Zirkoff B. - Genealogical Tables & Notes On The Genealogical Tables: Difference between revisions

The great-great-grandson of St. Mihail, Prince Konstantin Ivanovich (d. 1368), ruled over the town of Obolensk, on the Protva river, and was the originator of the Princes Obolensky, a renowned family in the annals of Russia. His younger son was Prince Andrey Konstantinovich Obolensky (middle of XVth century), and it is the latter’s son, Prince Ivan Andreyevich, who became known by the nickname of “Dolgorukoy” which meant “long-handed,” “far-reaching,” and had to do with his ability to detect his enemies wherever they may have been hiding. This was a purely personal characteristic, and therefore, in accordance with Russian grammatical rules, the term could not be applied to the descendants in any other but the genitive case, ''i.e., Dolgorukov'' in singular, and ''Dolgorukovi'' in the plural form. However, as time went on, many of the direct descendants of Prince Ivan Andreyevich signed themselves both ''Dolgorukoy'' and ''Dolgorukiy'', the latter being a corruption of the original form of that name. A descriptive name closely akin to this is the Latin name of ''Longimanus''.

This elder line stems from Prince Vladimir Ivanovich’s son, Semyon Vladimirovich Dolgorukov, and acquired a reputation in the days of his grandson, Prince Ivan Andreyevich, nicknamed “Shiban” (d. 1590) who became a military hero. His grandson, Prince Feodor Feodorovich Dolgorukov (d. 1664) is the first individual of this line indicated on the accompanying Genealogical Table, and it is from him that the line descends down to Princess Helena Pavlovna Dolgorukov (1789-1860), H. P. Blavatsky’s maternal grandmother, who had such a marked influence on H.P.B.’s education and upbringing. With this remarkable woman, the Elder Line of the Dolgorukov became extinct.