Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina (Natalia Goncharova) is one of the few Russian women whose actions were discussed not only during her lifetime, but also centuries after death. Her image was glorified by the greatest of Russian poets, and at the same time, in the eyes of many, she was and remains the cause of the death of her brilliant husband.
A family
The future wife of Alexander Pushkin was the daughter of Nikolai Goncharov. His ancestors were merchants who, under the rule of Elizabeth Petrovna, were granted the highest decree by the nobility. Being the only son of his parents, Natalya's father received an excellent education, in 1804 he was enrolled in the College of Foreign Affairs, and after a while, receiving the rank of college assessor, he became secretary of the Moscow governor.
His wife, Natalya Ivanovna, nee Zagryazhskaya, was a maid of honor at the imperial court. From their marriage seven children were born. Natalia Goncharova is the fifth child in the family.
Childhood and youth
Natalia Goncharova spent the first years of her life in the village: first in the village of Karian, Tambov province, then in the estates Yarolets and Polotnyany Plant. Then the family moved to the capital.
Natalia Goncharova, like her brothers and sisters, received an excellent home education. Children were taught Russian and world history, geography, Russian and French languages and literature. At the same time, Natalia, who was the youngest of the Goncharovs sisters, was distinguished by exceptional beauty. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, her sisters were also quite attractive, but all three had a huge disadvantage at that time - the girls were daughters-in-law, since their grandfather squandered the entire family fortune with his French mistress and left only debts for his son.
Matchmaking
Alexander Pushkin and Natalia Nikolaevna Goncharova met in Moscow, at the end of 1828, at a ball given by dance master Yogel. The beauty and grace of the girl made a lasting impression on the poet. After 4 months, Pushkin, who was in love, asked her parents for her hand, choosing Fedor Tolstoy- “American” as an intermediary.
Goncharova Sr. did not refuse him, but did not give consent to this marriage, motivating her decision by the fact that her daughter is still too young to start a family. In fact, she most likely dreamed of a more brilliant party for Natalia, and also did not want to be related to a freethinker who did not use the location of the court.
Pushkin was very upset and with a heavy heart departed for the army in the Caucasus. Returning to Moscow in September, he hurried to the Goncharovs, where a cold welcome awaited him. Probably, during the absence of the poet, a potential mother-in-law found out the true state of his finances and learned about the groom's addiction to cards. In addition, Natalya Ivanovna Goncharova was pious and adored the late emperor, so she abruptly interrupted Pushkin, who tried to criticize the policies of Alexander the First or play a trick on those who showed ostentatious piety. It seemed that the poet would never succeed in gaining the disposition of the family of the girl who captivated his heart, and he could never call her his wife.
The love story of Natalia Goncharova and Pushkin
In the spring of 1830, Alexander Sergeevich was in St. Petersburg. Through mutual acquaintances, he learned that the Goncharovs were ready to agree to his marriage with their daughter. He hastened to Moscow and again made an offer, which was accepted. Moreover, close family friends subsequently noted that Natalia Goncharova herself played a decisive role in this matter, who at that time was already seriously passionate about the poet.
Since Pushkin was under secret surveillance, he was obliged to inform Emperor Nicholas the First of his actions personally. In response to a letter of desire to marry, the monarch conveyed his “supportive satisfaction” through Benckendorf, but said that he intended to continue to instruct the poet in advice.
Engagement
The groom, along with the bride, as well as the future mother-in-law, went to the Linen Factory to introduce himself to the head of the family. A few days after meeting the father-in-law, an engagement was held between Pushkin and Goncharova, but the wedding had to be postponed due to negotiations on the dowry.
The mother-in-law was constantly in conflict with her son-in-law, so many friends thought that this wedding would never take place, especially since the death of the poet's uncle, Vasily Lvovich, did not make it possible to marry the young before the end of mourning.
The poet was forced to leave for Boldino and stayed there because of the cholera epidemic. Before the trip, he again quarreled with Madame Goncharova and later wrote her a letter informing her that her daughter could consider herself completely free, although he would never marry any other woman. In response, the bride assured him of her love, which reassured Pushkin.
After much trouble about the dowry of February 18, 1831, the young were married in the temple of the Great Ascension, which was located at the Nikitsky Gate.
Short happiness
Subsequently, many doubted whether Natalia Goncharova Pushkin loved. However, after the wedding, the poet himself wrote to his friends that he was infinitely happy.
First, the newlyweds settled in Moscow, but then moved to Tsarskoye Selo, as Alexander Sergeyevich sought to protect his wife from the influence of the mother-in-law.
The poet’s plans to lead a secluded life far from the world were prevented by the arrival of the emperor there, who decided to take the household and the yard away from the capitals in which cholera raged.
During one of the walks in Tsarskoye Selo Park, the Pushkin couple accidentally met Nikolai the First with his wife. The empress expressed the hope that the poet and Natalya Nikolaevna would become frequent guests in the palace, and appointed a day when the young woman was to pay her a visit.
In Petersburg
Upon her return to the capital, Natalya Nikolaevna Pushkina, whose fate at that time did not inspire concern, was favorably received in high society. At the same time, many noted her coldness and restraint, which were attributed to the natural shyness of a young woman.
May 19, 1832 in the Pushkin family the first-born was born - daughter Maria, and a year later Natalia Nikolaevna gave the wife of his son Alexander.
Life in the capital demanded large expenses, and the enlarged family was constantly in a straitened position. In addition, Pushkin loved gambling and often lost his salary at the card table, which was already barely enough to pay for an apartment.
The situation improved somewhat when older unmarried sisters moved to Natalia. They paid part of the cost of renting an apartment from their own funds. In particular, Ekaterina Goncharova entered the post of maid of honor to the Empress and received a good salary.
Meet Dantes
The appointment of Pushkin to the position of junk chamber, which the poet considered an insult, but was forced to accept, suggested the presence of him and his wife at all social events held in the palace. A fatal meeting took place at one of these events, which any biography of Natalia Goncharova mentions, written both by her contemporaries and many years later.
So, in 1835, the wife of A.S. Pushkin met the adopted son of the Dutch envoy to Russia - cavalry guard Georges Dantes. According to contemporaries, before meeting this handsome officer in the world, there was never any gossip about any connections that discredited Natalya Nikolaevna, although everyone knew that Nikolai the First himself was not indifferent to her.
Georges Dantes did not hide the fact that he was in love with Goncharova, and did not hesitate to tell his friends that he hoped to win her heart over time. He even persuaded their common friend, Idal Poletik, to invite Natalya Nikolaevna to her home and to leave under a plausible excuse, so that, left alone with her lover, he could achieve her favor. According to researchers, such a meeting took place and was one of the reasons that prompted Pushkin to send a challenge to a cute Frenchman.
Duel and death of the first spouse
In the autumn of 1836, the whole of Petersburg was already fussed over the connection between Natalya Nikolaevna and Dantes, and on November 4, Pushkin and his friends received an anonymous libel in which the poet was awarded a cuckold diploma. The jealous husband became furious and sent a call to Dantes. He was on duty in the barracks, and only Haeckern Sr. was at home. He accepted the call for his son, but asked for a respite.
Having learned about Pushkin’s intention to defend his honor, the Frenchman turned to Ekaterina Goncharova. The happy girl, long in love with the handsome officer, not only gave her consent, but together with Natalya Nikolaevna and other relatives began to convince the poet that Dantes met with the Goncharovs in order to be closer to her.
Pushkin could not shoot with his sister-in-law's groom, so he withdrew the call. However, after the wedding of Dantes and Catherine, rumors about his romance with the younger Goncharova did not stop.
On January 23, at the ball, the Frenchman showed tactlessness in relation to Pushkina. Since shortly before this, Alexander Sergeyevich had promised the tsar not to challenge Dantes anymore, he wrote a sharp letter to Heckern. He was forced to answer him with a challenge, but he could not fight with Pushkin because of his diplomatic status, so he was replaced by his adopted son.
Nothing could have prevented the tragedy, and on January 27, the great poet and his offender met in a deadly duel on the Black River. As a result of the shot, Dantes Pushkin was wounded and died two days later.
Widowhood
Emperor Nikolai the First took care of the Pushkin family. He allocated funds to pay his debts, granted a pension to the widow and daughters, and wrote down his sons in pages with the allocation of the contents to them until they begin to receive a salary.
Natalya Nikolaevna had no reason to stay in St. Petersburg and left with her children at the Linen Factory. Returning to the capital, she led a quiet life of an exemplary and caring mother and began to appear at the court only 6 years after the death of her husband.
Second marriage
In the winter of 1844, the widow of Pushkin met a friend of her brother, Major General Peter Lansky, who devoted his whole life to serving the motherland and by the age of 45 he had never been married. A few months later he made an offer, and soon Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina-Lanskaya-Goncharova became a full-fledged mistress in his house.
In this marriage, she gave birth to three more daughters and was happy, although she noted that in her relationship with her second husband there was no passion, which was replaced by a “feeling with a touch of love.”
Natalia Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya died in 1863 at the age of 51. She was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and after 14 years next to her found her last refuge and second husband. The grave does not attract the attention of those who poorly know the biography of this woman, since only one surname is indicated on the tombstone - Lanskaya.
Now you know the eventful biography of the main muse of the greatest Russian poet. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, the portraits of N. N. Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya give only a distant idea of her perfect beauty. However, she did not bring her happiness.