Vladimir Frederiks
Encyclopedia
Count Vladimir Borisovich Frederiks or Adolf Andreas Woldemar Freedericksz (1837–1927) was a Finno
-Russia
n statesman who served as Imperial Household Minister
between 1897 and 1917 under Nicholas II
. He was responsible for the administration of the Imperial family's personal affairs and living arrangements, as well as the awarding of Imperial honours and medals.
, who called him 'the very personification of court life'. However, in later life he became forgetful and ill, and often fell asleep during conferences. Frederiks was a strong conservative who described the deputies of the First Duma
as 'a gang of criminals'. He was portrayed in the 1971 film Nicholas and Alexandra
by Jack Hawkins
.
. After the Revolution, Frederiks lived in Petrograd before being allowed in 1921 to leave to Finland during the last year of his life.
Frederiks family was given fiefs in what was later to be known as Old Finland
. In 1853 Vladimir's father Bernhard Freedericksz (1797–1874) was naturalized into the Finnish House of Nobility as the baronal family number 36 under the name Freedricksz. Upon Vladimir Freedericksz's death in 1927 the Finnish baronial family was extinguished in the male line. His Russian comital title was never accepted into the Finnish nobility.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
-Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n statesman who served as Imperial Household Minister
Ministry of the Imperial Court
Ministry of the Imperial Court was established in Russia in 1826, and embraced in one institution all the former separate branches of the Court administration....
between 1897 and 1917 under Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
. He was responsible for the administration of the Imperial family's personal affairs and living arrangements, as well as the awarding of Imperial honours and medals.
Imperial Household Minister
Appointed to the Ministry at the age of 60, Frederiks established a close relationship with the Tsar and the Tsaritsa, calling them 'mes enfants' in private. He was praised in this role by the French ambassador, Maurice PaléologueMaurice Paléologue
Maurice Paléologue was a French diplomat, historian, and essayist.-Biography:Paléologue was born in Paris as the son of Alexandru Paleologu, a Wallachian Romanian revolutionary who had fled to France after attempting to assassinate Prince Gheorghe Bibescu during the 1848 Wallachian revolution;...
, who called him 'the very personification of court life'. However, in later life he became forgetful and ill, and often fell asleep during conferences. Frederiks was a strong conservative who described the deputies of the First Duma
State Duma of the Russian Empire
The State Duma of the Russian Empire was a legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire, which met in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It was convened four times between 1906 and the collapse of the Empire in 1917.-History:...
as 'a gang of criminals'. He was portrayed in the 1971 film Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
by Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins
Colonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an English actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family,...
.
Later life
His private mansion in St. Petersburg was pillaged and set on fire on the first day of February RevolutionFebruary Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
. After the Revolution, Frederiks lived in Petrograd before being allowed in 1921 to leave to Finland during the last year of his life.
Family
In the late 18th century the Russian nobleRussian nobility
The Russian nobility arose in the 14th century and essentially governed Russia until the October Revolution of 1917.The Russian word for nobility, Dvoryanstvo , derives from the Russian word dvor , meaning the Court of a prince or duke and later, of the tsar. A nobleman is called dvoryanin...
Frederiks family was given fiefs in what was later to be known as Old Finland
Old Finland
thumb|right|260px|The areas that Sweden lost to Russia in the wars of 1721 and 1743Old Finland is a name used for the areas that Russia gained from Sweden in the Great Northern War and in the Russo-Swedish War...
. In 1853 Vladimir's father Bernhard Freedericksz (1797–1874) was naturalized into the Finnish House of Nobility as the baronal family number 36 under the name Freedricksz. Upon Vladimir Freedericksz's death in 1927 the Finnish baronial family was extinguished in the male line. His Russian comital title was never accepted into the Finnish nobility.