A title is an honorary title that is inherited or assigned to individuals for life. As a rule, this concerned representatives of the nobility and was done in order to emphasize their special privileged position. Such names are, for example, the duke, count, prince, His Serene Highness. The latter, its origin, history in different countries and some representatives will be described in the article.
In feudal society
Assignment of titles was common in societies where estate-feudal relations existed. This took place in Russia, and in some countries there are titles today, in particular in the UK. One of those that was in the Russian Empire was the Most Serene Prince.
It contains two components:
- Prince The meaning of this word has changed over the centuries, but has always meant a very significant influential person.
- Most Serene, which is associated with the concept of "lordship", referring to the dukes and sovereign princes. There is also the option of “Most High Highness”, in German it is Durchlaucht; in French - altesse sérénissime.
To understand what the Most Serene Prince is, each of the components should be considered in detail.
Prince
For the Slavs and some other peoples, from the 9th to the 16th century this is the head of a monarchist feudal state or a separate entity (the specific prince). He was a representative of the feudal aristocracy. Later, the "prince" became the highest noble title.
Depending on the importance of the person, in southern and western Europe he was equated with a duke or prince. In Central Europe, which was previously the Holy Roman Empire, there is a similar title "Fürst", and in the North it is "king".
One of the noble titles inherent in the Russian Empire was the “Grand Duke”. It concerned those who belonged to the imperial family. Since 1886, he began to relate only to some of them. These were the sons, daughters, grandchildren of the Russian emperors, born on the male line. This did not concern granddaughters.
Prophetic Oleg
This is the first figure in Ancient Russia, which is attributed to historical characters, in contrast to the semi-mythical Rurik, who is considered the founder of Russian statehood. The fact that he was a sovereign ruler, and not just a governor, who was under Igor, is confirmed by a written document.
This is an agreement that was concluded in 911 between the Byzantine state and Kievan Rus. "The Bright Prince" - as Oleg is called in this agreement. He acts here as the supreme ruler of the Rus and calls himself also the "Grand Duke", "our lordship." In his submission are the boyars and other senior persons. Thus, the title of title “Most Holy Prince” has its roots in the first period of the existence of our state. And how did he appear in Europe?
"Your Grace" in Europe
There the title Durchlaucht was first granted in 1356 to the Electors by Emperor Charles IV. The nobles who were members of the electors' houses became known as the "brightest high-born", in German - Durchlauchtig Hochgeboren. The electors were the imperial princes in the Holy Roman Empire, who from the 13th century had the right to elect the emperor.
After that, in 1742, another emperor, Charles VI, allowed all sovereign princes to be called Durchlaucht, and the electors began to turn to Kurfürstliche Durchlaucht, which means "Elector's Grace."
In 1825, at the direction of the Sejm of the German Union, the title Durchlaucht was also given to the princes, who were the heads of the mediated houses. In a number of possessive houses of European princes, all daughters and younger sons bore the title Hochfürstliche Durchlaucht, meaning "Grand Duchy".
The right to the title of Altesse Sérénissime, in French "lordship", in France were princesses and princes and blood. And also the so-called foreign princes, representatives of sovereign houses belonging to the princely family, for example, the princes of Monaco. In Spain, there is the title of El Serenísimo Señor, which means "Most High Senor" - this is one of the names of the infants (princes).
In the Russian state
The title “Most Serene Prince” was granted in 1707 by Peter I to Alexander Menshikov, his closest associate. And in 1711 he was received by Dmitry Cantemir, Moldavian ruler, Russian senator and privy councilor. Previously, they, for a number of special services to the state, were elevated to the dignity of the princes of the Holy Roman Empire.
Further, this title was appropriated by other royal persons. So, for example, emperors ruling the Holy Roman Empire, the titles of the prince and lordship were granted to Grigory Orlov, Grigory Potemkin and Plato Zubov. And then these titles were recognized by Catherine the Great.
The hereditary title of lordship could be given both together with the princely, as, for example, to counts M.I. Kutuzov and I.F. Paskevich, and separately from him. So it was, for example, with the hereditary princes P.M. Volkonsky and D.V. Golitsyn.
According to the provisions of the “Institution of the Imperial Family,” until 1886, the youngest children born to the emperor’s great-grandchildren and their male descendants were entitled the title of “lordship”. And then it became the property of all the great-grandchildren and male descendants of the Imperial House in a descending line, born in a legal marriage.
Golenishchev-Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich was a count since 1811, and from 1812 he was the Most Serene Prince of Smolensk. The years of his life - 1745-1813. He was both a commander and a diplomat, was in the rank of Field Marshal. Kutuzov was a member of military campaigns against the Turks, in the war of 1812 he led the Russian army.
He studied under A.V. Suvorov and was his associate. He managed to visit the Governor-General, under his command were Kazan, Vyatka, Lithuania. And also there was a military governorship in St. Petersburg and Kiev. Mikhail Illarionovich was the first of those who had all degrees of the Order of St. George.
At the beginning of the war of 1812, M. Kutuzov was elected head of the St. Petersburg militia, and then the militia of Moscow. After the Russian troops left Smolensk in August, he became commander in chief. Although the French did not win the battle at Borodino, the Russian army was deprived of the opportunity to go on the counterattack. To save the army, the military, led by Kutuzov, had to surrender Moscow to Napoleon.
In October, near the village of Tarutino, the French corps of Murat was defeated, and Napoleon was forced to accelerate his departure from Moscow. Kutuzov’s army blocked the way for the French to the southern provinces near Maloyaroslavets. As a result, they were forced to retreat westward along the devastated Smolensk road. After several battles near Vyazma and Krasny, the main enemy forces were defeated on the Berezina River.
Kutuzov’s wise and flexible strategy allowed the Russian army to win a brilliant victory. In December 1812, Kutuzov became the owner of the title of His Grace Prince Smolensky.
Grigory Potemkin
Since 1776, he bore the title of His Serene Highness Prince of Tauride. He was a Russian statesman, Field Marshal, creator of the military Black Sea Fleet and his first chief, favorite and associate of Catherine the Great.
Under his direct supervision, the annexation and initial arrangement of Tavria and Crimea to the Russian Empire took place. There Potemkin had huge land plots. He founded a number of cities, among which are modern regional centers. We are talking about Yekaterinoslav (now the Dnieper), Kherson, Sevastopol, Nikolaev.
According to some sources, His Grace Prince Grigory Alexandrovich was not only a favorite of the Empress, but also her morganatic spouse. He was the first owner of the St. Petersburg Tauride Palace. In the years 1790-1791. actually ruled the Principality of Moldova.
Descendants of the king
The tomb of the Serene Highness Princes Yuryevsky is located in Pushkin, at the Kazan cemetery, and is a grave chapel. This genus is known for the fact that it includes the descendants of Tsar Alexander II. The emperor’s love affair with Princess Dolgorukova Ekaterina Mikhailovna lasted for many years.
In July 1880, an organic marriage was concluded between them. In December, E. M. Dolgorukova became the brightest Princess Yuryevskaya. She could pass this title by inheritance. The princess and the emperor had four children - two sons and two daughters. One of the sons died in infancy.