Felix Youssoupoff

Felix Felixovitch Youssoupoff or Felix Ioussoupoff or Felix Youssoupov , translation of Russian ФеликсФеликсовичЮсупов, prince Youssoupoff and count Soumakoroff-Elston, (Russian: КнязьЮсуповиГрафСумакоров-Эльстон) was born in 1887 and died in 1967, Russian prince, predicate of Sérénissime Highness admitted like the equivalent of Russian сиятельство.

“Richer than the tsar”

Wire junior by the princess Zenaide Youssoupoff and the count Felix Soumakoroff-Elston, it receives in 1894, by ukase special of the Tsar Alexandre III the right to take the “names, titles and weapons” of the prestigious Youssoupoff family whose his/her mother was the downward last. The Youssoupoff family, of Arab and Tartar origin went down in hot line from `Ali and Khans Nogai. By his father, Felix Youssoupoff, he is the great-grandson of the king Frederic-Guillaume IV of Prussia. The death of his/her older brother, Nicolas, at the time of a duel in 1907 fact of him the heir to largest fortune to Russia and the richest man to Europe.

His/her mother, the Zenaïde princess, was indeed famous being richer than the tsar himself. In 1917, its fortune was estimated at 600 million dollars of the time (nearly 100 billion dollars current!) and was made up of several million of hectares of grounds - one of the Youssoupoff properties, on the Caspian one extended on nearly 250 kilometers length - participations in more than 3000 companies, of whole districts of Moscow and Saint-Pétersbourg and of a superb collection of works of Article the family generally lay in his palate of 94, quai de la Moïka at Saint-Pétersbourg but also in his Muscovite field of Arkhangelskoye, with the villa of Koreiz in the Crimea like in the immense field of Rakinoye.

This fortune came from the grounds of Khans Nogai, preserved by their descendants but also of the received gifts of the Tsars in reward of the services rendered by Youssoupoff. The grandfather of Felix, the prince Nicolas Borisovitch Youssoupoff will be also, in the middle of the XIXe century, one of the first members of the Russian nobility to invest an important part of his fortune in the industrialization of Russia. Certain Youssoupoff properties, like Rakinoye, became thus of true industrial centers, employing several tens of thousands of people.

A complex personality

After a young jet set, Felix Youssoupoff married the large-duchess Irina Alexandrovna, niece of Nicolas II. From this union was born the princess Irina Felixovna Youssoupoff known as “Baby”, died in 1983, wife of the count Nicolas Cheremeteff. The couple Youssoupoff, a priori so dissimilar, will resist all the tests.

Equipped with a great intelligence and very sure artistic tastes, prince Felix Youssoupoff caused scandal during his youth by his life dissolue. Its beauty and its aspect androgyne give him the possibility of being disguised as a woman. At the time of one evening pétersbourgeoise, grimé as a light singer, he will be recognized thanks to the sumptuous jewels borrowed from the ECRIN of his mother… He will also have fun to wander in Saint-Pétersbourg disguised while begging.

Bisexual assumed, it will be dependant besides with the large-duke Dimitri Pavlovitch, first cousin of Nicolas II. It will also multiply the female connections.

These behaviors do not prevent it from being a close relation of the large-duchess large duchess Elisabeth, sister of the tsarina and widow of the large duke Serge. The latter, become nun after the assassination of her husband in 1905, will be the spiritual director and the confidante of the Felix young person, passably upset by the death of her brother.

In 1909, it leaves to continue its studies in England. Prince Felix Youssoupoff is in 1913 graduate of Oxford where it founded the circle of the Russian students.

Raspoutine and Felix Youssoupoff

Of return in Russia, the ascent which Raspoutine exerts on the imperial family the fact of suffering and plunges it in a deep sadness. The staretz envoûte the tsarina and puts in danger the throne of Russia.

Another assumption, evoked in particular by Vladimir Volkoff, would explain the resolution of the Felix young person by his membership of the English secret services. Those, frightened by the influence of very the germanophile Raspoutine, pushed prince Youssoupoff to remove it while being based on its relations and its quasi legal immunity.

By killing Raspoutine, Felix Youssoupoff will undoubtedly exert a revenge. His/her father, the Youssoupoff general, general governor of Moscow, had been spectacularly dismissed in 1915 to have criticized the imperial mode. His/her mother, the Zenaide princess, had also been declared undesirable at the Court after having asked the Tsarina to return Raspoutine.

The organization of the plot

In 1916, he heard a conversation relating to " Grichka " (diminutive of Gregori) Raspoutine. This conversation took place between Russian monarchists among whom Vladimir Pourichkevitch was. Its decision was made: it is necessary, by all the means, to prevent the staretz from harming holy Russia. For that, Felix starts, in spite of his repulsion for Raspoutine, to bind with him pretexting any disease which requires meetings of hypnotism. Then he seeks accomplices who will be able to come to him to assistance to conclude his company. In same time, he imagines a plan to attract Raspoutine at his place with the palate of Moïka with Saint-Pétersbourg, in order to assassinate it.

Felix Ioussoupov informs certain people on his intentions with regard to the staretz. A group of men exceeded by the scandalous life and the danger which " makes run; Grichka " with the throne of Russia approaches the prince. It is about the deputy of right-hand side Vladimir Pourichkevitch, of the large-duke Dimitri Pavlovitch, of the knight keeps Soukhotine and of doctor de Lazovert who will provide cyanide.

The achieved assassination, prince Ioussoupov and his accomplices will be unable to keep silence. The Tsarina will claim the immediate execution of Youssoupoff and Dimitri Pavlovitch. But the authorities pétersbourgeoises refused to stop the persons in charge of an act supported by the population. Felix will be finally assigned with residence in his field of Rakitnoye (oblast of Koursk) by Nicolas II of Russia after being heard by the president of the Council.

" In exil"

In 1919, It was constrained to leave Russia. Its presence of mind and its direction of the negotiation will enable him to save part of its in-laws.

Installed initially in London, prince Youssoupoff was one of the mainstays of the Russian Red Cross. In 1920, it is established with his wife in Paris where it created the Irfé designers house, his wife will be used to him as mannequin to present the various models of its collection. Friend of Kessel, Cocteau or Boniface de Castellane, it remained until his death and in spite of his refusal of any political commitment, one of the great figures of the Russian emigration.

The colossal fortune of Youssoupoff had been confiscated by the Soviets since 1917. The assets placed abroad had been repatriated since 1914 for patriotic reasons. But Youssoupoff succeeded in saving many invaluable objects in the forefront of which one finds two Rembrandt and the pearl Pelegrina. Their sales will ensure them of average solids of subsistence. The charity of prince Youssoupoff, although discrete was important. Thus, it went to the bedside patients deprived of family and it helped financially the large-duke Theodore Alexandrovitch. Anti visceral Communist and resolutely anti Nazi, it also gave important money sums to resistance movements.

Prince Felix Youssoupoff is the author of several works. In 1927, it makes an opuscule entitled " I killed Rapoutine" clearing up the circumstances of the murder of the guru of the Tsarina. This work will be worth to him a lawsuit on behalf of Maria Raspoutine, girl of the victim. In the years 1950, Felix Félixovitch will publish his memories. These various works met an unquestionable success and are still regularly republished.

The assassination of Raspoutine will haunt prince Youssoupoff until his death, it was in prey with tough nightmares and painted worrying paintings representatives of the monsters semi-man, semi-animal, not being able more to support these tables representing these hideous figures, his/her daughter will sell them with dead his/her parents.

The prince and princess YOUSSOUPOFF lived in exile in France of 1920 with their deaths in 1967 and 1970. Their addresses in Paris and in Paris region were the following ones:

- Of 1920 to 1939: 27, rue Gutenberg, in the Boulogne-on-Seine. - Of 1939 to 1940: They rented a house in Sarcelles, street Victor Hugo. - Of 1940 to 1943: They lived successively street Agar and street the Fountain (XVIe district). - Of 1943 with their deaths: 38, rue Pierre Guérin (XVIe district).

It was buried with the cemetery of Holy-Genevieve-of-Wood (the Essonne) where it puts back in company of his wife the large duchess Irina Alexandrovna, of her mother, the count and the Cheremeteff countess.

The repatriation of the skins of Youssoupoff to the mausoleum of Arkhangelskoye is regularly evoked.

Youssoupoff today

In 2004, Xenia Sfiris, grand-daughter and single heiress of Felix Youssoupoff, required of the Federation of Russia to restore part of family fortune to him, alleging that the property was now a constitutional law in Russia and that the legal bases of the nationalizations of 1917 were non-existent. She concludes her letter with the president Putin by making share from her incomprehension owing to the fact that at the time of her visits with Saint-Pétersbourg, she is forced to go down to the hotel instead of residing in one of the family palates. These steps naturally led only to one refusal of the Russian authorities.

Xenia Sfiris remains nevertheless very related to Russia. A special ukase of Vladimir Poutine returned the citizenship Russian in 2000 to him. The heiress of Youssoupoff in addition chairs the French association of the friends of the theater Mariinsky.

Since the death of Felix Félixovitch, nobody officially raised the title of prince Youssoupoff even if its grand-daughter is sometimes regarded as such in Russia.

Sources

Nicolas II of Russia of Henri Troyat
" Mémoires" Prince Youssoupoff
" Princes Youssoupoff, counts Soumakoroff-Elston" Jacques Ferrrand

Internal bonds

Raspoutine
Vladimir Pourichkevitch
Irina Alexandrovna
Holy-Genevieve-of-Wood

Random links: