Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova is known as one of the close friends of Empress Catherine II. She ranked herself among the active participants in the coup of 1762, but there is no documentary evidence of this fact. Catherine herself noticeably cooled off after she ascended the throne. Throughout her reign, Dashkova did not play any noticeable role. At the same time, she was remembered as an important figure in Russian enlightenment, and stood at the origins of the Academy, created in 1783 on the French model.
In young age
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova was born in St. Petersburg in 1743. She was one of the daughters of Count Vorontsov. Her mother, whose name was Martha Surmina, came from a wealthy merchant family.
In the Russian Empire, many of her relatives held important posts. Uncle Mikhail Illarionovich was chancellor from 1758 to 1765, and Dashkova's brother Alexander Romanovich held the same post from 1802 to 1805. Brother Semyon was a diplomat, and sister Elizabeth Polyanskaya was the favorite of Peter III.
From the age of four, the heroine of our article was brought up by her uncle Mikhail Vorontsov, where she learned the basics of dancing, foreign languages ​​and drawing. Then it was believed that a woman should not be able to do more. One of the most educated representatives of the weaker sex of her time became completely by accident. She became very ill with measles, which was why she was sent to a village near Petersburg. It was there that Ekaterina Romanovna became addicted to reading. Her favorite authors were Voltaire, Beil, Boileau, Montesquieu, Helvetius.
In 1759, at the age of 16, she was married to Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov, with whom she moved to Moscow.
Political Interests
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova from an early age was interested in politics. Intrigues and coups d'etat, among which it grew, contributed to the development of ambition, the desire to play an important historical role in society.
As a young girl, she found herself connected with the court, becoming the head of the movement that supported Catherine II when being promoted to the throne. She met the future empress in 1758.
The final rapprochement happened at the very end of 1761 during the accession to the throne of Peter III. Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, whose biography is described in this article, made a significant contribution to the organization of the coup in Russia, the purpose of which was to overthrow Peter III from the throne. Not even paying attention to the fact that he was her godfather, and her sister could become the emperor’s wife.
The future empress, planning to overthrow her unpopular spouse from the throne, chose Grigory Orlov and Princess Yekaterina Romanovna Dashkova as her main ally. Orlov was engaged in propaganda in the army, and the heroine of our article was among aristocrats and dignitaries. When the successful coup took place, almost everyone who helped the new empress received key posts at court. Only Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova was in some kind of disgrace. The relationship between her and Catherine has cooled.
Husband's death
Dashkova’s husband died quite early, five years after the conclusion of their marriage. At first, she remained in her estate Mikhalkovo near Moscow, and then took a trip around Russia.
Despite the fact that the empress cooled her, Ekaterina Romanovna herself remained faithful to her. At the same time, the heroine of our article categorically did not like the favorites of the ruler, she was angry because of how much attention the empress paid to them.
Her straightforward statements, neglect of the empress’s favorites, a sense of her own underestimation created very tense relations between Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (Vorontsova) and the ruler. As a result, she decided to ask for permission to go abroad. Catherine agreed.
According to some reports, the true reason was the Empress’s refusal to appoint Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, whose biography you are reading now, a colonel in the guard.
In 1769, she went to England, Switzerland, Prussia and France for three years. She was received with great respect at European courts, Princess Yekaterina Romanovna met a lot with foreign philosophers and scientists, made friends with Voltaire and Didro.
In 1775, she again went on a trip abroad to raise her son, who studied at the University of Edinburgh. In Scotland, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova herself, whose photo is presented in this article, regularly interacted with William Robertson, Adam Smith.
Russian Academy
She finally returned to Russia in 1782. By this time, her relationship with the empress had improved markedly. Catherine II respected the literary taste of Dashkova, as well as her desire to make Russian one of the key languages ​​in Europe.
In January 1783, Ekaterina Romanovna, whose portrait photo is in this article, was appointed head of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. She successfully held this position for 11 years. In 1794 she went on vacation, and two years later she quit completely. Her place was taken by the writer Pavel Bakunin.
Catherine Romanovna under Catherine II became the first representative of the weaker sex in the world, who was entrusted with the leadership of the Academy of Sciences. It was on her initiative that the Imperial Russian Academy, specializing in the study of the Russian language, was opened in 1783. Dashkova began to lead her.
As director of the Academy, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, a brief biography of which is in this article, organized public lectures that were successful. The number of students of the Academy of Arts and scholarship students was increased. It was at this time that professional translations of the best works of foreign literature into Russian began to appear.
An interesting fact from the life of Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova is that she stood at the origins of the journal "Interlocutor of Russian Word Lovers", which was journalistic and satirical. Fonvizin, Derzhavin, Bogdanovich, Kheraskov were published on its pages.
Literary work
Dashkova herself was fond of literature. In particular, she wrote a message in verse to the portrait of Catherine the Second and a satirical work entitled "Message to the Word: So."
Out of her pen were more serious works. From 1786, for ten years, she regularly released New Monthly Compositions.
At the same time, Dashkova patronized the main scientific project of the Russian Academy - the publication of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. A lot of the brightest minds of that time worked on it, including the heroine of our article. She compiled a collection of words in the letters Ts, W and Sh, worked hard on precise definitions of words, mainly those that denoted moral qualities.
Skillful management
At the head of the academy, Dashkova proved herself to be a diligent manager, all funds were spent properly and economically.
In 1801, when Alexander I became emperor, members of the Russian Academy invited the heroine of our article to return to the chair of the chairman. The decision was unanimous, but she refused.
In addition to her works listed above, Dashkova composed many poems in French and Russian, mainly in letters to the empress, translated into Russian “Experience on Epic Poem” by Voltaire, was the author of several academic speeches written under the influence of Lomonosov. Her articles were published in popular magazines of the time.
It was Dashkova who authored the comedy "Toisekov, or the Spineless Man," which was written specifically for the theater scene, a drama entitled "The Wedding of Fabian, or Greed for Riches Punished," which was a continuation of the German playwright Kotzebue's Poverty or Nobleness of the Soul.
A special discussion at the court caused her comedy. Under the title character Toisekov, a man who wanted this and that, the court joker Lev Naryshkin was guessed, and in contrasted to him Reshimova - Dashkova herself.
For historians, memoirs written by the heroine of our article became an important document. Interestingly, they were originally published only in 1840 by Mrs. Wilmont in English. At the same time, Dashkova herself wrote them in French. This text was found much later.
In these memoirs, the princess describes in detail the details of the coup, her own life in Europe, court intrigues. It is worth noting that it cannot be said that it is distinguished by objectivity and impartiality. Often praises Catherine the Second, without justifying it. At the same time, one can often catch the underlying accusations of her ingratitude, which the princess experienced until her death.
Again in disgrace
At the court of Catherine II, intrigue flourished. This led to another disagreement that arose in 1795. The formal reason was the publication of the Dashkova tragedy "Vadim" by Yakov Knyazhnin in the collection "Russian Theater", which was published at the academy. His works have always been imbued with patriotism, but in this play, which became the last for the Princess, the theme of the struggle against the tyrant appears. In it, he treats the Russian sovereign as a usurper under the influence of the revolution that took place in France.
The empress did not like the tragedy; her text was withdrawn from circulation. True, at the last moment Dashkova herself was able to explain herself to Catherine, to clarify her position, why she decided to print this work. It is worth noting that Dashkova printed it four years after the death of the author, as historians believe, while at odds with the empress.
In the same year, the empress granted Dashkova’s petition for a two-year leave with subsequent dismissal. She sold her house in St. Petersburg, paid off most of her debts and settled in her estate Mikhalkovo near Moscow. However, she remained the head of two academies.
Paul I
In 1796, Catherine the Second dies. Her son, Pavel I, is replacing her. Under him, the situation of Dashkova is aggravated by the fact that she is dismissed from all her posts. And then they sent in exile to the estate near Novgorod, formally owned by her son.
Only at the request of Maria Fedorovna was she allowed to return. She settled in Moscow. She lived, already not taking any part in politics and domestic literature. Dashkova began to devote much attention to the Trinity estate, which over the course of several years led to an exemplary state.
Personal life
Dashkova was married only once to diplomat Mikhail Ivanovich. From him, two sons and a daughter were born to her. The first appeared Anastasia in 1760. She was given a brilliant home education. At 16, she married Andrei Shcherbinin. This marriage was unsuccessful, the couple constantly quarreled, from time to time they parted.
Anastasia turned out to be a brawler who, without looking, was spending money, constantly owed everything. In 1807, Dashkova deprived her of her inheritance, forbidding her to be allowed even on her deathbed. The very daughter of the heroine of our article was childless, so she brought up the illegitimate children of brother Paul. I took care of them, even registered in the name of my husband. She died in 1831.
In 1761, a son Mikhail was born to Dashkova, who died in infancy. In 1763, Paul was born, who became the provincial leader of the nobility in Moscow. In 1788, he married the daughter of the merchant Anna Alferova. The union was unhappy, the couple soon parted. The heroine of our article did not want to recognize her son’s family, and she saw her daughter-in-law only in 1807, when Pavel died at the age of 44.
Death
Dashkova herself died in early 1810. She was buried in the village of Troitsky on the territory of the Kaluga province in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. Towards the end of the 19th century, traces of the burial were finally lost.
In 1999, at the initiative of the Moscow Humanitarian Institute named after Dashkova, the tombstone was found and restored. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of Kaluga and Borovsky Clement. It turned out that Ekaterina Romanovna was buried in the north-eastern part of the church, under the floor in the crypt.
Her contemporaries remembered her as an ambitious, energetic and domineering woman. Many doubt that she sincerely loved the empress. Most likely, her desire to stand on a par with her was the main reason for the break with the insightful Catherine.
Dashkova was inherent in careerist aspirations, which were rarely seen in a woman of her time. In addition, they spread to areas in which then men dominated in Russia. As a result, as expected, it did not bring any results. It is possible that if these plans could be implemented, they would benefit the whole country, as well as the proximity to Catherine the Second of such prominent historical figures as the Orlov brothers or Count Potemkin.
Among its shortcomings, many emphasized excessive stinginess. It was claimed that she collected old guard epaulettes, studying them on golden threads. Moreover, the princess, who was the owner of a huge fortune, did not hesitate at all.
She died at the age of 66.