Orlov family

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For other uses, see Orlov.

Coat of arms of Princes Orlov
Catherine the Great's charter of creation of the title of Count Orlov, 1763

The House of Orlov (Russian: Орлóв) is the name of a Russian noble family which produced several distinguished statesmen, scientists, diplomats, and soldiers. The family first gained distinction in the 18th century through the achievements of five Orlov brothers, of whom the second eldest was Catherine the Great's paramour, and two younger brothers were notable military commanders.

Orlov brothers

Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov

Main article: Grigory Orlov

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (1734–1783), who created for his family such an illustrious Russian history, was the son of Gregory Orlov, governor of Great

Catherine Alekseyevna, and was the leader of the conspiracy which resulted in the dethronement and death of her husband Peter III (1762).[1]

After the event, Catherine raised him to the rank of count and made him adjutant-general, director-general of engineers and general-in-chief. Their illegitimate son, Aleksey, was born in 1762 and named after the village of

Bobriki where he lived; from him descends the line of Counts Bobrinskoy. Orlov's influence became paramount after the discovery of the Khitrovo plot to murder the whole Orlov family. At one time the empress thought of marrying her favorite, but the plan was frustrated by her influential advisor Nikita Panin.[1]

Grigory Orlov sold his huge manor and castle in Gatchina to the crown in 1783.

Gregory Orlov was no statesman, but he had a quick wit, a fairly accurate appreciation of current events, and was a useful and sympathetic counsellor during the earlier portion of Catherine's reign. He entered with enthusiasm, both from patriotic and from economical motives, into the question of the improvement of the condition of the serfs and their partial emancipation. As the President of the Free Economic Society, he was also their most prominent advocate in the great commission of 1767, though he aimed primarily at pleasing the empress, who affected great liberality in her earlier years.[1]

He was one of the earliest propagandists of the

Focşani; but he failed in his mission, owing partly to the obstinacy of the Ottomans, and partly (according to Panin) to his own outrageous insolence. On returning without permission to his Marble Palace at St Petersburg, he found himself superseded in the empress's favor by the younger Potemkin.[1]

In order to rekindle Catherine's affection, Grigory presented to her one of the greater diamonds of the world, known ever since as the

Grigory Potemkin, in 1771, superseded Vasil'chikov, Orlov became of no account at court and went abroad for some years. He returned to Russia a few months previously to his death, which took place at Moscow in 1783. For some time before his death he was out of his mind. Late in life he married his niece, Madame Zinovyeva, but left no children by that marriage.[1]

Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov

Main article: Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov

Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov (1737–1808), brother of the above, was by far the ablest member of the Orlov count family, and was also remarkable for his athletic strength and dexterity. In the palace revolution of 1762 he played an even more important part than his brother Gregory. It is alleged that he conveyed Peter III to the chateau of Ropsha and murdered him there with his own hands.[1][a]

Orlov trotters
were considered the fastest in Europe.

In 1770 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet sent against the Turks, whose far superior navy he annihilated

Orlov Revolt and conquest of the Greek archipelago. For this exploit he received, in 1774, the honorific epithet Chesmensky, and the privilege of quartering the imperial arms in his shield.[1]

The same year, on Catherine's request, he went to

Empress Elizabeth. Having succeeded in this unusual commission, he went into retirement and settled at Moscow
.

There he devoted himself to

war with Napoleon during 1806–07, Orlov commanded the militia of the fifth district, which was placed on a war footing almost entirely at his own expense. He left an estate worth five million roubles and 30,000 serfs.[1]

Beside of animal breeding he also formed the first Roma-choir (1774), selected out of his numerous Roma serfs[b]. The choir reached an enormous popularity under the Russian aristocracy, and was copied by several other aristocrats training their Roma to sing in choirs. In 1807 the Orlov choir was given freedom. They could settle themselves in Moscow (which was forbidden to all other Roma) and lived and behaved as the aristocrats around them. Their offspring attended school and university and became the first Roma-intelligentsia. The Roma choirs influenced the image of the Roma in Russia a lot until at least the 20th century.[3]

The other Counts Orlov

Portrait of Ivan Orlov, by Fyodor Rokotov

The oldest and least notable of four Orlov brothers was Ivan Grigoryevich Orlov (1733–1791). After his father's death in 1746 he became the head of the family; all Orlov brothers looked upon him and respected him as their father. He led a modest life and managed the Orlovs' estates. Even after the palace revolution of 1762, when the Orlovs became counts and got enormous fortune, he apparently refused any state career and titles and continued to live in Moscow and the Orlovs' estates.

The fourth Orlov brother was Count Fyodor Grigoryevich (1741–1796), Russian general, who first distinguished himself in the

Count Saint-Germain, gave him assistance while in Turkey by creating Russian Tea, or as they nicknamed it "Acqua Benedetta", which helped the Russian troops fight the climate of the land.[citation needed] In 1775 he retired from the public service. Orlov was never married, but had five natural children (including Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov), whom Catherine ennobled and legitimatized, as may be seen below.[1]

Count Vladimir Orlov, a marble bust by Fedot Shubin
.

The youngest Orlov brother was Count Vladimir Grigorievich (1743–1831). He was just 19 when his elder brothers came to power, and they deemed it wise to send him to the

Latin led him to expel the language from the Academy; it was replaced with German, in which he was fairly fluent. On this account, he came to patronize German scientists such as Peter Simon Pallas and invited many of them to Russia. In 1767 he accompanied Catherine II during her journey along the Volga
, documenting it in a journal. After his brother fell into disgrace, Vladimir was fired from his post and retired to his villages.

He had several daughters, one of them a wife of Nikita Petrovich Panin, and a son - Count Grigory Vladimirovich (1777 – 22 June 1826) - who predeceased his father. Like him, Grigory the Younger devoted himself to the sciences. In November 1799 he married Countess Anna Saltykova, left Russia and traveled in France, Italy and Switzerland. While living in Paris, Orlov translated into French some fables by Ivan Krylov. After the death of his wife, Count Orlov returned to Russia. His chief works are Mémoirs historiques, politiques et littéraires sur le Royaume de Naples, translated into German, English and Italian, and embracing the History of Lower Italy from the earliest times until 1820; Histoire des Arts en Italie, the two volumes of which treat of music, the others of painting; Voyages dans une Partie de la France, ou Lettres descriptives et historiques (Paris, 1824). From 25 January 1809 he was an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. All of his three sons were born out of wedlock.

Princes Orlov

Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov

The Eagle Monument in Gatchina refers to the Orlovs' surname, derived from the Russian word for eagle

Prince

lieutenant-general
. It is from this time that the brilliant diplomatic career of Orlov begins. He was the Russian plenipotentiary at the
Third Section
, or secret police.

In 1854 he was sent to

emancipation of the serfs, to which he was altogether hostile.[1]
He died on 9 May (21 May) 1862 in St. Petersburg.

Other Princes Orlov

Coat of arms of the Orlov family

Alexey Fyodorovich Orlov's only son, Prince

Russkaya Starina in 1881, brought about its abolition. He also advocated tolerance towards the dissenters.[1]
His wife, Katherine (Kathi) Orlov had a close relationship with Otto von Bismarck in the early 1860s. Bismarck's wife said she was not jealous and credited her with a long period of Bismarck's happiness. ("Bismarck: The Man and the Statesman by A J P Taylor. Sutton History Classics)

Prince Alexey Fyodorovich also had a brother, Mikhail Fyodorovich Orlov (1788–1842), who took a most active part in the Napoleonic wars and received the rank of General-major upon returning to Russia in 1814. A friend of

Decembrist society. After the revolt failed, he was arrested but presently released on bail, through his brother's mediation. Thereupon he settled in Moscow and published a pioneering study of the state credit
.

Prince

Tsar Nicholas II
.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ However, this is only conjecture, though Orlov's involvement is often cited and widely believed. It's believed that Catherine made sure she was nowhere near and claimed not to know of the murder until it was accomplished; sometimes it is said, against her will.
  2. ^ They were Xeladitka also called Russka Rom, not as sometimes thought imported slaves from Moldavië (Vlach) or from Oekraine (Servi-Rom)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bain 1911.
  2. ISBN 0-7603-2473-5
    .
  3. ISBN 0-8223-2493-8
    .

External links

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