Prince Mikhail Gedroits
Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Gedroits (18 July 1856 - 21 October 1931) was a Russian general, hero of the Russo-Japanese War. Orthodox. From an old noble family. Graduated from the 5th Moscow Gymnasium (1875) and the 3rd Alexander Military School (1877), was released as a warrant officer in the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment. Ranks: lieutenant (1878), lieutenant (1883), staff-captain (1889), captain (1892), colonel (1898), major-general (1914). He participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, was awarded several orders. For eleven and a half years he commanded a company and three and a half years - a battalion of the Izmailovsky Regiment. On 7 February 1904 he was appointed commander of the 100th Infantry Ostrovsky Regiment, with which he entered the Russian-Japanese War. In the battle of Mukden he was wounded and contused, after which he was taken prisoner together with the infirmary. He was awarded the Golden Arms ‘For bravery’. In 1908-1917 he served as Vyazemsky district military chief. He took part in the White Movement as a member of the All-South Yugoslav Republic of Yugoslavia and Baron Wrangel's Russian Army. Was evacuated from the Crimea to Turkey. In exile in Bulgaria. He died in 1931. Buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery.
The Leib-Guardia Grodno Hussar Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Russian Guards. It was formed on 19 February 1824, regimental holiday - 11 July, on the day of St. Blessed Princess Olga. Dislocation: Warsaw (1864-1914). Before its formation there was already a hussar regiment in Russia, called Grodno; but it was renamed into the Klyastitsy hussar regiment in 1824. The lower ranks of the regiment were composed of brunettes with small beards. The general regimental colour of horses was karak (the trumpeters had no marks). The colours were differentiated by squadrons: 1st squadron - purely caracous, 2nd squadron - white-footed caracous, 3rd squadron - caracous with a star, 4th squadron - those that did not fit into other squadrons, 5th squadron - light caracous, 6th squadron - white-footed caracous with a star and marks. 19.02.1824 - in Sedlec (Poland) from Poles who served in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Hussars and Lithuanian Lancer Division began to form the Life Guards Grodno Hussar Regiment on the rights of the Young Guard, consisting of 4 squadrons and a foot reserve. 06.12.1831 - for distinction in the Polish campaign the rights of the old guard were granted.
The House of Giedroyc is an aristocratic clan and family which traces its origins to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. According to the 16th century Lithuanian Chronicle, they are descendants of Prince Giedrius, a brother of Grand Duke Traidenis. Many family members were important figures in Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, French and British history or culture. The family's original domain was the Lithuanian town of Giedraičiai.In XIV-XVI centuries representatives of some branches of this family moved to the territory of modern Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. In XVI century the German branch of the family, which moved to Saxony, stood out. After last partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between Russia, Austria and Prussia in 1795 representatives of some branches of a sort for participation in Napoleon's wars and Polish revolts of 1830, 1848, 1863 have been deprived both patrimonial princely title, and princely and noble dignity of the Russian Empire with confiscation of the grounds, property and exile in Arkhangelsk, Chita, or Irkutsk. At the
end of the exile they were not allowed to return to their former places of residence, all families of former rebels were under police supervision. According to Polish heralds, the family of the Giedroyc Princes traces its origins back to Prince Dorsprung, a prince in Dzwialtow, whose son Zywibund was the 1st Prince of the Principality of Lithuania. His descendant, Grand Duke Narimund of Lithuania (VIII-knee) presented his younger brother, Prince Gedrus († 1282 and the name in the Zmudian language means - the sun) in the inheritance of the area extending from the Vilija River to the Dvina, where the latter erected a castle over the lake Kemont, called Gedroty and became known as Gedroitsky prince. In XIV-XVI centuries representatives of some branches of this sort have moved on territory of modern Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. In XVI century the German branch of a sort has allocated, having moved to Saxony. The descendants of Gedrus, owning the ancestral estates, and after Lithuania's accession to the Russian Empire, became Russian subjects. After last partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between Russia, Austria and Prussia (1795) representatives of some branches of a sort for participation in Napoleonic wars and Polish revolts of 1830, 1848, 1863 have been deprived, both a patrimonial princely title, and princely and noble dignity of the Russian Empire, with confiscation of the grounds, property and exile to Arkhangelsk, Chita, or Irkutsk. At the end of the exile they were not allowed to return to their former places of residence, all families of former rebels were under police supervision.
Awards: Sash, insignia and star of the Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus, Star of the Imperial Order of Saint Anna.
