| House of Alexandrov Александров (Russian) Искәндәрин оғлу (Azeri) | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Azeri, Iranian, Russian |
| Place of birth | Qajar Persia (Azerbaijan) |
| Current region | Caucasus/Azerbaijan (Russia) |
| Information | |
| Notable members | Nazir Muhammad khan Hadji Kasim Kazem-Bey Alexander I Kazmbek Alexander II Kazembek Sergey Kazembek Svetlana Kazembek-Bolshakova |
The House of Alexandrov (Russian: Александров; Azeri: Искәндәрин оғлу, İskəndərin oğlu) originally known as the House of Kazembek (Russian: Казембек or Касем-Бег, Azeri: Казим-беј, Kasim-bey) is a noble princely family in the Russian Empire of Azerbaijani-Persian origin, and is the current one of two ruling nobilities of the Principality of Azerbaijan, half of Azerbaijan's Crown Princes hail from. It is currently the only Azerbaijani nobility, and is one of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan's most powerful families. They are known for their full-pledged loyalty to the Russian state, and have been instrumental in helping stop separatist movements in Azerbaijan.
The Alexandrovs originate from Qajar Persian nobility of Azerbaijan ethnicity, and continued to rule Azerbaijan after the Imperial Russian conquest. Their prominence within the Russian Empire started with Muhammad Ali Kazim-bey, oriental scholar and famed academic, who would later convert to Christianity and adopt the name Alexander Kazmbek - the family's namesake, where his grandson, who was named after him would find the Mladorossi movement, helping Grand Duke Cyril I Vladimirovich become the Tsar, and was thus, crowned as a Prince of Azerbaijan and given control of the Principality's southern oil-rich fields.
Since then, the Alexandrovich have emerged as one of the most powerful families in the Caucasus.
History[]
During the Russian Civil War, the Kazembeks fled first to Yugoslavia, and later to France where Alexander Lvovich Kazembek found a group of young monarchists known as the Mladorossi, with the goal and intent of returning to Russia. Upon hearing of the situation, Kazembek, while not wanting to partake in the fighting, garnered international support through monetary donations to help get supplies to Grand Duke Cyril I Vladimirovich, whom Kazembek felt should inherit the throne.
It after Cyril I was successfully crowned that Alexander and his family returned to Russia. However, the House of Gaplanov had already been crowned as the ruling princes of Azerbaijan.
The House of Kazembek was restored as the ruling house of Azerbaijan, as a reward from Cyril I Vladimirovich, the Autocrat of all Russia., and decided to crown him as Azerbaijan's Crown Prince, as his reward for helping him become the reigning monarch. It fit perfectly since Alexander wanted to become a politician and in-line with the 1921 Constitution, a monarch can wield powers given the proper political education.
He was known by Prince Alexander Lvovich of Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan was constitutionally governed by an elected local Regent, given that Prince Alexander was still in the midst of his education in France. Therefore, Anastasy Vonsiatsky, became the Acting Regent of Azerbaijan, who also became its first Governor-General.
Kazembek could not find an Azerbaijan woman willing to become Orthodox Christian, let alone Azerbaijan nobility, therefore he had to marry Princess Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani. Together, they had as many children as possible, totaling four in total. Despite being outwardly democratic, Azerbaijan's Head Ministers would undoubtedly serve Kazembek's interests, which would mean serving the interests of the Russian state.
During the Second World War, the Kazembeks were endangered, thanks to separatists backed by the Imperatorluk. Therefore, Crown Prince Alexander I went to go join the war efforts, evacuating his family to the safe havens of Saint Petersburg. He became a high-ranking officer within the Imperial Russian forces, unfortunately, perishing in the war efforts, leaving Princess Leonida to raise their four children in the aftermath.
However, for many decades, the Kazembeks would become assimilated in Russian, as Lev Kazembek, Prince Alexander's father, was not Azeri-speaking. It isn't until the 1960s that the Kazembeks began to send their children to Azeri-speaking schools as minors, and truly would become re-involved in the Azeri cultural revival and by 1980s, increasing funds for Azeri-speaking schools and cultural institutions, many were fully fluent in Azeri and Russian. The Kazembeks by this point, had become a mixed dynasty, when Kazembek princes would marry Caucasian and Russian princesses alike. However, many also end up marrying non-nobles as last results.
During the tumultuous 1990s, the Kazembeks were again, subject to threats by Azerbaijan separatists, this resulted in the death of Crown Prince Vladislav I Alexandrovich.
In 2014, Prince Vladislav converted to Shia Islam, as Prince Mohammad and married a Princess Noor, from the Persian House of Pahlavi, something Prince Mohammad considered a true honor. It would be the first time in over a century that a Kazembek would be Shia Muslim. Mohammad states that he and Noor plan on raising a Muslim line of the Kazembeks.
Mohammad and Noor's wedding marked a significant change in local Russo-Azeri relations, as the Shiite Muslim majority of Azerbaijan, as well as Shiites across Russia advocate for the ascent of Mohammad Alexandrov as the Crown Prince of Azerbaijan. However, Mohammad states that he will respect the noble traditions of the House of Alexandrov.
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