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Title: Cherkasskii Family papers
Date (inclusive): 1798-1974
Collection Number: 75105
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes
(3.74 Linear Feet)
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.
Creator:
Cherkasskiĭ family
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Box 5 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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1975
[Identification of item], Cherkasskii Family Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Biography / Administrative History
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
The collection is organized into 4 series: Cherkasskii family archives, Photographs, Subject file, and Printed matter
Russian Subject collection, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Russia -- Emigration and immigration
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
Officers
Russia -- Court and courtiers
Russia. Armii͡a
Russkai͡a pravoslavnai͡a t͡serkovʹ