Sergei Platonovich, or Serge Obolensky, is a prince from an old family, originating from Rurik. The beginning of his life, like all representatives of eminent and richest families in Russia, was quite prosperous and even brilliant. Studying at Oxford opened up great opportunities for him, and could only decide on the direction. In addition, Prince Obolensky was an enviable bridegroom and could combine his fate with a representative of any noble family. Life has just begun ...
Princely surname
Let us turn to the genealogy of the princes Obolensky, which is a branch of the princes of Tarusa, which came from the princes of Chernigov. Today, even a specialist will find it difficult to understand the intricacies of this ancient genealogical tree. The ancestor of the name is considered the son of Prince Yuri Mikhailovich Tarussky named Konstantin Yuryevich. If you count from Rurik, then this was the thirteenth knee. Prince Konstantin received a volost, which was located on the Protva River, on which the city of Obolensk subsequently appeared, when dividing the family estate.
The grandchildren of Konstantin Yuryevich were already mentioned in the second half of the XIV century as serving the Moscow prince. Later, among the representatives of the Obolensky clan there were both boyars and governors.
Then the clan was divided into many lines, the distinguishing features of which were the addition of a nickname to the surname Obolensky, associated either with the character of the owner, or with a historical event, or with ownership. I must say that the main part of these branches was suppressed until the XVII century. Remnins, Tyufyakins and two lines of Obolensky remained. The first went from Prince Mikhail Konstantinovich Sukhoruky-Obolensky, and the second began from Prince Vasily Konstantinovich (nicknamed Bely). His descendants were often called the princes Obolensky-Bely.
During archival research conducted in the former provinces (Kaluga, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Ryazan, Simbirsk, Tula), many references to Obolensky were found in genealogical books. This means that their estates were located mainly in these places.
Prince Serge: Part One
Prince Sergei Obolensky was born in Tsarskoye Selo on October 3, 1890 in the family of Platon Sergeevich Obolensky-Neledinsky-Meletsky and Maria Konstantinovna Naryshkina.
In 1913, after the death of his father, he attached the prefix "Neledinsky-Meletsky" to the surname Obolensky. He was the eldest son, and, accordingly, he had great hopes as a successor to the clan. He received a brilliant education at Oxford.
1913 was a turning point for him: the loss of his father coincided with the outbreak of the First World War. In this connection, the prince returned from England and began serving in the Cavalier Guard regiment. The family honor demanded the performance of military duty at a high level, as evidenced by the three George Crosses, which were awarded only for truly outstanding services.
War and choice
The war gradually grew into a revolution, and Prince Obolensky needed to choose a side. Apparently, he did not imagine that he could change the oath, and therefore joined the White Army. When the outcome of the confrontation in the Civil War became clear, Sergei Platonovich emigrated to America, and in 1932 received American citizenship. This was the beginning of the second part of the life of Prince Obolensky.
Personal life: first marriage
However, up to this point, an important event happened in his fate - the marriage in 1916 to the daughter of Alexander II and Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgoruka (His Grace Princess Yuryevskaya) Ekaterina Alexandrovna Yuryevskaya.
It was an enchanting novel that began in the Crimea in 1916, where Yekaterina Yuryevskaya (married Baryatinsky) came with her children after the outbreak of war. Her unhappy life with her husband ended in his death in 1910 from a heart attack, after which the widow first lived with her children in Bavaria, and then returned to Russia.
Acquaintance with Sergei Obolensky ended in marriage (the bride was 12 years older than the groom). Then the revolution began, and in 1918 the spouses, according to other people's documents, first went to Kiev, from there to Vienna, and then to England. The huge fortune of Obolensky and Baryatinsky was lost, so the couple earned as much as they could. Ekaterina Alexandrovna sang at concerts, because at one time she took vocal lessons. However, life in exile exacerbated the personal contradictions of the spouses, and in 1924 a divorce followed.
Attempts No. 2 and No. 3
Sergei Obolensky, after breaking up with his first wife, instantly arranged his life by marrying Alice Muriel Astor in Ave in the same year 1924. The girl was the daughter of millionaire John Jacob Astor IV. From this marriage two children appeared - Ivan (still alive) and Sylvia.
However, this did not save the financially profitable alliance from a divorce in 1932. But the former prince continued to work for the company of his ex-father-in-law: nothing personal is just business.
In 1958, Prince took over as vice chairman of the board at Hilton Hotels Corporation.
There are many photos of Prince Obolensky, which testify to different aspects of his life. In particular, he was familiar with Marilyn Monroe and other Hollywood stars.
The next attempt to arrange personal happiness was made by Sergei Obolensky in 1971 at the age of 80. Marilyn Fraser Wall became his chosen one. She survived her husband and died in 2007. The prince passed away at the end of September 1978 in the fashionable suburb of Michigan's Gross Point.
Military career
Prince Sergey Obolensky showed his strategic abilities during the Second World War, when he served in the US Strategic Services Administration (OSS). Then he first made several parachute jumps, thus becoming the oldest parachutist. He completed his service in the OSS with the rank of lieutenant colonel. For the operation to prevent the explosion by the Nazis of the power plant, which the Russian prince conducted together with the French partisans, he was awarded the order. In addition, he contributed to the liberation of Sardinia by negotiating with General Basso in 1943.
The life of another representative of a famous family, Prince Vladimir Andreevich Obolensky, was not so prosperous. He was born in 1869 in St. Petersburg. Among his ancestors was the hero of the war of 1812 V.P. Obolensky. The young prince early began to participate in the liberal movement of university students. However, this did without consequences, and in 1891 Vladimir Obolensky graduated from the University of Physics and Mathematics.
Then he joined the cadet party in 1905, and a year later he was elected to the State Duma. He was then sent to Finland for two years. In 1910 he was elected to the Central Committee of the Cadet Party, being a follower of her radical views.
After the victory of the Bolsheviks, for some time he led the struggle against them in the Crimea, and in 1920 he emigrated to France, where he was engaged in journalism.
The life of the descendants of the ancient Russian families evolved in different ways: someone died in the Gulag, and someone tried to survive in exile. But with them a whole era and an irreplaceable layer of culture left.