Repnin

Princely arms of the family

The Repnin coat of arms is composed of the emblems of Kiev and Chernigov.

Repnin (Russian: Репнин), the name of an old Russian princely family of Rurikid stock. The family traces its name to Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (+1523), nicknamed Repnya, i.e., "bad porridge". Like other princes Obolensky, he descended from Mikhail Vsevolodovich, prince of Chernigov, who, in 1246, was assassinated by the Mongols.

Notable members of the family include:

• Princess Elena Mikhailovna Repnina (ru) was 1st wife of future tsar Vasily Shuisky. The date of marriage is unknown, although they are mentioned together in 1580 as the witnesses in the description of Ivan IV's wedding with Maria Nagaya. She had no children and died possibly in 1592, hypothetically - as the divorced woman in the monastery. The information about her is quite poor. Her grave is unknown. Only in 1608 Vasily took the 2nd wife Maria Buynosova-Rostovskaya who become his only tsarina.
• Prince Boris Aleksandrovich Repnin, a boyar since 1639, who managed a number of prikazes, governed Astrakhan in 1643-46 and Smolensk in 1656-59, and frequently presided over the Boyar Duma in the absence of the tsar. He died on 17 May 1670 in Moscow.
• Prince Anikita Ivanovich Repnin (1668-1726), his grandson, who was one of the Russian commanders during the Great Northern War, ending his military career as Field Marshal and Minister of Defense.
• Prince Vasily Anikitovich Repnin (1696-1748), the latter's son, who was the tutor of Peter III of Russia and director of the Cadet Corps. He was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Rhenish expedition of 1748, was instrumental in bringing about the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), but died on his way home.
• Prince Nikolay Vasilievich Repnin (1734-1801), the latter's son, probably the most illustrious member of the family, noted for his involvement in the Polish affairs and his decisive actions during the Russo-Turkish Wars. He had three daughters and a natural son (Ivan Pnin) but no legitimate male heir, hence Alexander I permitted his grandson Prince Nikolai Volkonsky to take the name Repnin and coat of arms of his grandfather. His descendants are known as Princes Repnin-Volkonsky.

External links

• (French) Website of the Repnin family
• (Russian) Repnin family pedigree
• (Russian) Genealogy and biographies
• Grand Duchess Olga Repnin-Volkonkaya