Felix Sumarokov-Elston

Count Felix Nikolaievich Sumarokov-Elston ( _ru. Феликс Николаевич Сумароков-Эльстон) (24 January 1820 – 30 October 1877) was a Russian general.

Rumored that Felix Elston was an illegitimate son of Countess Ekaterina Tiesenhausen, Dame of Honour of King Frederick William IV of Prussia's sister, Empress Alexandra of Russia (a maternal granddaughter of Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov) and Prince Augustus of Prussia, who was a son of Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia and grandson of King Frederick William I of Prussia, or, according to his son's memories, King Frederick William IV of Prussia, he was actually the illegitimate son of Karl Alexander Anselm Freiherr von Hügel (Regensburg, April 25, 1795 – Brussels, June 2, 1870, himself the son of Johann Aloys Josef Hügel, later 1st Freiherr von Hügel (Koblenz, November 14, 1753 – Regensburg, 1826 and wife, married in 1787, ... Holthof) by Jozefa Gräfin Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka (Košice (Kassa), April 8, 1790 – 1868), a relative of Gyula Andrássy, married (in Košice (Kassa), February 7, 1808) to Miklós Graf Forgách de Ghymes et Gács (1784 – Nagyszalánc (Slanec), January 10, 1857), by whom she had three sons, all of whom died unmarried and without any issue. Recent investigations taken by one of his great-granddaughters and an English genealogist praticly confirm this late ancestry ["A la Découverte de Leurs Racines" - Joseph Valynseele et Denis Grando - L' Intermediaire des Chercheurs et Curieux - Paris, 1988] , not explaining, however, the motives why he didn't use his father's name but Elston, his English nanny's surname.

He was prominent during the Siege of Sevastopol and was promoted to Colonel in 1855. After his marriage in 1865 with the Heiress of Counts Sumarokov, he received the title of Count Sumarokov-Elston. By Imperial Decree of September 8, 1859 he was authorized to use the hereditary title of his father-in-law, with the condition of using his surname. From 23 August 1863 to 3 February 1869 he was an Ataman of Kuban Cossacks and from 1865 he was a governor of Kuban.

During his military service Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston received numerous awards, including Order of St. Vladimir of 1st degree, Order of St. Stanislav of 1st degree, Order of St. Anna of 1st degree with crown and others.

After 1868 he left military service because of poor health and lived abroad. He was a Russian representative at the wedding of Prince Milan of Serbia, in 1875 he was attached to King Oscar II of Sweden during his visitation of Russia. In 1875 he was appointed the head of the Kharkov military district.

From his marriage with Countess Elena Sergeievna Sumarokova (September 5, 1829 – April 15, 1901) (daughter of Count Sergei Pavlovich Sumarokov (1791-1875) and wife Marchioness Aleksandra Pavlovna Maruzzi (ca 1808-1857)) he had seven children, including Count Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston, later prince Yusupov, who was the father of Prince Felix Yusupov.

References

*
*"A la Découverte de Leurs Racines" - Joseph Valynseele et Denis Grando - L' Intermediaire des Chercheurs et Curieux - Paris, 1988

External links

* [http://admkrai.kuban.ru/kazachestvo/leaders/ Atamans of Kuban Cossacks]
* [http://history.km.ru/yug/1832_kazak.htm History of Kuban Cossacks]
* [http://www.vgd.ru/S/sumrokov.htm All Russia Family Tree]