The name of the Russian poet Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is familiar to everyone. His works are included in the school curriculum, and the memory of a prose writer and playwright lives in the hearts of many admirers of his talent even now, several centuries later. A large part in the formation of the personality of one of the prominent writers of the XIX-XX centuries took his grandmother. However, those who have not heard anything about her are wondering who this woman was. Why is she engaged in education? What was the name of Lermontov’s grandmother? This article will try to find the answers.
Always nearby, always aloof
During the years of childhood and growing up of the future writer, a lot of trials fell on his lot - even in infancy, his mother died, leaving his son in the care of relatives. His father did not deal with him, and therefore the upbringing was undertaken by the one who sincerely loved him.
What was the name of Lermontov’s grandmother? This was an incredibly strong-willed, strong woman, about whom legends were made, which everyone in the district knew, but who always remained somewhere on the sidelines. Why did she do this? Perhaps she did not want to remind herself once again, to distract the attention of her grandson, who was engaged in creativity. After the death of the poet, her role in his life will be reconsidered. Undoubtedly, this participation is great, because, in fact, grandmother not only replaced her mother, she became a friend and assistant to Mikhail Yuryevich. What was the name of Lermontov’s grandmother?
Any beauty is more precious than a good heart
Elizaveta Alekseevna Arsenyeva was born in 1773. She was tall and moderately awkward. She also could not be called a beauty, but her mind and business acumen could be envied. The poet’s grandmother Lermontov belonged to the famous Stolypin family, her father was promoted to the post of governor of the Penza province. In addition to herself, the family had ten more children.
In 1795, Elizaveta Alekseevna gave birth to her only daughter, Maria. Due to her health problems on the female side, her husband, Mikhail Vasilievich, fell in love with a landowner neighbor. The woman was not free, which ultimately led to the decision of Mikhail Vasilyevich to accept the deadly poison.
Left with her daughter, Lermontov’s future grandmother, Elizaveta Alekseevna, alone managed the estate, which, admittedly, was considered wealthy at that time: there were about six hundred serfs at her disposal, to which she was very strict. Severity and willpower were manifested in many ways in character in subsequent years.
Unhappy childhood
Maria Mikhailovna, daughter of Elizabeth Alekseevna, married at the age of seventeen and settled in the village of Tarkhany, later renamed by the name of the writer. She was not in good health, and therefore, when the date of birth was approaching, her husband took her to Moscow. There, on the night of October 14-15, 1814, the future poet was born. A few days later, on October 23, Michael was baptized. Lermontov’s grandmother, Elizaveta Alekseevna, became his godmother.
Harmony in the family did not last long. The female disease that passed through the dynasty became the cause of the discord between the parents of the future poet. They cooled to each other; Yuri Petrovich started a short affair, and when his wife objected, he began to beat her. A similar situation was established in their home. This contributed to the development of the disease, which turned into a new disease - consumption. After the death of Maria Mikhailovna in 1817, the father returned to his family estate, leaving his son to his grandmother.
Energetic Elizaveta Alekseevna tried to do everything for her grandson. Michael did not have strong health, he suffered a scrofula. Remembering that both of them are continuers of the Lermontov clan, my grandmother wanted to give everything that was due to him. So, she discharged from France Dr. Anselm Lewis, a Jew by birth, so that he watched Michael. Later, the writer's childhood and the influence of Elizabeth Alekseevna will be reflected in many works, such as, for example, in The Story and the German Menschen und Leidenschaften. However, Lermontov experienced constant loneliness. He did not have peer friends, those who could become like-minded people, why he felt unhappy and lost. He transferred all his experiences to paper, which ultimately resulted in vivid, dramatic poems and stories.
Attempts to find oneself, two sides of character and a fatal duel
The future poet was growing up. With his father, Elizaveta Alekseevna Arsenyeva, Lermontov’s grandmother, entered into an agreement under which she undertakes to engage in education until his sixteenth birthday. However, she loved him so much that she begged her son-in-law not to take Mikhail to her, referring to the approaching old age. Mikhail Yurievich agreed.
The writer traveled a lot. He was in the Caucasus, drove into St. Petersburg, from there to Stavropol and Pyatigorsk. There he met retired Major Nikolai Martynov. According to the latter, there were always disagreements between him, Lermontov did not miss the chance to joke sharply that Martynov was once tired. Lermontov responded to his request to stop with a challenge to a duel.
It is known that the writer loved to shoot. The fatal duel occurred on July 27, 1841. According to the main version, the poet shot into the air, and his opponent shot him in the chest. Two days later, the writer’s funeral took place, which was attended by a large number of people who knew him. He was buried in Pyatigorsk. Elizaveta Alekseevna turned to the emperor with a request to move the grave to the village of Tarkhany, in which the poet's childhood passed. In the spring of 1842, Lermontov was reburied.
Grandma stay forever
Even after death, she worked hard so that the grave of her loved one remained in her native village. What was the name of Lermontov’s grandmother, this steadfast selfless woman who showed an example of a true bright feeling that a loving heart can experience? Elizaveta Alekseevna went down in history as the first and last woman in the poet's life, who devoted herself to raising and caring for him.
For her, he remained the only one in every sense. She protected him, she expected new letters from him. After the news of his death, Elizabeth Alekseevna did not allow her to say the name of her grandson or any other writer aloud. Her health was greatly shaken, her legs were taken away, until the end of her days she honored the memory of Mikhail Yuryevich.
Elizaveta Alekseevna survived almost her entire family - daughter, husband and grandson. She died in 1845, buried in the family crypt. Unlike the monuments and busts of her grandson, located in Pyatigorsk, Penza, St. Petersburg, Taman, Tarkhan, Grozny, Kislovodsk, Moscow and even in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), she does not have a monument.