Table of contents:
- Coats of arms of the Russian nobility: traditions of Western European knights
- What mottos were written on the family coats of arms?
- The motto is an expression of your convictions and attitudes
Video: Forgotten Traditions of the Russian Elite: What Mottos Did Noble Families Have
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Then - the motto on the coat of arms, now - the status in social networks, but in fact, the meaning of the motto comes down to designating your existence in the world, and even better - not only your own, but the whole family. The desire to preserve your name in history, to give it weight not only with high-profile deeds, but also with signs of your belonging to those who are marked by a noble birth and the grace of the sovereign - that was what stood behind the "statuses" of past centuries.
Coats of arms of the Russian nobility: traditions of Western European knights
Mottos were part of the noble family coats of arms. Initially, coats of arms appeared as identification marks for knights who fought in battles and in tournaments fully dressed in armor. Therefore, the coat of arms was created in the form of a shield; it was supplemented with other elements that often have a special meaning for the genus. The motto, a short dictum on the coat of arms, was written on a ribbon at the bottom of the shield. Initially, it was a knightly battle cry, or words reminiscent of an important event in the history of the family, or the life credo of the owner of the coat of arms.
The motto on the coat of arms might not have been at all, besides, the owner could change it. By the way, the term "motto" itself once had a different meaning, representing not words, but figures on the coat of arms - those that were placed on top of other images on the shield. But over time, only the inscription began to be called so, in most cases composed in Latin - this tradition has been preserved in relation to the coats of arms of Russian noble families.
Of course, after returning from the Grand Embassy, the diplomatic mission in Europe, Peter I could not ignore this Western tradition of creating family symbols. The nobles in Russia began to acquire their own coats of arms, the clans had their own verbal formulas - mottos. The first Russian count was Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (born in 1652, died in 1719). During his long career in the state field, he was a boyar, participated in various diplomatic missions abroad, showed himself in the war with the Swedes in 1700 - 1721. The title was given to Sheremetev in 1706 for the successful suppression of the uprising in Astrakhan. By this time, Boris Petrovich had already been awarded the rank of field marshal.
Under Peter, the position of master of arms arose, and the rules were established according to which a nobleman could claim an officially recognized family coat of arms. To do this, it was required to documentarily confirm their origin and services to the sovereign, draw up a coat of arms and, if desired, a motto for it, taking into account the rules. This sign of a noble family acquired legal force after being approved by the highest name. The case was quite expensive, and therefore only wealthy nobles started to create a coat of arms. After its inception, he decorated the entrance gates to the owner's territory, the pediment of his house, as well as carriages, books, writing papers and, finally, tombstones. The family coat of arms was inherited. The motto also passed over - even in those cases when the new owner did not follow the credo that was written on the coat of arms.
What mottos were written on the family coats of arms?
As the book "Mottos of Russian Coats of Arms" of 1882 reported, "". They were still written, as a rule, in Latin, but some coats of arms included mottos in Russian.
In 1710, an associate of Peter I, Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin, received the title of count, coat of arms and motto in Latin, which read: "This coat of arms gave valor."Peter Andreevich Tolstoy (born in 1645, died in 1729) was awarded the count's title and coat of arms by Catherine I, Peter's wife, in 1726, on the day of coronation. Such the highest mercy was deserved - Tolstoy held important positions, and among other things, he returned to Russia the fugitive Tsarevich Alexei. By her decree, Catherine recognized Tolstoy's merits both before the emperor, who had already died by that time, and before herself, since the accession to the throne of the empress took place, among other things, thanks to this loyal nobleman. The motto of Tolstoy - as well as of his descendants, including the writer Lev Nikolayevich, became the phrase "Devotion and diligence."
Another ally of Peter, who also took part in the affair with Tsarevich Alexei, was Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev, once the emperor's orderly. Rumyantsev was the governor of Kazan and Astrakhan, commanded the army and won great success in the diplomatic field. He, too, was given the title of count. Rumyantsev's son, Peter Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, became a commander under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and the words “Not only weapons” became the motto inscribed on the family's coat of arms.
The rulers of the Russian Empire celebrated with noble privileges and honors not only military leaders, but also those thanks to whom the country became an industrial power. Among them were the Demidovs, who own factories in the Urals. Nikita Demidovich Antufiev once opened an iron-smelting plant near Tula, and his son, Akinfy Nikitich Demidov, was awarded the title of count. The clan motto sounded like this: "By deeds, not by words."
The merchant Shelikhov Grigory Ivanovich, who was a traveler, went on an expedition to Alaska, visited the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. "By faith and diligence" - these words were written on the family coat of arms of the Shelikhovs. This privilege - to receive the family coat of arms along with the inherited title of nobility - was granted to the widow Natalya after Shelikhov's death. And in 1797, Ilya Andreevich Bezborodko was marked by the royal grace. He devoted himself from an early age to military service, fought with Kutuzov near Izmail, and received a golden sword with diamonds as a reward. Bezborodko founded a gymnasium in the city of Nizhyn, which was supported by him and his descendants. Later, this gymnasium became a lyceum, and then - the Historical and Philological Institute. The motto of Counts Bezborodko was: "By work and diligence."
The motto is an expression of your convictions and attitudes
Most of the sayings, immortalized on family coats of arms, concerned the appeal to God or the expression of deep faith. The motto of the Bestuzhev-Ryumin was "In God is my salvation", the Derzhavin - "I hold on to the power of the highest", the Lopukhins - "God is my hope", the Lermontovs - "My lot, Jesus." Actually, the motto of the Russian Empire, written on the coat of arms, read "God is with us."
A significant number of mottos related to noble honor and valor, as well as the readiness to devote them and their own lives to the sovereign and fatherland. The princes Vasilchikovs chose as their credo "Life to the Tsar, honor to no one", Counts Vorontsovs - "Eternally unshakable fidelity", Counts Suvorovs - "For faith and loyalty." The motto of Counts Zavadovsky is interesting: "It is better to be granted than to be born a count."
The life credo proclaimed on the coat of arms could refer to work, to any of the types of useful activity that the owner of the title and coat of arms chose for himself and his heirs as the main one. The Tretyakovs 'motto was “By deed, not by word”, the Sklifosofskys' motto was “Power is in knowledge”.
There was another category of sayings on the coat of arms of the nobility - it included those that were notable for understatement, excessive brevity, and therefore gave the impression of a kind of riddle, a formula filled with deep philosophical meaning. These were the motto of Counts Bryusov - "We were", Maikovs - "I will not stay", Stroganovs - "Life in energy", Ponomarevs - "Peace in storms".
The Goncharov family chose the words "In honest work - success" as its motto, which was at odds with the real state of affairs already at the time of Count Afanasy Nikolayevich, grandson and namesake of Afanasy Goncharov, who founded linen, paper, iron-making factories and lived a really active life. The heir to his grandfather's empire squandered his fortune, and the glorious name of the Goncharovs was somewhat compromised, until the time when Natalia, the wife of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, again attracted attention to him.
But the motto of the counts Arakcheevs "Betrayed without flattery" evil tongues changed to "Demon betrayed", a phenomenon in history infrequent, and therefore attracting attention. Emperor Paul I in 1797, contained information about three thousand family coats of arms. Before the October Revolution in 1917, there were already five thousand of them.
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