The Fate of the Will of Antioch Kantemir

Abstract

Among the multitude of problems associated with the biography of Prince Antioch Kantemir, there is also the history of his will and its execution. The current article, based on the archival documents discovered by the author, allows us to fill this gap. In addition, the analysis of the mentioned documents and literature makes it possible to highlight a number of issues related to the practice of the Russian diplomatic service in the first half of the 18th century; norms and rules of inheritance, as well as the history of relationships between the members of the Kantemir’s family.