Dashkova Ekaterina Romanovna. nee Countess Vorontsova, born in 1744, her godmother was Empress Elizabeth, and her godfather was at that time Grand Duke Peter III. in the future, the emperor, whose overthrow the young goddaughter will contribute with all the power of her organizational talent, Father - Roman Vorontsov was a member of the Senate and a general, uncle and brother turned out to be state advisers. But mother, about whom friends and relatives only spoke good words, died when little Katya was not yet two years old. In total, five children were born in this marriage.
Maria - in her marriage Buturlina, Elizaveta - in her marriage Polyanskaya, both became maids of honor to her imperial and met with their younger sister extremely rarely, as did their second brother - Semyon, who was brought up in the village by his grandfather.
Thus, of the entire family, Catherine, by chance, maintained relations only with her brother Alexander, who made an excellent political career.
As was customary in high-born families (Ekaterina Romanovna herself followed the same tradition in relation to her own children)
Babies were looked after by grandmothers. And at the time of her mother’s death, her grandmother was taking care of the girl. “Tender hands” held the child until she was four years old, and then her paternal uncle took Katya into his family and raised her with own daughter-Anna Vorontsova.
Anna Vorontsova, later Countess Stroganova, will become a political opponent of her own husband’s sister, protesting against the overthrow of Pyotr Fedorovich.
And Elizaveta Vorontsova will become the mistress of Emperor Peter III and will count on becoming the second wife-empress, confronting her legal wife Catherine.
The education of the sister girls consisted of studying foreign languages, music, dancing and drawing. Catherine read a lot, but was very lonely. By the age of fourteen, she began to suffer from unbearable melancholy from the awareness of her own loneliness. She would later, many years later, write memoirs about this.
Politics occupied the girl with early years. And the uncle-chancellor kept at home a lot of all sorts of documents, like letters from the Shah of Persia to Empress Catherine I, in one of which he urged his “royal sister” not to abuse alcohol, since he himself suffers from this addiction and therefore looks bad, or correspondence from the Chinese emperor with an ambassadorial order regarding the latter’s concepts of good and bad reception “You are a very strange people; boast about the reception of your ambassadors. Haven’t you heard that when we ride through the streets on horseback, we warn the last tramp not to look at us?”
On one of the particularly boring and lonely days of her fifteenth year of life, the girl Katya was invited to visit and warmly summer evening Accompanied by the hospitable hostess, I decided to walk along the quiet street to the carriage. At that moment, a young man came out of the alley to meet the girls, who seemed very large to Catherine, but, nevertheless, interested her with his manners and appearance. He turned out to be an acquaintance of the Samarin family, with whom the Countess happened to be visiting. Thus began her acquaintance with her future husband, Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov, who was not allowed into the house of Count Voronotsov and had some stains on his reputation, which, if the acquaintance had taken place earlier, would have prevented a happy marriage.
But it so happened that after meeting on the street, the relationship began to develop and Prince Dashkov had to make efforts, find ways to, having already obtained the girl’s consent, be accepted in her uncle’s house.
The groom's mother had long dreamed of marrying her son and therefore turned out to be quite happy with his decision. However, all formalities were observed. In the family of the Dashkov princes, patriarchal traditions reigned and marriage could not take place without the consent of the mother.
This marriage was also blessed by the bride's godmother, Empress Elizabeth, who once after the opera, accompanied by a court person, dropped by for dinner.
And in the same winter, Ekaterina Dashkova had the opportunity to meet the future Empress Ekaterina. The grand ducal couple paid a visit to the house of Chancellor Vorontsov and both Catherines were quite pleased with each other, experiencing sincere sympathy and finding complete mutual understanding.
Soon the wedding took place, and in February of the following year, at the age of sixteen, the young Princess Dashkova became a mother, giving birth to a daughter.
The daughter was taken by her mother-in-law to the village, and her second pregnancy began in July.
Prince Dashkov, concerned about his wife’s health, asks for leave.
Empress Elizabeth is ill; permission for leave can be given by the Grand Duke, who demands the arrival of Prince Dashkov in St. Petersburg.
The young pregnant wife remained in Moscow, and her husband served the heir to the crown in his palace near St. Petersburg. The service consisted of walks and pleasant conversations fresh air. The most friendly relations were established between the future emperor and the prince, but by the time he left home, Prince Dashkov turned out to be very ill. With difficulty he reached Moscow, and there, fearing to come home unwell to his pregnant wife, he stayed in a palace with his aunt nearby.
At this time, Ekaterina Romanovna's contractions begin. Next to her are her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and midwife. But the stupid maid, who had heard the news about the arrival of her husband and father, whispers in her mistress’s ear that her husband is in Moscow, but is not going home due to a severe sore throat.
Ekaterina Romanovna convinces her mother-in-law and sister-in-law that these are not contractions, but just a stomach ache, gets rid of both, orders the midwife to accompany her on the way, which makes her hair stand on end, and sets off on foot to meet her husband. On foot, because it is impossible to use the sleigh without disturbing my sister-in-law.
During the journey, she hangs several times on the shoulders of the unfortunate midwife from the pain of childbirth, but gets to her husband’s bedroom, where she safely loses consciousness in the first minute of the meeting. After that, she is loaded onto a stretcher in an unconscious state and carried home. The stunned mother-in-law cannot believe her eyes, and exactly an hour later the boy Mikhail is born. Who, however, would die exactly a year later in 1762. And the news of his death would be told to her not by anyone, but by her confidante, Empress Catherine the Great, who by that time had already been elevated to the throne by the will of this young woman.
This happened at a time when the empress was traveling to Moscow for the coronation ceremony. Dashkova and her husband accompanied Ekaterina, but decided to visit their second child, who was placed in the care of her grandmother on an estate near Moscow. The Empress tried her best to dissuade the young parents and in the end was forced to tell them the truth about the death of their son.
“This news greatly upset me, but did not shake my intention to see my mother-in-law,” writes Dashkova. “The mother-in-law was undoubtedly also saddened by the loss of her grandson, from whom she had not been separated since his birth.”
A wonderful touch to the canvas of intra-family and family relations of the nobility.
Insolent self-will cost Dashkova the loss of her place of honor in the temple during the coronation of the empress. The Orlovs, who were intriguing against her, took advantage of the situation and placed the main character of the palace coup in the gallery, according to the status of her husband, forgetting about the custom of those awarded the Order of St. Catherine to stand in the front row next to the kings during any significant ceremonies. But Dashkova did not stir up a scandal and wrote in her memoirs that in her heart she considered this gesture pathetic. On your own distant place she passed with a smile, depriving her opponents of the joy of seeing the sadness on her face.
Now let us pay attention to the described episode of decisive and thoughtless actions, when at the peak of emotional excitement a young seventeen-year-old woman, despising the pain of childbirth, goes out alone into the street and overcomes the winter streets on foot in order to achieve her goal. For the first time there was a need to see my husband after separation.
The second time Dashkova committed such an act was when news of the imminent death of Empress Elizabeth arrived in their house. She had spent twenty days in bed due to illness, but on December 20, 1861, she got up, dressed warmly and, getting out of the carriage not far from the wooden palace on the Moika, occupied by the imperial family, went on foot to the palace. Late at night, she climbed a small secret staircase and asked the Grand Duchess's chambermaid to take her to her. The future empress was already in bed, but Dashkova insisted on her own. When Catherine was informed about the visitor, she could not believe it for a long time. Dashkova was sick for three weeks, did not leave the house, and did not host her.
I had to believe it.
Dashkova misses a lot in her notes. Let me remind you that her cousin was the Grand Duke’s mistress. Based on some hints, it can be assumed that the entire Vorontsov family strongly hoped that Elizabeth would receive the main prize - power and the crown.
Peter publicly humiliated his wife. Peter publicly spoke about the fact that his children were illegitimate. Dashkova is delicately silent about all this, describing only those speeches of her godfather in which he made political miscalculations. It only touches the personal.
A night visit on the eve of Elizabeth's death could only mean one thing - she knew that she urgently needed to stop the plans of her sister and her lover, otherwise trouble would threaten everyone.
During this meeting, some agreement was reached and assurances of unconditional devotion were received. The Grand Duchess threw herself on Dashkova’s neck. They sat hugging tightly for several minutes.
Poor Prince Dashkov was sincerely amazed when, upon returning home, he did not find his sick wife not only in bed, but also in the house. But after learning the details of the meeting, I was pleased.
Elizabeth dies on December 25.
1862 was the year when, thanks to the activities of an 18-year-old woman, history changed its vector.
Dashkova made her third decisive appearance on the street on the day of the coup.
All the efforts and subtle intrigues to win over the conspirators of the highest echelon of the Russian oligarchy in the person of completely indifferent persons like Razumovsky, who never took part in intrigues and served the crown faithfully simply because he respected the authorities, could go to hell because the officer was arrested Passeka. June 27, 1762. The top of the conspiracy spent the whole day finding out why exactly he was arrested. Grigory Orlov, who personally came to Dashkoya for advice, hesitated and did not know what to do next. Panin, who was with them, was also not sure of anything.
When everyone went further to spread the news about Passek’s arrest, Dashkova threw a man’s overcoat over her shoulders and walked down the street. A horseman appeared towards her. Intuitively, she realized that this was one of the Orlovs, whom she did not know by sight, except for Grigory, but she called out to the rider, saying “Orlov!”
It was Alexey with the alarming news that Passek had been arrested as state criminal and is under heavy security.
Dashkova gave orders like an experienced commander in chief.
Shortly before this, she hid a hired carriage in a secluded place in Peterhof, because it was clear that in case of alarm, Catherine would not be able to use the palace carriages.
Despite this, an hour later there was a knock on the door of her house and it was the third brother Orlov, who came to ask if they were in too much of a hurry to act.
Dashkova was beside herself with anger.
She demanded that the empress be immediately brought to the Izmailovsky regiment, which was fully ready to swear allegiance to her.
Having changed into the uniform of the Izmailovsky regiment, she and the Empress took the oath of office from the jubilant guards.
The rest of the events are known.
A coup is the abdication of the emperor.
The murder of the denied Peter. For the rest of her life, Dashkova believed and said everywhere that the empress was not involved in this death.
Dashkova did not know about Grigory Orlov’s bed achievements. When she realized that Catherine was not as pure as she had imagined, she was unable to hide her attitude towards this issue. She despised the Orlovs; they repaid her by harming her in any way they could and depriving her of the empress’s favor.
The first conflict was... that the Orlovs tried to arrest her father and sister Elizabeth, Peter’s beloved. But Catherine the Great promised her protection and care. As a result, she was married off and removed from view.
Having become the engine of this revolution, Ekaterina Dashkova refused almost all awards, behaved independently and, soon becoming a widow, asked permission to go abroad. She never married again. Having traveled all over Europe, she gained fame and friends. Upon returning to her homeland, she headed the Russian Academy of Sciences, which made her personality even more significant, because such a position was unthinkable for a woman at that time. Emperor Paul, destroying everything. created by her mother, fired Dashkova from this post and subjected her to house arrest. The next emperor Alexander restored justice and invited her to take this post again, but she refused.
The eldest daughter Anastasia lived a stormy life. Her mother disinherited her and refused to see her. Ordering not to let her get close to saying goodbye to her own body.
The youngest son Pavel became the leader of the Moscow Doryanate, but was very frivolous. His marriage was a pure misalliance, even without love. The couple lived as husband and wife a short time and then broke up. Dashkova refused to meet his daughter-in-law and saw her for the first time after the death of her son in 1809, nineteen years after their wedding.
She died in 1810. She was buried in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the village of Troitskoye, Kaluga Region.
A unique case in world practice, when a woman was at the head of two Academies of Sciences (St. Petersburg and Moscow) for about eleven years.
Growing up in the aristocratic family of counts Vorontsov, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova took an active part in the overthrow of Peter III (an ardent supporter of Prussia who did not like Russia), and in the elevation of Ekaterina Alekseevna to the throne in 1762.
The clock struck 10 o'clock at the Peter and Paul Fortress. The procession reached the Kazan Cathedral. They served a prayer service. The crowd and carriage moved towards the Winter Palace.
IN Winter Palace They carried Catherine in their arms. The hated Prussian who betrayed Russia has been overthrown! There's a woman on the throne again!
Dashkova, looking at Catherine, thought with pride: “And it’s her! She, the one who suffered from the rudeness and ignorance of the emperor’s husband... and today, and now? How unexpectedly, she, my friend, was reborn! How much courage, courage! History will mark it! And to me alone she owes her freedom and this, even to me, incomprehensible and inexplicable rebirth."
Who is Ekaterina Dashkova, and what is her fate?
Family of E. R. Dashkova
Dashkova was born on March 17, 1743 in the family of Count Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov; her mother Marfa Surmina died when Katya was two years old. The little girl's godparents were Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and her nephew Peter, the future Peter III.
Even during their mother’s life, the eldest daughters Maria and Elizaveta Vorontsov were maids of honor in the palace, and the sons Alexander and Semyon were in public office and became famous as “persistent statesmen"Father Roman Vorontsov gave his youngest daughter Katya to his brother Mikhail Illarionovich, the Grand Chancellor of Empress Elizabeth. Katya was raised with his daughter Anna, her age. The pupil turned out to be capable and at the age of 14 she already spoke four languages.
“Mocking and talented and the way she draws,” her contemporaries were surprised and admired. But after a serious illness (measles), she spent a long time in solitude far from St. Petersburg; self-education, self-reflection with people close to her changed her mocking and cheerful lively mind. At the age of 15, she had a personal library of 900 volumes, mainly French philosophers and natural scientists.
To the horror of her family, she rejected all blush and jewelry, ignored balls in palaces, finding them boring, dancing shameless, but at the same time she was not devoid of romanticism. At the age of 15, Catherine fell in love and got married in 1758.
Love.
According to the memoirs of Princess Dashkova,
"... in the evening she was returning from visiting, the weather was so good that she wanted to walk, accompanied by her sister Samarina. They had barely gone a few steps when she found herself in front of them tall figure men, under the influence of moonlight, the young man struck her imagination, she asked her sister who he was, and in response she heard - Prince Mikhail Dashkov - a distant relative of Peter I. Katya felt that they were destined for each other." According to the memoirs of A.I. Herzen, “The Countess comes home and dreams of a beautiful officer, the officer comes home, in love with the beautiful Countess,” and having heard about the seclusion of the young Countess and captivated by a fateful meeting in the moonlight, he soon proposes to 15-year-old Katya Vorontsova and asks for her hand.
The wedding of the newlyweds took place in the family circle, and a year later, in February 1759, daughter Anastasia was born, a year later son Mikhail and then son Pavel, Mikhail dies in infancy. Ekaterina Romanovna loved her husband, but her happiness did not last long and at the age of 21 she remains a widow with two children in her arms.
This woman carried three earthly passions through her life: family, Empress Catherine and science.
Female friendship
We first met Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna when Ekaterina Vorontsova was 15 years old. From the first meeting at the ball, Katya sincerely fell in love with the future empress.
Dashkova picked up Ekaterina Alekseevna’s fallen fan and handed it to her, and sympathy arose between them.
According to Dashkova’s recollections, “The charm emanating from Grand Duchess, especially when she wanted to attract someone, was too powerful for a teenager who was not fifteen years old to resist" and she gave her her heart forever. Despite strong opponent in the person of Prince Dashkov, who soon also developed sympathy for Ekaterina Alekseevna, all rivalry between them disappeared.
Ekaterina Alekseevna seemed to respond with the same affection, they read together, discussed many issues, and Ekaterina Alekseevna often emphasized Dashkova’s intelligence and erudition, saying that she was dying of boredom when she was not there, that another, equal to Katya, in all of Russia barely Is there any? When Dashkova wrote poems and dedicated them to her friend, that is, Catherine, in response she highly praised her talent and begged her to continue to love, assuring Dashkova of her sincere and fiery friendship, which should never be destroyed.
At nineteen, Ekaterina Dashkova takes part in a coup d'etat.
From the very beginning, the main character in the impending conspiracy was Ekaterina Alekseevna herself, an experienced, secretive politician; she played a deadly game and carefully checked her every step. She alone knew all its participants, who gradually agitated the soldiers and officers of their regiment in favor of Catherine. The officers spread rumors among the soldiers, in the light of which the Empress was a benefactor Russian people, and her husband looked like an enemy of the nobility and a weak-minded tyrant who dreams of removing his wife and legal heir by putting them in Shlisselburg Fortress. Along with the Orlovs, Ekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova began to play one of the active roles in preparing the coup. The young romantic Dashkova spoke everywhere about the merits of Ekaterina Alekseevna, thereby attracting a lot of famous figures to the circle of conspirators, such as Kirill Razumovsky, Panin, Repnin, Volkonsky and others.
On the day of the coup, the Izmailovsky regiment went after Catherine and the heir Pavel; Ekaterina Alekseevna, surrounded by officers and soldiers, drove up to the Kazan Cathedral. Archbishop of Novgorod and Velikolutsk Dimitri proclaimed Catherine the empress, and Paul the heir to the throne. When Dashkova made her way to Catherine with extraordinary efforts, they rushed into each other’s arms shouting: “Well, thank God! Glory to God!” They were given horses and both women rode gracefully past the jubilant army. Then, going around the column, they stood in front and led a huge army towards the Holsteins. More and more troops joined them.
At night, the troops set up a bivouac, Ekaterina and Dashkova spent the night in a suburban tavern, falling asleep on the only bed there. One cannot help but admit that there is something amazing in this courage of two women who changed the fate of the empire, in this revolution carried out by the beautiful and smart woman, surrounded by young people in love with her, among whom in the foreground is the spectacular nineteen-year-old Ekaterina Dashkova on horseback in a Preobrazhensky uniform and with a saber in her hands.
Blows of fate.
The first disappointment awaited Dashkova when she found out that Grigory Orlov was the empress’s lover. She realized that much was hidden from her.
Due to her youth and naivety, Dashkova believed that she contributed to the coup, but then realized with bitterness that Catherine and her circle carefully hid the coup plan from her. Having discovered the falsity in Ekaterina’s behavior, Dashkova realized the insincerity of the relationship, and friendship and joint dreams immediately collapsed. Catherine II moved away from Dashkova with the speed of royal ingratitude.
According to A.I. Herzen, “Empress Catherine wanted to reign not only with power, but with everything in the world - genius, beauty; she wanted to attract attention to herself alone, she had an insatiable desire to please. She was in the full splendor of her beauty, but she was already thirty years old. She probably would have been able to keep a weak woman, lost in the rays of her glory, praying to her, not very beautiful, not very smart, but the energetic Dashkova, who spoke about her glory, with her mind, with her fire and with her nineteen years, She couldn't stand being near her."
Dashkova’s lofty dreams and dreams of the good of the fatherland are all in the past; the Empress paid her 24 thousand rubles, awarding her with a Star and a Catherine Ribbon for special services. After some time, together with her husband Mikhail, she sent the Dashkovs away from her.
Dashkova experienced great disappointment upon learning that Peter III was strangled, John VI ( former emperor) killed, captured Princess Tarakanova died in the fortress. Dashkova understands that Catherine is carefully freeing herself from any contenders for the throne. The Empress no longer forgives either bold statements or Dashkova’s desires to participate in government affairs. Only Dashkova's serious illness after the death of her beloved eldest son and husband (1763) saved her from arrest.
Dashkova returned to the estate near Moscow. Having learned that Mikhail Dashkov had ruined their entire fortune with debts, she paid them off by selling all her jewelry, and then, together with her daughter Anastasia and youngest son Pavel, they returned to the ruined Trinity estate, which she raised with her energy in five years.
In 1769, Dashkova and her children went abroad for two years under the name Mikhalkova. In Danzig they stayed at the Rossiya Hotel. Having discovered two monumental canvases in which wounded and dying Russian soldiers beg for mercy from the victorious Prussians, Dashkova was indignant and sent her secretary to buy different color paints. After dinner, having firmly locked the door, she repainted the uniforms in the paintings, turning the victors into the vanquished, now the Prussians begged the Russians for mercy. Dashkova is pleased, imagining the surprise of the hotel owner.
In the Belgian city of Spa, she met two families - Morgan and Hamilton, who became friends for the rest of her life. Mary will come to her in Russia and brighten up the most difficult years on the eve of her death.
In London, she visited Oxford University and met with Russian students. In the library she noticed Russian-Greek dictionary, and she had the idea of creating a Russian grammar and dictionary, which she would bring to reality as president of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In Paris, Dashkova met the great philosopher Diderot, who helped the young woman establish relations with Empress Catherine II. They often talked, Dashkova behaved steadfastly and with dignity. She hated despotism and any manifestations of tyranny; she preferred a constitutional monarchy.
One day Diderot touched upon the issue of slavery of Russian peasants in their conversations. Dashkova replied, as for her, she has set up a management system on her estates that protects peasants from robbery by petty officials. The welfare of the serfs is constantly growing on her estates, and she is crazy to dry up the source of income with cruelty. Dashkova interested Diderot in the country, and he came to St. Petersburg in 1773, but their meeting in Russia did not take place, since Dashkova was still in disgrace.
An adult, married Tsarevich becomes a dangerous contender for the throne of Russia; a conspiracy arises among a group of people dissatisfied with Catherine’s rule who dream of placing a legitimate heir on the throne. But the plot, according to Bakunin’s denunciation, was discovered in a timely manner. Among the conspirators were the Tsarevich, his wife Natalya, Pavel’s teacher Nikita Panin, Repnin and others; they even suspected Dashkova, but no one knows for sure, since Dashkova was in exile at that time.
In 1775 E.R. Dashkova went abroad with her children to complete their education. In 1779, her studies were completed, but she was not allowed to return to Russia. The years of wandering continued. In Paris, she spent time in the company of Diderot, D'Alembert, and Raynal. In 1781 she met the outstanding American statesman Benjamin Franklin. Their friendship grew into a partnership between two outstanding people their countries.
Only in 1782 was Dashkova allowed to return to Russia and she was “mercifully” received by Empress Catherine II. The events of 1762 seemed like ancient history to them, but fame as the first Russian educated woman reached St. Petersburg and the pragmatic Catherine II decided to use it again - offering her the post of director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. This was an important step; an eye and an eye were needed. But the “iron lady” had the acumen and energy.
The “lucky streak” has begun. Son Pavel Dashkov receives rank from Field Marshal G.A. Potemkina, Polonskaya's niece was hired as a maid of honor in the palace. And Ekaterina Dashkova herself in 1783 became the first woman in Russia (with the exception of empresses) to occupy a high government position.
Dashkova E.R. agreed to take this post not without hesitation. She found herself in a farm neglected by previous presidents and harnessed herself to this cart. After Lomonosov, she found the scientific world disorganized, educational activities Academy. She thought through the steps of her activities. Her enormous energy, activity, intelligence and education made it possible to enhance the work of the Academy. It revived academic life and led to the standards envisaged by the creators of the Academy. The work of academicians was freed from the tutelage of the bureaucratic apparatus. Puts in order the neglected economy of the Academy, scientific, educational and publishing activities.
Courses are opened not only for students, but also for outsiders. The success of the courses taught in Russian by Kotelnikov, Ozeretsky, Sokolov, Severgin, etc. - The Academy prepares domestic scientific personnel, was great.
During eleven years of leadership, Dashkova strengthened the academic economy, paid off debts, replenished the library, improved the work of the printing house, established the compilation of maps of the provinces, and organized expeditions to various regions. Was established publishing activity, the following works were published:
Complete works of M.V. Lomonosov.
"Description of the land of Kamchatka."
"Notes of Travelers".
"Academic News".
"Interlocutor for lovers of the Russian word."
Russian dictionary and grammar.
Dashkova’s main achievement, the creation of a Russian dictionary and grammar, according to Pushkin, is “the greatest contribution to Russian culture,” according to Karamzin, “the complete dictionary, developed by a team of professors led by Dashkova and published by the Academy, is one of those phenomena that Russia will surprise attentive foreigners, we have been maturing not for centuries, but for decades.”
Dashkova jealously guards the dignity of the Academy, the Russian (Moscow) Academy was created, the members of which are: Rumovsky, Protasov, Kotelnikov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin, Kheraskov, Knyazhnin and others.
“During my directorship,” Dashkova wrote to Ekaterina, “from this institution came big number persons who are in your service Imperial Majesty where they benefit the Fatherland, they are rewarded with various titles."
During the two years of the existence of Sobesednik, Dashkova herself published ten articles. The publication of Knyazhnin's book "Vadim Novgorod" in Sobesednik caused sharp irritation of Catherine II, who feared for her throne.
In addition, Catherine Romanovna's friendship with Benjamin Franklin aroused the wrath of Empress Catherine; as with one of the leaders liberation war American colonies against the English king, which found great support and sympathy from all advanced people Europe and Russia.
In this regard, in 1794 E.R. Dashkova said goodbye to the Academies and left for her Trinity, where in 1796 she greeted with pain the news of the death of Catherine, whom Dashkova had once proclaimed Great. She remembered their friendship and her ardent youth, inspiration, obsession and bitter disappointment in Catherine, who, immediately after her coronation to the throne, tried to show the young, enthusiastic Dashkova who was the boss here.
Personal tragedy and the last years of Dashkova’s life.
The years of “luck” ended immediately after receiving news of the secret marriage of Pavel’s son with the daughter of the merchant Alferov. “The wound inflicted on the mother’s heart is incurable. For several days I could only cry, then I became seriously ill,” Dashkova wrote in her “Notes.” Having received a letter from her son two months later, where he asked his mother’s consent to marry, she was shocked and answered him that she knew that he was already married and his hypocrisy was outrageous.
Daughter Anastasia, with her extravagance and hostility towards her mother, also caused her a lot of grief. The daughter broke up with her husband and went on a spree, demanding that her mother pay her debts. Dashkova E.R. depressed and sometimes the thought of death comes to her, but religion saves her.
Immediately after the death of the empress, by order of the new emperor Pavel, Dashkov was exiled to the distant poor village of her husband in the Novgorod province. The governor of Moscow gave her Paul’s order: “to think in exile about what she did in 1762.” Without resisting, the half-ill Dashkova in 1796, on the orders of Emperor Paul, went into exile in the winter frosts to while away her days in a peasant hut, devoid of amenities.
After some time, Dashkova turned to Empress Maria Feodorovna with a request to spare the sick, unfortunate woman. The Empress, taking pity on her, turned to Paul I. The first time he categorically refused to pardon Dashkova, and only the second time, at the request of her son Pavel Mikhailovich Dashkov, he allowed Dashkova to settle on the estate of the Kaluga province in 1798. Soon, Prince Dashkov stood up for his officer, for which he fell out of favor with the emperor, but his son’s fall, fortunately, did not affect the fate of his mother. Dashkova's disgrace lasted until 1801.
Having come to power, Alexander I invited Dashkova to return to St. Petersburg, but she, thanking the emperor, refused, saying that “her time had passed, and her health did not allow it.”
In the Kaluga province she devoted herself entirely to economic activity.
Back in 1794, in her memoirs, she tries to show her historical place in Russia, her human qualities and virtue, justifies herself in relation to her children, her daughter-in-law, abandoned by her son. Dashkova did not recognize this during her son’s life unequal marriage and only after the death of her son in 1807 did Dashkova reconcile herself. A touching meeting took place between two unfortunate women, and they burst into tears from the grief of loss.
The son had no children and Dashkova found an heir from the Vorontsov family - Ivan Illarionovich (1790-1854), a great-nephew, whom she took care of from birth. Ivan Illarionovich was the only son of his parents and after early death father was raised by his mother Irina Ivanovna Izmailova. Thanks to his mother and the influence of the famous aunt E.R. Dashkova he received a brilliant European education. From birth, Dashkova, literally, stood at his font, was friendly with Irina Ivanovna, and the personal qualities of her godson captivated her forever.
Therefore, finding herself without an heir after the death of her son Pavel, Dashkova made a choice: it was her great-nephew who was worthy to bear the name Dashkova.
With the permission of Emperor Alexander I, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova appointed an heir for herself in 1807 and bequeathed all possessions and the surname Vorontsov-Dashkov to her godson Ivan Illarionovich Vorontsov.
Thus, from 1807 there appeared new dynasty Counts Vorontsov-Dashkov, who faithfully served the fatherland and continued the traditions of the famous Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, engaged in education. The childless daughter Anastasia was deprived of her inheritance during her mother’s lifetime, and she was assigned only a lifetime annual pension, which she received from the heir.
Last years Dashkova lived on the Troitsky estate, surrounded by her assistants and peasants. On the advice of her friend Kate Hamilton, Mary Wilmot came to stay with Ekaterina Romanovna and lived in Russia for five whole years.
Getting from St. Petersburg to the Troitskoye estate, she heard a lot of terrible gossip about the character and inappropriate behavior of Ekaterina Romanovna. Tyranny, stinginess, gloominess and other qualities did not fit with Hamilton’s romantic ideas about a young heroine galloping with a saber in front of the army. Arriving at the princess's estate, she saw a woman with a pleasant face, open and intelligent, dressed in a black dress and with a silver Star on her left shoulder. She was affectionate and Mary immediately felt the most ardent love for her. Mary was the last affection of this wonderful and lonely woman; she filled the emptiness of her life.
Dashkova is again full of energy, begins to study Russian and French with Mary, stage plays, make trips to religious places in the Moscow region: Pleshcheyevo Lake, Trinity-Sergius Posad, Rostov-Yaroslavsky, etc.
They attend balls in Moscow, meet with famous people who respected her, although she differed from all the noble guests in her simplicity of dress, freshness of face, and lack of jewelry, with the exception of the Star.
Mary is surprised by her tirelessness and variety of activities: building houses, drawings, a theater, a hospital, greenhouses, increasing her already very large capital, business correspondence, attitude towards religion. Mary noted the contradiction in the habits of the princess, her commitment to ancient traditions and a great interest in everything new.
Dashkova's rich spiritual world and diversity of interests are felt in her letters.
Dashkova began writing her “Notes” in one breath, writing from memory, presenting it quickly, and correcting almost nothing. Her goal was “...not to preserve for posterity episodes of her amazing life, but to show how dangerous it is to sail on the same ship with the powers that be... and how the court atmosphere stifles the development of the most energetic natures...".
Her memoirs are not a work of history, they are subjective and not even accurate, but they paint a broad picture of Russian reality.
The fate of "Notes".
Mary Wilmot left Russia in 1808 two years before the death of Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova. Dashkova gives Mary, as a souvenir of the happy years spent together on the Trinity estate, the opal of the Swedish Queen, the fan of Catherine II and the main treasure of her life - the manuscript of "Notes". At Russian customs, Mary was obstructed, they were looking for dangerous papers and the manuscript was taken away, but she was consoled by the fact that the copy had prudently already been sent outside Russia.
After Dashkova’s death, Mary, fulfilling the will of her “Russian mother,” prepared the saved copy for printing. But Ekaterina Romanovna’s brother Semyon Romanovich Dashkov prevents her. He did not want to allow the appearance of a book that described the behind-the-scenes details of the coup, discussed the problems of serfdom and other issues that had not lost their urgency during the reign of Alexander I.
Therefore, the first edition English language appeared only in 1840. Herzen A.I. became godfather Russian translation of "Notes", which with his preface were published in 1859. Herzen called E.R. Dashkov as his favorite, saying:
"What a woman! What a strong and rich existence!"
Now these documents are being handled by a descendant of Dashkova’s heir, professor of Russian literature, Count Vorontsov-Dashkov Alexander Illarionovich (1945), living in the USA (Virginia).
Who was she, this woman who led the country's largest scientific institutions for more than eleven years?
A writer. She writes plays, poems, articles, memoirs - “Notes”, and translates. Herzen, an admirer and biographer of Dashkova, calls the “Notes” a document extremely important for the study of the 18th century.
A connoisseur of the arts. Her judgments about architectural monuments and works of painting amaze with their accuracy and depth.
A teacher. She is familiar with many achievements pedagogical science, adheres to progressive views in matters of education professed by enlightenment philosophers, and is developing a new education system.
Philologist. On her initiative, the first Dictionary Russian language. She participates in its compilation and takes upon herself the explanation of concepts related to morality, politics and government.
Editor. Under her leadership, the magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers" is published Russian word", in which she attracts many talented writers to participate. Dobrolyubov dedicates her first study to "Interlocutor".
Naturalist. During her travels, she compiles a herbarium and a collection of minerals. She studies horticulture and grows gardens.
A musician. She's addicted folk songs, sings beautifully, tries, and successfully, his strengths in composition.
Surgeon. With a lancet in her hands, she saves a man from death.
“Not only have I never seen such a creature, but I have never heard of such a thing,” her guest Mary Wilmot writes about Dashkova to her family in Ireland. She teaches masons how to lay walls, helps gardeners make paths, goes to feed cows. She composes music and writes articles. , corrects the priest if he prays wrong. She corrects her household actors when they go astray. She is a doctor, a pharmacist, a paramedic, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a judge, a lawyer..."
(March 17, old style) 1743 (according to other sources - in 1744) in St. Petersburg.
The daughter of Count Roman Vorontsov from his marriage to Marfa Surmina, she lost her mother early and was taken to be raised in the house of her uncle, Vice-Chancellor Mikhail Vorontsov. The girl got good home education, had an excellent command of European languages and was fond of the writings of French enlighteners.
In 1758, she became close to the future Empress Catherine II and became her devoted supporter. She actively participated in the coup of 1762, which brought Catherine II to the throne.
In 1759 she married Prince Mikhail Dashkov.
Contrary to the expectations of the princess, other persons took the leading place at court and in state affairs. At the same time, the empress’s relationship with Dashkova, who withdrew from the court, also cooled. The princess spent some time in a village near Moscow, and in 1768 she toured Russia.
In 1794, Dashkova again fell out of favor with the empress for publishing Yakov Knyazhnin's tragedy "Vadim Novgorodsky" (1793) in the Russian Theater. Relations with Catherine II deteriorated, and Dashkova left for the Troitskoye estate in Kaluga province.
In 1796, Emperor Paul I removed Dashkova from all her posts and sent her to the Korotovo estate in the Novgorod province.
In 1801, under Alexander I, the disgrace was lifted. Dashkova refused the offer of members of the Russian Academy to again take the place of president.
The princess lived alternately in Moscow and St. Petersburg, conducted extensive correspondence, collaborated in the magazine “Friend of Enlightenment” (1804-1806), and in 1808 in “Bulletin of Europe”, “Russian Bulletin” and other magazines under various pseudonyms. The last years of her life were spent working on memoirs, which were published in Russian only in 1859 by Alexander Herzen.
Ekaterina Romanovna was widowed early - her husband Mikhail Dashkov died in 1764. This marriage produced a daughter and two sons, one of whom died in infancy.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Everything that the eighteenth century gave Russia, in the form of enlightenment, education, forgetting one’s roots and returning to them, the development of new lands and new professions, finally, in the form of a frantic thirst for new knowledge, found its embodiment in the life of this strong and extremely talented woman. Her merits are great simply because everything she did was done by a woman, and in the eighteenth century there were few such examples. Her first biographer wrote about her: “Dashkova’s noble zeal for science and love for scientists cost her a lot of effort, and sometimes displeasure, but obstacles did not deter her.” Her life was formed according to the behests of Peter the Great, who showed the world a Russian man thirsting for knowledge, when learning something new, knowing the world became a distinctive feature of society for a whole century, determining the forward movement of Russian society, when it was customary to be able to do everything, imbued with knowledge, and apply it to life.
“I would very much like you to be able to look at the princess herself. Everything about her, her language and her dress, is all original; no matter what she does, she is absolutely unlike anyone else. Not only have I never seen such a creature, but and I have never heard of such a thing. She teaches masons to lay walls, helps to make paths, goes to feed the cows, composes music, writes articles for the press, knows the church rites completely and corrects the priest if he prays wrong, knows the theater completely and corrects his own people. domestic actors, when they lose their roles; she is a doctor, a pharmacist, a paramedic, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a judge, a lawyer; every day she does the most opposite things in the world - she corresponds with her brother, who occupies one of the first places in the empire, with scientists, with writers, with Jews, with her son, with all her relatives. Her conversation, fascinating in its simplicity, sometimes reaches the point of childish naivety. Without thinking at all, she speaks at once in French, Italian, Russian, and English. English, confusing all languages together. She was born to be a minister or a commander, her place is at the head of the state,” this is what a friend, an Irish girl, who observed her in old age and was captivated by the breadth and beauty of this extraordinary Russian woman, Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, will write about her.
In a bright and echoing hall St. Petersburg Academy, which was born from the genius of Peter the Great, like everything he created, grandiose, academicians gathered. The Academy was experiencing its worst times- it was robbed by temporary workers from science to the last thread, Lomonosov’s genius had long since died, academicians were subjected to insults from court administrators... And then a rumor spread that Empress Catherine II had installed a woman at the head of the academy, and her associate in an unseemly conspiracy against the legitimate tsar... Truly inscrutable are the ways of the Lord... What even worse times await academicians in the future?
A small woman in a black, closed, closed dress with an order ribbon over her shoulder quickly entered the hall. And behind her, supported on both sides, is a gray-haired academician. He was a famous mathematician and geometer, known not only to Russia but also to Europe, the pride of the academy, Lomonosov’s associate Leonard Euler.
He was old, had not attended academies for a long time, he was pathetic and uninterested in academic squabbles and insults from officials, but this little fragile woman managed to force him to leave the house - so passionately she sought his support, so mathematically logical was her mind, so persistently and she vividly told the old academician about what she would do at the academy and what it should become for Russia.
The roar in the hall died down... The woman approached the pulpit, her lips trembled slightly, betraying her excitement as she began to deliver her speech. But gradually Princess Dashkova captured the attention of the audience, as she always knew how to do. Everyone listened to her in breathless anticipation. Maybe these hands, flying above the pulpit, will really be able to change something in the ruined academy?
“I told them that I asked Euler to include me in the meeting, because, despite my own ignorance, I believe that by such an act I most solemnly testify to my respect for science and enlightenment.”
The speech has been made. And everyone takes their places according to the long-established ranking. At that same second, Dashkova discovers that some “professor of allegory” is sitting next to the chair, who himself is something like an “allegory” in science, but in high ranks. And then she utters words so appropriate and sharp as to put the interlocutor in his place. Addressing the well-deserved center of attention, Euler, she says: "Sit wherever you want. Whatever seat you choose will be first from the minute you take it."
Ten years at the head of the Academy gave Ekaterina Romanovna the opportunity to realize many of her plans - she did not strive to be a learned lady, but did everything to organize the life of the academy at the most advanced level of education, and most importantly, to make it useful to the Fatherland.
In just three years, a lot will change at the academy and Ekaterina Romanovna will sum up her affairs: the Academy had many debts - the academy paid all of its debts; the fonts in the printing house were old, the presses were broken, which is why books were not printed - new fonts were cast and ordered abroad; books on specialties were not purchased - orders were given for the purchase of books; “gentlemen professors, burdened with matters alien to their science, did not have time to engage in their specialties, which harmed the success of science” - now “each of them can engage in their science completely freely, without encountering any obstacles on my part; they deal with their affairs directly to me and receive their quick permission, without submitting to the red tape that frightened some of them"; the prices for maps and books were very high and no one could buy them, moreover, there was no catalog of these books - “books, maps and almanacs that have gone on sale since I joined the Academy are being sold for half their previous price,” they were kicked out incapable students were recruited into the academy's gymnasium, the minutes of the academy's meetings were put in order, book Shop the academy was inspected, the library was put in order, physical instruments that had fallen into disrepair were replaced with new ones ordered abroad, the chemistry room was updated and new furnaces for experiments were installed, a professor of mineralogy was discharged, who was not at the academy, “although Russia abounds in mineral wealth ", the famous Gottorp globe, which Peter the Great brought as a trophy, was restored and corrected Northern War; the work of the Geographical Department was improved, which resulted in new maps being created in three years; and saving money in everything, putting things in order, controlling and accounting...
But, perhaps, the most important thing that is heard all the time in her affairs regarding the arrangement of the academy is that “gentlemen academicians are engaged in work that brings immediate benefit to our fatherland.”
Her indignation knows no bounds: “Observations and discoveries made within the country were reported abroad before their publication in Russia, and, to the shame of the Academy, they were used there earlier than here.
I ordered that it be entered into the journal that Messrs. Academicians should no longer report such discoveries abroad until the Academy has gained glory from them through publication and until the state has taken advantage of them."
Having saved a fair amount of money on the Academy’s economy, she asks the Empress for permission to open public courses in the main branches of science, and deliver lectures for everyone “in Russian,” Dashkova especially emphasizes. Such public lectures the best academicians read, and the princess later wrote with satisfaction: “I often attended the lectures and saw with pleasure that the children of poor Russian nobles and young guard non-commissioned officers used them to supplement their education...”.
She contributed to the direction of various expeditions to study Russia, began printing the complete works of M.V. Lomonosov, the second edition of “Description of the Land of Kamchatka” by Professor S.P. was published under her. Krasheninnikov, notes from Ivan Lepekhin’s travels through different provinces of Russia, “Academic News” is renewed, new maps of Russia are printed, a new educational magazine “New Monthly Works” is published. Academicians with recognition call her “our valiant boss.”
But Ekaterina Romanovna’s special love and care was the language of the Russian Fatherland. Born in an environment where everyone spoke French, having learned this language almost earlier than Russian, in her youth, having arrived as a young wife in the Moscow patriarchal house, she could not understand what her Moscow mother-in-law was telling her - she was so far from the language Motherland. But later he took the most important place in her heart, especially when traveling abroad. She wanted to convey the beauty of her native language to her eminent and learned interlocutors - she sang Russian songs and romances, riding on a boat on which she strengthened the Russian flag, to her Swiss friends, when she visited Voltaire on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, talked about Russian life and its structure to the philosopher Diderot, her frequent interlocutor both in foreign travels and in letters.
While in Austria, when meeting with the Viennese Chancellor Kaunitz at dinner, we talked about Peter the Great. The Chancellor called him the creator of Russia and Russians. Dashkova immediately rushed to object to him, arguing that the state and cultural history of Russia has incomparably more ancient origins. She knew this firsthand: before her trip abroad, she visited Kyiv, looked with pleasure at the frescoes and mosaics of ancient Sophia of Kyiv, visited the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and visited the academy. She is fascinated by the antiquity of Russian science and history: “Science penetrated into Kyiv from Greece long before its appearance among some European peoples, so readily calling Russians barbarians. Newton's philosophy was taught in these schools at a time when the Catholic clergy banned it in France."
And now again this European disdain for Russian history! Answering the chancellor, she blushed all over, her eyes sparkled furiously:
“Even 400 years ago,” I said, “Batu destroyed churches covered with mosaics.
“Don’t you think at all, princess,” the chancellor objected, “that he brought Russia closer to Europe and that it was recognized only from the time of Peter I?
great empire, prince, having inexhaustible sources wealth and power, like Russia, do not need to get closer to anyone. Such a formidable mass as Russia, properly governed, attracts whomever it wants. If Russia remained unknown until the time of which you speak, Your Grace, this proves, forgive me, Prince, only ignorance or frivolity European countries, ignoring such a powerful state..."
Dashkova never ignored even the slightest derogation of the merits of her Fatherland, European educated, she considered Europeans to be largely ignorant in relation to their Motherland, and with all passion she corrected this ignorance, enlightening her many influential European acquaintances in the field of science and politics. So we can consider her, to some extent, a talented diplomatic envoy, who, during all her numerous travels abroad, greatly strengthened the authority of both Russia and Empress Catherine II. It is her long and detailed conversations about Russia with Denis Diderot that can explain the desire of the famous educator to visit Russia, and the symbol of the era, a resident of the shores of Lake Geneva Voltaire, parting with her, will write a letter after her: “The Alpine mountains will long echo with the echo of your name - the name that remains in my heart forever."
During her first trip abroad in 1769, which Dashkova undertook under the name of Mrs. Mikhalkova to improve the health of her children, a curious incident occurred, but quite indicative of her character. She arrived in Danzig and stayed at the Rossiya Hotel. To her amazement, in the magnificent hall of the hotel, she discovers two huge, monumental canvases in which wounded and dying Russian soldiers beg for mercy from the victorious Prussians. And this was after the triumphant victory of the Russians in the Seven Years' War, when the troops of General Chernyshev took Berlin! Knowing that many Russians stay here, the princess is indignant that Alexey Orlov, who recently visited here, “did not buy and throw into the fire” these offensive pictures. Well, she comes up with her own move - she persuades the secretary of the Russian mission to buy her oil paints and in one night rewrites the picture, repainting the uniforms from Russian to Prussian and vice versa. So it turns out that the Prussians are now asking for mercy from the true winners - the Russians. The princess knew how to be decisive.
While in England, Dashkova visits Oxford, the center of science. Russian students come to her, and the university vice-chancellor arrives in a formal robe. Dashkova examines the Oxford library, is especially interested in Russian manuscripts, and spends a long time studying the Russian-Greek dictionary with grammatical rules. Maybe it was then that the happy thought came to her about the need to compile a Russian grammar and a Russian dictionary?
Much later, already as president of the Academy, Dashkova, in a conversation with the empress, with whom she now saw often on academy business, expresses bewilderment that there is still no Academy of the Russian Language in Russia. In order to convert Special attention monarch, she compares that in France and Germany, similar academies have existed for half a century. Catherine is hurt that such a worthy project did not come to her mind: “I am sure that your energy will get rid of delays with this matter, which, to my shame, has not yet been implemented.” And he immediately instructs the princess to draw up a charter, appointing her president. The goal of the Academy is to study the Russian language and draw up rules that “would eliminate the need to use foreign words and concepts, instead of Russian ones, are much more expressive."
With enthusiasm worthy of her, the princess speaks at the opening of the Academy, which now began to be called Russian, in contrast to the St. Petersburg Academy, which dealt primarily with the exact sciences, and which, studying the Russian language and literature, continues to this day, constitutes the second department Russian Academy Sciences of Russian Language and Literature. She does not forget to thank the empress for such a wise decision, noting that “the empress, a witness of our great blessings, is now giving a new distinction of patronage to the Russian word, and to the ruler of many languages.”
Before making a speech, she is in terrible excitement, reaching the point of spasm. But as she speaks, she becomes increasingly inspired and the eloquence of the words becomes clear to the listeners, embraced by the same enthusiasm that is already heard in the sounds of the little princess’s voice:
“By the establishment of this Imperial Russian Academy it has been granted to perfect and magnify our Word...”
To perfect and magnify the Word... What has always occupied her, from the very early childhood, so little joy - books, words, thoughts constituted perhaps the main joy of a lonely heart.
The princess recalled the first years of her life. She was born in 1744 into nobility, belonging by birth to the highest families of the Russian aristocracy - the family of Counts Vorontsov. Her successor from the font was Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, “Petrov’s daughter,” and her godfather was the heir to the throne, future emperor Peter III, in whose overthrow from the throne this girl, his goddaughter, will also be involved.
She lost her mother when she was two years old, and therefore, apparently, there was so much masculine determination in her character. The father, obsessed with obtaining social pleasures, gave the girl to be raised in the house of her uncle, Vice-Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, married to the empress’s cousin. The uncle did not distinguish his niece from his own daughter; she often frolicked on the empress’s lap. She was given a decent upbringing for those times. “My uncle spared no money on teachers. And we - in our time - received an excellent education: we spoke four languages, and especially spoke excellent French; we danced well and knew how to draw; a certain state councilor taught us Italian, and when we expressed a desire to take Russian language lessons, Bekhteev taught us; we had refined and amiable manners, and therefore it was no wonder that we were reputed to be well-mannered girls. But what was done to develop our minds and hearts? "
The thirst for knowledge and development of mind and heart did not leave her throughout her life. And then, in childhood, this thirst helped me survive. As a fourteen-year-old girl, she fell ill with measles, and since this disease was contagious, and also deadly, the Vorontsov family, being connected with imperial court, considered it best to remove the girl to the village, to the estate, isolating her from everyone and assigning her a German companion. The injustice of loneliness is especially acute in childhood. And in order to drown out her melancholy, she finds books in the chancellor’s house, which she immerses herself in... Serious reading, and besides, seasoned with loneliness, cultivates in her a thoughtful nature, not devoid of pride, she comes to the conclusion that she must “achieve everything without outside help.” help."
girl reading serious literature, which, fortunately, was from the vice-chancellor, who was not alien to an interest in education, a friend of Lomonosov. “My favorite authors were Bayle, Montesquieu, Voltaire and Boileau...” - all the luminaries of the European Age of Enlightenment. The laws, morals, customs, and injustices of the world find interest and nutritious soil in her young heart. She is observant, sharp-tongued, and willing to confront. She refuses to whiten and blush like other girls, thereby winning for herself the right to be different from everyone else. She eagerly and inquisitively listens to the stories of everyone visiting her uncle's house.
"...I compared their countries with my homeland, and a burning desire to travel awoke in me; but I thought that I would never have enough courage for this, and believed that my sensitivity and irritability of my nerves would not bear the burden of the painful sensations of the wounded pride and deep sadness of a heart that loves its homeland..."
By the age of 15, she already had her own library of 900 volumes, which she would then proudly show off to everyone as her most important decoration. In the meantime, the acquisition of Louis Moreri’s dictionary and the famous “Encyclopedia” brings her special joy: “Never has a precious piece of jewelry brought me joy.” more pleasure than these books."
Thirst for knowledge... How it will be useful to her when creating the Russian Academy.
“Various antiquities scattered throughout the spaces of our fatherland, abundant chronicles, dearest monuments of the deeds of our forefathers, which few of the existing European nations can boast of, provide a vast field for our exercises...
The famous deeds of our ancestors, and especially the glorious age of Catherine II, will show us subjects for works worthy of our loud century; Let this be our first exercise, just like writing a grammar and a dictionary..."
A clear, clear program for the development of language, which is the first condition for the formation of a nation’s self-awareness: the study of ancient chronicles and documents, extracting historical facts from them, creating modern literary works about time past and present, as well as improving grammar and creating a dictionary... Lomonosov-style logical and Government program, to which Princess Dashkova devotes herself with all passion: “Be sure that I will always burn with boundless zeal, flowing from my love for my dear fatherland, for everything that can be useful to our entire society, and that with vigilant diligence I will try to replace my shortcomings abilities..."
She becomes a “collaborator of venerable writers”, “a lover of muses”.
“The Russian language surpasses many in beauty, abundance, importance and various types of measures in poetry, which are not found in others. European languages, and therefore it is regrettable that the Russians, neglecting such a strong and expressive language, zealously strive to speak or write imperfectly, in a language very low for the strength of our spirit and the abundant feelings of the heart. In capital cities, ladies are ashamed to speak Russian in large gatherings, but few know how to write... To what a flourishing state the Russians would bring their literature if they knew the value of their language!..”
In her speech, she sang an ode in prose to the Russian word: “You know the vastness and riches of our language; in it, the strong eloquence of Cicero, the convincing sweetness of Demosthenes, the magnificent importance of Virgil, Ovid’s pleasant ornateness and the thundering lyre of Pindar do not lose their dignity; the subtlest philosophical imaginations, We have many different family properties and changes that are decent and express things; however, with all these advantages, our language lacked the prescribed rules for constant definition of words and the indispensable signification of words. Hence, diversity occurred in the combination of words, which were unusual, or even more disfiguring our language, borrowed from. foreign languages..."
And all this should have been the task of the Russian Academy. For more than 11 years, the princess led her, “burning with boundless zeal.” Of the 364 meetings, two thirds were chaired by her.
To the calling voice
I want to follow
To sacred Parnassus
I'm looking for the old path.
It's sweet to obey me
Chairman of the Musicians
Who is of Russian loud fame
It’s not convenient to sound the horn,
He has corrupt morals
Try to expose...
Sing, Russian muses, sing,
You have a confidante;
Admire, build lyres:
Parnassus was entrusted to Dashkova.
The poet Mikhail Kheraskov wrote about her.
The color of the Russians gathers around the academic Parnassus Dashkova learned people. Members of the Russian Academy were scientists, educated clergy, statesmen and, for the first time, writers - Fonvizin, Derzhavin, Kheraskov, Knyazhnin. Let us not forget in gratitude that in the 19th century Krylov, Zhukovsky, and Pushkin became members of the Russian Academy.
The soul of the entire academy, little princess Dashkova, developed incredible energy in carrying out the main task of the academy - compiling a dictionary, which will now forever go down in history under the name “Dashkova’s Dictionary”.
“Dictionary of the Russian Academy, arranged in a derivative order” is the first explanatory dictionary of the Russian language with etymological elements (it is branched from the roots of words, the words are compiled not alphabetically, but according to a common root, forming branched semantic nests). This is the great-great-grandfather of all Russian language dictionaries. From it it was possible to determine where the word came from, in addition, it included many new words in the Russian language, introduced, for example, by Lomonosov into science.
“The enlightened part of society gave me justice and realized that the establishment of the Russian Academy and the speed with which the compilation of our first dictionary moved depended on my patriotism and my energy. But the court party found that the dictionary, arranged in word derivative order, was very inconvenient..." (rather, it was a contrast between Dashkova’s dictionary and the dictionary of the empress herself, which she also began to compile according to a different principle).
But what is important for us, and above all, is how highly A.S. valued the dictionary. Pushkin. He attended a meeting of the Russian Academy in 1836 and left us a testimony of grateful descendants. He writes in his report the following regarding the dictionary: “Ekaterina II founded the Russian Academy in 1783 and ordered Dashkova to be its chairman.
Catherine, who strove to establish law and unshakable order in everything, wanted to give rules to the Russian language. The Academy, obeying her orders, immediately began compiling a dictionary. The Empress took part in it not only in word, but also in deed, she often inquired about the success of the work begun and, hearing several times that the dictionary had been brought to the letter N, she once said with an air of some impatience: everything is Ours and Ours! when will you tell me: yours? The Academy redoubled its efforts. After a while, the empress asked: what is the dictionary? They answered her that the Academy had reached the letter P. The Empress smiled and remarked that it was time for the Academy to leave Peace.
Despite these jokes, the Academy had to amaze the empress with the hasty fulfillment of her highest will: the dictionary was completed within six years. Karamzin was rightly surprised by such a feat. “The Complete Dictionary published by the Academy,” he says, “belongs to those phenomena with which Russia surprises attentive foreigners; our, no doubt, happy fate in all respects is some kind of extraordinary speed: we mature not in centuries, but in decades.”
At the same time, Pushkin notes that the French Academy, founded in 1634 and since then continuously engaged in compiling its dictionary, did not publish it until 1694. But by this time the dictionary had become dilapidated, they began to redo it, several years passed, and the Academy was still revising the letter A.
So, Catherine II signed a decree on the creation of the Russian Academy on October 21, 1783 “in order to improve and exalt Russian word". At the head of the two academies, she put Ekaterina Dashkova as president, with whom by this time she was no longer so close, but she understood too much the breadth and level of personality of the princess, who by that time was a well-known person in European scientific circles. The Empress, as always, did the right thing choice, she knew how to choose companions.
For the first time, a woman became the head of the most important institution, and for the first time, she was not of royal origin!
The dictionary was written and published in the most as soon as possible: it took 11 years to make, published in 6 parts from 1789 to 1794. It included 43,257 words. It was a scientific, cultural and political feat. Even before the end of the publication, enthusiastic responses appeared about this work, which perpetuated all the changes in the Russian language, starting with the transformative activities of Peter the Great. The Czech Slavist I. Dobrovsky wrote that the dictionary is a monument that brings great honor to the young Academy.
The creation of the dictionary was similar to a military campaign, where Princess Dashkova was the commander of the army.
Casanova, an all-European rake who traveled around the world in search of adventure, visited Russia and Dashkova, and was quite annoyed that a woman was heading the academy: “It seems that Russia is a country where relations between both sexes are completely reversed: women are at the head here boards, preside over scientific institutions, manage state administration and higher politics. The local country lacks only one thing - and these Tatar beauties - only one advantage, namely: to command troops!
And she commanded! And she worked tirelessly herself. Ekaterina Romanovna took upon herself the responsibility of providing words starting with the letters Ts, Sh, Sh, as well as words related to hunting, government, and words with moral connotations. Words starting with G were collected and explained by Admiral I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, on D - Archpriest of St. Petersburg St. Isaac's Cathedral G.M. Pokrovsky, on E - physicist and astronomer, vice-president of the academy S.Ya. Rumovsky, who also described all the words associated with “stardom”, in L - comedian D.I. Fonvizin, on T - piit and Prosecutor General G.R. Derzhavin, to the south - Count A.S. Stroganov, President of the Academy of Arts, on E - I.I. Shuvalov. Indeed, the entire color of society at that time.
Weekly discussions, meetings, collecting materials, trying to decide on the main thing, limiting the task to necessity, selecting examples and sayings from all sources - this is how painstaking work went on.
After finishing the printing of the dictionary, the empress established special gold medals for the creators. On the large gold medal, on one side there was an image of Catherine II, and on the other, her monogram and the inscription: “By bringing excellent benefit to the Russian word.”
Of the 35 members of the Academy who participated in the creation of the dictionary, ten people were awarded a gold medal. Moreover, E.R. Dashkova refused to receive the medal first in 1784 and gave it to the constant secretary of the academy, academician Ivan Lepekhin? to the diligent worker of the dictionary. She was awarded only in 1790.
The completion of the dictionary coincided with the death of the great empress on November 6, 1796. The “Mother of the Fatherland” died, but Dashkova’s patroness also died, although she did not always favor her, but appreciated her intelligence and merits. Paul I always hated her for her participation in her mother’s conspiracy against her father, and therefore he immediately removed her from business and sent her into exile.
Emperor Alexander I did not favor her either. But she managed to accomplish the main task of her life.
President of two Russian academies, Dashkova was elected and a member of the Stockholm, Dublin and Erlanger Academies, the Free Economic Society of St. Petersburg, the Berlin Society of Nature Lovers and the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia.
Her literary works also gained fame. Even before the Russian Academy, “under the care of the Imperial Academy of Sciences” and the princess, the magazine “Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word” was opened - the favorite brainchild of the princess. the main task- publish works only by Russian authors in order to “try to deliver good Russian works to the public.” All works had to be sent to the president of the academy, Princess Dashkova. The Empress herself initially collaborated in the magazine, sending her essays “There were stories and fables”, “Notes on Russian history” and speaking anonymously on the pages. But E.R. herself Dashkova acted as an author on the pages of Sobesednik, publishing more than a dozen articles in the two years of its existence; she appeared in them both as a prose writer and as a poet. Dobrolyubov highly valued her articles, contrasting them with the writings of Catherine II: “These articles strongly arm us against what is generally low and disgusting in a person and what was especially widespread in some strata of Russian society of that time - against double-mindedness, flattery, hypocrisy, vanity, fanfare, deception, contempt for humanity..."
The Russian Academy also published the magazine "Russian Theatre", from which the theatrical repertoire was drawn, and also with the active participation of the princess. She wrote the comedy “Toisekov, or the Man Without Character”, which was shown at the Hermitage Theater. This magazine also served to break relations with the empress, when the princess published his tragedy “Vadim Novgorodsky”, with the main character - a representative of the Novgorod freemen, the veche, in favor of the children of the late playwright Knyazhnin. She could not help but foresee the consequences, but still decided on this act, which cost her the wrath of the empress. Dashkova asks for a two-year leave in 1794, which she receives from the empress along with a cold farewell. She never returned to court again.
In her personal destiny, she was more unhappy than happy. Catherine loved her husband, whom she married at the age of fifteen, very much, but he died early, leaving her with two children and practically no means of support and with many of her debts. But she did everything to lift her children out of poverty and arranged her estate magnificently, spending several years in poverty and working to improve it. The children she devoted so much time to, for whom she developed special program upbringing, turned out to be stupid and ungrateful; in fact, she did not communicate with either her daughter or her son in their adulthood. She received frank friendship and self-love from two of her Irish acquaintances, Vilmont, in her old age, and she wrote her famous “Notes” for them.
She died in January 1810 in her Moscow house on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street. She was buried in the Church of the Lesser Ascension, and she found her final resting place in the Church of the Holy Trinity on her Trinity estate, which she loved so much and where she wanted to “live and die.” Dashkova bequeathed to her friends to print her own “Notes”, where, perhaps, she slightly exaggerated her role in Catherine’s coup. But even after death, her notes seemed very dangerous. They were published only 30 years later. They were published by A. Herzen, who literally fell in love with both the heroine and her image: “What a woman! What a strong and rich existence!”
He, perhaps, most accurately defined its role in Russian history. “With Dashkova, the Russian female personality, awakened by Peter the Great’s defeat, comes out of her seclusion, declares her ability and demands participation in the state, in science, in the transformation of Russia and boldly stands next to Catherine. In Dashkova one can feel the same strength, not entirely structured, which was striving for a spacious life from under the mold of Moscow stagnation, something strong, multifaceted, active, Petrine, Lomonosov, but softened by an aristocratic upbringing and femininity."
It was Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova who opened the way for a galaxy of Russian women who were famous for their intelligence, independent judgment and decisive actions, which glorified not only their personalities, but also the Fatherland, which they dearly loved. In her article “On the meaning of the word “education,” E.R. Dashkova wrote that moral education, which she considered to be the most important, is to “instill in the heart of the pupil love for the fatherland and truth, respect for the laws, disgust for selfishness and the conviction of the truth that one cannot be prosperous without fulfilling the duty of one’s calling.” Dashkova herself tried in every possible way to instill in her compatriots “love for the fatherland and truth,” and thereby fully fulfilled the “duty of her title.”
Http://www.voskres.ru/school/ganitsheva.htm
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova(March 17 (28), 1743, according to other sources 1744, St. Petersburg - January 4 (16), 1810, Moscow) - born Countess Vorontsova, married Princess Dashkova. Friend and associate of Empress Catherine II, participant coup d'etat 1762 (after the coup, Catherine II lost interest in her friend and Princess Dashkova did not play a noticeable role in the affairs of the government). One of the notable personalities of the Russian Enlightenment. Her memoirs contain valuable information about the reign of Peter III and the accession of Catherine II ("Memoirs of Princess Dashkova", published in 1840 in London). Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova became the first woman in the world to run the Academy of Sciences. At her suggestion, the Russian Academy was also opened (October 21, 1783), with one of the main goals being the study of the Russian language, and Dashkova became its first president.
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova represents unique phenomenon in the history of Russia. What talents did she have! According to Catherine the Great, she was a pharmacist, a doctor, a carpenter, a merchant, and a judge. This woman could stop a theater production and start teaching actors how to play roles correctly. Dashkova composed plays, wrote articles, built roads, and milked cows on her own. This list can go on and on, since everything she took on, Dashkova succeeded in highest degree Fine.
Dashkova thought like a major statesman. It was this ability that enabled this woman to leave a significant mark in the history of the times of Catherine the Great. This was the first time in all of history that a woman who did not belong to the reigning dynasty (she was a countess) could, without any ingratiation, take such an important place among the nobles.
There turned out to be a lot in common between Ekaterina Dashkova and Ekaterina Alekseevna. Their first meeting took place at the end of 1758. The conversation was lengthy. It turned out that they were both very well read and well acquainted with the ideas of the enlighteners of France. In general, they liked communicating with each other.
There were many differences between Ekaterina Dashkova and Ekaterina Alekseevna. They showed up over time. For example, if Dashkova always spoke straightforwardly, then Catherine the Great could easily find a compromise with her interlocutor.
Dashkova was unattractive. For example, Diderot described her small stature, swollen cheeks, flattened nose, thick lips, and so on. Perhaps it was precisely because of the lack of grace that Ekaterina Romanovna early years devoted to reading wise books, and not to being in young society. Nature generously rewarded Catherine with intelligence. It was during these years that such a purposeful character was formed in Dashkova.
Dashkova’s marriage is the stuff of legend. Official version This event says that Ekaterina Romanovna accidentally met Prince M.I. Dashkov - his future husband. A modest wedding was celebrated soon after. The marriage was blessed both by the prince's mother and by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna herself. But popular rumor thought differently. More romantic. After Prince Dashkov began to speak kindly about Vorontsova (Ekaterina’s maiden name), she was not taken aback and, calling her uncle, announced to him that Dashkova was asking for her hand. Therefore, the prince (he could not tell the first dignitary of Russia that the words meant something completely different) simply had to take Vorontsova as his wife.
Dashkova was happily married. She loved her husband, and he reciprocated. However, this idyll did not last long - Prince Dashkov, being a captain, was forced to go to serve in St. Petersburg.
The birth of a son was preceded by a small “adventure”. Having learned about the imminent addition to the family, Dashkov urgently went to Moscow, but on the way he became very ill and, in order not to upset his wife, he stayed with his aunt. Catherine nevertheless found out about her husband’s illness and, overcoming the pain, went to visit Dashkov. Seeing her husband (and he couldn’t even talk), the princess fainted. Then, naturally, she was sent home, where a child was born - son Pavel.
It was beneficial for Ekaterina Alekseevna to tie Dashkova to herself. Why? Yes, very simple. Ekaterina Romanovna absorbed best ideas French enlighteners, also cherished the dream of the country's prosperity, but most importantly, she was convinced of the inability of the heir to govern the country well. And Dashkova herself was not against maintaining relations with Ekaterina Alekseevna. She was afraid that the husband of her idol (Peter Fedorovich) would imprison Ekaterina Alekseevna in a monastery.
After the palace coup on June 28, 1762, a quarrel arose between the two Catherines. Its essence was to evaluate roles. The fact is that Dashkova stated that she was the leader of the coup. This statement caused a cooling in their relationship. After all, the newly-crowned empress was not pleased with the version being circulated that she received the crown only thanks to an eighteen-year-old person.
The first blow to Ekaterina Romanovna’s pride was dealt precisely after the coup. Having opened the award list of people who distinguished themselves in carrying out the coup, he was very surprised. Her name was not in first or even second place, but among ordinary participants who, in principle, were unremarkable. The empress used this move to make it clear to the young lady that she herself was the leader of the coup that took place.
Dashkova did not approve of the violent death of Pyotr Fedorovich. Having learned that Alexei Orlov was directly related to her, she did not want to know him for decades. The words spoken by Dashkova regarding the premature death of Pyotr Fedorovich did not please the Empress very much.
Dashkova was among those who were not happy with the possible marriage of Catherine the Great to Orlov. Naturally, the empress did not really like this. Ekaterina Romanovna still had a very tender attitude towards Catherine the Great in her heart, but she could afford to make caustic statements about her and Orlov. It got to the point that the empress wrote a letter to the princess’s husband. This meant the end of relations between the two Catherines. The couple reacted very negatively to this note. On top of everything else, they were forced to go to the place where Dashkov’s regiment was located at that moment - to Riga.
The year 1754 turned out to be very difficult for Dashkova. In September, during a campaign against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Mikhail Ivanovich died as a result of illness. Taking care of the children (daughter and son) and the household fell on Ekaterina Romanovna’s shoulders. Next year she moves to one of the villages near Moscow. Here she takes on the household very energetically and quickly achieves success - within five years she pays off all the debts that passed to her after the death of her husband.
Ekaterina Romanovna was still able to break her pride. Two of her actions speak about this at once. Firstly, living abroad, she flatly refused to host Rulier, the author who described the events of the 1762 coup. The point is not the coup itself, but the way it depicted Catherine the Great on its pages - and it did not do it in the best way. Secondly, when meeting with the French educator Diderot, Dashkova praised the Empress of Russia with all her might. She wasn't wrong. Soon Diderot wrote about her devotion to Catherine II herself.
While traveling outside of Russia, Ekaterina Romanovna did not waste time. She has expanded her horizons greatly. A visit to each city was accompanied, firstly, by getting to know its sights, secondly, by visiting various art galleries, museums, theaters, and thirdly, by meeting and communicating with the most famous cultural figures. Among the latter were Voltaire, Diderot, Gibner and others.
When Dashkova returned to Russia (1771), she was shown great respect. The empress's anger changed to mercy. Catherine II even granted her the sum of sixty thousand rubles. The years spent outside the country were not in vain. Dashkova herself linked such a dramatic change in attitude towards her with the loss of such strong influence on the empress from the Orlovs. When Dashkova returned to her homeland from abroad for the third time, she was again gifted by Ekaterina Alekseevna. The subject of the gift was a house in St. Petersburg (its value was estimated by the standards of those times at thirty thousand rubles), as well as two and a half thousand serfs.
Ekaterina Dashkova did not immediately agree to be the director of the Academy of Sciences and Arts. She was very surprised by Catherine the Great's proposal (which she told her at the ball). Something forced Dashkova to write in a letter to the Empress that she was not able to manage the Academy. What exactly is not clear. Either Ekaterina Romanovna wanted to show her importance in this way, or she really considered herself unworthy. But if you consider that the director of the Academy was Elizaveta Petrovna’s favorite K.G. Razumovsky, who certainly did not have the ability to manage, then the choice of Catherine II was completely justified - Dashkova’s knowledge could not be denied. Already in 1786, Catherine Romanovna brought Catherine the Great a detailed report on her activities as director over the past three years. And the results of this activity were significant! New books appeared in the library, new fonts appeared in the printing house, debts were closed, and the prices of books published at the academy dropped significantly. In addition, many slackers lost their jobs at the Academy, and only those who really had the ability to study science were left as high school students.
Ekaterina Dashkova was the initiator of the creation of the Russian Academy. It was established in 1783. The main and significant difference between the Russian Academy and the Academy of Sciences and Arts was its reliance on the development of the so-called humanitarian cycle (the Academy of Sciences relied more on exact sciences). An interesting fact is that Ekaterina Romanovna again became the head of the new Academy, although again against her wishes. Thus, whether Dashkova wanted it or not, she became the leader of two important scientific institutions Russia.
Dashkova published the magazine “Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word.” Its contents were somewhat reminiscent of the contents of the magazine “All sorts of things” published back in the sixties by Ekaterina Alekseevna. That is, the “Interlocutor” condemned such vices as deception, contempt, double-mindedness and the like. This magazine was published first at the Academy of Sciences and Arts, then at the Russian Academy.
Dashkova got along well with children. Quite the contrary. Her relationship with her son and daughter was not good. The princess herself is to blame for this. After all, even in her adult years, she tyrannically supervised them: she literally controlled every step of her children. Dashkova's daughter, Anastasia, turned out to be an immoral person. She became “famous” for her indescribable extravagance and coquetry. Dashkova's son, Pavel, also did not please his mother. While serving under Potemkin, he led a very wild life. Having married without his mother’s blessing, he didn’t even tell her about it. Ekaterina Romanovna found out about her son’s marriage only two months later, and even then from strangers.
In 1795, there was a new cooling in relations between Dashkova and Catherine II. This was connected with the publication by Ekaterina Romanovna of the tragedy “Vadim Novgorodsky” (author Knyazhnin). Catherine the Great was informed that the content of this tragedy would not without harm affect her authority supreme power. And since Catherine II by this time had retreated from the path of liberalism, she remained very dissatisfied with Dashkova.
“I wish you a happy journey,” Empress Dashkova said at their last meeting. Ekaterina Romanovna herself came to see the Empress to ask to be relieved of her duties. Catherine the Great by this time was so negatively disposed towards Dashkova that, instead of any gratitude for the work done in the past years, she threw after her: “I wish you a happy journey.”
Dashkova’s life after the death of Catherine the Great cannot be called happy. The fact that Ekaterina Romanovna took an active part in the coup of 1762 was the reason for the persecution of the princess by Paul I. He took revenge on her for her father. Firstly, he relieved Dashkova of all positions, and secondly, he ordered her to move to the Novgorod province. The hut in which she settled was deprived of almost all amenities. True, after several petitions, Dashkova was allowed to move to her Kaluga estate. To summarize, it should be noted that although Dashkova had many difficulties in her life, she did not bend under them.