Svyatopolk-Mirsky
Encyclopedia
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
nobility that originated from northwestern Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
They first appeared in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
in the late 15th century as Mirski, a name probably derived from the town of Miory
Miory
Miory is a town in the Vitebsk Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Miory district....
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
Rurik
Rurik, or Riurik , was a semilegendary 9th-century Varangian who founded the Rurik dynasty which ruled Kievan Rus and later some of its successor states, most notably the Tsardom of Russia, until 1598....
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
Great Sejm
The Great Sejm, also known as the Four-Year Sejm was a Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was held in Warsaw, beginning in 1788...
in 1791 {Polski Slownik Biograficzny}. Tomasz Bogumil Jan Swiatopelk-Mirski (1788-1868) fought in the 1830 Rebellion near Suwalki
Suwalki
Suwałki is a town in northeastern Poland with 69,340 inhabitants . The Czarna Hańcza river flows through the town. It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centres of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Until 1999 the town was the capital of Suwałki Voivodeship...
& fled into exile in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he both represented the interests of the exiled Poles in France & attempted to seek pardon from the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. He was an active participant in the French colonization of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, where he received a large grant of land & allegedly suggested the formation of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
in order to reduce the burden of Polish exiles on the French state. He converted to Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
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
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, 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
Sviatopolk I of Kiev
Sviatopolk I Vladimirovich was the Kniaz' of Turov and Velikii Kniaz of Kiev whose paternity and guilt in the murder of brothers are disputed.-Early life:Sviatopolk's mother was a Greek nun captured by Sviatoslav I in Bulgaria and married to his lawful heir...
, 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
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
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
Mir Castle Complex
The Mirsky Castle Complex , is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus located in the town of Mir in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast, at , 29 km to the north-west from another World Heritage site, Nesvizh Castle....
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
Miory
Miory is a town in the Vitebsk Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Miory district....
until 1940, including Zajnow, Kamienpol, Leonpol & Miedzyrzec. Adam Napoleon Mirski of Zawierz & his sister Maria were painted by Jan Rustem
Jan Rustem
Jan Rustem was a painter of Armenian, Turkish or Greek ethnicity who lived and worked in the territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Primarily a portrait painter, he was commissioned to execute portraits of notable personalities of his epoch...
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
Mogilev
Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
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
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
as a candidate for beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
{http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/vlapomar/hiatt/kill.htm}. Two teenage members of the family. Krysztof & Michal, were killed in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
{Polski Slownik Biograficzny} & another family member fought at Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
{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:
- Thomas Bogumile Jean Sviatopolk-Mirskii (1788—1868) — ambassador of Polish Diet to RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Dmitry Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-MirskiiDmitry Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-MirskiiDmitry Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-Mirskii was a Russian infantry General and a politician, of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family.Dmitry was born to the family of Thomas Bogumile Jean Sviatopolk-Mirskii, the ambassador of the semi-independent Kingdom of Poland to Russia. Dmitry's patronymic Ivanovich was...
(1825—1899), son of Thomas Bogumile Jean — Russian Infantry General and politician, hero of the CaucasusCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Russo-Turkish wars, member of the State Council of Imperial RussiaState Council of Imperial RussiaThe State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
; - Nikolai Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-MirskiiNikolai Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-MirskiiPrince Nikolai Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-Mirskii was a Russian cavalry general and politician. In 1895 he purchased the famed Mir Castle Complex, repaired and rebuilt it....
, (1833—1898), a younger brother of Dmitry Ivanovitch — hero of the CaucasusCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Russo-Turkish wars, atamanAtamanAtaman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
of the Don Cossack Voisko, member of the State Council of Imperial RussiaState Council of Imperial RussiaThe State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics.... - Pyotr Dmitrievich Sviatopolk-MirskiiPyotr Dmitrievich Sviatopolk-MirskiiPrince Pyotr Dmitrievich Sviatopolk-Mirskii was a Russian politician and police official, Minister of the Interior in 1904–1905. He was the son of the general Dmitry Ivanovitch Sviatopolk-Mirskii and father of the literary historian D. S. Mirsky....
(1857—1914), son of Dmitry Ivanovitch — the governor of PenzaPenza-Honors:A minor planet, 3189 Penza, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1978, is named after the city.-Notable residents:...
and Vilna gubernias, Minister of Interior of RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Dmitry Petrovich Mirsky (1890—1939, pen name Dmitry S. Mirsky), son of Pyotr Dmitrievich — Russian writer, historian and essayist
External links
- Genealogical tree — in Russian
- History of the family — in Russian
- Biography of Dmitry Petrovich Sviatopolk-Mirskii — in English