Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Cherkasskiĭ family
- Abstract:
- Cherkasskii family archives includes diaries, correspondence, writings, genealogy, books, clippings, printed matter, and photographs, relating to social conditions in Russia before the Russian Revolution, the Russian imperial army, the Russian Revolution and Civil War, Russian émigré affairs, and the Russian Orthodox Church abroad.
- Extent:
- 3 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes (4.74 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Cherkasskii Family Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Cherkasskii family archives include diaries, correspondence, writings, genealogical materials, books, clippings, printed matter, and photographs, relating to social conditions in Russia before the Russian Revolution, the Russian imperial army, the Russian Revolution and Civil War, Russian émigré affairs, and the Russian Orthodox Church abroad.
The Cherkasskiis were clearly proud of their origin, evident from the section of the collection that appears in the genealogical charts. The collection also includes an official genealogy of the Russian aristocracy with the place of the Cherkaskii family prominent.
The Cherkasskii family papers consist of material related to the life and work of this prominent Russian family, both in Russia and abroad, from 1798 to 1974. The collection includes a wealth of biographical material found in the series related to the last three generations of the family. Of special interest is material from the period of the Russian Civil War, which includes a descriptive essay on Prince Aleksei Mikhailovich written by his brother. The biographical file further includes documentary material related to the Cherkasskii family life abroad and their exile to Belgium. Also interesting are materials related to family political activities, and participation in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Cherkasskii family was prominent in the Russian government and the army from about 1500 until the very end of the seventeenth century. They were also the single richest boyar clan in Russia. From the end of the sixteenth century to Peter's time, they were the most important group of aristocrats of foreign origin at the court of the Russian tsars.
The Cherkasskis were clearly proud of their origins, evident from the section on the Circassian princes that appeared in the "Sovereign's genealogy", the quasi-official genealogy of the Russian aristocracy.
The papers cover the life of three generations of the Cherkasskii family: Prince Mikhail Alekseevich, born 1867, a civilian of high rank, who entered the guards officers lists. He joined the Kirasirs military Regiment and was in charge of a medical hospital, field hospitals, emergency, and first aid of the Kirasirs Regiment. Mikhail Alekseevich married Vera Pavlovna Likhacheva in 1892. They both died in 1953 in Brussels.
Their two sons Prince Aleksei Mikhailovich (1898-1920) and Prince Igor Mikhailoich (1895-1975) fought against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. The younger Prince Aleksei Mikhailovich, died in February 1920 fighting the Bolsheviks, and Prince Igor Mikhailovich, member of the corps of Pages, Lieutenant-Colonel lived long life and died in Brussels in 1975. He was married to Zoia Sergeevna Rodzianko (1901-1949) in 1921. Their daughter Princess Irina Igorevna has no heirs.
- Acquisition information:
- Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1975
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is organized into 4 series: Cherkasskii family archives, Photographs, Subject file, and Printed matter
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Box 5-6 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Cherkasskii Family Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563