Berdiansk merchants Karalis (Karallis, Korallis): the history of the Greek family

At the end of the 18th - early 19th centuries southern Ukraine became one of the most important world centers of trade in agricultural products. Many convenient ports on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas - Odesa, Mykolaiv, Mariupol, Berdiansk and Taganrog - promoted trading. Powerful import-export firms were established there. Among the owners of trading houses were many Greek immigrants from the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea, such as Rodokanakis, Mavrogorodatos, Sevastopulos, Scaramangas, Rallis and others. These families were an important factor in the economic development of the region, and influenced its social and cultural life. The Karalis also belonged to these families, as some of them settled on the territory of the Russian Empire, including Berdiansk. Mykola Stepanovych Karali, along with his family, were honorary citizens by birth. His daughter, Zinaida, was a well-known revolutionary figure. Her husband German Lopatin was one of the leaders of «People’s Will», the first translator of «Capital» by K. Marx to the Russian language. Nadiia Mykolaivna Karali was known as a philanthropist and a cultural figure. She was a daughter of merchant Mykola Ivanovych Karali. Outstanding ballerina and actress Vira Oleksiivna Karalli belonged to the other branch of this family.