News and Curiosities of the Stael-Holstein Family

• Erik the Great Stael von Holstein (1749-1802) married Anne Louise Germaine Necker (1766-1817), who was a noted writer and great enemy of Napoleon I. Erik the Great belonged to the Swedish line.
  • Their son Matthias Albrecht was Aide-de-Camp of the Swedish Crown Prince Bernadotte and died in 1813 following a duel with an Official of the Russian-German Legion.
• Jacob Stael von Holstein, Major General of the Artillery, lived around 1659, died tragically, killed and betrayed by his brother-in-law Major General Baron Otto von Mengden and by that man’s son. Enemies for military and family reasons, they decided to meet in a duel that would have taken place on horseback with pistols
  • Except that, before the masters gave the signal to begin, Reinhold von Mengden galloped to his rival and with one shot from his pistol wounded Jacob’s hand, causing his pistol to fall. Supervened by his father Otto von Mengden they shot Jacob Stael von Holstein while he was wounded and unarmed, wounding him to death. He was executed under Judge Reinhold von Bengden.
• The Baron Alexander Carlovich Stael von Holstein was an official in the Corps of Hussars of Grodno (1802-1875). He married Sofia Nicolavna Shatilov (1816-1894) who brought with her the dowry of the properties of Alexevskoye, Nikolskoe and others, as well as a house in St. Petersburg. He took part in the operations of repression during the revolt in Poland (1830) and in the Crimean War (1854-55).
  • Sofia Shatilov, his wife, was a very beautiful and intelligent woman and had many admirers among her husband’s colleagues. The noted Russian poet Lermentov, who was also an Official of the Hussars of Grodno, wrote an epigram concerning her, playing also on the double meaning of the Russian word Stael (which in Russian means steel). You will see photos of Alexander Stael von Holstein and of Sofia Shatilov as well as a brief story of the Shatilov family and their coat-of-arms.

The Baroness of Stael Holstein (née Necker), noted writer

Baron Alexander Carlovich Stael Holstein (1802-1875)

Baron Alexander Carlovich Stael Holstein from a miniature by C. Vogdt. 1830

Baroness Sofia Nikolaevna Stael Holstein, (née Shatilov), from a miniature by Kronewetter. 1832

• Alexander S.v.H had four children:
  • Nicola (1833-1877), husband of Sofia Andrault de Longeron — you will see a historical nod to the Angrault de Longeron family as well as their coat of arms. He was the father of Alessandra (Sania) who married Paolo Primo Ruggeri Laderchi.
  • Anatole (1834-1890) married Elena Somov.
  • Olga (______ – 1890) married Count Cancrine; she had vast estates in Bessarabia and to stay close to her brother Nicola and to her sister-in-law Sofia she purchased near Voronezh the property of Otradnoe which she left in her death to the Staels. Her niece Sania (wife of Paolo Primo) inherited from her a monetary sum and some land in Bessarabia. Her daughter Ina’s first marriage was to Count Tolstoi and her second marriage was to Philip Worsdele who then became Lord Stanhope.
  • Lydie (_______-1906) Married Nicola Shabelsky. Her son Pasca had a daughter Anna who married the Marquis Nunziante della Mottola, an Italian; and a daughter Vera who married Friedman (Swiss). The descendants of the latter are still in Switzerland. Mare Friedman in her Villa di Siusi (Alto Adige) had a large painting of her grandmother Lydie rendered by a noted painter.
  • Nicola Stael de Holstein was, like his father Alexander, an Official of the Hussars of Grodno. He took part in the 1863 battle of Kruzzin (Polish revolt). In 1877-1878 he commanded the 2nd Cavalry Brigade during the war against Turkey. An oil-on-canvas painting, of which exist only photographs, while the original may be found at the Seat of the Regiment of Hussars of Grodno in Russia, depicts him on horseback in the middle of his troops in the battle of Gruzzin. The painting is by Kossak.

The children of Alexander Carlovich Stael Holstein: Nicola, wife Sofia Andrault de Langeron

Anatole, wife Helene Somov

Olga, husband Count Cancrine

Watercolor of Olga Stael Holstein, Countess Cancrine, by W. Hare, painted in 1854. Olga was 19 years old.

Nicola stael Holstein

Sofia Andrault de Langeron

Ina Concrine daughter of Olga, wife of Lord Stanhope

Lord Stanhope

Baron Nicola Alexanrovich Stael Holstein (1833-1887), husband of Sofia F. AdL

Sofia Feodorovna Andrault de Langeron.

Nicola Alexandrovich, officer of the Hussars of Grodno in the battle of Kruzzin. 1863 – Poland. Painted by Kossak.

The children of Nicola Alexandrovich Stael holstein and of Sofia Feodorovna Andrault de Langeron: olga, wife of Nicola Zweguintzow, and of F. F. Oom

Alessandra (sania), wife of Count Paolo (Paolo Primo) Ruggeri Laderch

George

Alessandra Stael Holstein at 12 years of age

at 19

at 35

at 43

The children of Alessandra Stael Holstein wife of Paolo Primo: Cesare II

Giorgio I

Olga

Alessandro I

Eleonora

Cesare II Ruggeri Laderchi, wife Pio di Savoia Principessa Margherita, therefrom Fiore Melacrinis Baroness Galiana Vittoria

Giorgio I, dead at 17

Olga, who died at 7 years of age

Alessandro I, who died at 27

Eleonora, husband Robert H. Klein

• Olga (1870-1938) husband Nicola Zweguintzov therefrom F.F. Oom from whom come the Zweguintzov relatives (see genealogical tree).
• Alessandra (Sania) (1871-1969), husband Count Paolo Primo Ruggeri Laderchi, from whom: Cesare (1896-), Giorgio (1899-1916), Olga (1907-1914), Eleonora (1910-) husband Robert H. Klein.
• George (1873-1921) did not marry and did not have children. He was accompanied by an Italian woman, formerly a ballerina, with whom he lived many years.
• The branch of the Barons Stael de Holstein of Voronezh was extinguished with Baron George, who died in 1921. Descendants of the German branch can actually be found in the USA in San Francisco. Barons Stael de Hostein of the branch that descends from Ivan (1798-1868) are actually in France. The famous painter Nicola Stael Holstein is a grandson of Ivan. Anatole Stael Holstein, Nicola’s brother, father of Sania Ruggeri Laderchi, loved to paint and traveled to Rome many winters in his life, where on Via Margutta he had a studio.
• Alessandra Stael Holstein, married Ruggeri Laderchi was taken to be baptized by the Grand-Duchess Alessandra, sister of the Tzar Alexander II. She received as a gift an icon in silver that depicts St. Alessandra. The icon is as long as Alessandra was measured to be at the moment of her birth. The icon is actually in the possession of Paolo II Ruggeri Laderchi. [Tr.: The icon is now in the possession of Sandra Frum, née Klein]

Alessandra died in 1969 at the notable age of 97 years; during her long life she held firm her great qualities of woman and mother, her capacity to amalgamate and understand everything, her innate goodness and her grand courtliness.
If Paolo Primo Ruggeri Laderchi, her husband, was the founder of the family and had the the temper of a founder, Alessandra Stael Holstein his wife, completed him in everything and contributed in a decisive manner to the formation of his character.
She is interred in San Remo, in the cemetery of the Foce (The Old Cemetery) in the same tomb as her husband.
The tomb is the first on the left of the entrance gate. It is distinguished by a great white marble stone, with the Ruggeri-Laderchi coat of arms and the names of Paolo primo and of Alessandra, his wife, with the dates of births and deaths.