Alexander Davydov (soldier)
Alexander Davydov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 November 1917 |
| Died | 1987 (aged 69–70) |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service years | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Conflicts | |
| Children | 2 |
Alexander Yakovlevich Davydov (Russian: Александр Яковлевич Давыдов; Kureika, 6 November 1917 – 1987)[1] was a Soviet Red Army major and the allegedly illegitimate third son of Joseph Stalin.[2]
Biography
Early life
Stalin resided in the Siberian village of Kureika during his exile. Here, he had an affair with 14-year-old Lidiya Platonovna Pereprygina while he was 35, and whom he promised he would marry once she became an adult. Pereprygina allegedly became pregnant with Stalin's child.[3][4][5] The child was born in December 1914, but died soon after.[6] At the age of 16, Pereprygina became pregnant again and gave birth to Alexander on 6 November 1917. Stalin was transferred out of Kureika and left Siberia altogether before Alexander was born. Pereprygina later married Yakov Semyonovich Davydov, a peasant fisherman who adopted Alexander.[7][8] Stalin knew of Davydov's existence and allegedly tried twice to bring him to Moscow. However, they never met.[9]
World War II
Davydov was drafted into the Red Army in August 1940. He participated in the Manchurian Campaign against the Japanese between March and August 1945. He achieved the rank of major and the Order of the Red Star.[10]
Later life
After his service in the Red Army, Davydov found work as a foreman for a construction site in Krasnoyarsk and married, with his wife working in the supply department of construction.[11] Davydov fathered a son named Eduard and another son named Yuri around 1948–1949. According to Yuri, Davydov moved his family from Siberia to Novokuznetsk, where the Davydovs lived in a three-room apartment with another family.[12] Davydov died in 1987.
In interviews with NTV and The Siberian Times, Yuri stated that in the early 1970s Davydov and his wife "invited [Yuri] to a room for a 'serious conversation'", in which Yuri was informed of their relation to Stalin, but advised his son to not speak of it due to the influence of Stalin's cult of personality.[13][14]
In 2016, Yuri Davydov took a DNA test that confirmed Alexander's father was Stalin, with a reported 99.98% accuracy. Alexander Burdonsky, Stalin's grandson through his son Vasily Stalin, provided the genetic material to confirm the relation.[14]
Awards and honors
References
- ^ "Память народа". m.pamyat-naroda.ru. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Suny, R. G. (2020). Stalin: Passage to Revolution. Princeton University Press. p. 559. ISBN 978-0691182032.
- ^ Khlevniuk, Oleg V (2015). 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳. Yale University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-300-16388-9.
- ^ Suny 2020, p. 559; Khlevniuk 2015, p. 30.
- ^ Гамов, Александр (8 November 2018). "Stalin promised the gendarmes that he would marry his 14-year-old mistress as soon as she became an adult". Kp.ru -. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ Montefiore 2007, pp. 292–293.
- ^ Montefiore 2007, p. 366.
- ^ "The real story of nonmarital son of Stalin". www.sovsekretno.ru. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Мождженская, Алла (24 December 2021). "Внук Сталина Юрий Давыдов: «Говорят, я похож на деда» • 24.12.2021 • Чтиво • Сибдепо". Сибдепо (in Russian). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Давыдов Александр Яковлевич, 06.11.1917. Документы участника войны". Память народа. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ Kleymenov, Geliy. "Chapter 9-10. Pereprygina, Schweitzer". Proza. Russian Union of Writers. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ Мождженская, Алла (24 December 2021). "Внук Сталина Юрий Давыдов: «Говорят, я похож на деда» • 24.12.2021 • Чтиво • Сибдепо". Сибдепо (in Russian). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Stalin grandson found in Siberia". BBC News. 27 March 2001. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Siberian pensioner IS grandson of Josef Stalin, DNA test reveals". Siberian Times. 11 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
Sources
- Montefiore, Simon Sebag (2007). Young Stalin. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-85068-7.
External links
- “Давыдов Александр Яковлевич” at Pamyat-naroda.ru