Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky"

But first, let's deal with the very concept of "nobility". "What is nobility? - wrote A.S. Pushkin. “The hereditary estate of the people is higher, that is, awarded with great advantages regarding property and private freedom.”

The emergence of the nobility in Russia

The word "noble" literally means "a man from the prince's court", or "court".

In Russia, the nobility arose in the 12th century. as the lowest part of the military service class, which constituted the court of a prince or a major boyar.

The "Code of Laws of the Russian Empire" says that belonging to the nobility " there is a consequence that flows from the quality and virtue of the men who ruled in antiquity, who distinguished themselves by merit, by which, turning the very service into merit, they acquired a noble name for their offspring. Noble means all those who are born from noble ancestors, or who are granted this dignity by monarchs.

Rise of the nobility

From the 14th century nobles began to receive land for diligent service. So there was a class of landowners - landowners. Later they were allowed to buy land.

The Sudebnik of 1497 limited the right of peasants to move and thereby strengthened the position of the nobles.

In February 1549, the first Zemsky Sobor took place in the Kremlin Palace. Ivan IV (the Terrible) delivered a speech there. The tsar took a course towards building a centralized monarchy (autocracy) based on the nobility, which meant fighting the old (boyar) aristocracy. He accused the boyars of abuse of power and called on everyone to work together to strengthen the unity of the Russian state.

G. Sedov "Ivan the Terrible and Malyuta Skuratov"

In 1550 chosen thousand Moscow nobles (1071 people) was placed within 60-70 km around Moscow.

In the middle of the XVI century. the Kazan Khanate was annexed, and the estates were evicted from the oprichnina region, which was declared the property of the tsar. The vacated lands were distributed to the nobles under the condition of service.

In the 80s of the XVI century. introduced reserved summers(the period during which in some regions of the Russian state a peasant exit was prohibited on the autumn St. George's Day, provided for in the Sudebnik of 1497. Protected years began to be introduced by the government of Ivan IV (the Terrible) from 1581.

The "Cathedral Code" of 1649 secured the right of the nobles to eternal possession and the indefinite search for fugitive peasants.

But Peter I began a decisive struggle with the old boyar aristocracy, making the nobles his support. In 1722 he introduced Table of ranks.

Monument to Peter I in Voronezh

The table of ranks replaced the principle of generosity with the principle of personal service. The table of ranks influenced the official routine and the historical fate of the nobility.

The only regulator of service was personal length of service; "Paternal honor", the breed has lost all meaning in this respect. Under Peter I, the rank of the lower XIV class in military service gave the right to hereditary nobility. Civil service in the rank up to VIII class gave only personal nobility, and the right to hereditary nobility began with the rank of VIII class. “For this reason, we do not allow anyone any rank,” wrote Peter, “until they show us and the fatherland no services.”

The table of ranks was subjected to numerous changes, but in general it existed until 1917.

After Peter I, the nobles receive one privilege after another. Catherine II actually freed the nobles from compulsory service while maintaining serfdom for the peasants, which created a real gulf between the nobles and the people. The pressure of the nobles on the peasantry and their anger became one of the reasons for the Pugachev uprising.

The apogee of the power of the Russian nobility was the receipt of "noble liberty" - a letter of Catherine II, which freed the nobles from compulsory service. But with this began the decline of the nobility, which gradually turned into an "idle class", and the slow ruin of the lower nobility. And after the peasant reform of 1861, the economic position of the nobility weakened even more.

By the beginning of the XX century. the hereditary nobility, "the first pillar of the throne" and "one of the most reliable instruments of the government", is gradually losing its economic and administrative dominance.

titles of nobility

In Muscovite Russia there was only one aristocratic title - "prince". He came from the word "prince" and meant that his ancestors once ruled any part of Russia. Not only Russians possessed this title - grants to princes and foreigners who converted to Orthodoxy were allowed.

Foreign titles in Russia appeared under Peter I: "baron" and "count". There is the following explanation for this: in the territories annexed by Peter there were already people with such titles, and these titles were also worn by foreigners whom Peter attracted to Russia. But the title "count" was first burdened with the words "Holy Roman Empire", i.e. this title was assigned at the request of the Russian monarch by the German emperor. In January 1776, Catherine II intercedes with the "Roman Emperor" Grigory Orlov " give the Roman Empire princely dignity, for which the post».

Golovin (1701) and Menshikov (1702) become the first counts of the Holy Roman Empire in Russia, and under Catherine II, four of her favorites receive the titles of princes of the Holy Roman Empire: Orlov, Potemkin, Bezborodko and Zubov. But the assignment of such titles ceases in 1796.

Title "Count"

Count's heraldic crown

Graph(German graph) - a royal official in the Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The title originated in the 4th century. in the Roman Empire and was originally assigned to the highest dignitaries.

During the period of feudal fragmentation graph- feudal lord of the county, then becomes the title of the highest nobility. Woman - countess. As a title, it still formally continues to be preserved in most European countries with a monarchical form of government.

Sheremetiev became the first Russian count in 1706.

Boris Petrovich Sheremetiev (1652-1719)

Russian commander during the Northern War, diplomat, one of the first Russian field marshals.

Born in an old boyar family Sheremetevs.

In 1681 he commanded troops against the Tatars. He proved himself in the military and diplomatic fields. In 1686, he participated in the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" with the Commonwealth, and then was sent to Warsaw to ratify the concluded peace.

Protected Russia from the Crimean raids. In 1695, he participated in the first Azov campaign of Peter I.

In 1697-1699. visited Poland, Austria, Italy, the island of Malta, carrying out diplomatic missions of Peter I. During the Northern War of 1700-1721. proved to be a cautious and talented commander who earned the trust of Peter I. In 1701, he inflicted a defeat on the Swedes, from which they were “for a long time unreasonable and not corrected”, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and granted the rank of Field Marshal. Subsequently, he won several victories over the Swedes.

In 1705-1706. Sheremetyev suppressed the rebellion of the archers in Astrakhan, for which he was the first in Russia to be awarded the title of count.

In recent years, he expressed a desire to be tonsured as a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but the tsar did not allow this, just as he did not allow the execution of Sheremetyev’s will to bury him in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra: Peter I ordered Sheremetev to be buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, forcing even the dead to serve the state associate.

At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were over 300 count families. The title of count in Soviet Russia was abolished by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.

Title "Baron"

English baronial crown

Baron(from late lat. baro with the original meaning "man, man"). In medieval feudal Western Europe, a large sovereign nobleman and feudal lord, later just an honorary title of nobility. Woman - baroness. The title of baron in England is preserved to this day and is located in the hierarchical system below the title of viscount. In Germany, this title was below the count.

In the Russian Empire, the title of baron was introduced by Peter I, the first to receive it in 1710 was P.P. Shafirov. Then A. I. Osterman (1721), A. G., N. G. and S. G. Stroganovs (1722), A.-E. Stambken (1726). The families of the barons were divided into Russian, Baltic and foreign.

Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov (1669-1739)

Diplomat of the time of Peter the Great, Vice-Chancellor. Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1719). In 1701-1722. actually supervised the Russian post. In 1723 he was sentenced to death on charges of abuse, but after Peter's death he was able to return to diplomatic activity.

He came from a family of Polish Jews who settled in Smolensk and converted to Orthodoxy. He began his service as an interpreter in 1691 in the same embassy office where his father also served. Accompanying Peter the Great during his travels and campaigns, he took part in the conclusion of an agreement with the Polish king August II (1701) and with the ambassadors of the seven-grad prince Rakoczi. In 1709 he became a Privy Councilor and was promoted to Vice-Chancellor. In 1711, he concluded the Prut peace treaty with the Turks and himself, together with Count M. B. Sheremetev, remained a hostage to them. He concluded agreements with Denmark, Prussia, France on the preservation of peace in Europe.

In 1723, Shafirov quarreled with the powerful prince A. D. Menshikov and the chief prosecutor Skornyakov-Pisarev, convicting them of embezzlement. In response, he himself was accused of embezzlement and sentenced to death, which Peter I replaced with exile to Siberia, but on the way there he allowed him to stop "for residence" in Nizhny Novgorod "under a strong guard."

Empress Catherine I, upon accession to the throne, returned Shafirov from exile, restored him to the baronial title, conferred the rank of real state councilor, made him president of the College of Commerce and entrusted the compilation of the history of Peter the Great.

The barons enjoyed the right to appeal "your honor"(like untitled nobles) or "Mr. Baron".

At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were about 240 baronial families (including extinct ones), mainly representatives of the Baltic (Baltic) nobility. The title was abolished by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.

Baron P.N. Wrangel

Title "prince"

Prince- the head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political entity (specific prince) in the 9th-16th centuries. among the Slavs and some other peoples; representative of the feudal aristocracy. Later it became the highest title of nobility, equivalent to a prince or a duke in Western and Southern Europe, in Central Europe (the former Holy Roman Empire), this title is called Fürst, and in Northern Europe - king.

In Russia Grand Duke(or princess) - a noble title of members of the royal family. Princess also called the prince's wife, knyazhych(among the Slavs) - the son of a prince, princess- The daughter of a prince.

Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky" ("For the Russian Land!")

Princely power, at first most often elective, gradually becomes hereditary (Rurikovich in Russia, Gediminoviches and Jagiellons in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Piasts in Poland, etc.). With the formation of a centralized state, the appanage princes gradually became part of the grand ducal (since 1547 - royal) court in the Moscow principality. in Russia until the 18th century. the title of prince was only generic. From the beginning of the XVIII century. the title of prince also began to be complained by the tsar to the highest dignitaries for special merits (the first prince granted was A. D. Menshikov).

Russian princes

Before Peter I, there were 47 princely families in Russia, some of which originated from Rurik. Princely titles were divided into "His Excellency" and "his lordship" which was considered higher.

Until 1797, new princely families did not appear, with the exception of Menshikov, granted in 1707 the title of Prince of Izhora.

Under Paul I, this title began to be awarded, and the annexation of Georgia literally “blew up” the Russian nobility - 86 clans recognized the princely title.

By the end of the XIX century. in the Russian Empire there were 250 princely families, 40 of which were descended from Rurik or Gediminas. 56% of the princely families in the empire were Georgian.

In addition, there were about 30 Tatar, Kalmyk and Mordovian princes; the status of these princes was considered below the baronial.

Did you know?

Portrait of A.V. Suvorov. Unknown artist of the 19th century.

Did you know that Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, the national hero of Russia, the great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career (more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art, had several titles at the same time: prince Italian (1799), graph Rymniksky (1789), graph of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and sea forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Kingdom of Sardinia and prince of royal blood (with the title "cousin of the king"), holder of all Russian orders of his time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.

Of course, just like any family in general, individual noble families and representatives of the nobility all differed from each other - in their origin, in their antiquity, in their wealth (lands, buildings, family relics and jewelry, etc., and until 1861 and serfs), by their proximity to the court, by their imprint in the history of Russia. But on this page we will consider, first of all, the status differences between them (purely honorable, because legally all nobles were equal in their personal rights, with the only exception of participation in elections to the noble provincial assemblies, to which only hereditary nobles had the right) .

There were such differences (at the time of the end of the tsarist regime) four, see below. Historically, especially before the reign of Peter I, there were other differences associated with the ancient, different from Tables of ranks, hierarchy and the presence of a number of court (often purely honorary, fictitious) functions, which all disappeared with the reorganization of the nobility in the Petrine period. In particular, before Peter there was only one title of nobility: princely (and absolutely all Russian princes proper were “natural”, Rurikovich and Gediminovichi).

What little-informed people sometimes consider a title (boyar, devious, duma nobleman ...) was a non-hereditary function in the state, i.e. official rank, and at the same time gave the right to participate in the Boyar Duma. Other ranks (stolniks, rynds, solicitors, bed and sleeping bags, hunters, etc.) were much lower in rank and were not included in the Duma. The system was not something monolithic and was constantly changing, sometimes there were significant changes in the status of certain positions: for example, if at first the equerry was really in charge of the royal stable, then in the 16th century the status of the position increased sharply and it was occupied by the first of the boyars, in fact the equerry was ... almost the prime minister (for example, Boris Godunov was the groom before his accession). As indicated above, these ranks were not hereditary, however, many high-ranking noble families almost always had representatives in the Duma, and very often the children of the boyars (not to be confused with the "children of the boyars", a separate class in the XV-XVI centuries!) became the boyars themselves. In the 17th century, i.e. in fact, during the last century of the existence of the boyars, people from about 30 families became outright devious (prince Baryatinsky, Buturlin, prince Volkonsky, prince Lvov, prince Miloslavsky, Pushkin, Streshnev ...), or even boyars (prince Vorotynskys, Princes Golitsyns, Morozovs, Princes Odoevskys, Saltykovs, Princes Trubetskoys, Princes Khovanskys, Sheremetevs...), jumping in one fell swoop over all the steps of the court and state hierarchy.

But after Peter I (who introduced Table of Ranks, 1722, and also built a new system of titles) and Catherine II (who in 1785 streamlined the rights and organization of the nobility in her Complaint to the nobility), the situation has become much simpler and clearer. Here are the above four divisions and differences:

1) hereditary and personal nobles,

2) rank in Tables of ranks(for military and civil officials, as well as for courtiers),

3) titled and non-titled nobles,

4) part of the noble family tree of the book in which they were inscribed.

Consider now all these four differences.

1) hereditary and personal nobles

If before Peter I, the nobles were all hereditary, then after the Peter's reforms, personal nobles appeared, and at the end of the 19th century there were almost as many of them as hereditary nobles. Personal nobles differed in that they did not pass on their belonging to the nobility by inheritance to children. Most often, personal nobility was obtained by achieving a certain rank by Tables of ranks(whether in military or civil service), but could also be awarded as a separate award as a reward for any merit. Until 1900, personal nobles could apply for hereditary nobility, provided that their fathers and grandfathers had served impeccably in the ranks of chief officers for 20 years. Unlike hereditary nobles, personal nobles could not participate in noble self-government. But in other rights and privileges, there were absolutely no differences between personal and hereditary nobles. In addition, since personal nobles did not create a clan, they were not included in the genealogical books of the nobility (see below).

Peter, creating the possibility of obtaining personal nobility, wanted to weaken the hereditary nobility (which, before the appearance Tables of ranks considered itself relatively independent of the state, and after it became forced to serve the country, and under Peter - for life), to increase the prestige of military service in comparison with civil service, and also to create incentives for representatives of the lower class, which, by simply reaching the lower military ranks, reached a tempting noble status.

However, the strong growth in the number of personal nobles in the 19th century led to a series of conservative reforms aimed at limiting their number and their opportunities for further social growth. If before 1845, personal nobility gave any rank Tables of ranks, then after the corresponding reform, only the military enjoyed this privilege, while for civil officials of the Xth / XIVth classes, the nobility remained a dream.

The hereditary nobility, in addition to the descendants of the nobles of the pre-Petrine era (which is why it was called the “column nobility” - from the boyar lists-columns), consisted of the descendants of those persons who, after 1722, were awarded the hereditary nobility, primarily the military. But if, as a result of Peter's reforms, all military ranks (already from the last, XIVth) gave hereditary nobility, and civilians provided it from the VIIIth class, then in order to limit access to the upper class, a number of reforms (as well as for personal nobility, see above), made it difficult to obtain hereditary nobility. Since 1845, under Nicholas I, the military began to receive hereditary nobility only from the VIII class (the rank of major), and since 1856, under Alexander II, even the VI class (the rank of colonel) became necessary for this. For civil officials, things were even worse: after 1845, the VIII class was not enough, and only the V class (State Councilor) gave hereditary nobility. After the reform of 1856, this was no longer enough, and the fourth class was required (actual state councilor). But the hereditary nobility also gave the assignment of certain orders of various degrees (for example, the Order of St. Vladimir of all degrees until 1900, and after that year only the first three degrees).

Despite the gradual complication of obtaining hereditary nobility, Peter's reforms nevertheless led to a strong decrease in the weight of the ancient noble families (pillar nobility) even among the hereditary nobility (not to mention the nobility in general). According to B.I. Solovyov, “by the beginning of the 20th century, hereditary nobles, inscribed in genealogical books, able to prove their belonging to the service class since pre-Petrine times, there were only a quarter of the total number of nobles.” This author also believes that only about 10% of noble families belong to the ancient nobility (before 1685), and 90% arose precisely as a result of public service (for this reason, ours currently includes only titled and columned nobility: all over the world, it is the ancient nobility that is considered the most prestigious, in addition, it is much more difficult to find information on these clans than on the clans that arose in the 18th-19th centuries).

2) rank in Tables of ranks

Petrovskaya Table of ranks(1722) included 14 classes, separately for military, civil and court officials. Achieving one or another class gave access to personal or even hereditary nobility. As mentioned above, the minimum class for such social growth was gradually increased in order to limit the overgrowth of the nobility and the access to the upper class of people from the lower classes.

The passage of ranks was easier and faster for the nobles than for other employees. If Peter's first impulse was a completely democratic desire to facilitate social mobility, limit the power of the old aristocracy and establish a real meritocracy regardless of family origin, then the gradual reforms of his successors led to the aggravation of social inequality. For example, after 1834, in order to be transferred to the VIII class (and receive the so-called hereditary nobility), a non-nobleman had to serve 12 years, while those who already had the nobility needed only 3 years of service, etc. Therefore, the higher ranks, with a few exceptions, were all concerned with people who already belonged to the nobility by birth.

Table of ranks repeatedly modified, new ranks were added, old ones were abolished (for example, the rank of major disappeared, and the XIth and XIIIth ranks ceased to be used in the civil hierarchy), but in general terms it remained the basis of the organization of the public service of the Russian Empire until 1917 .

The nobles differed, respectively, among themselves according to the rank they achieved, and in the pedigrees their last rank is very often (most often assigned upon retirement from military or civil service), and certain individuals are often identified as "the son of a second major" , "general's wife", etc. Other things being equal, the rank of a nobleman, unlike all other characteristics, depended only on himself, on the quality of his service, on his diligence and valor. Accordingly, this is the only meritocratic feature in the Russian nobility - after all, all the rest were hereditary. In the state hierarchy, even a native of a little-known and untitled family, who reached the III or IV class with his personal qualities, always stood higher than a descendant of an ancient and princely family, who remained in the VIII or IX.

3) titled and non-titled nobles

Since the ancient Russian nobility primarily comes from persons who held various positions in the public service (service people), for the most part it was not titled (unlike the Western European nobility, where, on the contrary, it is almost always a matter of origin from some land that had a status - a barony, a county, a principality - hence the corresponding title). Titles (more precisely, the title) were worn only by the heirs of the previously ruling princely families, this is the so-called. "natural princes", descendants of the rulers of various specific principalities of Kievan Rus.

As mentioned above, before Peter I, the only title was the title prince, and all the princes were either Rurikovich and Gediminovich (i.e., natural princes), or descendants of Tatars or other foreigners who moved to Russia, who in some cases (and subject to the adoption of Orthodoxy) were recognized in the status of a prince (which led to a rather sharp lowering the prestige of the princely title). Peter I began to assign titles counts and barons, borrowed from Western Europe (and at first he did this not by direct appropriation, but by requesting letters from the Holy Roman Empire: for example, if Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin became the first count in Russia, who received this title from the Holy Roman Empire at the request of Peter in 1702 ., then Boris Petrovich Sheremetev became the first proper Russian count in 1706).

Thus, the three proper Russian titles of nobility are: princes, earls, barons(and in that order). As already mentioned, due to the existence of many princely families of Muslim origin, as well as the decline of many Rurik families (some of which even ceased to use the princely title for a number of reasons), the prestige of the princely title fell sharply by the reign of Peter. Even the assignment by Peter I and subsequent monarchs of the princely title to various statesmen (Menshikov, Bezborodko, Lopukhin, etc.) did not fundamentally change this situation. In addition, the inclusion of the Caucasus in the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century led to a sharp increase in the number of princely families (significantly more than half of them by 1917 were of Georgian origin!). As a result of all this, some began to mistakenly consider the title of earl to be more prestigious (which, however, is not correct, see p.).

One of the ways to increase the prestige of the princely title was the creation of a special category - most serene princes(the title of "lordship"). So, Menshikov, Bezborodko, Suvorov, Potemkin, Golenishchev-Kutuzov and some others were awarded the title of "lordship". This privilege was quite rare (less than 20 assignments in two centuries).

In addition to these three proper Russian titles, in very rare cases there were others. Firstly, for quite a long time there were persons with the title of king or princes and in addition to the ruling dynasty. This happened as a result of the gradual annexation of Muslim and other territories to the Russian Empire (Astrakhan, Georgia, Imeretia, Kazan, Crimea, Siberia ...). For example, the children of the last Georgian kings had the title of princes under the Russian Empire, but their grandchildren were already only the most serene princes. Secondly, foreign princes and dukes (royal relatives, or simply high-ranking foreigners in the Russian service) were in a number of cases recognized as Russian princes or dukes (for example, the dukes of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the princes of Persia, the princes of Biron-Courland, etc. .). You can also give a unique case awards ducal Russian title: Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was made the Most Serene Duke of Izhora in 1707 (his children did not inherit this title). Thirdly, and finally, a number of Russian subjects became dukes, princes or marquises of other states, but with the recognition of these titles in Russia. There are also two unique examples of recognition of the Western European titles of baronet and viscount.

4) partnoblegenealogy book in which they were inscribed

After the publication in 1785 by Catherine II Complaint to the nobility, in each province they began to maintain a single noble genealogy book, which included all the noble families of this province (accordingly, personal nobles were not included there). This was entrusted to the Nobility Assembly, which appointed the appropriate commission. This commission considered separately each clan of the province and the evidence presented, and made a decision to include it in one or another part of the genealogical book of the province, or even refused it due to the lack of weighty evidence. Many of the pedigrees are known today so arr. it was thanks to these cases of the nobility, especially since in many of them there was an extensive correspondence with numerous copies of documents in various institutions, up to the Senate in some controversial cases. Such repeated duplication facilitates genealogical searches today, given that some archives were destroyed or lost during the Soviet era.

The genealogy book was divided into 6 parts:

I) nobility paid or actual(that is, nobles granted to hereditary noble dignity by the emperor),

II) military nobility(nobles who received hereditary nobility upon reaching the corresponding military rank, the XIVth class initially, and then only from the VIIIth and even the VIth class, since the conditions were consistently tightened in the 19th century, see above),

III) nobility by ranks and orders(kinds of the so-called "eight-class nobility", that is, those who received hereditary nobility upon reaching the first eight classes of civil service under Peter I, and later only upon reaching the V and even IV classes, as well as persons who received that or another degree of any order that gave the right to hereditary nobility),

IV) foreign births(foreign nobles who came to serve in Russia were recorded here),

V) distinguished families with titles(those. titled nobility),

VI) ancient noble noble families(those. pillar nobility: “The ancient nobles are not other than those families whose evidence of noble dignity goes back a hundred years and above; their noble beginning is covered with obscurity, ”thus, the sixth part included the genera that arose before 1685 G.).

Despite the practical absence of a difference in rights between people from one or another part of the noble genealogy book (except, however, for the admission of children to some elite educational institutions, such as the Corps of Pages and the Alexander Lyceum), the most prestigious were still V-th and VI-th part, thanks to either titles or antiquity of the family. Therefore, ours includes only the clans of the hereditary nobility of these two parts (which in fact covers only about 15% of the noble families, but for the rest, information is much more accessible, because the families that arose in the 18th and 19th centuries are recent, the fact of their entry to the hereditary nobility is always well documented and all of their 2-7 generations are easily traced according to the noble genealogical books of the respective provinces).

Where did the nobility in Russia come from?

The word "noble" literally means "a person from the prince's court" or "court". The nobles were taken into the service of the prince to carry out various administrative, judicial and other assignments. In the system of European ideas, the top of the Russian nobility of that time is a kind of analogue of the viscountcy.
[edit] History
In the XIII century, the nobles constituted the lowest stratum of the nobility.
The nobility in Russia arose in the 12th century as the lowest part of the military service class, which constituted the court of a prince or a major boyar.

The Code of Laws of the Russian Empire defined the nobility as an estate, belonging to which “is a consequence of the quality and virtue of the men who ruled in antiquity, who distinguished themselves by merit, by which, turning the very service into merit, they acquired a noble denunciation for their offspring. Noble means all those who are born from noble ancestors, or who are granted this dignity by monarchs.

From the XIV century, the nobles began to receive land for their service: a class (landlords) appeared. They were later allowed to purchase land.

Rise of the nobility
The rise of the nobility is associated with the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Inspired by the ideas of the nobleman Peresvetov, the tsar set out to build a centralized monarchy (autocracy) based on the nobility, which meant fighting the old (boyar) aristocracy.

In February 1549, the first Zemsky Sobor took place in the Kremlin Palace. Ivan IV delivered a speech there. He publicly accused the boyars of abuse of power and called on everyone to work together to strengthen the unity of the Russian state.
In 1649, the nobles received the right to perpetual possession and an indefinite search for fugitive peasants.
In 1722, Emperor Peter the Great introduced the Table of Ranks - a law on the order of public service, based on Western European models.
According to the Table, the award of old (boyar) aristocratic titles was terminated, although they were not formally canceled. This was the end of the boyars. The word "boyar" remained only in folk speech as a designation of an aristocrat in general and degenerated to "master".
The nobility as such was not the basis for occupying the rank: the latter was determined only by personal length of service. “For this reason, we do not allow anyone any rank,” Peter wrote, “until they show us and the fatherland no services.”
This aroused the indignation of both the remnants of the boyars and the new nobility. This, in particular, is devoted to the Second satire of Cantemir "On the envy and pride of the malevolent nobles."
The privileges of the nobility are enshrined and legally codified by the "Charter to the nobility of 1785". Main privilege: the nobility is exempt from compulsory public service (in fact, from any obligations to the state and the monarch).

Russian nobilityGetting "freedom of the nobility" was the apogee of the power of the Russian nobility. Then the "golden autumn" began: the transformation of the upper nobility into an "idle class" (at the cost of a gradual removal from political life) and the slow ruin of the lower nobility. Strictly speaking, the "lower" nobility did not particularly go bankrupt simply because there was often nothing to "ruin" - most of the service nobles were powerless.

Sunset of the nobility
At the beginning of the 19th century (especially after the Patriotic War), part of the nobility was imbued with constitutionalist and even republican sentiments. Many nobles joined Masonic lodges or secret anti-government organizations. The Decembrist movement had the features of a noble opposition.
After the peasant reform of 1861, the economic position of the nobility weakened. As capitalism developed in Russia, the nobility lost its position in society.
After the October Revolution of 1917, all estates in the RSFSR were legally liquidated.

Classification
During its heyday, the nobility was divided into:

The ancient nobility are the descendants of the ancient princely and boyar families.
Titled nobility - princes, counts, barons.
Hereditary nobility - nobility passed on to legitimate us

The origins of the formation of the Russian nobility are laid in ancient times. The Eastern Slavs in the era of military democracy formed groups of people close to tribal tribal elders, later princes and military leaders. Basically, it is customary to refer to this category of people as combatants, older and younger, the most brave, executive, who later became rich due to military booty and princely awards.

The senior squad consisted of princely husbands, or boyars, the younger - from children, or youths.

The oldest collective name for the junior squad is Grid or Gridba (Scandinavian grid - yard servant) was later replaced by the word yard or servants. According to V.O. Klyuchevsky, this squad, together with its prince, came out of the environment of the armed merchants of large cities. In the 11th century, it still did not differ from this merchants in sharp features, either political or economic. The squad of the principality was, in fact, a military class. On the other hand, the retinue served the prince as an instrument of government: the members of the senior retinue, the boyars, constituted the duma of the prince, his state council. It also included the "old men of the city", that is, the elected military authorities of the city of Kyiv and other cities. So, the question of the adoption of Christianity was decided by the prince on the advice of the boyars and the "old men of the city."

In addition to the warriors, their own landowning nobility stood out in the localities. Kievan Rus already knows the great princes, simply princes who did not sit in Kyiv, but in less significant centers: then the princely and zemstvo boyars (from about the 12th century they merge into a single estate), “greater” and “lesser”, with relations of vassalage and subvassalage. They make up the service elite of the feudal lords who gave birth, the descendants of the tribal nobility.

With the increase in princely families, the service class of combatants increased numerically. Therefore, the older and rich younger princes had quite numerous courts. Each prince had his own squad, and according to V.O. Klyuchevsky, in the second half of the 12th century, there were several dozen, if not a whole hundred, of such princes. The squad still had a mixed tribal composition. In the X-XI century it was still dominated by the Vikings. In the XII century, it also includes other third-party elements (eastern and western). The unity of the princely family allowed the combatant to move from prince to prince, and the unity of the land - from region to region. In view of this mobility of the boyars, land ownership slowly developed. In the XI-XII centuries, the lands of the boyars and junior warriors were already allocated, but they did not constitute the main economic interest for service people. The combatants preferred other sources of income, including from trade, from the prince's salary. Thus, service people who were not tied to the place of service and to the family of one prince did not form stable local interests in any area, did not develop strong dynastic ties.

So, the nobility was divided into the following levels:

• 1) the highest stratum, nobility in the role of princely husbands, senior warriors, senior officials of the princely administration. It was these freemen, especially close to the prince-monarch, who made up his supreme council, the Boyar Duma, received from him part of the tribute and other dues, land and smerds, had the right to leave from one overlord to another.
• 2) youths - junior combatants, princely officials (as a rule, judicial officials); servants (also junior combatants, personal servants of princes, executors of their household assignments); servants of the court, subordinate to the court. All this numerous and motley crowd served the prince's court and his extensive household.
• 3) the lowest stratum - actually courtyard people or nobles, people both free and dependent; among them - both serfs (slaves), and younger youths.

Since ancient times, the surname could change a person's life, it carried the whole history of the family and gave many privileges. People spent a lot of effort and money to have a good title, and sometimes they sacrificed their lives for this. It was almost impossible for a common resident to get on the list of nobles.

Types of titles

There were many titles in tsarist Russia, each of them had its own history and carried its own capabilities. All noble families followed the family tree and very carefully selected couples for their family members. The marriage of two noble families was more of a calculated calculation than a love relationship. Russian noble families kept together and did not allow members without a title into their families.

Such genera could include:

1. Princes.
2. Counts.
3. Barons.
4. Tsars.
5. Dukes.
6. Marquises.

Each of these genera had its own history and maintained its own family tree. It was strictly forbidden for a nobleman to create a family with a commoner. Thus, it was almost impossible for an ordinary ordinary resident of tsarist Russia to become a nobleman, except perhaps for very great achievements in front of the country.

Princes Rurikovich

Princes is one of the highest titles of nobility. Members of such a family always had a lot of land, finance and slaves. It was a great honor for a family member to be at court and help the ruler. Having shown himself, a member of the princely family could become a trusted special ruler. The famous noble families of Russia in most cases had a princely title. But the titles could be divided according to the methods of obtaining them.

One of the most famous princely families of Russia were the Rurikovichs. The list of noble families begins with her. Rurikovichs are immigrants from Ukraine and descendants of Igor's great Russia. The roots of many European rulers come from This is a strong dynasty that brought the world many famous rulers who have been in power throughout Europe for a long time. But a number of historical events that took place in those days divided the family into many branches. Russian noble families such as Pototsky, Przemyslsky, Chernigov, Ryazan, Galician, Smolensky, Yaroslavl, Rostov, Belozersky, Suzdal, Smolensky, Moscow, Tver, Starodubsky belong specifically to the Rurik family.

Other princely titles

In addition to the descendants of the Rurik family, the noble families of Russia can be such as the Otyaevs. This clan received its title thanks to the good warrior Khvostov, who had the nickname Otyai in the army, and has been going on since the year 1543.

The Ofrosmovs are an example of a strong will and a great desire to achieve a goal. The founder of the clan was a strong and courageous warrior.

The Pogozhevs are from Lithuania. Oratory and the ability to conduct military negotiations helped the founder of the family to receive a princely title.

The list of noble families also includes Pozharsky, Field, Pronchishchev, Protopopov, Tolstoy, Uvarov.

Count's titles

But surnames of noble origin are not only princes. The count dynasties also had a high title and powers at court. This title was also considered very high and gave many powers.

To receive the title of count was a great achievement for any member of the royal society. Such a title first of all made it possible to have power and be closer to the ruling dynasty. The noble families of Russia for the most part consist of counts. The easiest way to achieve this title was when conducting successful military operations.

One of these surnames is Sheremetev. This is a county family that still exists in our time. The army general received this title for his achievements in military operations and service to the royal family.

Ivan Golovkin is the ancestor of another surname of noble origin. According to many sources, this is a count who appeared in Russia after the wedding of his only daughter. One of the few count families that ended with a single representative of the dynasty.

The noble surname Minich had many branches, and the main reason for this was the large number of women in this family. When marrying, Milich women took a double surname and mixed titles.

Courtiers received many count titles during the reign of Ekaterina Petrovna. She was a very generous queen and awarded titles to many of her military leaders. Thanks to her, such names as Efimovsky, Gendrikov, Chernyshev, Razumovsky, Ushakov and many others appeared in the list of nobles.

Barons at court

Famous noble families also had many holders of the titles of baron. Among them are ancestral families and granted barons. This, like all other titles, could be obtained with good service. And of course, the simplest and most effective way was to conduct military operations for the homeland.

This title was very popular in the Middle Ages. The family title could be obtained by wealthy families who sponsored the royal family. This title appeared in the fifteenth century in Germany and, like everything new, gained great popularity. The royal family practically sold it to all wealthy families who had the opportunity to help and sponsor all royal undertakings.

In order to bring wealthy families closer to him, he introduced a new title - baron. One of the first owners of this title was the banker de Smith. Thanks to banking and trade, this family earned its finances and was elevated by Peter to the rank of barons.

Russian noble families with the title of baron also replenished with the surname Fridriks. Like de Smith, Yuri Fridriks was a good banker who lived and worked at the royal court for a long time. Born into a titled family, Yuri also received a title under Tsarist Russia.

In addition to them, there were a number of surnames with the title of baron, information about which was stored in military documents. These are warriors who have earned their titles by actively participating in hostilities. Thus, the noble families of Russia were replenished with such members as: Baron Plotto, Baron von Rummel, Baron von Malama, Baron Ustinov and the family of the brothers of the barons Schmidt. Most of them were from European countries and came to Russia on business.

royal families

But not only titled families are included in the list of noble families. Russian noble families headed the royal families for many years.

One of the oldest royal families in Russia was the Godunovs. This is the royal family, which has been in power for many years. The first of this family was Tsarina Godunova, who formally ruled the country for only a few days. She renounced the throne, and decided to spend her life in a monastery.

The next, no less famous surname of the royal Russian family is the Shuiskys. This dynasty spent a little time in power, but entered the list of noble families in Russia.

The Great Queen of Skavron, better known as Catherine the First, also became the founder of the royal family dynasty. Do not forget about such a royal dynasty as Biron.

Dukes at Court

The noble families of Russia also have the title of dukes. Getting the title of duke was not so easy. Basically, these clans included very rich and ancient families of tsarist Russia.

The owners of the title duke in Russia were the Chertozhansky family. The clan existed for many centuries and was engaged in agriculture. It was a very wealthy family that owned a lot of land.

The Duke of Nesvizh is the founder of the town of the same name Nesvizh. There are many versions of the origin of this family. The Duke was a great connoisseur of art. His castles were the most remarkable and beautiful buildings of that time. Owning large lands, the duke had the opportunity to help tsarist Russia.

Menshikov is another of the famous ducal families in Russia. Menshikov was not just a duke, he was a famous military leader, army general and governor of St. Petersburg. He received his title for the achievement and service to the royal crown.

Marquis title

The title of marquis in Tsarist Russia was mainly received by wealthy families with foreign origins. It was an opportunity to attract foreign capital into the country. One of the most famous surnames was Traversi. This is an ancient French family, whose representatives were at the royal court.

Among the Italian marquises was the Paulluchi family. Having received the title of marquis, the family remained in Russia. Another Italian family received the title of marquis at the royal court of Russia - Albizzi. This is one of the richest Tuscan families. They earned all their income from entrepreneurial activities in the manufacture of fabrics.

The meaning and privileges of the title

For the courtiers, having a title gave many opportunities and wealth. Upon receiving the title, it often carried lavish gifts from the crown. Often such gifts were land and wealth. The royal family gave such gifts for special achievements.

For wealthy families who earned their wealth on the generous Russian land, it was very important to have a good title, for this they financed the royal undertakings, which bought their family a high title and a good attitude. In addition, only titled families could be close to the royal family and participate in the government of the country.