The Birkin family is a Russian noble family originating with Ryazanianboyar scions. The Birkins were listed in the Velvet Book and the Part 6 of the Ryazanian genealogical book.
Origins
Submitting documents for the Velvet book, the Birkin family claimed descent from the Chingisid warlord, Bek Jaryk-oglan, the ruler of the ulus between the Dnieper and the Don. In 1387 — 1388 he was one of the leaders of the Middle Asian campaign of Khan Tokhtamysh against Tamerlane. In 1395, Bek Jaryk-oglan was defeated by Tamerlane near Kiev, after which together with his son, Berke, he fled to Duke Oleg of Ryazan, where they converted to Christianity under the names of Mikhail and Ivan. According to P. Dolgorukov, the Birkin family owed their name to Ivan Ivanovich Birka, the son of the boyar Ivan Mikhailovich who served to Fyodor II of Ryazan. The alternative version of the family's name's etymology suggests the following definition: 'a stick with marks for measuring up levy or mortgage payment.’
History
The first who actually bore the Birkin last name were the sons of Ivan Ivanovich Birka, Dmitry and Danila. The Birkins originally served at the court of the Dukes of Ryazan, but in the 1500s some of them had successfully turned to Muscovy. For example, Andrey Danilych Birkin was a warlord under Ivan the Terrible. Brothers Pyotr and Vasily Birkin were added in Ivan the Terrible's book of one thousand gentlemen chosen to the court. In 1583 Rodion Petrovich Birkin participated in a fraud aimed at seizing the hereditary estate of the noble family by forging the property transfer deed. In the 16th century some Birkins made it to the Moscow Duma, however, none of the family had ever been raised to the boyar rank. The Birkins served as various officials in provincial towns during the 16th — 17th centuries. Some of the family members were voivodes in towns. During the Time of Troubles, Ivan Ivanovich Birkin was among the electors of Michael Romanov. In 1791 the Birkin family was added in Part 6 of the Ryazanian genealogical book. In the Russian Empire the family had gone into relative obscurity. Many of the family descendants ended up as merchants and odnodvortsy.
Landed estates
Allods
Tretyakovo, a village on the upper Poznanka river, Perevitsky stan.
Nikonova Slobodka, a village in Perevitsky stan.
, Perevitsky stan.
, a village in Perevitsky stan,
Timofeevo,a village in Petevitsky stan – purchased from the Kobuzev family in 1601 by Ivan Vasilievich Birkin
A half of the Dolgaya village, Kamensky stan, and Titovo, Perevitsky stan, — granted in 1614 in hereditary ownership.
Fiefs (pomestya)
Kumanova Polyana, Pekhletsky stan
A half of Filatovo, Kamensky stan.
Varapovo, a village in Perevitsky stan.
Notable members
Vasily Grigoryevich Birkin was the garrison head at Pronsk and Ryazhsk and the voivode at Dankov. He was one of the leaders of building Voronezh.
Rodion Petrovich Birkin was a garrison head at Pronsk. In 1587 — 1588 he was sent by Tsar Fyodor I to Kakheti, where he admitted allegiance of the local tsar Alexander II to Russia, which eventually was used as grounds for annexation of Georgia.
Ivan Vasilyevich Birkin was a dvoryanin at the Moscow Duma ; as a voivode he supervised the construction of Kozlov. In 1626 — 1631 he was the first minister at the Patriarch’s Ministry. In 1631 he was appointed yaselnichy.
Ivan Ivanovich Birkin was the royal solicitor, the voivode at Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod. He took part in electing Michael Romanov to the throne.
