Paolo Primo

Returning to Paolo Primo, it has already been seen that he was born at Bergamo in 1862. Starting his career in the army he attended the Military College of Milan in 1875, and from there in 1878 he attended the Academy of Artillery and Genius in Turin.
He was named under-Lieutenant in 1880. Some photographs taken years after with his father and younger brother Carlo show them in all in uniform, tall and willowy. In 1890 Paolo Primo attended the School of War and, once having left there, entered into the corps of Stato Maggiore.
In 1885 at 23 years of age he went for the first time to Russia and there he met Elena [Helene] Vetchinine whom he married in 1886. He was 24 years old and Helene was 18. There followed at brief distance from one another three children: Paolo (the second), born at Turin in 1887; Caterina, born at Tambov in 1888; Elena, born at Voronezh in 1889. Helene, the wife of Paolo Primo, died in 1890.
As Captain in 1892 he was assigned to Livorno where he taught Military Art at the Royal Naval Academy. In 1893, as Major, he commanded an infantry battalion at Florence.
In 1895, on the occasion of one of his visits to Russia, which he effected to both bring his children to visit their relatives, and also for reasons of interest, he met Baronessina Alessandra Stael-Holstein whom he married on August 29 1895.
In 1895, Paolo Ruggeri settled with his wife Alessandra Stael-Holstein and with his three children from his first marriage, in Milan, where he lent service at that Division Command.
In 1896 he was assigned to Command of the Stato Maggiore in Rome, where he moved the family going to live on Via Gaeta (very close to the Ministry of War), and where the 30th of August 1896 was born a child who was given the name of Cesare Nicola. Near the end of that year, Paolo Rugggeri was named Royal Military Attendant at Constantinople, and at the same time Italian Member of the Inter-Ally Mission in Canea, where serious riots had induce France, England, Italy, Russia, Austria, and Germany to send some of their troops.
His wife Alessandra, went with him to Canea, but not the family given the uncertain political and military situation; the children stayed in Rome under the surveillance of our paternal grandmother, Countess Rina Laderchi, and of a governess.
The period that Paolo spent in the Middle East was very lively and did not lack for opportunities for him to distinguish himself per his political sense and military valor. In fact, he was decorated with a silver medal for military valor.

In 1897 he returned to Rome and there, in that year, he began the steps that would carry him to the union of the surname Laderchi and that of Ruggeri; therfrom came the conferral of the title of Count, by Motu Proprio of His Majesty Umberto I. The 1st of May 1897 Paolo Ruggeri received from the Minister of the Royal House Ponziovaglia the following letter:
“His Majesty the King, having signed the decree concerning the noble title which regards you, wishes to grant the same the participation in the S.V. as a new testament of his benevolence and consideration towards you and your family.
“Happy to be the interpreter of the gracious sovereign sentiments, I offer you at the same time, Signor Capitano, the acts of my distinct observation.
The Regent Minister of the Royal House
Lieutenant General Ponziovaglia
Ill.Mo Signor Capitano Ruggeri Attendant to the Command of the Corps Of Major State
ROMA”
The Decree of Conferral of the title of Count was signed on October 13, 1897 and follows:
“Umberto I by the grace of God and the will of the Nation, King of Italy; It pleases Us, with Our decree by motu proprio on April 29 1897, to confer to Capitano di Stato Maggiore Paolo Ruggeri, the transmissible title of Count and with the successive decree of 20th of last May, to authorize him to add this to his own, the surname Laderchi, and the said decree having been registered, as we ordered, in the Court of the Counts, and that of April 19 1897 also transcribed in the registers of the Heraldic Consult and State Archive in Rome, We now wish to send solemn documents of the gracious accord to the concessionary. By power of Our royal and constitutional authority We declare that the title of Count belongs to Paolo Ruggeri-Laderchi, born at Bergamo the 12th of February 1862, transmissible to his legitimate and natural descendants, male to male, to the firstborn.
“We furthermore declare the the same must be inscribed in conformity to the Golden Book of Italian Royalty, together with:

• The children of the first marriage with Elena Vetchininine, defunct the 10th of December 1890, who are: Paolo born at Turin the 25th of February 1887, Caterina born at Tambov the 12th of August 1888, Elena born at Reproie (Voronezh) Russia the 10th of September 1889;
• The consort Alessandra Stael Holstein, married in a second wedding the 16th of August 1895 and her son Cesare, born in Rome on the 30th of August, 1896.

“Finally We declare said family to have the right to make use of the noble coat of arms illuminated annexed here which is: Ruggeri, of blue with a red cross, foreshortened and powerful [tr. this may be an error, as elsewhere the cross is described as ‘clearly visible,’ a difference of a single letter in Italian], edged in gold, over an abyss, accompanied at the head and flanks by three six-rayed stars and above the head of a decapitated lion, all in gold; and of the Laderchis, which is red with a broken green stripe edged in silver.
“The shield will be for title holders and for the first-born male descendants, surmounted by a helmet and a count’s crown and ornamented with circles and flourishes, as above; this will be for the women, omitting the other ornaments surmounted on the noble crown and placed between two palm branches in a natural style, dividing and intersecting under the point of the same shield.
“We then command to our Court of Justice, to Our Tribunals and to all Civil and Military powers, to recognize and maintain for Count Paolo Ruggeri-Laderchi and for his descendents as above, the specific rights in these letters made plain, which will be signified with Our royal seal, signed by Us and by Our Minister and Secretary of the State for Internal Affairs, by the President of the Council of Ministries and seen in the Heraldic Consult.
“Given at Monza, this day of the month of October in the year 1897, the twentieth of Our reign.
Umberto I”
So was born the Family Ruggeri-Laderchi. The following genealogical tree indicates who were and now are the persons who carry the surname, or who derive from those origins.