Draft:Jovan Riznich

Jovan Stefanović Riznić (1793-1861) was a Serbian merchant, lawyer, banker, philanthropist, adviser at the Russian court and director of the state bank in Kiev. He was also an honorary member of the Society of Serbian Letters.

Biography

Jovan Riznich was born on 13 October 1792 (Julian Calendar) in Trieste, where his father, Stevan Riznich (c. 1757-1813) was engaged in commercial affairs. Jovan was well-educated in Trieste (then part of Austrian Empire) and at Italian universities. He attended private schools in Trieste and his first tutor was Dositej Obradović. Jovan pursued further studies in commerce and jurisprudence in Padua, Bologna, and graduated in Vienna. After completing his education, he returned to Trieste to engage in trade, just like his father. He also had a banking office in Vienna, where he was more often than not. As business expanded, he travelled to Odessa occasionally aboard one of his many transport vessels to look for better trading opportunities. Soon, he expanded his grain operation by opening an office in Odessa.

In 1822, Ivan Stefanovich Riznich decided to move to Russia, to Odessa, where his import of grain operation began to flourish. He accepted Russian citizenship, held a prominent position, was the director and main patron of the Odessa theatre, became acquainted with Pushkin during Alexander's stay in Odessa from Kishinev.

Riznich's first wife Amalia Ripp Riznich (daughter of a Viennese banker) died in 1825 from consumption. She was an object of fascination for Pushkin, who dedicated several poems to her More than a year later, as a widower in Odessa Riznich met and married a Polish countess Paulina Rzewuska, sister of Ewelina Hańska, the wife of Honoré de Balzac and Karolina Sobanska, with whom Pushkin was also in love. Paulina and Jovan had three children: Maria Riznich (1827-1895), wife of Russian Senator Edouard Fedorovich Keller (1819-1909); Ivan Riznich (1841); and Aleksandra Maria Medarda Riznich.

The richest merchant in Odessa

With a large fleet of sailing ships, the Riznići had a very extensive trading network, and they were counted among the richest Trieste merchants. Due to the hardships during the French occupation of Trieste, Jovan left Trieste in 1809 and moved temporarily to Odessa until Napoleon was defeated. They Riznići continued to have strong trade ties with Odessa, where they exported Austrian goods, and imported grain, flour, wood, tobacco, etc. Odessa became the new seat of Jovan Riznich's trading empire, and he became the richest merchant in Odessa at the time.

Ivan Riznich, a Serb by origin, or, more precisely, an "Illyrian" as Serbs were then called in European circles of the day, was a very prominent figure in Odessa’s commercial circle. He carried out large transactions with wheat, the main item of Odessa’s export trade, and was engaged in government contracts. However, business concerns did not absorb his entire attention. An educated man, who had studied at the University of Bologna, a music lover who did not spare money to support the Odessa opera, he was distinguished by his hospitality and courtesy. His house was one of the most pleasant in Odessa. His house was on Khersonskaya Street opposite the new building of the Richelieu Lyceum.

His house became a literary salon. He once brought a group of Italian singers with him from Trieste, and organized an Italian opera in Odessa.

In the Russian service

In 1823, Riznich was granted the rank of Commerce Advisor, and in 1828 - Court Advisor. During the Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829) Riznich helped the Russian army, so the Russian Emperor Nicholas I awarded him the Order of St. Vladimir and the rank of court adviser. Due to the Polish Uprising in 1830, his trade declined. In 1833, Riznich went bankrupt and entered the Russian service of an official on special assignments under the Governor-General Count Levashev. He served first in Odessa, and then in Kiev. He became a state adviser and director of the Kyiv's Commercial State Bank. Having risen to the rank of state councilor, Ivan Stepanovich was elevated to hereditary nobility by the decree of 15 June 1848. He left the civil service in 1853 and retired and settled in his wife's estate in the village of Gopchitsa, near Kiev, where he lived until his death in 1861, accoring to the Serbian Encyclopedia.

Legacy

In 1854, the Society of Serbian Letters elected him as an honorary member. He often gave money for Serbian cultural institutions. He gave 3,000 thalers to Sima Milutinović Sarajlija to print "Srbijanka", and he also gave 4,000 books to the National Library of Serbia in Belgrade]] right after it was established in 1839.

His son Ivan Riznich (II), was born in Kyiv on 13 November 1841, and became an equally prominent figure in Imperial Russia. In turn, his son Ivan (III), who was born on 17 January 1878 in the city of Yanov, Lublin Governorate [3] became an artist..