The Books Of Ancestry

The noble families of Russia, for the most part descendants of the

Scandinavian adventurers who had come in with Rurik, were as proud in

their way as the descendants of the vikings who came to England under

William of Normandy. Their books of pedigree were kept with the most

scrupulous care, and in these were set down not only the genealogies of

the families, but every office that had been held by any ancestor, at

cour , in the army, or in the administration.



With this there is no special fault to be found. It is as well,

doubtless, to keep the pedigrees of men as it is to keep those of horses

and dogs; though the animals, being ignorant of their records, are less

likely to make them a matter of pride and presumption. In Russia the

fact that certain men knew the names and standing of their ancestors led

to the most absurd consequences. The books of ancestry were constantly

appealed to for the support of foolish pretensions, and the nobles of

Russia strutted like so many peacocks in their insensate pride of

family.



In no other country has the question of precedence been carried to such

ridiculous lengths as it was in Russia in the days of the early

Romanofs. If a nobleman were appointed to a post at court or a position

in the army, he at once examined the books of ancestry to learn if the

officials under whom he would serve had fewer ancestors on record than

he. If such proved to be the case the office was refused, or accepted

under protest, the government being, metaphorically, forced to fall on

its knees to the haughtiness of its offended lordling.



The folly of the nobles went even farther than this. The height of their

genealogy counted for as much as its length. They would refuse to accept

positions under persons whose ancestors were shown by the books to have

been subordinate to theirs in the same positions. If it appeared that

the John of five centuries before had been under the Peter of that

period, the modern Peter was too proud to accept a similar position

under the modern John. And so it went, until court life became a

constant scene of bickering and discontent, and of murmurs at the most

trifling slights and neglects. In short, it became necessary that an

office of genealogy should be established at court, in which exact

copies of the family trees and service registers of the noble families

were kept, and the officers here employed found enough to keep them busy

in settling the endless disputes of their lordly clients.



In the reign of Theodore, the third czar of the Romanof dynasty, this

ridiculous sentiment reached its climax, and it became almost impossible

to appoint a wise man to office over a fool, if the fool's ancestors had

happened to hold the same office over those of the man of wisdom. The

fancy seemed to be held that folly and wisdom are handed down from

father to son, a conceit which is often the very reverse of the truth.



Theodore was a feeble youth, who reigned little more than five years,

yet in that time he managed to bury this folly out of sight. Annoyed by

the constant bickerings of courtiers and officials, he consulted with

his able minister, Prince Vassili Galitzin, and hit on a means of

ridding himself of the difficulty.



Proclamation was made that all the noble families of the kingdom should

deliver their service rolls into court by a fixed date, that they might

be cleared of certain errors which had unavoidably crept into them. The

order was obeyed, and a multitude of these precious documents were

brought into the palace halls of the czar. The heads of the noble

families and the higher clergy were now sent for, composing a proud

assembly, before whom the patriarch, who had received his instructions,

made an eloquent address. He ended by speaking of the claims to

precedence in the following words:



"They are a bitter source of every kind of evil; they render abortive

the most useful enterprises, in like manner as the tares stifle the good

grain; they have introduced, even into the hearts of families,

dissension, confusion, and hatred. But the pontiff comprehends the grand

design of his czar; God alone could have inspired it!"



Though utterly ignorant of what that design was, the grandees felt

compelled to express a warm approval of these words. At this Theodore,

who pretended to be enraptured by their unanimous applause, suddenly

rose, and, simulating a burst of patriotic enthusiasm, proclaimed the

abolition of all their hereditary claims.



"That the very recollection of them may be forever extinguished," he

exclaimed, "let all the papers relative to these titles be instantly

consumed."



The fire was already prepared, and by his orders the precious papers

were hurled into the flames before the anguished eyes of the nobles, who

did not dare in that despotic court to express their true feelings, and

strove to hide their dismay under hollow acclamations of assent.



As what they deemed their most valuable possessions were thus converted

to ashes before their eyes, the patriarch again rose, and declared an

anathema against any one who should dare to oppose this order of the

czar. An "Amen" that was like a groan came from the lips of the

horrified nobles, and precedence went up in flames.



The czar had no thought of effacing the noble families. New books were

prepared, in which their ancestry was described. But the absurd claims

which had caused such discord were forever abolished, and court life

thereafter proved smoother and easier in consequence of the iconoclastic

act of the czar Theodore.