The Verigin Volkonsky Brothers and the Practice of Polynomy during the Time of Troubles

This article examines the cultural phenomenon of bearing multiple Christian names (polynomy) through the case of the Verigin branch of the Volkonsky family, participants in the events of the Time of Troubles (1598–1613). The founder of this line was Prince Petr Vasilyevich Volkonsky, nicknamed Veriga, who lived in the fi rst half of the 16th century. In the family of his grandson, Prince Fedor Yurievich Verigin Volkonsky, the use of dual Christian names was common. His wife and six sons all had both baptismal and public names. One of these names (Bogdan) does not appear in the church calendar. Two of the sons, Princes Bogdan (baptized Aristarkh) and Grigory (baptized Filimon), became monks under the names Avraamy and Feoktist after being fatally wounded. Another, Prince Peter (son of Bogdan), is also thought to have taken the monastic name Joseph under similar circumstances. The reconstruction of these names is based primarily on an inscription on a chalice donated in 1641/1642 to the Church of St John the Forerunner Monastery in Tula by their sister, the noblewoman Uliana Golovina, as well as entries in synodic and memorial books. Apart from one genealogical record noting the dual name Bogdan (Aristarkh), genealogical and service lists do not contain further evidence of dual naming for the brothers. Calendar analysis of saints’ feast days helps clarify some naming patterns in the family, although in many cases multiple possibilities make this diffi cult. The widespread use of dual names among the brothers raises broader questions about the popularity of polynomy and how it can be studied statistically. It is suggested that synodic records could off er a more complete picture of polynomic naming practices within this family during the 16th and 17th centuries.