Shakhovskoy

The House of Shakhovskoy is the name of a noble family of the Russian Empire which claims descent from Konstantin Glebovich "Shah", a voivode of Nizhny Novgorod in 1481. Most members of the family fled the Russian Empire in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.

Shakhovskoy
Princely arms of the Shakhovskoy family
Parent house
Country	Russian Empire
Current head	Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Shakhovskoy (born 1934)
Titles	Prince Shakhovskoy
Style(s)	"Highness"

In the 19th century, and especially after the abolition of serfdom, the "Shakhovskoy" surname began to appear among peasants who adopted their employers' name, but were not themselves descendants of the princely family.

Family history

The family was founded by Prince Konstantin Glebovich, nicknamed "Shah". The family also descends cognatically from Ivan I of Moscow, through the latter's daughter Evdokia Ivanovna Moskovskaya (1314–1342), who married Vasili Mikhailovich, Prince of Yaroslavl (died 1345). They were the great-grandparents of Andrej and Jurij, the first Shakhovskoy princes.

Konstantin Glebovich "Shah", prince of Yaroslavl was a son of Gleb Vasilievich, prince of Yaroslavl, and a grandson of Vasili Davydovich, Prince of Yaroslavl (died 1345).

Prince Konstantin Glebovich "Shah"

Prince Konstantin was the youngest of three sons of Prince Gleb Vasilievich, whose brother Vasili Vasilievich ruled the Principality of Yaroslavl. The rule was passed down to Vasili's sons.

Nevertheless, Konstantin managed to earn the nickname "Shakh" - from Persian "Shah", meaning king. He eventually moved to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and held service under the high prince. In 1482, Konstantin appears as a voivode in Nizhny Novgorod. His sons, princes Andrei and Yuri, also held their service in Moscow. In the 16th century, the descendants of Andrei split into eight primary branches.

After the Russian Revolution

Most members of the Shakhovskoy family fled their homeland during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Today, many who bear the name are descendants of peasants who had adopted the surname of their employers. Of the princely family, there are several known descendants in France, in Italy and in other parts of the world, as well as matrilineal descendants in a branch of the Derugin family.

Coat of arms

The first and third sections of the shield are the arms of the Great Duchy of Kiev. The second and fourth sections are the arms of the Principality of Smolensk. In the middle of the arms a smaller shield bears the arms of the Yaroslav Principality.

Notable family members

Shakhovskoy family portrait from the early 19th Century

• Prince Fedor Petrovich Shakhovskoy (1796–1829), Decembrist (7th branch). From the marriage of his son Prince Dmitriy Fedorovits Shakhovskoy (1821-1863) to Natalia Borisovna Svjatopolk-Stsetvertinsky (1824-1906), Princess Nadezhda Dmitrievna Shakhovskaya (1847-1922) was born.
• Prince Dmitriy Ivanovich Shakhovskoy (1861–1939), liberal politician, minister of the Russian Provisional Government (7th branch)
• Princess Nadezhda Dmitrievna Shakhovskaya (1847-1922), also known as Nadine Helbig. She held an important literary "salotto" in Rome in the Villa Lante al Gianicolo. Married to Wolfgang Helbig, she moved to Italy, where her descendants still reside. With her the surname Shakhovskoy died out in her branch as she was the only heir of the branch.