Categories
Nobility was transferred by inheritance or was bestowed by a fount of honour.
- Ancient nobility—which the descendants of Rurik and Gediminas and boyars inherited: e.g., the Shuyskies, Galitzins, Naryshkins, Khilkoffs, Gorchakovs, Belosselsky-Belozerskys and Chelyadnins.
- Titled nobility—there were three titles:
- Prince (knyaz Князь): e.g., Prince Potemkin or Prince Felix Yusupov
- Count (graf Граф): e.g., Count Tolstoy
- Baron (baron Барон): e.g., Baron Pahlen
- Hereditary nobility— routinely inherited by heirs
- Personal nobility—granted for the personal merits of the recipient.
- Unpropertied nobility—was obtained without the allotment and securing of a landed estate.
Unlike the ancient nobility, which was exclusively hereditary, the remaining classes of nobility could be acquired. A newly designated noble was usually entitled to landownership. A loss of land did not automatically mean loss of nobility. In later Imperial Russia, higher ranks of state service (see Table of Ranks) were automatically granted nobility, not necessarily associated with landownership.
Titled nobility (титулованное дворянство) was the highest category: those who had titles such as prince, count and baron. The latter two titles were introduced by Peter the Great. A baron or count could be either proprietary (actual) ( владетельный (действительный))—i.e., who owned land in the Russian Empire—or titular (титулярный), i.e., only endowed with the title.
Hereditary nobility (потомственное дворянство) was transferred to wife, children, and further direct legal descendants along the male line. In exceptional cases, the emperor could transfer nobility along indirect or female lines, e.g., to preserve a notable family name.
Personal nobility (личное дворянство) was transferable only to the wife and was of much lower prestige.
Unpropertied nobility (беспоместное дворянство) was nobility gained by state service, but which was not entitled to land ownership.
In addition, the ancient nobility (Древнее дворянство) was recognized, descendants of historical boyars and knyazes.
Russian did not employ a nobiliary particle (as von in German or de in French) before a surname, but Russian noblemen were accorded an official salutation that varied by their ranks: your nobility (ваше благородие), your high nobility (ваше высокоблагородие), your high ancestry (ваше высокородие), etc.
Read more about this topic: Russian Nobility
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