Prince
Boris Grigorievich Yusupov,
Chamberlain in 1730, General Governor of
Moscow in 1738, Senator (18 June 1695,
Moscow – 3 March 1759,
Moscow), son of
Prince Grigori, was sent to study with the French Navy at the age of 20. He soon became the Tsar's advisor, and eventually served three sovereigns. During the reign of Empress
Elizabeth he was appointed head of the Imperial Schools. In 1756, he encouraged the Empress to form the first Public Theatre in
St. Petersburg. He married Irina Mikhailovna Zinovyeva (1718 – 25 March 1788), daughter of Steward Mikhail Petrovich Zinoviev, in 1734. Besides their only male child, the youngest, she also gave birth to four daughters: •
Yevdokiya Borisovna Yusupova 5 May (NS: 16 May) 1743,
Moscow – 19 July (NS: 8 July) 1780,
Saint Petersburg), married on 6 March 1774,
Mitava (Mittau) (divorced in 1777 or 1778), as his second wife, to
Peter von Biron, the last Duke of
Kurland (1769–1795) and the first Duke of
Sagan (1786–1795) (15 February 1724,
Mitava (Mittau) – 13 January 1800,
Schloss Gellenau), without offspring • Alexandra Borisovna Yusupova (1744–1791), married to Senator Ivan Mikhailovich Izmailov (30 January 1724 – 10 November 1787) • Elisaveta Borisovna Yusupova (27 April 1745 – 29 August 1770), married on 13 February 1764 to General-Major Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Galitzine (15 August 1729 – 23 February 1770), with large offspring • Anna Borisovna Yusupova (1749–1772), married in 1771 to Alexander Yakovlevich Protasov (1742 – 27 April 1799),
Chamberlain, Senator, Tutor of
Alexander I Boris's eldest son, Prince
Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (1751–1831), Senator, Minister of State Properties and Director of the Imperial Theatres, was a keen traveller who spoke five languages and was also a patron of the arts. Nicholas served under a series of sovereigns, including
Catherine the Great,
Paul I and
Alexander I as a private councillor and
diplomat. As a diplomat, Nikolai travelled throughout Europe, to France and
Versailles, where he met
Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette, to Germany and
Prussia, where he met
Frederick the Great, to Austria, where he met Emperor
Joseph II, and to Italy. During his journey he purchased a large collection of art for the tsar and was later appointed director of the
Hermitage and the
Kremlin Armoury. In 1804, Nicholas went to Paris and frequently met
Napoleon I, who presented him with a gift of three large
tapestries. In 1793 Nikolai married
Tatiana Vasilievna von Engelhardt (1 January 1769 – 23 May 1841), one of
Prince Potemkin's nieces. The couple lived together in
Arkhangelskoye Estate, their luxurious summer residence in
Moscow. Nicholas built his own porcelain factory there, with much of the workers coming from France. In 1831 Nicholas died at the age of 80 and was succeeded by his second and only living son, Boris, since their elder son, Nikolai, died in infancy. At the age of 42, Prince Boris Nikolaievich Yusupov (9 June 1794,
Moscow – 25 October 1849,
Arkhangelskoye Estate), Marshal of the Imperial Court, inherited his immense family wealth, including more than 675,000 acres (2730 km2) of land and more than 40,000 serfs living on it. But unlike his father, Boris was not a patron of the arts. Instead, he was primarily occupied with business concerns. Boris moved to the
Moika palace in St. Petersburg (also known as Yusupov Palace) with his second wife, Zenaida Ivanovna Narishkina (18 May 1810 – 26 February 1893), a descendant of the same house as
Peter the Great's mother, and their only son Nikolai. The Arkhangelskoye palace was soon derelict; the animals in the palace zoo were sold and much of the collection moved. Boris focused on the family granaries and developed good relationships with the peasants who worked in them. He died in 1849. Boris's only son,
Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (12 October 1827,
Moscow – 31 July 1891,
Baden-Baden), Marshal of the Imperial Court, was much like his uncle
Nicholas I, a patron of the arts. He first served in Nicholas's chancery. Nikolai bought a large collection of jewellery, including a 36 carat (7.2 g) diamond known as the Morocco Sultan. The prince later spent much of his time in Southern Europe due to poor health, while also serving the tsar as a diplomat. While in Europe, he bought much to adorn his palace on the Moika, including collections of violins and paintings. He married
Countess Tatiana Alexandrovna de Ribeaupierre (29 June 1828 – 14 January 1879), a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, daughter of Comte Alexandre de Ribeaupierre and his wife
Ekaterina Mikhailovna Potemkina, another niece of
Prince Potemkin. The prince was also a talented musician and composer and was a member of several musical societies. In 1866, he published a book about Yusupov family history,
On the Family of the Yusupov Princes: A Collection of Their Life Stories, Charters and Letters of the Russian Sovereigns to Them. ==20th century==