family

Bellingshausen’s family migrated from Germany to Saaremaa (then known as Ösel) in the 16th century. In 1721, the area was ceded to the Russian Empire during the reign of Peter the Great. Thereafter, subjects entering government service who were not ethnic Russians were expected to adopt Orthodox forenames and patronymics. Thus, after receiving his commission as a midshipman, Fabian Bellingshausen (named after his father) took the name Faddei Faddeyevich (for St. Thaddeus of Edessa) — Фаддей a Беллинсгаузен.