the family manifested itself almost two decades later.
Shock
Felix's memoir documents have preserved evidence that he was jealous. He was jealous of his own mother Zinaida for his older brother Nikolai. Their inner worlds were similar. Nikolai, and once L. N. Tolstoy noticed that the author was gifted. Nikolai was in love with Maria Heiden, at that time she was engaged to the count, and after that her wedding took place. When the newlyweds went to travel, Nikolai followed the couple. He went to duel. The husband of the beloved Nikolai Yusupov did not miss. Felix described the death of his older brother as painful. The prince was pale, and his mother almost lost her mind. She mistook Felix for her dying Nicholas. Zinaida recently celebrated her 50th birthday. She began to pin her hopes on Felix. And despite the fact that he inherited the appearance of Zinaida, those around him noted that a certain ominousness distinguished him from his mother. He did not understand art, service. He burned throughhis life, lived in entertainment. Princess Yusupova tried to reason with him, she urged him to work with his mind. But Felix only got married when she said she was ill and she didn't want to die without taking care of her grandchildren.
When Felix took part in the massacre of Rasputin, the empress insisted on execution for the perpetrators. But among them was Dmitry Romanov. Then the punishment was replaced by exile. Zinaida visited the Empress. Then she heard a call from Maria Feodorovna to gather her family and leave, as the Russian aristocracy had little time left.
Legacy: Palace
Yusupov Palace is a pearl of the world of architecture inherited from St. Petersburg from the oldest noble family. Zinaida Yusupova and her estate are shrouded in many legends. How many urban legends exist, which of them is true, is unknown.
The house was built for the princess to live in after the death of her husband. The palace of Zinaida Yusupova still excites the imagination. Outside, the castle is not devoid of eclecticism. The facade was completely made with lime, which was a rarity for St. Petersburg. The Yusupov Palace on Liteiny Prospekt is striking with unusually sized windows, sculptures, magnificent carvings and other decorations.
The palace attracts numerous tourists and residents of the city. Firstly, they are attracted by the luxury of architecture, interiors, and secondly, an inner sense of unity with history and cultural events. On the first floor there is a living room, and on the second floor there are waiting rooms. The interior decoration has been meticulously designed andcarefully, like the facade.
The furniture was made from precious woods, the wall elements were made from natural stone.
