The descendant of the Georgian Tsar dynasty, General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, is one of the most famous Russian commanders. In his life there were many high-profile victories, but few know the details of the personal life of the hero. But at one time his marriage was the subject of discussion of the Upper Light of all Europe, and his wife - Ekaterina Bagration - was considered one of the most beautiful and windy women of her time, and, at the same time, an expert spy. Her biography is a story about endless novels, which to this day are of interest to history buffs.
Origin and childhood
Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration was the daughter of Count Skavronsky, who was known for his all-consuming passion for music. He was also the great-granddaughter of Catherine the First, served as the Russian ambassador in Naples and owned a colossal fortune. As a young man, Pavel Skavronsky married the niece of His Grace Prince Potemkin. The couple had two daughters: Maria and Catherine. Girls eventually turned into real beauties and made a splash in the Upper World. Soon both of them fell in love with Count Paul Palen, but he chose the eldest Mary.
Acquaintance and wedding with Bagration
By the age of 18, Ekaterina Skavronskaya was considered an enviable bride, since everyone knew about her huge dowry, about which there were legends. In addition, her beauty attracted the attention of most men who met on her way. Among them was General Petr Bagration, already awarded all possible honors. By that time he was already 35 years old, and he was going to settle down and start a family. The image of young Catherine immediately captured the mind and heart of a brave warrior, but he did not dare to approach her, timid, like a boy. Paul I learned about the heartache of the commander, who liked to arrange marriages of his courtiers, taking this exciting lesson several hours a week, mainly in the afternoon. Once, while serving in the palace church, he announced that he was going to marry Peter Bagration and the girl Skavronskaya and ordered to prepare the girl for the wedding. The stunned bride was dressed up right in the chambers of the empress. At the same time, on behalf of the sovereign, she was presented with expensive diamond jewelry, which caused the envy of all those present. So, on September 2, 1800, the wedding of Prince Bagration took place, which laid the foundation for a marriage that can hardly be called happy.
Living together
Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration was not a model of chastity even in girlhood, and when she got married, she completely stopped respecting decency and began to flirt with men, not paying attention to her spouse. At first, the poor prince in love tried not to notice the behavior of his beloved wife, especially since he was often absent from service. However, her behavior soon became the subject of widespread speculation. Yes, and Catherine Bagration herself (portrait see above) did not strive for a normal family life, therefore, 5 years after the wedding in the Gatchina Palace, a final break occurred between the spouses.
At the Austrian court
Immediately after the explanation with her husband, Princess Yekaterina Bagration went “for treatment” abroad. There really was nothing stopping the young beauty from having fun with all representatives of the stronger sex, who seemed to her more attractive than her husband, whose Caucasian appearance, to put it mildly, did not correspond to the ideas about the male beauty of that time.
Soon, all of Vienna was discussing the Naked Angel. It is this nickname that Ekaterina Skavronskaya-Bagration received for her love of translucent tight-fitting dresses that shocked the Austrian courtyard. The most famous lover of the princess at that time was the Russian ambassador Andrei Razumovsky, but the romance did not last long, since she did not like to stay in one place.
In Dresden
The passion for changing places became the reason that they began to talk about Princess Bagration, which she made from her carriage "second fatherland". The next city where the windy beauty decided to linger was Dresden. There she met Clemens von Metternich, who at that time was acting as the Austrian ambassador. Their stormy romance ended with the birth in 1810 of a girl who was named Clementine. At the insistence of Emperor Alexander the First, Bagration had to recognize the baby and give her his last name.
In Vienna
After the birth of the child, the restless Ekaterina Bagration moved to Vienna and founded the anti-Napoleonic salon there. They even rumored that she was finding out important information from politicians and diplomats who liked to be in her house, and sent this information to St. Petersburg. During this period, her cavaliers included Friedrich von Schulenberg, Prince of Württemberg, English Lord Charles Stewart, and even Prince Ludwig of Prussia, for whom the beautiful Russian aristocrat became his last love, since he was soon killed in the war.
Widowhood and Congress of Vienna
As you know, Prince Peter Bagration died from a wound received during the battle of Borodino. The widowed princess barely noticed the death of her husband, especially since the position of the widow for her opened up new perspectives.
In 1814, Catherine Bagration overshadowed all secular lionesses at the Vienna Congress and won the favor of Alexander the First, who repeatedly stayed with her in the evenings. At the same time, many knowledgeable courtiers claimed that their conversations were not limited to secular chatter, and the tsar was more interested in secret information that Bagration's widow found out from her fans, who held important posts in the governments of many European countries.
Future life
When a lasting peace reigned in the Old World, the princess moved to Paris and settled in a mansion on the Champs Elysees, where a circle of admirers again formed around her. Even Honore de Balzac, who had copied from her the image of one of the heroines of Shagreen Skin, was there.
Second marriage
Apparently, tired of reckless life, at the age of 47, which at that time was already considered quite respectable, Catherine Bagration married John Hobart Karadok. This English diplomat, bearing the title of Lord Howden, was 16 years younger than the princess. At the same time, Ekaterina Pavlovna decided not to change her surname, and soon began to live separately with her young spouse. Moreover, after some time, rumors appeared that Karadok was going to start the divorce proceedings, as he hoped to win the favor of Queen Victoria.
Death
Ekaterina Bagration lived a rather long life. In old age, her legs were taken away , and she almost never left the house. This woman with an amazing fate died in 1857 and is buried in the Venetian cemetery of San Michele.
Her biography formed the basis of Stella K. Hershan's novel “The Naked Angel”, which tells the love story between Catherine and Metternich. She also became one of the main heroines of the historical novel by M. Kazovsky “Katish and Bagration”. Ekaterina Pavlovna is also mentioned in the novel by Valentin Pikul “Feather and Sword”.
Now you know who Catherine Bagration was, whose photo of the tombstone is presented above. Despite everything, she was a patriot of her homeland and did her best to contribute to the victories of Russia in the diplomatic field.