Keșco


The House of Keșco, was an ancient Moldavian Boyar noble family whose members held significant positions in Moldavia and later in the Russian Empire and Romania. Most notable member was Natalia Keshko, who in the second half of the 19th century became the first modern Queen of Serbia.

Origin

According to historian Johann Svoboda, the family had its roots in Russia, where members first appeared in 1097 as Knyazen in the Principality of Kiev. He stated that the family descended from the Rurik dynasty, in particular from Wassilko, Prince of Rostov, which is the more widely accepted version of the family’s ancestry. According to some other sources, the family descends from members of the Byzantine imperial House of Komnenos who managed to escape after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and eventually settled in Southern Russia.

In Moldavia

Historically, the family was established in Moldova even before the Principality of Moldova was founded in 1350. They owned the forest on the left bank of the
Siret river, Panka region, Mihona river valley and founded Lucavăţ, which was all owned by Luca, member of the family. The family is said to be, along with the House of Dragoș, an oldest in this region. Luca's sons Stan and Șerbco were knights at the court of Prince Alexander I of Moldavia. He officially confirmed their family possessions of Lucavăţ, Panka and Mihona with hereditary rights for their descendants by the document of February 16, 1428.
The church of Lucavăţ became first seat of Bishopric of Rădăuți, with its pastor, by proclamation of Prince Stephen the Great of Moldavia became its first Bishop on March 15, 1490. Prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu of Moldavia, grandson of Prince Alexander "the Good", not only confirmed the legality of the certificate issued by his grandfather on May 7, 1565, but also subsequently transferred to the family the co-ownership of a large number of villages in northern Moldova which expanded the land they owned. Later, during 17th century, brothers Nicolae, Vasile and Constantin Căzăcescul were again officially confirmed ownership of all their expanded possessions by Prince Illias III of Moldavia on March 12, 1667.

Counts Wassilko von Serecki

Vasile, the middle of the above mentioned brothers, married in 1654 Candachia Cocoranul, the daughter of the Boyar Isac Cocoranul. He was, as historian Teodor Bălan wrote, an ancestor of the Counts Wassilko von Serecki, who were later one of the largest landowners in Austro-Hungarian Empire, with most of their properties in the Duchy of Bukovina. They were the only family of ethnic Romanian origin to gain the title of Count throughout the Empire.

Keshko family

It was first mentioned as such in the 17th century. Constantin the Căzăcescul, younger brother of the above mentioned Vasile and Nicolae, got confirmed in 1667 his noble status and his possessions in the Principality of Moldova by ruling Prince Illias III. His descendants kept using the Keșco form of his nickname as their official family name, making him an ancestor of the Keshko family, which in turn made them collateral branch of the Counts Wassilko von Serecki. Keshko family mostly had their family estates in the territories of the Russian Empire and the Danubian Principalities.

In the Russian Empire

Members of the Keshko family served the Russian Empire. As such, they were elected as the Marshals of Nobility of the Bessarabia Governorate where they held large properties. Throughout the years they were also incorporated into the Russian nobility, apart from already belonging to Romanian nobility and Moldavian nobility.

Family tree