Zinaida Yusupova, mother of Felix Yusupov the assassin of Rasputin

Intro

Zinaida Yusupova (1861-1939) was known at court as ‘the Radiant’ and all those who had contact with her said that she was surrounded by a halo of light, which gave her warmth and tenderness. Gentleness of character and firmness of decision combined surprisingly well in her. Zinaida was the owner of millions and a truly enormous fortune and was one of the few who could frankly tell the monarchs what she thought of them. And you will find out who will be right in the end!

Key points

In this article on Zinaida Yusupova, a rich and generous Russian princess, we will analyse the following key points:

• Zinaida, beautiful and well educated, was born into the Yusupov family, one of the noblest and richest families in the Russian Empire, also famous for its generosity and various philanthropic activities.
• She married for love to Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, a simple Guard officer, and had four children, of whom only two survived, Nikolai and Felix.
• Zinaida inherited the entire family fortune, becoming the richest woman in Russia, but she is known not only for her radiant charm, but above all as a patron of the arts and for her numerous charitable activities.
• In 1908, Zinaida lost her eldest son Nikolai, who was killed in a duel, and became increasingly attached to her only surviving son, Felix.
• During this period, Grigorij Rasputin gained more and more power at court. He had a strong influence especially on Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, to whom Zinaida unabashedly expressed her contempt for Rasputin. From then on, relations between the two women broke down.
• Zinaida’s son, Felix Yusupov, was the organiser of the murder of Grigorij Rasputin in December 1916.
• During the Revolution, the Yusupovs left Russia to pursue their philanthropic activities in Rome. After the death of her husband, Zinaida moved to Paris where she died in 1939.
• Zinaida owned the largest collection of historical jewellery in Russia, second only to that of the Russian imperial family. Famous is the pearl La Pelegrina, with which she is portrayed in François Flameng’s painting.

Early years

Zinaida Yusupova was born into one of the noblest and richest families in the Russian Empire: her father, Nicholas Borisovich Yusupov, the last prince of the Yusupov family, owned factories, manufactures, mines, estates and properties, whose annual income exceeded 15 million gold roubles.

Despite living in wealth and luxury, the Yusupovs were famous for their generosity, modesty and helpfulness. Zinaida’s father founded several charities and maintained an institute for deaf-mutes.

The princess was born in 1861 and from her earliest years was distinguished by her external beauty. In particular, what attracted attention were her grey, sparkling eyes, which contemporaries often compared to shining stars. I must admit that the portraits and photographs that have survived to the present day fully convey the idea of this woman’s beauty.

The Yusupov house was always open to famous people of science and art, thanks to whom Zinaida and her sister Tatiana received a brilliant education. Think that already at the age of seven, the young princesses were able to hold a conversation on various topics and were extremely interesting interlocutors.

Marriage with Felix Sumarokov-Elston

Yusupova soon became the most sought-after bride in all of Russia. Her son Felix recounted: ‘Famous Europeans, even august ones, asked for her hand in marriage, but she refused them all, wanting to choose a groom of her own taste. Grandfather dreamed of seeing his daughter on the throne and was now saddened that she was not ambitious. And he was completely shocked when he heard that she was to marry Count Sumarokov-Elston, a simple officer in the Guard‘.

Zinaida dreamed of marrying someone she liked, who was able to touch her heart. The lucky man was Felix Sumarokov-Elston, an officer of the Guard and, as contemporaries noted, a rather ordinary person.

Not being particularly famous and not having such a great fortune and position in society, the lieutenant charmed Zinaida with his manners and sharp mind and the two married in 1882. The groom took his wife’s name and title, as the noble Yusupov family had no heirs in the male line.

Memories of her son Felix

Despite the difference in interests and completely opposite characters, this marriage turned out to be a happy one and a year later Zinaida gave birth to her firstborn son, Nikolai. In total, she gave birth to four children, but only two, Nikolai and Felix, survived.

This is how her son Felix Yusupov later remembered her:

‘My mother was wonderful. Tall, thin, graceful, dark-haired, with eyes that shone like stars. Intelligent, cultured, artistic, kind. No one could resist her charm. But she did not boast of her gifts; she was simplicity and modesty personified. ‘The more you are given,’ she repeated to me and my brother, ‘the more you owe to others. Be modest. If you are superior to others in anything, God forbid that you show it to them‘.

Felix idolised his mother.

Philanthropy activities

Zinaida Yusupova is basically remembered as a patron of the arts, not as the richest woman in Russia. In the difficult pre-revolutionary times, the princess felt that her main duty was to help those in need of funds, support and advice. Owner of an enormous fortune, she donated millions of dollars to charity.

‘Wherever Mum went in, she brought light with her,’ Felix continues. And not surprisingly, she spent a lot of energy, time and money on charity. Under her patronage were numerous institutions: orphanages, hospitals, gymnasiums, churches, and not only in St Petersburg but all over the country. During the Russo-Japanese War, she worked on a military medical train.

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich described her as ‘a woman of rare beauty and deep spiritual culture’.

At balls she had no equal: she danced better than any ballerina, delighting guests and representatives of the royal family. It is no coincidence that her contemporaries described Zinaida Yusupova as a woman capable of charming anyone.

The curse of the Yusupov family

In 1908 the Princess suffered a terrible loss. Her eldest son Nicholas was killed in a duel. His death was a severe blow to his mother, who never recovered from her grief. Zinaida suffered a nervous breakdown and her only comfort was her youngest son Felix.

There were also rumours about the curse of the Yusupov family: as if in every generation only one child could remain alive in that family, the others died before reaching the age of 26.

Zinaida and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

At that time, turmoil began in the country. Grigorij Rasputin, who became Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s main passion, gained considerable influence at court.

During the last meeting between Yusupova and the Tsarina in the summer of 1916, the princess directly expressed her contempt for Rasputin, and this is how Felix Yusupov remembers that day: ‘…’. the Tsarina, who was listening to her in silence, stood up and parted from her with the words: ‘I hope never to see you again’.

The princess was not at all disturbed by those words. Having a firm character, she did not change her mind and was not afraid to tell the members of the monarchy even the most unpleasant truth.

Felix Yusupov organiser of Rasputin’s murder

The fate of Felix also became a cause for maternal agitation. He was indeed the organiser of the murder of Grigorij Rasputin on 30 December 1916. His mother supported him: ‘You killed the monster that was tormenting the country. You are right. I am proud of you‘.

It is worth noting that many contemporaries considered Zinaida Yusupova to be politically astute, with a statesmanlike mind. Even ministers listened to her judgements.

In 1917, medical lieutenant Kastritsky, returning from Tobolsk, where the royal family was under arrest, read to Yusupova the last message from Emperor Nicholas II: ‘When you see Princess Yusupova, tell her that I realised the correctness of her warnings. If they had been heeded, many tragedies would have been avoided‘.

Exile and death

After the revolution, like many noble families, the Yusupovs left Russia and were able to take some of the family’s valuables abroad. In Rome, where the princess settled, she continued her charity work, helping emigrants find work and accommodation.

The journalist Shostakovsky, who met Yusupova in the 1920s, wrote: ‘The most intelligent of them turned out to be old Yusupova. … The old princess did not dwell on the past. …In short, she not only accepted the present situation as inevitable, but also tried to make it easier for others to take a new path, to give them a chance to earn a piece of bread‘.

After her husband’s death, Zinaida Yusupova moved to Paris, to her son and his wife, where she died in 1939, aged 78.

The jewels of Zinaida Yusupova

As the head of one of Russia’s most important noble families, Zinaida inherited a vast fortune, which meant owning the largest collection of historical jewellery in Russia, second only to that of the Russian imperial family!

She was in possession of 21 tiaras, 255 brooches, 42 bracelets, 210 kilos of assorted art objects and hundreds of thousands of loose gems. Some of the most famous gems were: the mid-16th-century ‘La Pelegrina pearl’, the ‘Polar Star Diamond’ (41.28 carats), the ‘La Regente Pearl’ (fifth largest pearl in the world), the 17th-century ‘Ram’s Head Diamond’ (17.47 carats), the 17th-century ‘Sultan of Morocco Diamond’ (35.67 carats, fourth largest blue diamond in the world), the 17th-century ‘Marie Antoinette’s Diamond Earrings’ (two 34.59 carats diamonds).

Following her escape during the Russian Revolution, Zinaida was forced to leave all her financial assets behind in Russia: her entire jewel collection was hidden in a secret vault in the Moika Palace in the hope of keeping them when she returned to Russia but they were found and sold by the Bolsheviks in 1925. During her exile, however, she managed to take the most important jewels and those of historical significance with her and had them sold to finance her family’s life.

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