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The princedom of San Donato was created by Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, for the Russian Italophile Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov in 1840, so that Demidov could marry Mathilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon, without her losing her title of Princess.
The title was never recognized in Russia. It was named after Villa San Donato, the Demidov family's villa, built by the first prince's father near Florence.