Describing the history of our region (Rakityansky district 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” it is given short biography Yusupov family:
“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 Tatyana Fedorovna Korkodinova. The newly-minted Russian princes married representatives of the most noble families.
“...The son of Prince Dmitry Grigory Dmitrievich was one of the associates of Peter the Great. He participated in the creation of the fleet and took an active part in the battles, as well as in the government reforms of the great king. His intelligence and his character earned him the respect and friendship of the Emperor...”
Lieutenant General Prince Grigory Dmitrievich Yusupov /1676-1730/ was the hero of the Battle of Poltava.
Under Peter II (reigned from 1727 to 1730), large grants were made to the Yusupov princes in the Kursk province, including the Rakitnaya settlement; the same emperor grants Grigory Dmitrievich the current Yusupov Palace in Moscow.
“...Grigory Yusupov’s son Boris /1695-1759/ continued the work of his ancestors... During the reign of Empress Anna, Prince Boris Grigorievich received the rank of Governor General of Moscow, and under Empress Elizabeth he was director of the Gentry Cadet Corps. He was very popular among his students, and they saw him more as a friend than as a boss. He selected the most gifted of them to create an amateur troupe of actors. They performed classical plays, as well as works by their peers... Empress Elizabeth heard rumors about a troupe consisting exclusively of Russians, which was a novelty for that time. They were invited to give a performance at the Winter Palace. This made an impression on the empress, and subsequently she even found some charm in dressing the actors herself; she provided her best clothes and her jewelry to the young men who played female roles. This prompted Prince Boris to ensure that Empress Elizabeth signed an order in 1756 to create the first public theater in St. Petersburg. The prince's artistic activity did not distract him from government affairs...
Prince Boris had two sons and four daughters..."
His daughters married Izmailov, Protasov, Golitsyn, Duke of Courland. Of all the children of Boris Grigorievich Yusupov, the most significant person was his son Nikolai /1751-1831/.
Felix Feliksovich Yusupov writes about him 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, an erudite who knew five languages, was very famous person for its 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 Vasilievna Engelhardt /1767-1841/, five years earlier the former wife of Prince Potemkin / we're talking about 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 a son, Nikolai Borisovich Jr., was born.
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 heir to 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 charm. A very pleasant face with charming light gray eyes, which she either squinted or opened somehow, smiling at the same time with her charming small mouth. A slim body and her early gray 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 family tradition The Yusupovs' mother 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 barely 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 went to Persia, and Prince Felix Yusupov’s place of exile was assigned to an estate in the Kursk province – Rakitnoye.
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..."
Last years Yusupov's life was spent in Paris. At 60 years old, he looked dashing, dressed just as elegantly as in his youth (before and after marriage), lightly painted his lips and cheeks, loved to take relaxed poses, while a long-learned ambiguous smile reigned on his face. All the decades separating him from the night of December 18, 1916, when he committed his most significant act, Felix Yusupov lived as the murderer of Rasputin and no longer embarked on any political adventures. In Parisian, London, and New York drawing rooms they whispered at his appearance, looked at him with exciting curiosity, and he took such signs of attention for granted.
By killing Rasputin, Yusupov probably dreamed of becoming the idol of all of Russia.
During the first years of emigration, the Yusupovs did not live in poverty. Some part of their fortune ended up abroad. But the habit of luxury soon undermined this base.
In the Russian cemetery of Saint-Genevieve des Bois near Paris, under the Russian Orthodox cross, are buried: Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, her son Felix Feliksovich Yusupov and daughter-in-law Princess Irina Alexandrovna, nee Grand Duchess Romanova (Note from the site keeper: Irina Alexandrovna did not bear the title of Grand Duchess, but , being the great-granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I on her father’s side and the granddaughter of Emperor Alexander III on her mother’s side, held the title of Princess of the Imperial Blood), the daughter of Felix and Irina is Countess Irina Feliksovna Sheremetev and her husband Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev.
Count and Countess Sheremetev had a daughter, Ksenia, in 1942. In 1965, in Athens, she married the Greek Ilia Sfiri, and in 1968 they had a daughter, Tatyana, the great-granddaughter of Felix and Irina Yusupov.
After the revolution, Ksenia and her daughter Tatyana, the only ones from the Yusupov family, visited Russia, the homeland of their ancestors.
This is the history of the family of former owners and organizers of the Rakitan land.
The “golden boy” of the degenerating Russian aristocracy, he did a lot to become famous, but in history he remained the murderer of Grigory Rasputin.
Frivolous aristocrat
The blood of the nomadic ancestors who founded the Yusupov family, oddly enough, left a special imprint on the indirect heir of the dynasty. In all European salons they talked about Felix’s unbridled and frivolous disposition. Contemporaries retained memories of how, after failing exams in military school, without hesitation, he became friends with the gypsies, took part in the camp’s performances, singing the soprano part. After lengthy attempts to enter Oxford, having finally achieved his goal, he preferred the comfortable chairs of London theaters to the hard benches of university auditoriums.
The prestige of his own family did not seem to bother Felix at all. For some time he even performed in a cabaret - an unheard of baseness for an aristocrat. Moreover, he played a female role, instead of one of the “blue-eyed actresses” of the Aquarium Theater. The deception was discovered when one of the guests noticed the Yusupov family diamonds on the singer.
Zinaida Nikolaevna, Felix's mother, wanted a daughter. She even made a pink dress for the unborn child. The woman compensated for the disappointment of the birth of her son by raising Felix to be a future lady. Until the age of four, Felix wore a “girl’s” dress, loved to try on his mother’s jewelry and put on makeup. “Mother’s whim subsequently left its mark on my character,” Felix recalled in his memoirs. Felix Yusupov loved to dress up in women’s clothes even in adulthood. Despite his high origins, he remained one of the first “freaks” of his time: he loved to come to a restaurant wearing makeup, in a woman’s dress, and performed romances in this form. They couldn’t help but talk about this; they gossiped about the oddities of the “golden boy” on every corner. The marriage to Irina Romanova largely “whitened” Felix’s biography, although even after the wedding he did not abandon his old habits.
Rasputin's killer
Hundreds of books have been written and dozens of films have been made about this page in the life of Felix Yusupov. The official version is that the murder was committed in the interests of the monarchy. Rasputin was invited to Yusupov’s house, either under the pretext of curing Felix of homosexuality, or for the sake of Rasputin’s acquaintance with Irina (who was in Crimea at that time). One way or another, Felix Yusupov remained in history primarily as the murderer of Grigory Rasputin. A non-military man, a sophisticated esthete, he took part in a bloody affair, which largely determined his future life. Wherever Felix found himself after December 1916, he was first and foremost the “same” killer of Rasputin.
English spy
Felix Yusupov’s connections with British intelligence were unofficial. One of the participants in the murder of Rasputin, Oswald Reiner, a close friend of Yusupov since his Oxford days, was an agent of British intelligence. The death of the "old man" was beneficial to the British Empire. Rasputin advocated peace with Germany; Russia's exit from the war threatened Great Britain with defeat. Eliminating the influence of the “elder” on the royal family was therefore a priority task British intelligence. Reiner and Yusupov dealt with it. It is not surprising in this regard that Yusupov was released from exile by Kerensky, who was an open lobbyist for the interests of the British.
The IrFe fashion house, opened in exile by Felix and Irina, was a unique phenomenon of its kind. Countesses and princesses worked there as models and seamstresses. One of the models, for example, was Natalie Paley, daughter of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, a fatal beauty who later became the face of Vogue. The rise of IrFe was rapid, Felix and Irina focused on the “Russian style”, used silk painting, and produced several lines of clothing, including a “sports” style that was revolutionary for that time. However, as quickly as the spurugs took off, they went bankrupt just as quickly. The Great Depression, the Yusupov spouses’ habit of unjustified spending, and a change in society’s tastes towards simplification had an impact. In 1930, IrFe went bankrupt.
As they say, if you want to live, know how to spin. What did Felix Yusupov take with him abroad, except for a small part of the family jewelry? Felix took with him the glory of the murderer of Rasputin. He was not at all embarrassed by such fame. Even more: this fame allowed him to save money for subsistence. He gave reminiscences, gave interviews, and wrote an autobiography. All he had left of Russia was memory. It is not surprising that he was very unhappy when they tried to slander this memory. In 1932, the film “Rasputin and the Empress” was released. It proved that Irina Yusupova, Felix’s wife, was the “elder’s” mistress. No one believed in the success of Felix's venture, but he sued the MGM film studio and won the case, receiving $25,000 in compensation. It is significant that just after this incident, the credits of Hollywood films began to indicate that everything that happens on the screen is fiction, and any coincidences are unintentional.
Felix Yusupov. The prince everyone knows
He was born as a very weak child. During baptism, the priest almost drowned the boy in the font. The mother dreamed of a daughter, so she dressed her until she was five years old. youngest son in dresses. It happened that she looked out of the window, and Felix shouted to passers-by: “Look how beautiful I am.” Years later, this duality played a rather cruel joke on the prince.
IN youth Felix was characterized by great laziness and lack of any interest in military and civil service. Parents continually selected an option in life for their youngest offspring. Meanwhile, his interest in dressing up reawakened. Felix sat arm in arm with his older brother, portraying an elegant lady in public. Once, while at the Paris opera, the heir to the British throne gazed at a “young woman” of graceful beauty. Returning to Russia, Felix, who had excellent musical abilities and in a beautiful voice, decided to try his hand on stage as a performer of popular French songs. Nobody could recognize him. During this time, he managed to give six concerts in one fashionable and famous Moscow cabaret. After shouting “bravo” and “encore,” “singer Felix” preferred to have fun with the officers in restaurants, and once was practically exposed. In the end, his parents found out about Felix's adventures. His father, in a conversation, called him a scoundrel and a disgrace to the family, to whom no decent person would extend his hand. In parting, Felix Sr. slammed the office door with such force that a portrait fell from the wall of the adjacent room. Felix Jr. shed tears, cursing his duality and reproaching his brother for everything. As a result, the experiments with dressing up were over.
Felix Feliksovich Jr. at birth was awarded only the title of Count Sumarokov-Elston. After the tragic death of his elder brother Nikolai Feliksovich, he remained the only representative of the glorious Yusupov family and the heir to an enormous fortune. As an exception, Emperor Nicholas II allowed him to bear the surname and title of the Yusupov princes during his father’s lifetime, namely, immediately after his marriage to Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna. Under the name of Prince Yusupov, Felix Feliksovich Jr. was destined to go down in history.
Surprisingly, this very unique and talented man in his own way became known primarily as one of the participants in the murder of the “elder” Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novykh. According to the latest research, Felix Feliksovich Jr. still, according to traditions Soviet life the second half of the twentieth century, should be “rehabilitated” posthumously and removed from his reputation as a “murderer.” In fact, not him, but someone from English spies, who worked quite fruitfully in Russia, managed to organize and carry out, with the help of an English pistol, the murder of the “old man”, who allegedly advocated ending the war with Germany in order to prevent the coming revolution. Felix Feliksovich, as well as other participants in the “conspiracy,” served only as a legal cover, a screen, although they allegedly shot Rasputin three times with three pistols. Here is another version of the murder of Grigory Rasputin.
However, Felix Feliksovich Yusupov died peacefully in France, being a very old man. It is unlikely that he felt an urgent need for historical rehabilitation. Moreover, he himself had the opportunity to win more than one lawsuit in the West related to the “old man’s case”, receiving money for it, which in Russia the majority of those rehabilitated were never able to wait for.
The only daughter of Felix Feliksovich Jr. and Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, named after her mother, married Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev. This story happened already in emigration, where the Yusupovs left Crimea on April 13, 1919, quite on time.
When Nikolenka died in a duel, Zinaida Nikolaevna was nearly fifty. Now all her hopes were connected only with her youngest son.
Outwardly, he was unusually similar to his mother. He had regular facial features, large eyes, a thin nose, puffy lips, and an elegant figure. But, if contemporaries considered Zinaida Nikolaevna’s facial features to be angelic, then no one compared her youngest son to anything other than a fallen angel. There was a certain depravity in his whole cherubic appearance.
A bright event life path Felix Yusupov studied at Oxford in 1909-1910. Here he attended courses, studied and led a busy social life. In addition, he became friends with the Russian ballet that toured there, including ballerinas Karsavina, Pavlova and Diaghilev. Contemporaries especially remembered the costume ball of the aristocracy in London's Albert Hall, where Yusupov appeared before everyone in the clothes of a Moscow boyar made of red brocade, diamonds and sables. Photos of him in exotic attire were featured in all British newspapers.
Together with high society, Felix participated in all significant events, such as the centenary of the Battle of Borodino in 1912, and the tricentenary of the House of Romanov in 1913. It is impossible not to mention another feature of the prince - a penchant for mysticism. Sometimes Felix Yusupov had visions.
He did not have a predisposition, like his older brother or mother, for the arts. I never dreamed of devoting my life to the military or public service like his father or maternal relatives. He was, first of all, a playmaker, a golden boy, an eligible bachelor. But with marriage everything was not so simple.
Zinaida Nikolaevna tried in every possible way to influence her son. She wrote to him: “Don’t play cards, limit your fun time, use your brain!” But Felix Yusupov, although he idolized his mother, was unable to fight his vices. Only Zinaida Nikolaevna’s fictitious statement that she was very sick, but did not want to die without seeing her grandchildren, made him think about marriage and promise to take the right path.
In 1913, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich came to Arkhangelskoye for December evenings. He himself started talking about the marriage of his daughter Irina and Felix, and the Yusupovs responded with joy. Irina Alexandrovna was not only one of the most enviable brides in the country, but also amazingly beautiful girl. By the way, at the beginning of the twentieth century in Russia there were three recognized beauties: Empress Maria Feodorovna, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Irina Alexandrovna Romanova.
The wedding of the newlyweds took place in February 1914 in the church of the Anichkov Palace. Since from that moment the Yusupovs were related to the reigning dynasty, the entire imperial family came to congratulate the newlyweds. A year later their daughter Irina was born.
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From the book The Plantagenet Dynasty. Henry II. The greatest monarch of the Crusades era author Appleby John TateChapter 12 “The English do not know how to fight,” 1173 King Henry II and Queen Eleanor held their Christmas Curia of 1172 in Chinon, Anjou. One hopes that his wife enjoyed the celebration and luxury, for this is the last time she sat next to him like a queen.
One of the most brilliant Russian aristocrats of the early twentieth century, Felix Yusupov was distinguished by his wealth, a variety of talents, an extremely unique character and striking beauty. The youngest brother in the family, he was very attractive from childhood and his mother, Princess Zinaida Yusupova, dressed him in dresses for girls, teaching him to use cosmetics and women's accessories. This game later had rather unpleasant consequences: as an adult, Felix often dressed up as women's clothing and in this form shocked the high society audience of St. Petersburg. He sang superbly, was an excellent actor and often played female roles on stage. There were all sorts of rumors about his adventures, including suspicions of homosexuality. What was surprising was that with such a reputation, a girl from a crowned family became Felix Yusupov’s wife.
Why the young beauty, niece of Emperor Nicholas II, Irina Aleksandrovna Romanova, agreed to marry a notorious reveler leading a not entirely normal lifestyle, and even with the blessing of her uncle the Tsar, remained a mystery. Felix in his diaries recalls this matchmaking in emotionally sublime delight: he fell in love with the dazzling princess and decided that fate was giving him a chance to cleanse himself of all his past sins. Perhaps he managed to charm Irina and convince her that she was his only salvation. To a romantically minded young lady, the idea of saving a repentant sinner of such beauty must have seemed like a good deed. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Yusupov was unusually good. Singer Alexander Vertinsky found his appearance stunning: “Tall, thin, slender, with an iconographic face of Byzantine writing.”
Probably, economic considerations also had weight in concluding this marriage: Felix remained, after the death of his older brother in a duel, the heir to one of the wealthiest families in Russia. His pedigree also fit well within the framework of such a mutually beneficial alliance, despite rumors about Yusupov’s intimate relationship with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, the emperor’s cousin. The wedding took place in February 1914 and the newlyweds went on a honeymoon abroad. The outbreak of World War II found them in Germany, where everything Russian citizens were detained as prisoners of war. After long negotiations and agreements, Felix and Irina, along with other subjects, were released to their homeland.
It should be noted that after getting married, Felix began to behave more restrained and gave up shocking antics in public, becoming interested in charity work. For all his antics, he was a deeply religious and well-behaved person who knew how to do good deeds. In connection with the hostilities, Yusupov began setting up hospitals for the wounded, entered officer courses in the Corps of Pages, and showed concern and concern for the fate of the country. In March 1915, their daughter Irina was born into their family. Felix's thoughts on the atmosphere in royal family and echelons of power led him, along with Prince Dmitry Romanov, to plot to assassinate Grigory Rasputin in December 2016. The “Holy Elder” arrived at the Yusupovs’ house on the Moika, where he received the first shot in the chest and was later drowned in the river.
After the revolution, the Yusupovs left for Crimea and from there - abroad. After several years of wandering, they settled in Paris. The few jewels and paintings taken from Russia allowed them to buy a house in the Bois de Boulogne. Later, Irina Alexandrovna took up the affairs of the Irfé fashion house they opened, but it gradually fell into disrepair due to Felix’s inability to live modestly and within his means. In 1932, the family was lucky to win a claim of 25 thousand pounds from the Hollywood studio MGM, which made a film in which it was said that Princess Yusupova was Rasputin's mistress. The Yusupovs spent the rest of their lives in France and were buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery. The last Prince Yusupov died in 1967 at the age of 80. Felix Yusupov's wife survived her husband by 3 years. In 1980, she was buried next to him, she was 74 years old at the time of her death. Irina Feliksovna Yusupova - Countess Sheremetyev by her husband, died in 1983 and rests next to her parents.
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 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 come to 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 Yusupov 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 not without 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 relayed 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 consent. 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 imperial family Accept, 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.”
