Demidov
The Demidovs were probably the richest
Russian people after the
Tsar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Their progenitor, Demid Antufiev, was a free blacksmith from
Tula, where their family necropolis is preserved as a museum. His son Nikita Demidov made his fortune by his skill in the manufacture of weapons, and established an iron foundry for the government.
Peter the Great, with whom he was a favorite, ennobled him in 1720. For two centuries, the Demidov plants produced a large portion of Russia's iron and steel. The
Palace of Westminster was one of many notable buildings constructed of Demidov metal products.
Encyclopedia
The
Demidovs were probably the richest
Russian people after the
Tsar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Their progenitor, Demid Antufiev, was a free blacksmith from
Tula, where their family necropolis is preserved as a museum. His son
Nikita Demidov made his fortune by his skill in the manufacture of weapons, and established an iron foundry for the government.
Peter the Great, with whom he was a favorite, ennobled him in 1720. For two centuries, the Demidov plants produced a large portion of Russia's iron and steel. The
Palace of Westminster was one of many notable buildings constructed of Demidov metal products.
Nikita's son,
Akinfiy Demidov , increased his inherited wealth by the discovery and working of gold, silver and copper mines. He also founded the
Siberian town of
Barnaul, whose central square still bears his name. His nephew,
Pavel Grigoryevich Demidov , was a great traveller and benefactor of Russian scientific education who befriended
Carolus Linnaeus and
Pallas. He established the
Demidov Lyceum in
Yaroslavl, the Demidov chair in
Natural history at
Moscow University, and founded an annual prize for Russian literature, awarded by the
Academy of Sciences. A bronze monument to him was installed in
Yaroslavl in 1828.
Pavel's nephew,
Nikolay Nikitich Demidov , fought in the
Finnish War with distinction, raised and commanded a regiment to oppose
Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and carried on the accumulation of the family wealth from mining; he contributed liberally to the erection of four bridges in
St Petersburg, and to the propagation of scientific culture in Moscow.
Pavel's son,
Anatole Demidov , was a well-known traveller and patron of art. In 1837, he acquired the
Italian title of Prince de San Donato and married
Princess Mathilde, daughter of
Jerome Bonaparte. His villa is a minor landmark of
Florence. His great grand nephew, Crown Prince Pavel, was regent of
Yugoslavia between 1934 and 1941.
See also
- Sancy - the most famous of diamonds, in possession of the Demidovs from 1828 to 1865
- Leaning Tower of Nevyansk - a tower commissioned by Akinfiy Demidov
- Demidov Prize - the oldest scientific award established in 1831 by Pavel Nikolaevich Demidov
- The Last Day of Pompeii
...
- a painting commissioned by Anatole Demidov
- The Execution of Lady Jane Grey - another painting from his collection
- Chicken Demidoff - a food named after Prince Anatole
Publications
- Anatole Demidoff, Travels in Southern Russia and Crimea,
External links
