Wikipedia
von der Pahlen (, Palen) is a noble Estonian, Russian, Lithuanian and Swedish family of Baltic German origin. The family probably originated from Pomerania but in the beginning of 15th century moved to Livonia. The first historical account of this family dates to 1290 when Johannes de Pala was Vogt at Turaida.
On 18 September 1679 Charles XI of Sweden granted a barony to five brothers of the family and all their descendants. In 1799 , Emperor Paul I of Russia gave Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen and all his descendants the count rank. By the decision of Russian Empire of 1755 and 1865, most of the other members of Pahlen received the baronial rank Russian. Members of the branches with Russian baronial titles also live in Sweden, and form part of the unintroduced nobility.
Among the notable members of the family:
- Count Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen (Pyotr Alexeyevich, 1745-1826) – Russian courtier, organizer of the assassination of Paul I of Russia;
- Count Pyotr Petrovich Palen (Palen the 1st; 1778-1864); Russian General of Cavalry, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 and the campaign against the November Uprising in Poland, son of Pyotr Alexeyevich;
- Count Fyodor Petrovich Pahlen (1780-1863), Russian diplomat, Governor-General of Novorossiya, and Plenipotentiary President of the Divans in the Danubian Principalities, son of Pyotr Alexeyevich;
- Count Paul Carl Ernst Wilhelm Philipp von der Pahlen (Palen the 2nd, 1775–1834), Russian General of Cavalry, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812; son of Paul Ludwig.
- Baron Ivan Alexeyevich Palen (1740-1817), colonel, Russian statesman, brother of Pyotr Alexeyvich;
- Baron Matvey Ivanovich Palen (Palen the 3rd, 1776–1863) Major-General of Cavalry, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812;
- Baron Ditrich Von der Pahlen, Russian military officer, friend of Mikhail Lermontov
- Count Konstantin Ivanovich Palen (1833-1912), Russian General and Statesman, hero of Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855), Pskov governor, Russian minister for justice (1867–1878), grandson of Pyotr Alexeyevich;
- Count Konstantin Konstantinovich Palen (1861-1923), statesman, Privy Councillor, senator, Governor of Vilnius
- Count Alexey Petrovich Palen (1874-1938) Russian Lieutenant-General, White movement officer under Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich
- Emanuel von der Pahlen (4 July 1882 – 18 July 1952), Astronomer with a lunar crater named after him.