| Struve Струве | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Russian, Baltic German |
| Place of birth |  Denmark Prussia Russian Empire |
| Current region | Russian Empire Finland |
| Information | |
| Founder | Jacob Struve |
The House of Struve (Russian: Струве, German: von Struve), is one of the Russian Empire and Finland's noble families. They are currently the largest princely noble family from the Russian Empire. This has been attained via morganatic unions and marriages.
The family produced five generations of astronomers from the 18th to 20th centuries. Members of the family were also prominent in chemistry, government and diplomacy.
Although of Baltic German origin, the good majority have now been Russified, thanks to marriages between Struve male members, and noblewomen from the Rurikid and Ruthenian houses, as well as ethnic Russian women.
They have been listed as one of the greatest noble families of the Russian Empire due to their contributions. In terms of their wealth, they have a net worth of an estimated ₽55.3 billion ($55.3 billion OTL USD).
The Struves are well-known for embracing non-royal lifestyles, and the tendency of their members to associate with non-royals. This was often-not, brought them at odds with other Russian noble families. This has brought them to become known as the "people's nobles".
Relation with other noble families[]
The House of Struve has received notoriety for embracing morganatic unions, and perhaps are the ones who are credited as having introduced the idea of morganatic unions as a common practice to produce heirs and heiresses. This is how they have become the largest princely house in the Russian Empire. This has brought them into conflict with other princely houses, with many even going so far as to saying that the Struves are not true princes and princesses.
Prince Peter I Berngardovich, the first head of the House of Struve as a princely house, was known for his un-princely life, and normally never dressed in princely attire.
However, Prince Peter was known for rebuking mainstream practices, and stated, "Do people not realizes, that princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, are people like everyone else? What difference does it make, marrying someone who wasn't a royal by birth? By the tumultuous events that have plagued Russia ever since 1917, royal bloodlines are just that, bloodlines. Now, His Majesty, Cyril I Vladimirovich has indeed, made out of his way to grant me the title of Prince, but if I'm not mistaken, inheritance rights are up to the individual house, am I not right? Whether people want to believe me or not, eventually, the number of people of equal rank, is going to run out. The bloodlines still survive, yet - there are many people, of noble bloodline who aren't titled, due to the artificial rules set forth by their ancestors."
However, some ultra-nationalist conservatives have come to the defense of the Struves, for example, Prince Miroslav I Georgievich von Ungern-Sternberg, the current head of the House of Ungern-Sternberg stated, "We must allow the House of Struve to set forth their own rules, for we as a monarchial nation that embraces noble tradition, will not survive if we turn against each other. People must remember that my princely house was formed from a morganatic union between Baron Roman Fyodorovich von Ungern-Sternberg and Princess Elena Pavlovna of Manchuria. It is through the diversity of each individual noble house as to what makes Russia great, prosperous and glorious!"
His cousin Prince Vladimir I Borisovich von Ungern-Sternberg, who via his mother, is also a member of the House of Belossesky-Belozersky, stated a similar view.
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