Svyatopolk-Mirsky family

Svyatopolk-Mirsky family
Coat of Arms of Princes Sviatopolk-Mirskiis
Nikolai Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-Mirskii and his descendants used a variation of the Białynia Coat of Arms

Svyatopolk-Mirsky (Belarusian: Святаполк-Мірскі, Polish: Światopełk-Mirski) is a family of Belarusian and Polish nobility that originated from northwestern Belarus.

They first appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the late 15th century as Mirski, a name probably derived from the town of Miory in the former Kievan Rus principate of Polotsk, although it is possible that the family had been local rulers for some centuries beforehand. The Memoirs of Prince Dolgoroukoff assert that the Swiatopelk-Mirskis were princes descending from Rurik who submitted to Gediminas & became magnates. The Genealogisches Handbuch der fürstlichen Häuser states that the Swiatopolk-Mirsky family descends from a younger branch of the Princes of Turov. Two members of the family, Boguslaw & Stanislaw, were representatives at the Great Sejm in 1791 {Polski Slownik Biograficzny}. Tomasz Bogumil Jan Swiatopelk-Mirski (1788-1868) fought in the 1830 Rebellion near Suwalki & fled into exile in Paris, where he both represented the interests of the exiled Poles in France & attempted to seek pardon from the Tsar. He was an active participant in the French colonization of Algiers, where he received a large grant of land & allegedly suggested the formation of the French Foreign Legion in order to reduce the burden of Polish exiles on the French state. He converted to Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism, was regarded as a traitor by his fellow Polish rebels for his outspoken support of Panslavism,and was eventually allowed to return to Russia, where he remained under house arrest until his death {Polski Slownik Biograficzny}. His sons Dmitri & Nikolai were educated as members of the Russian nobility & had distinguished military careers. Tomasz Bogumil Jan claimed a Rurikid descent (according to his claim, Mirskis were descendants of Sviatopolk I of Kiev, hence the Sviatopolk part of the family name), but his claims were rejected by leading genealogists of Poland and Russia in the 19th century. Despite this, his pro-Russian attitudes and allegiance to the Tsars earned his branch of the family the confirmation of their dubious princely title by Alexander II of Russia in 1861 although the Senate of the Polish Kingdom had previously confirmed it in 1821{Polski Slownik Biograficzny}. Nikolai bought the historic castle of Mir in 1895 due to its name, the family having no historic connection with it {Dzieje Rezydencji na Dawnych Kresach Rzeczpospolitej}. Other branches of the family remained Polish by choice & retained estates near Braslaw & Miory until 1940, including Zajnow, Kamienpol, Leonpol & Miedzyrzec. Adam Napoleon Mirski of Zawierz & his sister Maria were painted by Jan Rustem in 1808 {Jan Rustem 'Portrait of Maria Mirska, Adam Napoleon Mirski & Barbara Szumska' c1808, oil on canvas, National Museum, Warsaw}. Adam was apparently highly regarded by his peasants as they rose in support of him during a local uprising in the 1840s. Tomasz Mirski (d 1852, not the same Tomasz as above) was an officer in Napoleon's Polish cavalry. Father Eugeniusz Swiatopelk-Mirski was murdered by the Bolsheviks in Mogilev in 1918 {http://www.kul.pl/dzwonkowski/s3.html}. Father Antoni Swiatopelk-Mirski SJ (1907-1942) was martyred at Auschwitz by the Nazis & has recently been advanced by the Vatican as a candidate for beatification {http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/vlapomar/hiatt/kill.htm}. Two teenage members of the family. Krysztof & Michal, were killed in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising {Polski Slownik Biograficzny} & another family member fought at Monte Cassino {personal communication regarding her late father by family member}. The Polish family suffered heavily in the Russian occupation of the Polish eastern provinces & few remain today, with representatives in the UK, Australia & Poland. There are representatives of the Russian family in the UK, USA, Brazil & France{personal knowledge from various family members}.


Among most notable Sviatopolk-Mirskies are:

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Svyatopolk-Mirsky — ( ru. Святополк Мирский, pl. Światopełk Mirski) is a family of Russian and Polish nobility that originated from Belarus. They first appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the late 15th century as Mirski, a name derived from their famous Mir… …   Wikipedia

  • Nikolay Svyatopolk-Mirsky — For other Sviatopolk Mirskiies, see Prince Sviatopolk Mirskii. Nikolay Svyatopolk Mirsky (1877) …   Wikipedia

  • D. S. Mirsky — Bookcover of the biography of Dmitry Mirsky D.S. Mirsky is the English pen name of Dmitry Petrovich Svyatopolk Mirsky (Russian: Дмитрий Петрович Святополк Мирский), often known as Prince Mirsky (9 September [O.S. 22 August] 1890 – 6 June 1939), a …   Wikipedia

  • Dmitry Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-Mirskii — in uniform Born 1825 Died 1899 Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • MANDELSHTAM, OSIP EMILYEVICH — (1891–1938?), Russian poet. Mandelshtam was born in Warsaw but as a child moved with his parents to St. Petersburg, where his father, a scion of an obscure Kurland branch of the well known Mandelshtam rabbinic family, was a leather merchant and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Boris Stürmer — Boris Vladimirovich Stürmer ( ru. Борис Владимирович Штюрмер, Boris Vladimirovich Shtyurmer ) (July 27, 1848 September 9, 1917) was a Russian courtier who has passed into history as an obsequious follower of Rasputin, of whom he was only the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Belarus-related topics — This is a list of topics related to Belarus. Those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar.Belarus* Belarus * Belarusian diplomatic missionsCommunications in Belarus* Communications …   Wikipedia

  • Russian literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the Russian language, beginning with the Christianization of Kievan Rus in the late 10th century.       The unusual shape of Russian literary history has been the source of numerous… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”