Born in St. Petersburg. Daughter of Count Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov and Marfa Ivanovna, nee Surmina. Goddaughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Peter Fedorovich. Until the age of four, she lived at her grandmother's estate. She was brought up in the house of her uncle, Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. She received an excellent education.
The unusually capable and intelligent Dashkova became one of the first women scientists Russia. She played a significant role in the palace coup of 1762, being a supporter of Catherine II. After the accession of Catherine II, she lived with her family in the palace. During the coronation, she was granted the title of lady of state. Endowed by nature with rare abilities, ambitious, she wanted to be the first in everything and believed that the empress owed her the throne. Not having received proper remuneration and recognition of her merits, Dashkova moved away from the court.
From 1762 to 1764 lost two close people, her husband and son Mikhail. Grieving the loss, she lived in solitude, not participating in public life. In 1769, together with her children, she went abroad, where she lived for a total of almost ten years. Traveled in Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Poland, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Prussia. Abroad, she met with Voltaire, Diderot, Smith, who spoke flatteringly about her. Diderot said about the princess: “She is serious in character, usually does not express what she thinks, but if she speaks, then simply and with true conviction ... her soul is shaken by misfortune. Her convictions are solid and her horizons are broad. She is brave and proud. It is imbued with an aversion to despotism and to what more or less resembles tyranny. She knows Russian statesmen well and frankly expresses her opinion about them, praising their virtues and at the same time speaking sharply about their shortcomings. She is as resolute in her hatred as in friendship, she has insight, composure, correct judgment.
Dashkova was accepted as a member of many scientific societies: she was a member of the Free Economic Society, the Philadelphia Philosophical Society, the Stockholm Academy of Sciences.
Upon her return to Russia in 1783, she received the post of director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, becoming the only woman in the world in this position. She established a special Russian Academy for the study of the "Russian word". She founded two scientific and literary publications: “The Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word ...” and “New Monthly Works”, where G.R. Derzhavin, D.I. Fonvizin, Ya.B. Knyazhnin and others. Author of many literary works. Of particular interest are her memoirs.
During the accession of Paul I, Dashkova was removed from all positions. She was exiled to the village, where she lived until the death of the emperor.
From 1759 she was married to an officer of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Prince Mikhail (Kondrat) Ivanovich Dashkov. Had sons Paul and Michael (who died early); and daughter Anastasia, married to Andrey Evdokimovich Shcherbinin.
Ekaterina Romanovna was fond of music, she sang beautifully. Shortly before her death, she donated to Moscow University her "natural office", collected during her travels.
The princess was buried in the church of the village of Troitsky, Moscow province.
(1743-1810) Russian public figure
Dashkova Ekaterina Romanovna went down in history as the first Russian woman who managed to occupy responsible scientific posts. She was simultaneously the director of the Academy of Sciences and the president of the Russian Academy. This fact can be considered unique in Russian history, because before it women were not allowed to participate in public affairs, with the exception of crowned persons: Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II. In addition, she entered the history of Russian culture as a talented translator and outstanding writer.
Ekaterina Dashkova was the daughter of Count Vorontsov and the goddaughter of Empress Elizabeth. At the age of two, she lost her mother and was brought up in the house of Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, her uncle. She received a traditional education for the 18th century, where the main attention was paid to the study of foreign languages and dances. Nevertheless, the gifted girl managed to find a path to knowledge and, thanks to the diligence and extensive library of the Vorontsovs, collected in different European countries, she became one of the most educated people of her time.
Already at the age of fifteen, acquaintances called her a scientist. I must say that Dashkova studied almost all her life, expanding the scope of her interests. She got acquainted with history, was well versed in economics, received basic knowledge in geography, geology, and some practical disciplines, such as chemistry.
According to the description of contemporaries, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova was ugly, small in stature, with a flattened nose and thick cheeks. Therefore, she seemed older than her years. But all these external shortcomings were redeemed by a sharp mind and a lively character.
In the autumn of 1758, Ekaterina Dashkova first met Catherine, then Grand Duchess. They liked each other and quickly became friends. True, they soon parted, because less than a year later, Ekaterina Vorontsova married Prince Dashkov and left with him for Moscow. It is curious that she practically could not communicate with her mother-in-law, since one knew French, and the other only Russian. And Dashkova had to learn her native language.
Two years later, she and her husband returned to St. Petersburg. By this time, Ekaterina Dashkova gave birth to her first child - daughter Anastasia, and then her second child - son Pavel. He was no different good health and his mother took care of him almost all his life. Apparently, it was this child that was closer to her than others, since it is known that she quickly married her daughter, and information about her upbringing is minimal.
In St. Petersburg, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova immediately becomes an active participant in a conspiracy to depose Emperor Peter III. She involved her husband and his uncle, Count Panin, as well as officers of the Izmailovsky regiment, in the conspiracy. Together with Catherine, she made the transition to Peterhof at the head of a twenty thousandth army.
After accession to the throne of Catherine II, Dashkova was appointed lady of state. It was the highest court position that a woman could hold. But Catherine never brought Dashkova closer to her. We can say that the countess had a typical fate of a favorite. Apparently, Catherine's coldness was also caused by Dashkova's connection with Grigory Orlov, a passion for which the empress herself inflamed.
In 1764 Ekaterina Dashkova became a widow and soon after that she went abroad with her children. Her health was severely undermined by a difficult birth. She first came to Berlin, where she spent several weeks to recuperate. By order of the Prussian king, she was settled in one of the palaces. Several times she met with King Frederick II of Prussia.
From Germany, Dashkova went to England, and then to France. In Paris, she met the great French philosopher Denis Diderot. From France, Ekaterina Dashkova made a short trip to Switzerland to meet with Voltaire.
She described her travels in detail, and her extensive correspondence has also been preserved. So Russia learned about other countries not from the stories of pilgrims or merchants, but from the impressions of a secular lady.
Returning then to Russia, she again met with Catherine, who this time treated her former friend kindly. But Dashkova did not live long in St. Petersburg and, having married off her daughter, again went abroad. This time she wanted to educate her son. So she went to England, where she stayed while her son studied at the University of Edinburgh.
Interestingly, from her travels, Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova brought many interesting finds. The samples of geological rocks she collected formed the basis for the future Mineralogical Museum in St. Petersburg.
Upon her return to Russia, she was first appointed director of the Academy of Sciences, and then became the first president of the Russian Academy. It was Dashkova who came up with the idea of creating practically the first Russian literary magazine and the first explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. It should also be remembered that the first Russian graduate school was also established under her.
The life of Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova is a vivid example of the fate of a person from secular circles who received an excellent education and failed to realize his abilities to the fullest. Envy, human hostility did not allow this woman to experience the glory of the first president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a brilliant publicist, and simply an outstanding person.
After the death of Catherine II, fate turned out to be even more unfavorable to this outstanding woman. Paul I deprived her of all posts and sent her to the family estate. But Ekaterina Dashkova did not reconcile herself and even continued to work there. She left the most interesting memories of her time. True, she wrote them in French, handed them over to England, where, many decades later, they were printed by Herzen.
In the minds of her contemporaries, she remained the favorite of one monarch and an exile under another. Only today, many facts of her biography are gradually being clarified, and her name has finally entered the galaxy of brilliant public and state figures of Russia.
Of the five children, after the death of his mother, only one remained at home - the eldest son Alexander (later a major statesman). The second son - Semyon Vorontsov (future famous diplomat, Russian ambassador to England) was brought up by his grandfather. The eldest daughters were appointed ladies-in-waiting and lived at court. Ekaterina, the youngest, was brought up by her uncle, Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, at that time the vice-chancellor, and from 1758 the “great chancellor”.
Probably, the girl was lucky that she did not stay in her father's house. Roman Vorontsov, a man of not too high moral standards, for the enlightened people of his circle also served as a kind of standard of ignorance. It is no coincidence that his name is mentioned by the vice-president of the Admiralty Board I.G. Chernyshev in a letter to the future curator of Moscow University I.I. Shuvalov in connection with the event of July 26, 1753. On that day, in a cloudless sky, G.V. was killed by lightning during experiments on the study of atmospheric electricity. Richman. Lomonosov expressed fear that this case could be interpreted "against the increments of the sciences", and, as if echoing him, I.G. Chernyshev writes: “Now I am curious to know what Roman Larionovich says about the electric machine: even before, when we did not yet know that it was deadly, he hated it.”
And one more touch to the portrait. Appointed governor of the Vladimir, Penza and Tambov provinces, Roman Vorontsov ruined these lands with extortions so much that the rumor about his "indomitable covetousness" reached the empress.
An anecdote has been preserved that during a festive dinner on the occasion of Count Roman's birthday, he was presented with a gift from the Empress - a long empty purse. Roman Illarionovich did not survive the affront and soon died. True, there was a poet who composed an epitaph, where he glorified precisely those virtues, of which R.I. Vorontsov, - disinterestedness and compassion for others. But this epitaph, printed in a magazine headed by the daughter of the deceased, did not change the opinion of R. Vorontsov - the nickname “Roman is a big pocket” was firmly entrenched behind him.
About mother E.R. Dashkova - Marfa Ivanovna, nee Surmina, knows little. She was reputed to be a beauty and a dancer, and as if she was among those girls who were brought to the Empress Anna to demonstrate Russian dance to her. The girls were so frightened of Biron's formidable girlfriend that they could not dance: their legs were rooted to the floor. The daughter of a Volga merchant, Marfa Ivanovna, possessed significant capital, which often helped out the winder Elizabeth Petrovna before she ascended the throne, and to some extent contributed to this event: M.I. resorted to the help of her daughter-in-law more than once. Vorontsov, a person close to the Grand Duchess (during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, M.I. Vorontsov became one of the most influential nobles). “The Vorontsov family,” writes Herzen, “belonged to that small number of the oligarchic nobility who, together with the concubines of the empresses, then ruled Russia, as they wished, abruptly passing from one state life to another. They ruled in the kingdom in the same way as rich landowners now manage distant and near volosts with rich landowners.
Ekaterina Romanovna was brought up together with her cousin, the chancellor's daughter. “My uncle did not spare money for teachers. And we - in our time - received an excellent education: we spoke four languages, and in particular we were fluent in French; danced well, knew how to draw; a certain state councilor taught us Italian, and when we expressed a desire to take Russian lessons, Bekhteev taught us; we had refined and amiable manners, and therefore it was not surprising that we were known as well-bred girls. But what has been done to develop our mind and heart? Absolutely nothing…”
Dashkova considers the time of her first separation from the house of the Chancellor to be the beginning of her moral upbringing.
In the village, the girl finds an extensive library.
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“Deep melancholy, reflections on myself and on people close to me changed my lively, cheerful and even mocking mind,” Dashkova recalled. She is passionate about reading. Since then, and for life, her best friends are books.
She returns to her uncle's house matured. Often thought. Looking for solitude. Doctors are sent to her... From all sides, the girl is tormented by ridiculous questions from her relatives, who are firmly convinced that there is not without a "heart secret". “And she asks for one thing,” says Herzen, “to be left alone: she then read “De l” entendement” (“On the Mind” by Helvetius. - L.L.) "
During these years, her character develops. She is independent, proud (sometimes harsh), impressionable, trusting... She is not pretty and graceful, she is not interested in balls where a lively mind and originality of judgments are quoted incomparably lower than secular chatter. In addition, she resolutely refuses to whiten and blush, as was customary then, and, perhaps, this is her first little front, her first attempt not to be "like everyone else."
Having left the governess's care early, the girl is now left to her own devices...
By the age of 15, she had collected a library of 900 volumes. She especially rejoices in the acquisition of Louis Moreri's dictionary, which smashes the existing order with the weapon of humor, and the famous "Encyclopedia", many of the compilers of which will later become her friends. "Never did a precious adornment give me more enjoyment than these books..."
But Ekaterina Romanovna draws knowledge not only from books, which soon made her the most educated woman of her time.
Her "ruthless observation" finds rich food in the house of her uncle, the first dignitary of the state, where there are many visiting celebrities. She does not miss the opportunity to ask about everything that concerns laws, customs, government ...
“... I compared their countries with my homeland, and an ardent desire to travel awakened in me; but I thought that I would never have the courage for this, and believed that my sensitivity and the irritability of my nerves could not bear the burden of painful sensations of wounded pride and deep sadness of a heart that loves its homeland ... "
An excellent psychological portrait of the young Dashkova is given by the writer-historian D.L. Mordovtsev. “Early, an obscure consciousness of her strength and a sense of rich inner inclinations manifested in her, and this was revealed in her, on the one hand, by some kind of pride, recognition of something more than what they thought to see in her, and on the other - a passionate desire to share feelings, impressions, knowledge - a desire for friendship and love. But she could not find a response to all this in anyone: she did not get along with her pupil in soul, and she had no other relatives, and she only cultivated a deep friendship in herself for her brother Alexander, for whom she had this feeling all her life, just as in general all her affections were distinguished by their fullness and some kind of completeness: she gave herself completely to every feeling.
In the 16th year, the girl Vorontsova marries the brilliant guardsman Prince Mikhail Dashkov.
The “Notes” preserved a story about how Ekaterina Romanovna, returning from guests, accompanied by the owners of the house (on this beautiful night they decided to walk, the carriages followed at a distance), for the first time she saw a tall guards officer, whose name she was destined to glorify. This is a story about love at first sight, about "divine providence" and cloudless happiness.
There is another, "reduced" version of the presentation of the same event. “One day, Prince Dashkov, one of the most beautiful gentlemen of the court, too freely began to say courtesies to the girl Vorontsova. She called the chancellor and told him: "Uncle, Prince Dashkov does me the honor of asking for my hand." Not daring to admit to the first dignitary of the empire that his words did not contain just such a meaning, the prince married the chancellor's niece ... "
How accurately the secretary of the French embassy in St. Petersburg, Claude Rullier, described the prehistory of Ekaterina Romanovna's marriage, perhaps, is not so significant. Even if this is just a historical anecdote, it introduces us to the features that Dashkova definitely had from an early age: resourcefulness and determination.
“Summer one thousand seven hundred and fifty-ninth of February, on the second for ten days, lieutenant general real chamberlain and cavalier Roman Larionov, son of Vorontsov, I arranged for my daughter, the maiden Katerina Romanova, to marry the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment for second lieutenant Prince Mikhail Ivanov, son of Dashkav, and as a dowry to her, my daughter, I gave at the cost of things, namely ... "
The “conspiracy” is followed by a list that begins with the image of the savior “in a silver chasuble forged and gilded” (followed by a wedding robe, epanches, mantillas, robrons, underskirts, night cornets, “five changes on a bed of linen” and four dozen “wipes” ) and finished with a men's dressing gown.
“... And the total dowry at a price and with money for twenty to two thousand to nine hundred to seventeen rubles ...
The conspiracy was written by the St. Petersburg serf office, the scribe Pyotr Ivanov ... According to this line, I, Prince Mikhail Dashkov, everything is in order.
Dashkova finds herself in a patriarchal Moscow family, who perceives her, a Petersburger, almost as a foreigner.
“A new world opened before me, a new life, which frightened me all the more because it was nothing like everything I was used to. I was also embarrassed by the fact that I spoke Russian rather poorly, and my mother-in-law did not know a single foreign language.
To please her mother-in-law, Ekaterina Romanovna takes up the study of the Russian language.
The first years of Dashkova's married life pass away from the court... She loves her husband dearly, and when, on the orders of the Grand Duke (the future Peter III), he must leave for a short time in St. .
On the way back, Dashkov falls ill and, not wanting to frighten his wife, who is expecting a child, visits his aunt in Moscow. But Ekaterina Romanovna somehow finds out about her husband's illness and decides to see him immediately at all costs. She begs the midwife to accompany her, assuring her that otherwise she will go alone and no force in the world will stop her. Suppressing attacks of pain, clinging to the railing, she secretly gets out of the house, walks several streets on foot, reaches her aunt's house, and only then, seeing the patient, loses consciousness.
An hour later, her son was born.
Citing this episode, Herzen says: “A woman who knew how to love in such a way and carry out her will in such a way, despite danger, fear and pain, had to play a big role at the time in which she lived, and in the environment to which she belonged”
In 1761, after a two-year absence, the Dashkovs returned to St. Petersburg. The reign of Elizabeth Petrovna ends. The official heir to the throne, Grand Duke Peter, is not popular. Yes, this is understandable: Peter does not know how to observe even the necessary minimum decorum. He floods the guards with Holstein generals, of whom Dashkova says that they were "recruited in large part from Prussian non-commissioned officers or German shoemakers who left their homes. It seems that there have never been generals less worthy of their rank in Russia, with the exception of the Gatchina generals Pavel ... "
In the depths of his soul, Peter Fedorovich is still the same Holstein prince Karl-Peter-Ulrich, whose idol was Frederick II.
Nature is unbalanced, hysterical, he does not want to reckon with anything. He neglects Orthodox church rites, frankly demonstrates dislike for his august wife and connection with the cheerful fat woman Elizaveta Vorontsova, “Romanovna”, as he called her (the older sister Dashkova, who, however, is not similar in anything to her), does not hide his intention to get off from his wife, not interested in his son.
Soon the first clash took place, which brought fame to Dashkova, a brave woman, as she herself says in her Notes, a reputation as a sincere and staunch patriot.
At one of the palace dinners in the presence of 80 guests, Peter, already quite drunk, decided to teach those present a lesson in morality. “Under the influence of wine and the Prussian soldiers,” says Dashkova, “he began to rant on the topic that a certain horse guard, who seemed to have a relationship with Elizabeth’s niece, should have his head cut off so that other officers would be disrespectful to look after the maid of honor and royal relatives."
The Holstein henchmen were quick to express their approval. But Dashkova does not consider it necessary to remain silent. She objects to Peter: it is unlikely that such a “crime” deserves the death penalty, which, fortunately, has been abolished in Russia, and has Peter Fedorovich forgotten that he is not yet reigning? “... The eyes of all those present turned to me. The Grand Duke, in response, showed me his tongue ... "
Herzen considers this table fight the beginning of Dashkova's political career. Her popularity in guards circles is growing.
But if Pyotr Fedorovich is deeply unsympathetic to Dashkova, then she is blinded by his wife. “I saw in her a woman of extraordinary talents, far superior to all other people, in a word, a perfect woman ...”
Dashkova says that one day Pyotr Fedorovich, who noticed the antipathy towards him and “Romanovna”, which the young princess did not consider it necessary to hide, and the obvious preference given to Catherine, took her aside and said: “My child, it would not hurt you very much remember that it is much better to deal with honest simpletons like me and your sister than with great wise men who squeeze the juice out of an orange and throw the peel away.
How much has been written about the sober mind, composure and charming smile of Catherine - in historical writings, memoirs and even dispatches of ambassadors! These seemingly personal qualities became the weapon of a diplomat.
A prudent charm, a magnificent ability to understand people that never deceived, contributed a lot to her success. She had the gift of being the way one should be in the given circumstances and with this particular person, in order to convince, captivate, attract. Moreover, in relation to the most diverse, as Academician Tarle writes, “to a curiosity dissimilar to each other people” - from Diderot, Voltaire, Derzhavin to Stanislav-August and Joseph II, from an ultra-royalist to a Jacobin fanatic.
46 letters from Catherine to Dashkova have been preserved. They are signed: “Your devoted friend”, “Your unfailing friend”... Ekaterina immediately burned Dashkova’s letters as a precaution: in those years, she was under constant surveillance.
It is curious that even the historian D.I. Ilovaisky, not free from monarchical predilections, notes Dashkova's youthful enthusiastic enthusiasm and "playing with feelings", artificiality, "presence of ulterior thoughts" in Catherine's friendly outpourings. “So they write ... to a woman who is very well understood for her excellent abilities and proud energetic nature and who they want to chain to their interests ...”
Ekaterina is quite successful in this: Dashkova is passionately attached to her. The young woman is impressed by Catherine’s education (“I can safely say that, besides me and the Grand Duchess, there were no women engaged in serious reading at that time”), the commonality of their passion for enlightenment writers. They are unanimous in that education is a guarantee of the public good, they dream of the advent of the "kingdom of reason", they talk about the need to limit autocracy to "certain firm laws", about "a sovereign who loves and respects his subjects ..." "... It is easy to imagine to what extent she must have captivated me, a 15-year-old and unusually impressionable creature ... "
Young Dashkova is blinded by Catherine, whose demagogic eloquence attracted to her the minds of much more mature, more sophisticated politicians!
On one of the December nights of 1761, when it became known that Elizabeth did not have long to live, Dashkova, in a severe cold, wrapped in a fur coat, in felt boots, sneaks secretly into the wooden palace on the Moika, penetrates Catherine’s apartments through the back stairs and, in a hot whisper assuring her of his blind devotion, of his zeal and enthusiasm, he persuades her to "act at all costs."
What naivete! Catherine is already in action. Operates systematically and for a long time. From those very days, it must be, when she, the half-impoverished Princess Sophia-August-Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst, first comes to Russia, falls in love with her forever, self-confidently thinks, not having the slightest right to the Russian throne, to reign here, and to reign alone , and begins to cleverly and subtly weave a web of intrigue in the drunken and careless court of Elizabeth. (It is curious that among those who met at the border the bride of the heir to the Russian throne, the future Catherine II, was, obviously, Karl-Friedrich-Jerome Munchausen, the hero of numerous "Munchausiads", who at that time was in the Russian service.)
Petersburg is gloomy...
Only Pyotr Fedorovich, now Emperor Peter III, is having fun - “the most unpleasant of all the unpleasant things that Empress Elizabeth left behind,” as the historian V.O. Klyuchevsky. As before, he revels and grimaces, finds fault with the officers about the noticeable disorder in their new - in the Prussian way - uniforms, mimics the clergy and ridicules the noble old women who were on duty for six weeks at the funeral bed of the one that was once "luxurious and voluptuous Empress Elizabeth.
He fools around during funerals too.
“... On purpose, he will lag behind the bed carrying the body, it is empty for thirty sazhens ahead, then he will run with all his might; the senior chamberlains, wearing the train of his black coat, and even more so, the chief chamberlain Count Sheremetyev ... unable to run after him, they were forced to let the coat go, and as the wind blew it, this became more amusing to Peter III, and he repeated this several times a joke, from which it happened that I and all those following me fell behind the coffin, and finally were forced to send to stop the whole ceremony ... ”, Catherine wrote.
Dashkova tells how, at one of the usual palace drinking parties, even before the conclusion of an official peace with Prussia, Peter frankly boasted that during the war he informed Friedrich about all the secret orders sent to the Russian army in the field.
“In the morning to be the first corporal on the watch parade, then to have a hearty dinner, drink good Burgundy wine, spend the evening with your jesters and several women and carry out the orders of the Prussian king - that was the happiness of Peter III, and his entire seven-month reign was a similar empty existence from day to day, which could not inspire respect ... "
On June 28, 1762, Peter III was overthrown by the forces of the guards regiments and Catherine was elevated to the throne.
What is the role of Dashkova in this coup? It must be smaller than, judging by the "Notes", it seems to her herself.
Through her husband, who served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, she knew many guards officers who were dissatisfied with Peter, fueled this dissatisfaction with talk about the danger that threatens Catherine and the heir if Peter legitimizes his relationship with Elizaveta Vorontsova (and he allegedly was going to do this).
Among the young guards close to Dashkova are Lieutenant Passek and Captain Bredikhin from the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Izmailov officers - Lasunsky, the Roslavlev brothers ... The role of all of them in subsequent events turned out to be incomparably less significant than that part of the guard, whose discontent was kindled and directed by the Orlov brothers, more closely connected both with the lower military ranks and with the soul of the conspiracy - Catherine.
And it seemed to Ekaterina Romanovna that she was at the head of a whole party of conspirators, and this “party” of hers was the only one! After all, she firmly decided that she would carry out a coup d'état and that she and Ekaterina Alekseevna would implement the excellent recommendations of their philosophical mentors!
Sometimes, out of young self-confidence, Dashkova even tried to open her eyes to the impending changes to people who were incomparably more experienced and better oriented than she was at that time - the hetman of Little Russia, the commander of the Izmailovites Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky and the tutor of the Grand Duke - Nikita Ivanovich Panin - and involve them in her " party."
Some biographers of Dashkova, Herzen among them, argue that in this latter case, Ekaterina Romanovna achieved success, turning the head of her venerable relative (the Panins were cousin uncles to Mikhail Dashkov). It is unlikely that such a statement is true: Nikita Ivanovich was too prudent a politician to be "involved" somewhere.
A smart and cautious nobleman persuades his niece not to commit rash acts: it is necessary to act "legally", through the senate. However, he does not hide his antipathy towards Peter III. Even under Empress Elizabeth, her favorite I.I. Shuvalov and N.I. Panin thought about expelling Peter from Russia to his Holstein (according to some options - with his wife, according to others - alone), and to declare Paul the heir to the throne. Elizaveta Petrovna seemed to be aware of these plans, but she doubted ...
The wife of the heir was also aware of them. “... N.I. (Panin. - L.L.) he immediately let me know about this, telling me that if the sick empress had been presented to leave the mother and son and send the father away, then there is a high probability that she would bow to that maybe..."
Not fully trusting his young relative, whose enthusiasm and impatience seemed to him unsuitable for a politician, Nikita Ivanovich hid from her that in recent months he had talked with Ekaterina Alekseevna more than once (he had access to her as an educator of the Grand Duke), developed his plan in front of her the transfer of the throne to Pavel Petrovich and the appointment of her own (until the age of her son) regent, praised the institution of the constitutional monarchy, which he had become sympathetic to during the years of service in Sweden.
The rejected wife of Peter listened attentively and did not dispute Nikita Ivanovich; at that time, she was in danger incomparably more real than becoming “just” a ruler: arrest, exile, imprisonment in a monastery ... (However, years will pass, and under certain circumstances Catherine will emphasize that, listening to Panin, she never gave promises him to be satisfied with the role of regent.)
But not only with the cunning Panin, Catherine is not frank with her young admirer, although at that time she does not doubt her selfless devotion. She had deceived Dashkova even during their nightly meeting on the Moika: she hid that she had drawn up a plan of action long ago and that Grigory Orlov had already begun to recruit officers. She confines herself to a sensitive scene: she begs Dashkova not to put herself in danger because of her, sobbing, embraces her ... Dashkova does not notice the falsehood in Catherine's overly stubborn assurances: she tells her friend only the pure truth, no, she does not want to do anything , all her hope is exclusively in God.
The role that Catherine leaves Dashkova to play in the June events of 1762 is rather spectacular than significant.
Dashkova was not in the Monplaisir pavilion in Peterhof in the early morning of June 28, when, awakened by the calm voice of Alexei Orlov: "It's time to get up, everything is ready to proclaim you," Ekaterina, quickly putting on her everyday black dress, sat in a wheelchair. The horses rushed her to Petersburg.
Ekaterina Romanovna, at that time, was at home; she fell asleep late - she was agitated: the tailor let her down, did not bring the "men's dress" on time. In the morning she slept peacefully and did not know what had “started”.
She was not near Catherine, and when she, already supported by the Izmailovsky, Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, went along the Neva "perspective" to the Kazan Church, and after a thanksgiving service and the proclamation of her "the most autocratic empress of all Russia" she moved to the Winter Palace, shortly before completed, where the swearing-in ceremony began.
The outcome of the daring enterprise was in fact already a foregone conclusion when, awakened by an unprecedented noise, Ekaterina Romanovna appeared in Zimny. “... We threw ourselves into each other's arms: “Thank God! Thank God! ”... I don’t know if a mortal was ever happier than I am at these moments ... ”
On the evening of the same June 28, both Catherines, dressed in guards uniforms of the old Peter's cut, on horseback, at the head of several regiments, leave Petersburg for Peterhof to fight the defenders of the deposed and still remaining Emperor Peter III. Dashkova even seemed to draw her sword several times.
Why did Catherine need Dashkova?
Catherine was German, and at that time she still had to remember this; Dashkova belonged to the highest circle of the Russian aristocracy: the daughter of a senator, the niece of the chancellor, the princess ... Friendship with Dashkova strengthened in the eyes of many the position of the wife of Peter III. And in the risky and prudent game that Ekaterina Alekseevna played in those days, she should not have neglected a single trump card, she understood this very well. So they set off side by side to engage in “a battle that was not to be fought.
The small retinue that surrounded Peter in his beloved Oranienbaum, where he went that night to have fun, quickly melted away. The nobles whom he sent to Catherine with letters - at first menacing, then exhorting and finally pitiful, seeing the turn events had taken, renounced him and swore allegiance to the new empress. (Among the few who remained loyal to Peter III was Chancellor Vorontsov, for which he was soon placed under house arrest; he swore allegiance to Catherine only after Peter's death.)
Frightened, Peter tossed about a little and, finally bewildered by contradictory advice, renounced all rights to the throne. In one of his last letters he begged Ekaterina to keep his violin, his beloved dog, the black mullet and Elizaveta Vorontsova, expressed his intention to settle in seclusion and become a philosopher...
And both ladies - Ekaterina and Dashkova - on the way to Peterhof, rest on the same bed, spreading the cloak of the guards captain on it, in a seedy Red Tavern, and Ekaterina reads to Dashkova the drafts of her first manifestos.
Needless to say, Dashkova is in an enthusiastic, high spirits. “I was happy that the revolution ended without the shedding of blood. A lot of feelings that overwhelmed me, the incredible physical stress that I experienced at the age of 18 with my poor health and extraordinary impressionability, all this did not allow me to see, hear, let alone observe what was happening around me.
Dashkova is naively convinced that she is participating in the revolution. It was for the revolution, after all, that she was preparing. "... I was absorbed in developing my plan and reading all the books that dealt with revolutions in various parts of the world ..." - Ekaterina Romanovna writes about the time preceding the coup.
Even having been greatly disappointed in Catherine, half a century later, she continues to consider June 28, 1762 "the most glorious and memorable day" for her homeland.
But dreams of trusting friendship with the empress and of influencing the fate of the fatherland are crumbling.
It took not days, but hours for Dashkova to be convinced: Catherine did not fully trust her, she acted behind her back.
“Princess Dashkova, the younger sister of Elizaveta Vorontsova, although she wants to ascribe to herself all the honor of this coup,” wrote Ekaterina Poniatovsky, “was in a very poor account thanks to her relatives, and her nineteen-year-old age did not inspire much confidence in her. She thought that everything comes to me only through her. On the contrary, it was necessary to hide from Princess Dashkova the intercourse of others with me for six months, and in the last four weeks they tried to tell her as little as possible. In the same letter, Ekaterina pays tribute to Dashkova’s mind: “True, she is very smart, but her mind is corrupted by monstrous vanity and a grumpy character ...”
In an essay dedicated to Dashkova, B.I. Krasnobaev, citing this letter, emphasizes how the characterization of “Elizaveta Vorontsova’s younger sister” differs here from the enthusiastic assessments that Catherine did not skimp on in her letters to Dashkova. “But just recently she wrote to her: “In all of Russia there is hardly a friend more worthy of you”, “You cannot help but admire your character ...” But now it was about real power, about protecting this power from the slightest encroachment on it. authority and absoluteness. And immediately collapsed and friendship, and joint dreams, and a sense of gratitude.
The very next morning after the coup, Dashkova learns that there were people who were incomparably closer to Catherine than she was.
Having unexpectedly stumbled upon Grigory Orlov in the inner apartments of the Summer Palace, who, lying on the sofa, carelessly unpacked secret government papers, Dashkova is at first perplexed, even tries to express her indignation. And having understood the nature of the relationship with the empress, he flares up to Orlov with indomitable jealous hatred. Over the years, this hatred was destined to flare up more and more: Ekaterina Dashkova never learned to get along with the favorites. However, a little time will pass and Ekaterina Romanovna, like all her sensible contemporaries, will understand: no one influences Catherine II - she is served.
De Ligne, who studied her well, wrote wittily about the autocracy of Catherine II: “How much they say about the St. Petersburg cabinet. I don't know any smaller... it's only a few inches. It extends from temple to temple, from the nose to the roots of the hair ... "
“Everything is done by the will of the Empress...” Dashkova informed her brother in May 1766. Alexander Romanovich Vorontsov, at that time envoy to Holland, intended to return to Russia to serve in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs; Dashkova dissuades him: “Forgive me, my dear friend, if friendship and the greatest tenderness require that I tell you sincerely that I do not approve of your desire at all ... With whatever mind and abilities you like, nothing can be done here, because how [how] here one can neither give advice nor carry out a system: everything is done by the will of the empress - and digested by Mr. Panin, and the rest of the members of the collegium either translate from newspapers or rewrite Panin's papers ... "
In the same letter there are lines full of bitterness, testifying to the beginning of sobering up, Dashkova’s disappointment in her idol: “The mask has been thrown off ... No decency, no obligations are recognized anymore ...”
But in the first hours of the new reign, the young "Preobrazhensky lieutenant" still had no time to indulge in bitter thoughts. The soldiers broke into the palace cellars and scooped up Burgundy with helmets - Dashkova rushes there and admonishes them. I need to see my little daughter. I need to visit my father. Near his house, she discovers an armed guard, very numerous, sent to guard Elizaveta Vorontsova. Dashkova calls an officer and orders to reduce the guard; he unquestioningly obeys.
This episode served as an occasion for Catherine's first open expression of dissatisfaction: the Empress reprimands Dashkova for her self-will and for allowing herself to speak French in the presence of soldiers. (Ekaterina at that time was especially eager to demonstrate her commitment to everything Russian.) True, to sweeten the pill, she immediately awards Dashkova the Order of St. Catherine.
“... I reproached you for your recklessness, and now I reward you for your merits,” she said, about to place an order on me.
I did not get on my knees, as was customary in such cases, and answered:
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, what I will tell you now. From now on, you are entering a time when, regardless of you, the truth will not reach your ears. I beg you, do not grant me this order: as an ornament, I do not attach any value to it; if you want to reward me with it for my merits, then I must say that, no matter how insignificant they may be in the opinion of some people, in my eyes they have no price and nothing can be rewarded for them, since I have never been able to continue it will not be possible to buy any honors and awards.
Her Majesty kissed me.
“Let me at least satisfy my feeling of friendship for you.
I kissed her hand and found myself in an officer's uniform, with a ribbon over my shoulder, with one spur, looking like a fourteen-year-old boy.
This is the first encounter and one of the last sensitive scenes between the Empress and Dashkova.
Catherine "moved away from her," says Herzen, "with the speed of truly royal ingratitude."
Common lofty dreams of the good of the fatherland, a confidential discussion of joint plans for future "enlightened transformations", where Dashkova, of course, was given a place next to her sovereign friend - all this was yesterday. And for dreams, and for reality - devotion, resourcefulness, courage of a young woman in a business that, in case of failure, threatened her with a scaffold - Catherine found it possible to pay in the literal sense of the word. A note is known: “To give Princess Dashkova for her excellent services to me and to the fatherland 24,000 rubles.” (The Dashkovs needed money: Prince Mikhail, a dandy and a reveler, had run into debts for an amount no less - barely enough to redeem his bills from creditors.)
The distance between Catherine the Great and Catherine the Little, as Dashkova was nicknamed, was marked. And irrevocably.
During the coronation, she takes the most modest place that was supposed to be the wife of a colonel - in the last row. True, she soon receives the high rank of lady of state, which she does not attach much importance to. In a letter to his brother Alexander in London, this event is mentioned by the way.
"Dear brother.
I didn’t want to miss it, so as not to inform you that yesterday the empress deigned to safely defend herself and after mass, deigned to favor with products ... all army generals and all those who took part in this noble incident. I was deigned to be welcomed to the state ladies, Prince Mikh. Ivan. in chamber junkers and, moreover, leaving him his regiment. I ask you to send me three dozen knives without handles, but one piece of iron, because iron is badly made here, and I will attach these English blades to my silver handles; but for this, as well as for the clock, I account here, to whom you appoint, I will pay. In other matters, I remain with sincere love to you, my sovereign brother, faithful friend Princess Dashkava.
(The letter is sealed with black sealing wax: mourning for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna continued.)
During the short reign of Peter III, Prince Michael, through the efforts of his wife, was sent as an ambassador to Constantinople. Ekaterina Romanovna was afraid for him, since Peter managed to express his displeasure to Dashkov for some mistake at one of the divorces. However, there were obviously other reasons why she wanted to send her husband away from the court. Unfortunately, it did not last long.
Immediately after the accession of Catherine, Prince Dashkov was recalled from Constantinople and received command of the Cuirassier Regiment, where the Empress herself was listed as a colonel. At her request, the Dashkovs move to the palace. In the evenings they have a small society. Often there is a sovereign.
Ekaterina Romanovna was very fond of music and truly felt it. She plays music; sings. Ekaterina Alekseevna and Prince Mikhail, both completely indifferent to music, arrange parodic duets - they called it "heavenly music" - they are out of tune and frolic with might and main. These few months of palace life must have been difficult for the young woman: the Dashkovs' daughter, Anastasia Shcherbinina, told Pushkin at a ball in her house in 1831 that her father was in love with Catherine.
Wasn’t the story Shcherbinina’s ballroom chatter, designed to interest the poet, and at the same time take revenge on her famous mother, with whom Anastasia stubbornly feuded (“My tormentor, godless daughter! ..” - Dashkova furiously exclaimed in one of her dying letters) ?
But if Shcherbinina's story reflected the true family affairs of the Dashkovs in those first months of Catherine's reign, then one can imagine what a source of double disappointment they must have been for Dashkova.
“I know only two things that were capable of igniting violent instincts that were not alien to my nature: the infidelity of my husband and the dirty spots on the bright crown of Catherine,” she wrote many years later to her friend Mrs. Hamilton.
Why, then, is Dashkova silent about the “dirty spots of the bright crown” in Zapiski? After all, she had seen a lot of them.
Dashkova sat down for her memoirs already in her old age, in 1805-1806. Many years have passed since that happy day for her, when the young conspirator; full of the brightest hopes, to the sounds of military music and the ringing of bells, she entered the capital next to Catherine.
Now Ekaterina Romanovna understood perfectly well that her hopes had not come true. And not only in the sense that she herself was destined for a difficult human fate: the early death of her husband, bitter discord with children, the disfavor of the powerful of this world, lonely old age. In this difficult fate, there were also happy, “unfeminine” accomplishments that filled memories with pride, the years when she was at the head of two Academies.
Hopes did not come true in the main thing for Dashkova: life dealt blows to her faith in Catherine as an ideal in terms of human and social, according to her faith in the “enlightened monarch”, the “creator of the good” of her subjects, in the “philosopher on the throne”, who stopped autocracy with “reasonable laws” and based in all undertakings on the recommendations of enlightened advisers (Dashkova assigned herself an important role among them) ...
Life dealt crushing blows to these beautiful-hearted illusions and shook them thoroughly. And yet Dashkova could not finally part with them for a long time.
Neither her constant interest in public life, nor her sharp mind, nor her own fate contributed to her unconditional acceptance of the truth: sit on the throne."
A book was created that depicts the process of overcoming liberal ideas - "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow."
The ode “Liberty” was written, “quite clearly rebellious, where the tsars are threatened with a scaffold,” as the frightened empress correctly assessed her.
And Dashkova in "Notes", often contradicting herself, again idealizes what, perhaps, has long ceased to be an ideal for her. She seems to follow in them a romantic Schiller's call, which she hardly knew (otherwise she would certainly have mentioned it - he is very close to her): "Respect the dreams of your youth!"
That is why not without reliability in describing the court atmosphere during the reign of Peter III (Dashkova’s characterization here coincides with the testimonies of other contemporaries), the “Notes” very often cease to be a historical document when Dashkova passes to Catherine and her participation in the events of 1762. She describes that time the way she wants to see it half a century later.
From here, from this distance, personal insults and disappointments are barely discernible, they fade, Catherine's crown again seems to Dashkova "bright", and she, as far as she can, tries not to see her "dirty spots" - "the dishonor of Catherine's reign", as she will say in one of the later letters.
On the eighth day of Catherine's reign, Peter III was killed, strangled in a tightly curtained room in the Ropshinsky palace, where he was sent under the protection of enemies - guards officers Alexei Orlov, Fyodor Baryatinsky, Mikhail Baskakov.
Dashkova does not want to believe in Catherine's involvement in the murder. “This death came too soon for your glory and for mine” - these are, according to the Notes, her only words addressed to the Empress. “For yours and for mine...” - Dashkova still felt that both of these “glories” were nearby.
From that day on, Ekaterina Romanovna frankly ignored Alexei Orlov, and he seemed to be afraid of her. For almost half a century, the enmity between these two pillars of the Catherine era did not subside. "She did not forgive him for tarnishing her revolution forty-two years ago," Herzen remarked remarkably accurately. Three kings will change before they reconcile. Old Orlov-Chesmensky will come to bow to the old woman Dashkova, and for the first time she will look at the famous portrait of the Empress covered with a single diamond on the chest of her husband's murderer: "Catherine smiles from him in her eternal gratitude."
It is not Dashkova's words that are quoted. She would never allow herself to. These words belong to the young Irishwoman Katherine Wilmot, whose memoirs we have already referred to. Katherine Wilmot and her sister Mary were then visiting Dashkova and witnessed the scene of reconciliation that struck them with its theatricality. They also accompanied Ekaterina Romanovna to a feast arranged by the old Catherine's nobleman in honor of his long-term enemy in his Moscow house near the Donskoy Monastery.
For young girls who lived in the interests of the new, nineteenth century, this fantastic feast with illuminations, costumed courtyards, dwarfs and dwarfs, horn music and overloaded tables seemed like a historical performance about the bygone “eighteenth century”. Dashkova, on the other hand, belonged entirely to this "mad and wise" (as Radishchev called it) 18th century.
Returning her thoughts to “her revolution” and to the years following it, she, as already mentioned, carefully bypasses everything that can darken the memory of them.
Dashkova guards the moral prestige of the empress much more zealously than Catherine herself did during her lifetime. However, the Empress carefully cherished the penitential letter of Alexei Orlov, perhaps inspired by herself. This letter was kept in a special box, Dashkova saw it.
“Mother merciful sovereign!
How can I explain, describe what happened: you will not believe your faithful servant, but as before God I will tell the truth. Mother! I am ready to go to my death, but I myself do not know how this trouble happened. We died when you do not have mercy. Mother, he is not in the world. But no one thought of this, and how can we think of raising our hands against the sovereign. But, sir, disaster has struck. He argued at the table with Prince Fyodor; we didn't have time to separate, and he was already gone. We ourselves do not remember what we did; but everyone is guilty, worthy of execution. Have mercy on me for my brother. I brought you a confession, and there is nothing to look for. Forgive me or tell me to finish soon. The light is not sweet: they angered you and ruined your soul forever.
The fate of this document also deserves attention. Alexei Orlov's letter was found among Catherine's papers on the fifth day after her death by her grandson Alexander and A.A. Bezborodko (in 1797 ... 1799 - chancellor) and transferred to Emperor Paul. He read the letter, returned it to Bezborodko, and the next day he “demanded” it again and threw it into the fireplace.
But Dashkova, of course, knew not a copy, but the original. Probably, Catherine showed him - to "suppress rumors."
Only in passing is it mentioned in the Notes about another bloody episode at the beginning of the reign of Catherine II - the murder of Ivan VI Antonovich, this Russian "iron mask".
Proclaimed emperor at the age of two months, overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna, he was kept in the Shlisselburg fortress as a "secret prisoner." There was an order according to which Ivan Antonovich was to be killed if someone tried to free him. Such an attempt was made in 1764 by V.Ya. Mirovich.
The history of Mirovich was studied by V.V. Stasov, an outstanding art critic and a serious researcher of Russian antiquity.
The grandson of one of Mazepa's henchmen, Vasily Mirovich, came from Little Russia to St. Petersburg to petition for the return of his family lands, confiscated by Peter I. He asked tearfully: "how much of the grace of Her Imperial Majesty will be granted ..." Catherine refused. There was no need for her to cancel Peter's decrees.
Then Mirovich decided to do something that would glorify him and bring him out of poverty. (“... His thirst was even more inflamed by the impossibility of being at court, attending court balls and theaters,” wrote Stasov.)
Mirovich had heard rumors before that the “real tsar” was in Shlisselburg. He planned to release Ivan Antonovich and elevate him to the throne.
While Mirovich, with a handful of soldiers, was pointing a cannon they had obtained somewhere at the fortress, the jailers fulfilled the order given to them two years ago (meaning by Catherine!): they entered the cell where the wretched Ivan Antonovich slept, and stabbed him to death.
Mirovich was executed - by "chopping off his head" - on September 15, 1764 at the Glutton Market. Three corporals and three privates, his assistants, were driven through the line 10 times and sent to hard labor. The murderers, on the other hand, received a promotion and “became so hated by the entire Russian public that when they later appeared at court, everyone expressed contempt and disgust to them,” Stasov quotes the German historian and geographer A.F. Buching, who was then living in St. Petersburg.
The adventurous nature of the whole enterprise, Mirovich's cheerful confidence in impunity - he laughed during interrogations, and almost before the execution itself - and many other circumstances suggested that someone was standing behind Mirovich's back. Some kind of instigator who was looking for a reason to destroy Ivan Antonovich. Many contemporaries believed that the "Empress's will" was being fulfilled.
For Dashkova, such a thought is unacceptable. And although in the case of Mirovich, Ekaterina Romanovna herself turned out to be the victim (more on this below), referring to his "Notes", she pursues the only goal - to whitewash the empress. Rumors about the involvement of Catherine II in the murder of the Shlisselburg prisoner, already the second Russian emperor, at least to a small extent embarrassing the rest of the empress, Dashkova is inclined to explain by intrigues “from outside”.
“... Abroad, whether sincerely or feignedly, they attributed this whole story to the terrible intrigue of the Empress, who allegedly persuaded Mirovich to his act with promises and then betrayed him. On my first trip abroad in 1770, it cost me great work justify the empress in this double betrayal. All foreign cabinets, envious of the importance that Russia acquired in the reign of an enlightened and active empress, used every most insignificant pretext to slander the empress ... "
Ekaterina Romanovna does not write anything about the abduction of Princess Tarakanova and her imminent death in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The canvas of the artist Flavitsky preserved for us this name, once, in the 70s of the 18th century, widely known.
A flood, a beautiful prisoner in a smart dress - all this remains in the memory from the first, childhood visits to the Tretyakov Gallery.
The only reality here is the very fact of the St. Petersburg flood: it took place in 1777. The woman who called herself Princess Tarakanova was no longer in the world then, she died two years earlier. And it is unlikely that this unfortunate woman, imprisoned in a semi-dark cell under the round-the-clock supervision of two guard soldiers, exhausted by "the severity of the content, the reduction of food, clothing and other necessary needs" (from the report of her jailer, Prince Golitsyn, to Catherine, who demanded strict interrogations of the prisoner), looked like on the heroine of the painting by Flavitsky.
Who was she, a prisoner of the Peter and Paul Fortress? Its history is not entirely clear.
In the 1770s, in Iran, then in the Balkans, then in Western Europe, some young woman appeared, educated, beautiful, wealthy. She wandered from country to country, changed patrons and names. Either she is Fraulein Frank, then Madame de Tremouille, then the daughter of the Turkish Sultan, then the Princess of Azov, then ... - it was a fatal fantasy! - Russian, Princess Tarakanova, daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna from her secret marriage with Razumovsky and, therefore, a contender for the Russian throne.
Her claims were supported by Prince Radziwill. Maybe someone else played with this expensive doll. But no one took her seriously. Nobody but Catherine.
Let's not forget that the "Princess Volodymyrskaya" - she called herself that - flashed through history in the terrible years for the Russian tsarina - the years of the Pugachev uprising. The "princess" called herself Pugachev's sister and declared - in letters to Panin, Orlov-Chesmensky and others and in fantastic manifestos - her intention to regain her "parental throne" with the help of Pugachev.
Attempts to take away the throne from her, no matter how frivolous and unrealistic they may be, Catherine always resolutely suppressed. She orders to "seize the tramp". The choice falls again on Alexei Orlov. The general-admiral, the hero of Chesma and Navarin, did not disdain the assignment. He goes to Pisa, where Princess Tarakanova was at that time, gets to know her, pretends to be in love. Once, after dinner at the English consul in Livorno, Orlov invites her and her companions to inspect a Russian warship, gallantly volunteers to accompany them. (According to some versions, a wedding ceremony was staged on the ship.) *. And... the mousetrap slammed shut. From the ship, Princess Tarakanova - we will call her that - goes straight to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Seven months later, she is no longer alive.
A letter from Golitsyn to Ekaterina has been preserved stating that the prisoner suffers from consumption and is unlikely to last long. The letter must have been written when they decided to end Tarakanova. Catherine carefully took care of this justifying document.
Elizaveta Petrovna and Razumovsky, as far as is known, had no children. But their semi-legendary offspring disturbed the rest of Catherine II for a long time.
There were rumors about some nun Dosifey from the Moscow Ivanovsky Monastery that she was the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna and Razumovsky - Princess Tarakanova. That she was allegedly forcibly tonsured by Catherine and lives in complete seclusion, even divine services are performed for her alone in a secret church above the monastery gates.
Some Dosithea really lived in this monastery, intended for noble widows and orphans. Numerous relatives of the Razumovskys came to her funeral in 1810. Who was she? Was it related to the Empress Elizabeth? ..
Princess Tarakanova must be a mythical person, although you can find this name in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, where it is said that it is the nun Dosifeya who is the “genuine Tarakanova”, the daughter of Elizabeth, in contrast to the impostor, so cleverly “caught” by Alexei Orlov.
Dashkova does not mention anything that could damage the glory of the idol of her youth in the Notes. It must be that she really did not allow the thought of Catherine's involvement in these bloody events, both when she wrote her memoirs, and in those years when these events were still on everyone's lips.
“Because, by the way, that she believed and wanted to believe in the ideal Catherine,” writes Herzen, “she could not resist mercy. And she would be a glorious minister. Undoubtedly gifted with a statesman's mind, she, in addition to her enthusiasm, had two major shortcomings that prevented her from making a career: she did not know how to be silent, her language is sharp, prickly and does not spare anyone except Catherine; moreover, she was too proud, did not want and did not know how to hide her antipathies, in a word, she could not “belittle her personality”, as the Moscow Old Believers put it” 34.
Soon after the coronation of Catherine II, Dashkov was out of favor. She is not forgiven for her boldness of statements, nor her desire to participate in public affairs, nor her popularity. Catherine the Great does not forget that on the very June day that decided her fate, the soldiers in their arms carried Catherine the Little, 18-year-old Dashkova, across the entire square to the Winter Palace.
An atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust is being created around Dashkova.
Her name flashes in the dispatches of foreign ambassadors. She is considered a conspirator, an instigator. Any manifestation of discontent is attributed to her participation or influence.
It is believed that, having every reason to be offended, she, with her “crazy disposition” (G.R. Derzhavin), “caprices and immoderate behavior” (M.I. Vorontsov), is capable of any extravagant antics.
“Being only 22 years old, she had already participated in half a dozen conspiracies, the first of them was a success, but, having not received the award she deserved, in her opinion, she set about new ones.”
It is hardly possible to fully trust this report, sent in 1767 from St. Petersburg to London. It does not characterize Dashkova so much as the “glory” about her in court and diplomatic circles.
And yet, this “glory” was based on something.
1763... Insolent Grigory Orlov aims for the Russian throne. The German emperor had already granted him the title of prince of the Holy Roman Empire in advance.
Old Bestuzhev, the former great chancellor, is preparing a petition addressed to the empress: Catherine is begged to complete her "good deeds to the Russian people" by choosing a husband, because the heir is in poor health. Collect signatures.
Among the guards officers, outraged by the hasty rise of Grigory Orlov, a conspiracy is brewing. It was decided to kill the Orlovs, if only Bestuzhev's petition would be accepted.
It is very possible that Dashkova's voice also sounded in the choir of indignant voices. She has an openly hostile relationship with her favorite. Be that as it may, one spring day the secretary of the empress comes to the Dashkovs and secretly from Ekaterina Romanovna, who is ill, gives her husband the following significant note: “I sincerely wish not to be in need of forgetting the services of Princess Dashkova for her careless behavior. Remind her of this when she again allows herself an immodest freedom of language, amounting to threats.
How unlike this note of the “autocrat of all Russia” is from letters, consisting entirely of tender words and assurances of eternal friendship, to which the Grand Duchess was so generous!
The court leaves for St. Petersburg, the Dashkovs remain in Moscow. According to Diderot, who literally wrote down the story of Ekaterina Romanovna, only her illness saved her from arrest.
In the months preceding Mirovich's conspiracy, Ekaterina Romanovna lived with her children in an outbuilding, and the house was occupied by N.I. Panin. Mirovich visited Panin. Wasn’t it through this trusted person, the tutor of Grand Duke Paul, that the empress’s hints and promises were transmitted?!
When the trial began, rumors spread that the same Dashkova was Mirovich's inspiration and that she owed her salvation only to Panin's influence.
The English envoy Buckingham wrote: “Printed proclamations are seized that approve of the proposed revolution, and Princess Dashkova is suspected of participating in all this. It is very likely that, insistently demanding the torture of Mirovich, Baron Cherkasov and other members of the supreme court had in mind the disclosure of Dashkova's guilt, about which there were many rumors at that time ... "
Citing these words of Buckingham in his History of the Braunschweig Family, V.V. Stasov resolutely dismisses "the assumption of Dashkova's initiation in this case."
“... Already in 1763, the friendship between her and Catherine was crumbling, the empress could no longer endure her bold, independent mind and disposition ... It could be ... assumed that Dashkova's participation remained undisclosed ... due to the powerful influence of Panin, whom , according to the then general rumors, she was considered not only an illegitimate daughter, but also a mistress. But ... it’s hard to imagine that Panin’s influence on the empress would be able to outweigh her fear, hatred for an enterprising rival, so that at the same time he would be able to completely distort the matter in closing his real springs from the empress ..."
It is curious that gossip (Dashkova - Panin) was spread around the world by the notorious Giovanni-Giacopo Casanova, who came to Russia in 1765-1766. He visited Dashkova in her village. “I had a letter from Madame Loglio to Princess Dashkova, who was removed from St. Petersburg after she assisted her empress in ascending the throne, which she hoped to share with her ... I was told that Panin was the father of the princess; Until then, I stubbornly thought that he was her lover ... "
Thus begins an excerpt from Casanova's memoirs about Dashkova; they were written when Ekaterina Romanovna was already head of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, which, it should be noted, greatly annoyed the famous Venetian.
“It seems that Russia is a country where the relations of both sexes are completely turned upside down: women here are at the head of the board, chair academic institutions, are in charge of state administration and top politics. The country here lacks only one thing - and these Tatar beauties - only one advantage, namely: that they command the troops!
It must be assumed that Catherine II was doubly satisfied with any rumors that diverted from her suspicion of the "initiation" of the Shlisselburg case, and these rumors were supported and inflated in every possible way.
“I saw that my house, or rather the house of Count Panin, was surrounded by Orlov spies; I regretted that the empress was brought to the point that she suspected the best patriots ... "
Around Dashkova, an atmosphere of suspicion and hostility thickens. She is one. Prince Dashkov was sent at the head of troops to Poland. Relations with the Vorontsov relatives are strained: they cannot forgive her for the collapse of her sister's career.
She is far from the yard. She is not present at countless festivities - balls, receptions, festivities that Catherine II arranged and encouraged in the first years of her reign. If the empress remembers yesterday's ally, then only with irony.
Perhaps, even if Dashkova had been in favor even then, she would still not have resisted. Catherine's age began as a merry age, an age of festivities and feasts... Dashkova could not correspond to such moods by her very nature. And fate in those years brought down a lot of dashing on her. In Moscow, her eldest son, who remained in the care of his grandmother, dies. And in the autumn of the same year, when the “world adventure” happened, Ekaterina Romanovna experienced the most difficult grief in her life: her husband died in Poland. "... I was between life and death for 15 days..."
A 20-year-old widow is left with two children and numerous debts; to make them Prince Dashkov was a master. “... I was kept in the dark for a long time about the frustrated financial situation in which my children and I were ...”
Having barely recovered from her illness, Dashkova decides to pay off her creditors and restore the family's well-being. Once she has set herself a goal, she fights for its realization with her characteristic astonishing energy.
She moves from St. Petersburg to Moscow, until it turns out that she has nowhere to live in Moscow: her mother-in-law gave her house to her daughter. Ekaterina Romanovna decides to settle with her children in a village near Moscow, but it turns out that the house there has collapsed and is unsuitable for habitation. Then she orders to choose strong logs and build a small wooden house, where she soon moves.
She sells everything that she had of value, leaving herself ... "only silver forks and spoons for four kuverts", and in five years she pays off the debts of Prince Mikhail.
“If I had been told before my marriage that I, brought up in luxury and extravagance, would be able for several years (despite my twenty years of age) to deprive myself of everything and wear the most modest clothes, I would not have believed it; but just as I was the governess and nurse of my children, I wanted to be a good manager of their estates, and I was not afraid of any hardships ... "
After the death of her husband, Dashkov has been living in the village almost without a break for five years. Economical, prudent, practical.
Very little is known about this first, and only partly voluntary, exile.
G. I. Smagina
Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: strokes for a portrait
E. P. Dashkova. About the meaning of the word "education". Works, letters, documents / Compilation, introductory article, notes by G. I. Smagina. SPb., 2001. Scan ImWerden OCR Bychkov M. N. In 1803, Count F. V. Rostopchin, having met with the sixty-year-old Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, wrote to her brother Count S. R. Vorontsov in London: "... I met in some houses with your sister, and we could not talk enough and argue among ourselves. She judges affairs too prejudicedly and does not want to make sure that changes and novelties are brought by time itself. It always seems to her that she lives in 1762 ... ". 1 It is quite clear that we are talking about the events of June 28, 1762, about the palace coup that brought Catherine II to power. For the nineteen-year-old princess, this day became the "high point" in her life. He was so richly happy, inspired, tense, that he left an indelible imprint on her, and the princess carried the memories of these events through her whole life. "The day of awe and happiness", 2 as E. R. Dashkova will write later, was also the beginning of a misunderstanding between the princess and the empress. The fact is that E. R. Dashkova exaggerated her participation in the coup, and Catherine denied any significance of the princess in its success. Misunderstanding over time grew into a deep conflict and largely predetermined her future fate. E. R. Dashkova lived a restless life, as she herself believed: "... a stormy and disturbing, or rather sad, life, during which I had to hide the suffering of my heart from the world; the sharpness of this pain cannot be dulled by pride and overcome by strength One can say about me that I was a martyr - and I will not be afraid of this word, for hiding my feelings or being presented in a false light has always disgusted my character. 3 Contemporaries who wrote a lot about her express contradictory opinions, so different that it is sometimes difficult to imagine that we are talking about one person. By the number of reviews about Russian women of the XVIII - early XIX centuries. E. R. Dashkova is second only to Catherine II. One of the most insightful and objective characteristics of Princess Dashkova was left by the great French educator Denis Diderot. They met in Paris in 1770 during Ekaterina Romanovna's first trip to European countries and met often. “Her character is serious, she speaks French fluently; her conversation is restrained, her speech is simple, strong and convincing. Her heart is deeply affected by misfortunes; and firmness, loftiness, courage and pride are manifested in her way of thinking. I am convinced that she loves justice and values her dignity. The princess loves the arts, knows the people and the needs of her fatherland. She sincerely hates despotism and all manifestations of tyranny. She is well acquainted with the real government and speaks frankly about the good qualities and shortcomings of its representatives. Accurately and fairly reveals the advantages and disadvantages of new institutions. ... With the same tone of conviction, she spoke about the virtues and vices of her friends and enemies. "4 Diderot admired the firmness of her character "both in hatred and in friendship", the courage with which she endured her "dark and poor life" , and the naturalness of her behavior. A strong impression on him was made by insight, composure and common sense. E. R. Dashkova confidentially and frankly tells Diderot about the events that took place in June 1762, and, of course, about Catherine II, "about whom - as the philosopher notes, - she always speaks with deep respect". 5 "But why does she not love St. Petersburg?" - the wise Diderot asks himself. And he answers subtly and with understanding: "I don't know; perhaps she is dissatisfied with the fact that her merits are little rewarded; or, having elevated Catherine to the throne, she hoped to rule her; perhaps Ekaterina is afraid that if Dashkova once raised a revolt for her, she will not be afraid to raise it against her; or she sought the position of minister and even first minister, at least the honor of the council of state; ...or she doesn't want to jostle in the herd of new court upstarts...". 6 And Diderot completes his observations about E. R. Dashkova's relationship with Catherine II with the following remark: "It seems that Dashkova learned one bitter lesson from her relations with the court - he cooled her ardent desires for useful and charitable reforms. 7 In all details and without embellishment, Diderot describes the appearance of the princess: “Dashkova is by no means a beauty. Small in stature, with an open and high forehead, with full swollen cheeks, with medium-sized eyes, somewhat projecting onto the forehead, black eyebrows and hair, a slightly flat nose, a wide mouth, thick lips, a round and straight neck, a national shape, with a convex chest She is far from charming; there is much life in her movements, but no grace; her manner is cute. The general expression of her face makes a favorable impression.” 8 Although she was then 27 years old, Diderot seemed to be forty years old - so much a sad life was reflected in her appearance.
"Before the age of reason"
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova (née Vorontsova) was born on March 17, 1743 in St. Petersburg. She was the goddaughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and the Grand Duke, later Emperor, Peter Fedorovich. As you know, the position of the ancient noble family of the Vorontsovs under Elizabeth was brilliant and influential, this was facilitated by the good relations of the mother of Ekaterina Romanovna Marfa Ivanovna (nee Surmina; 1718--1745) with Princess Elizabeth and the active participation of uncle Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov (1714--1767) , married to a cousin of Elizabeth, in the enthronement of the daughter of Peter I. It is well known how important home and family are for a child. In infancy and childhood, he is brought up exclusively by his family and home environment. Here his inclinations receive their first food, here his sympathies, needs, interests are born, here his character is indicated. The soul of a child feeds on the impressions received in the family. Ekaterina Romanovna was deprived of parental attention and warmth. At the age of two, Ekaterina Romanovna lost her mother. Her father, Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov (1707-1783), paid little attention to the upbringing of children, and was more interested in secular entertainment. Of the five children, after the death of his mother, only one eldest son Alexander (1741-1805) remained at home. The second son, Semyon Vorontsov (1744-1832), was brought up by his grandfather. The eldest daughters Maria (married Buturlina; 1737-1765) and Elizaveta (married Polyanskaya; 1739-1792) lived at court and were appointed ladies-in-waiting. The younger Ekaterina was on the estate of her grandmother Fedosya Ivanovna Surmina. When the girl was four years old, her uncle M. I. Vorontsov, at that time the chancellor, took her to be brought up to him. Then the Vorontsovs lived in an old house on Sadovaya Street in St. Petersburg, on the site of which in 1749-1757. according to the project of F. B. Rastrelli, a magnificent palace was built, which has survived to this day. 9 Here she grew up and was brought up together with Anna Mikhailovna Vorontsova (1743-1769), the only daughter of the Chancellor, her age. 10 “A shared bedroom, the same teachers, even dresses made from one piece of matter - everything, it seemed, should have made us exactly the same,” E. R. Dashkova recalled about her childhood, “meanwhile, in life we don’t There were women more different than we are." 11 Chancellor M. I. Vorontsov, who was interested in literature and sciences, the patron of M. V. Lomonosov, tried to give his daughter and niece a good education, according to the concepts of that time. They knew four languages - Italian, German and one of the ancient ones, they spoke French especially well, danced beautifully, and knew how to draw. They even expressed a desire to take Russian language lessons. But apparently progress in mother tongue were small, and a few years later E. R. Dashkova had to learn Russian again in order to talk with her mother-in-law and her husband's relatives who did not know French. Catherine Wilmot's impression of the princess's command of foreign languages has been preserved, recorded on October 1, 1805: "... she speaks English wonderfully, incorrectly like a child, but with extraordinary expressiveness! She doesn't care - to speak French, Russian or English, and she constantly mixes these languages in one sentence. The princess speaks German and Italian also well, but here her indistinct pronunciation does not make it possible to enjoy the conversation. " 12 Other subjects included history, geography, arithmetic, and catechism. And, despite the fact that there was no teacher in the house "vocal or instrumental," the princess later recalled, "I understood music so brilliantly that I could judge its beauties as a true virtuoso." 13 Since childhood, Ekaterina Romanovna had a lot of pride in her nature, mixed with extraordinary tenderness. "I longed to be loved and wanted to interest everyone I loved; when, at the age of thirteen, it seemed to me that I did not cause such feelings, I would consider myself a rejected being." 14 The reality she lived in did not match her idea of happiness, which she associated "with life surrounded by tender family and friends." 15 "My uncle was too busy," she recalls, and his wife had "neither the ability nor the desire" to raise children. She saw her sisters and younger brother very rarely and met only with her older brother Alexander Vorontsov, with whom she would have warm friendly relations all her life. But Uncle M.I. Vorontsov, with the consent of Elizaveta Petrovna, sends Alexander to study in Paris, and Ekaterina Romanovna bitterly writes: "I have no one left whose tenderness could alleviate the pain of the heart, wounded by the indifference that surrounded me ...". 16 Books Became Her Favorite And best friends . The chancellor had an extensive library, and I. I. Shuvalov, encouraging her love of reading, began to supply her with books and literary novelties. Ekaterina Romanovna reads with rapture all day and night long. Non-childish books and non-childish reflections led to early development. "Deep sadness, reflections on myself and the people of the circle to which I belonged, changed my lively, cheerful and mocking character. I became serious, diligent, spoke little and only about what I knew enough." 17 Her favorite authors were French philosophers, publicists, poets - P. Bayle, C. L. Montesquieu, Voltaire, N. Boileau and especially C. A. Helvetius. 18 When she was 16 years old, her own library consisted of 900 volumes, since she used almost all her pocket money to purchase books. 19 Buying the "Encyclopedia" by D. Diderot and D "Alembert gives her more pleasure than a precious necklace. "I was content and calm," she writes, "only when I plunged into reading. I realized that loneliness is not always painful, and I sought to find support in courage, firmness and peace of mind. 20 The goal that she set for herself testifies to her independence of character: “To achieve everything on her own, without outside help.” 21 Perhaps the main circumstances that influenced the formation of Ekaterina Romanovna's character were the loneliness that she began to feel very early in her uncle's house, and the freedom that she enjoyed from the age of thirteen. Freed from the supervision of a governess, she was left to herself. what she liked: she read, played music, thought, traveled only to places where she was not bored, and gradually got used to being guided only by her desires.This undoubtedly could contribute to the development of independence and that excessive originality in habits, which later distinguished Princess E. R. Dashkova: The atmosphere of the chancellor's house was "saturated" with politics. The l, with which the house was furnished, was presented to M. I. Vorontsov by Louis XV in the hope of persuading the chancellor to an alliance with France. Ekaterina Romanovna constantly became a witness to free political conversations, which certainly influenced her impressionable nature. Meeting with foreign ambassadors at her uncle's house, she asked them with great attention and interest about the political structure and customs of their countries. And it was then that a passionate desire to travel was born in her. The writer-historian D. L. Mordovtsev managed to create a beautiful psychological portrait of young Ekaterina Romanovna: “Early, an obscure consciousness of her strength and a sense of rich inner inclinations manifested itself in her, and this was revealed in her, on the one hand, by some kind of pride, self-recognition something more than what they thought to see in her, and on the other - a passionate desire to share feelings, impressions, knowledge - a desire for friendship and love. But she could not find a response to all this in anyone: with her co-educate she did not get along with her soul, and had no other relatives close to her, and only she cultivated a deep friendship in herself for her brother Alexander, for whom she had this feeling all her life, as in general all her affections were distinguished by their fullness and some kind of completeness: she the whole feeling was given." 22
"Since that time, a new world has opened up for me..."
In the winter of 1758/1759, at her uncle's house, Ekaterina Romanovna met Grand Duchess Catherine, the future Empress Catherine II. Both of us felt mutual sympathy for each other, and the charm that always emanated from the Grand Duchess, especially if she wanted to attract someone to her side, was too strong so that a naive creature who was not even fifteen years old would not give her forever of your heart," recalled Princess Dashkova. 23 This meeting marked the beginning of their friendship, however, subsequently far from strong and replete with numerous misunderstandings. In February 1759 Ekaterina Romanovna married Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov (1736-1764). Her marriage was based on mutual sympathy and was accompanied by various romantic circumstances. Elizaveta Petrovna herself took part in arranging the wedding. “From that time on, a new world opened up for me, a new field of life, in front of which I was all the more shy because I did not find in it any resemblance to what I was used to,” the princess recalled. A year after the wedding, her daughter Anastasia (in the marriage of Shcherbinina; 1760-1831) was born to her, who later brought her a lot of grief. In February 1761, the son Mikhail was born, who died in infancy. A lot has been written about the events of June 28, 1762, thanks to which Catherine II ascended the throne, and about the role of E. R. Dashkova in them. 25 Even almost half a century later, having experienced many difficult feelings and disappointment in Catherine, the princess continued to consider June 28, 1762 "the most memorable and glorious" day in the history of Russia. Nineteen-year-old E. R. Dashkova takes part in the palace coup with enthusiasm, devotion and courage. “In order to judge my deeds and motives in this era, one must not lose sight of the fact that I acted under the influence of two reckless circumstances: firstly, I was devoid of any experience; secondly, I judged others by my own feelings, thinking about all of humanity better than it really is," she wrote in 1804-1805. to his friend Katherine Hamilton. 26 About relations with Catherine after the coup, or rather about the cooling of relations, A. I. Herzen wrote beautifully in his vivid and emotional essay on E. R. Dashkova: “Because, by the way, that she believed and wanted to believe in the ideal Catherine "She could not resist in favor. And she would have been a glorious minister. Undoubtedly gifted with a statesman's mind, she, in addition to her enthusiasm, had two great shortcomings that prevented her from making a career: she did not know how to be silent, her language is sharp, prickly and does not spare anyone , except for Catherine; moreover, she was too proud, did not want and could not "belittle her personality," as the Moscow Old Believers put it. Catherine "moved away from her," Herzen continues, "with the speed of truly royal ingratitude." 27 The rapid cooling off of the Empress towards Ekaterina Romanovna greatly frightened her relatives. The uncle of the princess, M. I. Vorontsov, on August 21, 1762, in a letter to his nephew A. R. Vorontsov, brother of Ekaterina Romanovna, wrote with undisguised irritation: "She (Dashkova.-- G. S.), as far as it seems to me, has a depraved and vain disposition, more in the bustle and imaginary high mind, in the sciences and emptiness spends his time. I am afraid that with her caprices and immoderate behavior and reviews she will not anger the empress so much that she will not be distant from the court, and through that our family in her fall did not have a needless vice from the public. True, she had a great deal to do with the successful accession to the throne of our most merciful empress, and in this we must greatly glorify and honor her; but when behavior and virtues do not correspond to merit, then nothing else has to follow but contempt and destruction. 28 And two months later, in another letter to the same addressee, he adds: “She does not attract anyone to her love by her behavior.” 29 However, relations between the princess and the court were not completely spoiled: when on May 12, 1763 Catherine Romanovna's son Pavel (1763-1807) was born, he was baptized by Empress Catherine II and Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Prince M. I. Dashkov died at the age of 28. “After his death, extraordinary longing killed every other feeling in me.” 30 But even such a terrible grief did not soften the relatives. writes: “We learned from the newspapers that Prince Mikhailo Ivanovich had died in Poland; since he was a man of an honest and very kind heart and, of course, not a participant in the rages and rages of his wife, everyone here regrets him ... ". 31 After the death of her husband, huge debts remained, and only resorting to the most severe economy and prudence, she managed "Thanks to thrift, the sale of jewelry and silverware, all my husband's debts, to my great pleasure," we read in the Notes, "were paid within five years. If I had been told before my marriage that, having been brought up in luxury and extravagance, in my 20s I would deny myself everything except the simplest clothes, I would not have believed it. But just as I had to be the governess and nurse of my children, I wanted to become a good manager of their estates, and therefore no hardships were a burden. "32
First overseas trip
In December 1769, E. R. Dashkova, with her nine-year-old daughter Anastasia and six-year-old son Pavel, set off on her first trip abroad in Europe. “The main purpose of my trip abroad was,” writes the princess, “to get acquainted with various cities and choose the most suitable one for my children to get an education. I was well aware that we rarely meet people who can teach children well, besides, the flattery of the servants and the pampering of relatives would interfere with such an education, which I aspired to. 33 Leaving Moscow, she arrived in Berlin via Riga, Koenigsberg and Danzig, where she spent two months. From here, through Westphalia and Hanover, she arrived in the Belgian resort town of Spa. There she met two Irish women - Katherine Hamilton and Elizabeth Morgan, with whom she maintained friendly relations for many years. Having a desire to visit England, the princess studied English: "In the mornings, both of my friends are Irish (Hamilton and Morgan. - G. S.) they would come to read some English book with me in turn and correct my pronunciation; I didn’t have any other English teachers, but soon I became quite fluent in it. 34 From Spa, the princess traveled to England, visiting London, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Bath. From Bath she went to Bristol, Oxford and Windsor. Returning to Russia, E. R. Dashkova published a description of this journey: “The Journey of a Russian Noble Lady through Some Aglian Provinces.” 35 According to the well-known English scholar E. G. Cross, this was the first report of this kind in the Russian press. "I liked England more than other states," wrote E. R. Dashkova. - Their government, education, conversion, their public and private life, mechanics, buildings and gardens - everything borrows from the organization of the first and surpasses the forcible experiments of other peoples in similar enterprises. The love of the English for the Russians must also have drawn me to them." 37 In her published notes, the princess describes with keen interest and observation the country houses and gardens of the English lords, speaks of cathedral churches, of the remains of an ancient Druid temple that fascinated her, of baths, festivities , amusements. During her travels, she visits museums, libraries, factories, shops. With particular detail, she describes the buildings and structure of the oldest university in Great Britain at Oxford. Before leaving Oxford for London, E. R. Dashkova, as she wrote, was visited by "vice the university chancellor with his staff and in his robe and in all ceremonial dress, who, in his name and the name of the whole university, presented me with a book with prints of all the ancient statues and bas-reliefs they keep, which, they say, they do honor to rare travelers. E. R. Dashkova with her children arrived in Paris, where she spent 17 days visiting monasteries, churches, galleries, where one could see statues, paintings, and memorials. ki; I went to the workshops of artists, visited performances. "A simple black dress, the same scarf around my neck, a modest hairstyle of a townswoman hid me from prying eyes." 39 In Paris, she met Denis Diderot. 40 "In the evening," Diderot later recalled in an article about Dashkova, "I came to her to talk about subjects that her eyes could not understand and with which she could only fully become familiar with the help of long experience - laws, customs, government, finance, politics, way of life, science, literature; all this I explained to her, as far as I myself knew. 41 A warm, trusting relationship developed between them. And more than 30 years after the first meeting with the French philosopher, recalling wise conversations with him, Ekaterina Romanovna penetratingly wrote: “Everything delighted me in Diderot, even this ardor stemming from the ardor of feelings and liveliness of perception. His sincerity, friendliness, perspicacious and deep mind tied me to him for life. I mourned his death and until my last breath I will not stop regretting him. This extraordinary mind was little appreciated ... ". 42 After her stay in Paris, E. R. Dashkova went to the south of France, where she spent the winter, and in the spring she went to Switzerland to “bow down” to the great Voltaire. In her youth, the princess read his writings, he was her favorite writer and played an extremely important role in shaping her worldview. And even the first printed work of Ekaterina Romanovna is associated with the name of Voltaire. In 1763, in the journal Innocent Exercise, which she created, a translation of Voltaire's essay, An Essay on Epic Poetry, prepared by the princess, appeared. 43 In addition to his own translation, the first issue of the journal included a translation of one of Voltaire's "Speeches in verse about man" by S. I. Glebov. 44 The translation was so successful that a quarter of a century later, at the insistence of E. R. Dashkova, then director of the Academy of Sciences, this work was reprinted in the academic journal New Monthly Works. 45 On May 10, 1771, the first meeting between E. R. Dashkova and Voltaire took place. She disappointed the princess a little, who "wanted to listen to him (Voltaire. - G. S.), admiring him, "46 but saw a 76-year-old philosopher, seriously ill and half-broken with paralysis. But, despite poor health, Voltaire met Ekaterina Romanovna with theatrical gestures, did not skimp on flattering words, and their conversation that day lasted about two hours. E R. Dashkova received permission to visit Voltaire again and, taking advantage of this, had the pleasure of enjoying his speeches several more times. 47 In his farewell letter, Voltaire was full of compliments: “Princess, the old man whom you have rejuvenated, thanks and mourns you... Happy are those who see you off to Spa! Unhappy are we whom you are leaving... on the shores of Lake Geneva! The Alpine mountains will long echo with the echo of your name - a name that will forever remain in my heart, full of surprise and reverence for you. "48 Such enthusiastic words were not only a courtesy tribute. In a letter to Catherine II on the hermit, "as he called himself, spoke of E. R. Dashkova with the warmest words, portraying her as the most faithful subject of the Empress:" First of all, I must notify you that I had the honor to see Princess Dashkova in my desert. As soon as she entered the hall, she immediately recognized your portrait, woven from satin and decorated with garlands around. Your image, of course, has a special power, because I saw that when the princess looked at this image, her eyes were watered with tears. She spoke to me for four hours in a row about Your Imperial Majesty, and the time seemed to me no more than four minutes. 49 In 1772, E. R. Dashkova returned to St. Petersburg. Catherine received her with benevolent attention and sent her "for the first needs" 10 thousand rubles, then another 60 thousand. "I was extremely surprised by this act, which did not at all resemble the treatment of the empress with me during the ten years that had passed since her accession to the throne," the princess noted in Zapiski. a joy and consolation for Ekaterina Romanovna was a meeting with her father R. I. Vorontsov, who, after his daughter’s participation in the palace coup of 1762, did not even want to see her, “... although he did not help, he did what was much more difficult for me. dearer: he treated me with respect and kindness, which I was previously deprived of because of the slander of ill-wishers. "51
"...tender but sensibly loving mother"
“At the age of 16 I was a mother ... My daughter could not babble a single word yet, and I was already thinking of giving her perfect education. I I was convinced that in four languages that I knew enough, reading everything that was written about education, I would be able to extract the best, like a bee, and from these parts make up a whole that would be wonderful, "wrote Ekaterina Romanovna. 52 Involuntarily I recall the lines from the memoirs of a contemporary of Princess A. T. Bolotov: "Blessed are the children, for whom their parents in their very infancy care for them and make efforts to correct their morals." 53 Ekaterina Romanovna was just such a mother. and after the death of her husband, she devoted herself completely to them. She was constantly nearby, surrounded them with cares, tenderness, affection. When the children were sick, she did not leave the bed: "In confusion and fear for his (son. - G. S.) I forgot all my life about my rheumatism and remained barefoot near his bed all night." 54 The children received their initial upbringing at home. Here they learned to read and write, foreign languages, mastered the skills of secular behavior. When Anastasia was 9 years old, and Pavel was 6, together with their mother they made the first, three-year, trip abroad, during which they got acquainted with many European sights, which certainly contributed to their education.Often, the princess even used the difficulties of travel for educational purposes.When they crossed the English Channel on a ship and a severe storm began, the children were very frightened "I took this opportunity to show them how much more courage is than childish cowardice. I drew their attention to the behavior of the captain and the English sailors in such a critical circumstance, and, making them feel that God's plans require humility and the essence is always wise, I ordered them to calm down. They listened to me more than I had hoped, for soon I had the good fortune to see them sleeping peacefully, despite the storm, which roared in a truly terrifying way. be objective: "Experiencing tender feelings towards them (children. -- G. S.) I am by no means blind, for I do not at all like their shortcomings, although I am pleased that they are of an honest disposition and soft-hearted, but I do not consider my children to be perfect in everything; and I made it an indispensable rule for me to see them as they are, and not as the majority of parents see their children. to give him "the education necessary to succeed in it. 57 She dealt with such an important task with all the tenderness of maternal feelings and with all the determination inherent in her character. According to the custom of that time, the young Prince Dashkov, eight years old in 1772, was signed up for military service and in the same year promoted to cornet.But he remained with his mother, who led his education.By the age of thirteen, Pavel Dashkov, according to his mother, was quite familiar with history and geography, the basics of geometry, knew French, German, Latin and English, could translate.He was tall and strong, because "he was used to an active and harsh life."58 To complete the education of E. R. Dashkova's son, you the oldest university in Scotland is in Edinburgh. Story higher education in Edinburgh began in 1583 with the founding of the University College of Law. By the 70s. 18th century The University of Edinburgh has gained European prominence as a center of active scientific activity, fundamental education and less expensive than Cambridge and Oxford. The breadth and variety of the subjects studied, the flexible curriculum, the high scientific level of teachers, a certain freedom that allows professors, in addition to the mandatory cycles, to additionally announce lecture courses, excellent teaching, the opportunity to engage in independent scientific work attracted students from Europe and America. AT early XVIII in. at the University of Edinburgh there were 8 professors and 300 students, and by 1800 these figures had increased to 21 and 1200, respectively. According to the observation of the English scientist E. Cross, from 1774 to 1787, about 16 Russians were among the foreign students. 59 The Hungarian writer Timan, who visited the University of Edinburgh in 1781, wrote: “Whenever the English speak of the Scots in my presence in that contemptuous tone that is sometimes characteristic of them, I advise them to go to Edinburgh and there learn to live and be men. Your scientists - Robertson, Black and Hume - are looked upon here as first-class geniuses. 60 The American educator, one of the authors of the "US Declaration of Independence" Thomas Jefferson, traveling in Scotland at the same time, had to admit that in terms of science "there is no place in the world that could compete with Edinburgh." 61 In 1776, the American statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin visited the university, who enthusiastically noted: “At this time here (at the University of Edinburgh.-- G. S.) a "bouquet" of truly great men was assembled, professors in every branch of science that ever existed in any time or country. Hume, professor of physics and mathematics, founder of sociology Adam Ferguson, professor of rhetoric and belles-lettres Hugh Blair, professor of chemistry who discovered carbon dioxide, Joseph Black, professor of mathematics Dugald Stewart, professor of world history, future president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh John Pringle and others. The creation of such an amazing scientific and educational oasis or "Athens of the North", as the University of Edinburgh was called, was largely facilitated by the reform activities of William Robertson.Scottish historian William Robertson (1721--1793) was born in the family of a priest in the small town of Borthwick near Edinburgh.63 In 1735-1741 he studied at the University of Edinburgh, after which he preached for 10 years personal parishes in Scotland. At the same time, he diligently studied the history of Scotland and participated in the discussion of important state issues. He gained the greatest fame by participating in discussions in 1751-1752. on the question of whether parishioners should choose priests or appoint them "from above". Robertson believed that priests should be appointed, as an alternative solution would destroy the authority of the church, and therefore undermine the foundations of society. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Robertson as a statesman was distinguished by tolerance and a strong desire to maintain public order and stability in the country. In 1759, the first major historical work of a scientist dedicated to the history of Scotland was published. The book aroused great interest among the reading public and brought Robertson immense popularity. In 1762 he was appointed rector of the University of Edinburgh and remained in this post for 30 years until 1792. In 1763 Robertson was elected president of the General Assembly of the Scottish Church and appointed royal historiographer. Despite active state activity, Robertson in 1769 published the "History of the reign of Emperor Charles V", and in 1777 the first part of the "History of America" was published, which was immediately translated into French and German. At the end of 1782, at a meeting of professors at the University of Edinburgh, Robertson proposed a plan for the establishment of a learned society along the lines of some foreign academies. In 1783, the year of the 200th anniversary of the university, the Royal Society of Edinburgh was founded. Robertson was elected head of the literature class. In Russia, they were familiar with the historical works of the scientist. In 1775--1778. translated and published in 2 volumes "History of Charles V", and in 1784 - the first volume of "History of America". English historical school of the 18th century. "for the philosophical mind, criticism and noble eloquence" was highly appreciated by N. M. Karamzin. He read Robertson's books as an alphabet, and the name of the English historian is often found in the writer's notebook and in Letters from a Russian Traveler. 64 "... Robertson, Hume, Gibbon influenced History by the attractiveness of the most curious novel, the clever arrangement of actions, the painting of adventures and characters, thoughts and style. After Thucydides and Tacitus, nothing can compare with the Historical Triumvirate of Britain (i.e., with Robertson, Hume and Gibbon. G. S.)". 65 Since the princess dreamed of giving her son English education , it should be noted that the choice of the university was made very well. The "tender but prudently loving mother" wanted to see V. Robertson as her son's mentor, because she revered and respected him "as a virtuous person." 66 Even on the way to Edinburgh, the princess sent three letters to Robertson: August 30, October 9 and November 10, 1776. She tried to convince the rector of the University of Edinburgh to personally observe her son’s studies and tried to dispel his fears that, due to the young age of the prince (in 1776 he was 13 years old) his admission to the university should have been postponed, "... I dare to assure you, dear sir," wrote E. R. Dashkova, "that my son will not bring you any difficulties, and you will greatly oblige me if you yourself prescribe to me everything that you consider necessary, and I ask for myself only one thing - permission to stay in the same city as he; I am convinced, dear sir, that if my son turns out to be under your guidance, he will not need my care, nor the care of anyone else, but let me at least be his nurse in case it turns out to be necessary, for no one else can do this except the mother. ..". 67 In her second letter, dated October 9, 1776, the princess described in great detail the subjects her son had already taken and the knowledge he had acquired. But most importantly, she proposed a plan for teaching her son at the University of Edinburgh for two and a half years or five semesters: "1st semester. Languages, rhetoric and belles-lettres, history and organization of various forms of government. Mathematics. Logic. 2nd semester. Languages, rhetoric, history and organization of various forms of government, mathematics, rational philosophy, experimental physics, fortification and drafting Semester 3. Fine literature History and organization of various types of governments, fortification, natural law and general public law, mathematics, physiology and natural history. Semester 4. Morality, mathematics, fortification, universal and fundamental law of peoples, general principles of jurisprudence, civil architecture Semester 5. Morality Repetition of physics, the beginning of chemistry and, in conclusion, a general and logical repetition of what has been passed. 68 "What a long list of knowledge, worthy of the enormous mind and memory of Aristotle, the boy had to learn even in the relatively short period of the Dashkovs' stay in Scotland," says V. Ogarkov. 69 "She did not care about the assimilation by her son of at least a less extensive range of knowledge, but more thoroughly. .. And it is quite possible that the boy relearned, got an aversion to science, soon forgot all this and, in general, sadly compromised his mother’s “vaunted” upbringing with his whole future,” N. Vasilkov writes. son, are found in many researchers of the life and work of E. R. Dashkova.But it is necessary, apparently, to note the following.Firstly, E.R. and there was no known pattern before me for its outline," also she did not want to be like parents, she wrote to Robertson, who "usually confuse what suits one of the parents with what is necessary for children." 71 Secondly, the extensive curriculum compiled by E. R. Dashkova is not so extensive, but rather common for European universities of the 18th century, for example, for Göttingen.72 Even the university at the St. activities in 1726, by announcing public lectures in 24 disciplines. 73 And, thirdly, the educational plan of the princess was not fully implemented. On December 8, 1776, the Dashkov family arrived in Edinburgh. "Mr. Robertson has found to my satisfaction that his son is well prepared to enter the university and will be able to successfully study in the classical program." 74 The well-known English scholar Anthony Cross, after working with documents from the University of Edinburgh, noted that the young prince was listed as a student of the courses taught by Hugh Blair (twice), John Robison (twice), Bruce (twice), Dugald Stuart (twice), Joseph Black and Adam Ferguson. 75 This means that rhetoric, belles-lettres, logic, physics, ethics, mathematics and chemistry became subjects of study. “I myself experienced all sorts of hardships, but they were indifferent to me, because I was completely captured by maternal love and parental responsibilities. The desire to give my son the best education absorbed me completely,” E. R. Dashkova writes later. 76 University professors, whose lectures were attended by the son, were invited to dinner twice a week; conversations with them gave rise to admiration, joy and peace: “I met professors worthy of respect for intelligence, enlightenment and morality. and it was pleasant to be in the company of these deeply educated people, who agreed with each other in everything; conversations with them were an inexhaustible source of knowledge. 77 When E. R. Dashkova was appointed director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1783, at the very first meeting, on her recommendation, the historian Robertson and the chemist Black were elected honorary members of the Academy. Prince Dashkov studied willingly and regularly. His classmate, a young Irishman, William Drennan, remarked that "Prince Dashkov attends classes very diligently and has completely melted Russian rudeness in French courtesy." 78 At the insistence of his mother, he visited the arena and practiced riding, and once every three days he took fencing lessons. Weekly, the princess gave balls so that her son had the opportunity to have some fun, relax and practice dancing. During the summer holidays, the Dashkovs made a trip to the Scottish mountains. In her Notes, Ekaterina Romanovna recalls with particular warmth the years she spent in Edinburgh: "... it was the calmest, happiest time that fell to my lot in this world." 79 In the spring of 1779 Prince Dashkov completed his education at the University of Edinburgh. On April 6, he was awarded the degree of Master of Arts. In the article "On the meaning of the word "education"" (1783), Ekaterina Romanovna talks about the procedure and content of the exam: "... at the University of Edinburgh ... they examine much more strictly than others; during a public examination, not only to the questions of professors, but also to the forthcoming public (for then everyone has the right to propose problems to the candidate) to be able to satisfy with his own answer; namely: logic, rhetoric, history, geography, higher mathematics, moral philosophy, jurisprudence, philosophy natural, experimental physics and chemistry. 80 In the notes to this article, without mentioning the name of the student, but it is certainly read between the lines, E. R. Dashkova describes the success of the Russian student during the exams: "... some young compatriot of ours, having already been quite , in the three years of his stay at a certain university, he completed his classical education with amazing success, to which the entire public several times was a witness and judge, along with professors. 81 This memorable moment was also reflected in the “Notes” of the princess: “The crowd of listeners was huge; his answers in all branches of the studied sciences were so successful that they caused applause (although this is forbidden). My son was awarded the degree of master of arts; how I rejoiced at his success only a mother can imagine." 82 In addition to exams according to university rules, Pavel Dashkov presented a mandatory final essay in Latin - "Dissertatio philosophica inauguralis, de Tragoedia" ("Philosophical dissertation dedicated to tragedy"). It is curious to note, since this fact has not yet attracted the attention of researchers, that Prince Dashkov's dissertation was translated into Russian and published in 1794 in the academic journal New Monthly Works under the title "Reasoning about a sad hypocritical performance". 83 An interesting editorial note: "This reasoning was written by Prince Pavel Mikhailovich Dashkov in 1779 in Edinburgh and was proposed by him for competition in this glorious university in obtaining a master's degree in free sciences." 84 The translation from Latin was made by the students of the Academy. There is no doubt that Princess E. R. Dashkova was involved in the translation and publication of this work, it is only a little surprising that the publication appeared during the years of tense relations between mother and son after his unsuccessful marriage. On May 7, 1779, the Lord Mayor of Edinburgh gave a reception in honor of Prince Dashkov and conferred on him the title of an honorary citizen of the city. E. R. Dashkova, as a token of respect, presented the University of Edinburgh with a collection of Russian medals from the birth of Peter the Great to the birth of the future Alexander I. This collection is still kept at the university. After completing her studies, E. R. Dashkova sets off on a trip to Europe, which she considered necessary to complete the education of her son. She is as thorough in organizing a trip as she once was in drawing up a curriculum for it. The princess writes a long letter with recommendations and advice to the young prince on organizing the trip, expresses her understanding of the purpose of the trip and manners of behavior during the trip. “Do not forget,” writes E. R. Dashkova, “that you are not going for one pleasure, you have no empty time, you do not avoid the duties of society, which will eventually require your services and for which I now want to prepare you abroad journey; no, you are going to seek and enjoy his instruction. Everything that you have read about the rights, characters, and government of other peoples, you can now verify by your own experience and thus, from adolescence, enter the field of a husband, with full dignity of character and deserved right. for approval and distinction. 85 The journey began in July 1779 with a visit to Ireland, then to England. Many with whom the princess met and maintained friendly relations regretted her departure. Lady Arabella Denny, an Irish acquaintance of E. R. Dashkova, wrote to the princess on July 14, 1780: “Since you left Ireland, I am completely out of my element. I am used to seeing and talking with you every day; I used your smart advice and owes the improvement of my heart to your feelings; in short, I hardly left you, thanks to your kindness and my curiosity. 86 Knowing what a huge place in the life of E. R. Dashkova her children occupy, how much strength, time and love are given to them, all the wishes found in the letters of her English friends of that time are addressed to the future of children. “We sincerely wish,” Lady Arabella Denny wrote, “that your Excellency, as a mother, enjoy complete happiness and hope in view of those two moral plants (we are talking about the son and daughter of E. R. Dashkova. - G. S.) which you love so dearly and which, of course, will bring both a beautiful flower and good fruits. "87 The same good wishes are contained in a letter dated August 5, 1780, from Professor Hugh Blair of the University of Edinburgh, in which he expressed the hope that Princess Dashkova still finds the greatest consolation in her children, and the confidence that her son will justify those brilliant hopes that all those who know him in Scotland connect with his future fate.88 Leaving England, the Dashkovs visited Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Austria and Germany Everywhere they examined the cities, art galleries, temples, palaces, artists' studios, libraries, natural history classrooms. "So that the son could get acquainted with the art of war", observed military maneuvers, examined fortresses and military installations. During the trip, the son continued to intensively engage in: in Dublin, for example, he studied Italian, read the Greek and Latin classics, every morning repeated the subjects that he took in Edinburgh, twice and took dance lessons a week. In Paris, one of the students of the French mathematician and philosopher D "Alembert taught him mathematics and geometry. The princess compiled a reading program for her son, which was arranged in chronological order and by branch of knowledge. Here is how, for example, this program was implemented in Pisa, where the family spent three months: "At 8 o'clock in the morning, after a light breakfast, the children and I went to study in the most spacious room facing north. At 11 o'clock we closed the shutters (it was the heat season. -- G. S.) and by candlelight they read in turns until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Then we changed clothes and had lunch at 5 o'clock. After dinner, another hour was allotted for reading.... 89 E. R. Dashkova was sure that "joint reading with her son for nine weeks brought him great benefit and he managed to read everything that would take a young man a year." 90 Already during a trip to Europe, E. R. Dashkova began to fuss about her son’s career.Out of caution, she refuses the services of Count G. G. Orlov, when he offers patronage to her son in promotion, and turns to Prince G. for support. A. Potemkin, "... if your grace," writes the princess from Paris, "would deign to take care of me by becoming the patron of my son, for it is essential for me that upon returning to the Fatherland he would not have the misfortune to sit in in the same room with the guards, since he is not a member of the main headquarters. Arrange, gracious sir, so that the happiness of being close to your great empress does not combine for him with any humiliation and chagrin. G. S.), - she wrote from Pisa to Prince A. B. Kurakin, - she does not recognize her godson: he has grown and matured so much. If he is happy with the patronage of the Grand Duke, I will not regret that the lack of importance of our respected Nikita Ivanovich (Panin. - G. S.) leaves him without any support. I flatter myself with the hope that His E.V. will see that he neglected nothing in order to become able to serve him someday as successfully as he will always be diligent in his service. Prince Potemkin, and she sent a letter to Catherine II. “I confessed,” the princess recalled in Zapiski, “that pride does not allow me to think that they want to humiliate me, but I feel deep grief at the thought that she is indifferent to my children and myself. I begged the empress to reassure me on this score, raising my son in rank and showing him patronage. After all, I made every possible effort to give him an education so that, distinguished both by zeal and ability, he could become useful to his homeland. With complete frankness, I asked you to let me know what I could expect for my son, who is the only object of my concern. After returning to his homeland, after all the honors that he was shown everywhere, he should not feel humiliated because of a low rank ... ". 93 Soon she received a benevolent answer from the empress, which brought her "true consolation." In the summer of 1782, E R. Dashkova returned to St. Petersburg with her children.
"...what a mother's love can't stand!"
The return to St. Petersburg was marred for Ekaterina Romanovna by the illness of her son. He fell ill with a severe fever, was delirious, and his mother, fearing for his life, spends days and nights at his bedside and, as a result, falls ill herself. The recovery of the princess was slow and difficult, which greatly upsets her, since the meeting with the empress is postponed, and consequently, the promotion of her son in the service. Concern for the prosperous future of her son makes the princess forget about her own mental and physical state: “It cost me a lot of effort to finally go to Tsarskoye Selo (to Catherine II. - G.S.). I was still very weak, and when the carriage was shaken a little more, I again felt pain in all my insides, drenched in cold sweat, and ordered me to stop in order to rest. But what a mother's love can't bear!" E. R. Dashkova confessed on the pages of her Notes. 94 The Empress met Princess Dashkova with her children with extraordinary attention. two days later he was promoted to lieutenant-captain of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment. Brother E. R. Dashkova, always spiritually distant from his sister and often unfriendly in her assessments, S. R. Vorontsov wrote to his father these days: “Sister Katerina Romanovna was yesterday at Tsarskoe Selo with her son and daughter, was received with excellent graciousness, the son was today granted the captain - lieutenant of the guard. He deserves it; for without prejudice I can say that I have never seen such a kind, sweet, modest and with great knowledge of a young man; there is a lot in it that, dividing it into different ones, there would be a lot good people 95 At the beginning of 1783, P. M. Dashkov went south with Potemkin to the active army and in the same year received the rank of lieutenant colonel. “The separation from my son was very painful for me. I could not get used to her, but constantly sacrificing personal benefits and joys for the sake of the well-being of children, I agreed to his departure to the army, because it was in the interests of my son. "96 Catherine II tried to support E. R. Dashkova and advised my courage and not take his departure so close to my heart." 97 In the summer of 1785, Prince Dashkov returned to St. Petersburg for a short time. "I was indescribably glad also because I saw him earlier than I expected. He did not stay long and returned to the army with the rank of colonel. This mercy of the Empress made me happy...". 9 8 The princess-mother also took care of her son's financial affairs. She still lived very economically, "wanting to save money for her son in order to be able to financially support him." 99 Soon she handed over to him by an act approved by the empress, her father's inheritance and could proudly state that her son "received more than his father left to both children and me, and not a penny of debt. Therefore, I could tell others and, moreover, myself, that I did a good job of taking care of all the estates. "100 The princess constantly felt the absence of her son, often spoke with others about it, wrote about her feelings to friends, for example, Professor Robertson in Edinburgh 17 August 1786: "My son is now in Kyiv with his regiment. I received a letter from him, written in very few terms, and since he is healthy and doing his job, I should no longer regret his absence, which, by the way, has been going on for 18 months, and for a passionately loving mother, 18 months is still too much ; but since then I have become accustomed to living not for myself, but for friends, and I will not allow myself to utter even one sound to call him back, tearing him away from the duties to which he is assigned in the service. "101 But if the princess really tries not to disturb, then she does not leave Prince Potemkin alone and constantly bothers with petty and importunate requests. Now she begs that the regiment in which her son serves be in a "less harmful climate"; then she conjures to keep him with her, not to allow him to “to lag behind” others, “not to rush against others in danger”; now he asks not to be taken with him to St. Petersburg, then to be released from the army on her name day. Anna Semyonovna Alferova (1768-1809). E. R. Dashkova took this news very hard, which for some time was kept secret from the princess. She was offended as a mother and as a proud woman: on the one hand - unequal marriage, on the other hand, which, apparently, upset most of all, distrust. “Nervous fever, sadness and grief, which took possession of my soul, for several days left me with only one ability - to cry,” E. R. Dashkova later admitted. “I compared my son’s act with the behavior of my husband in relation to his mother, when he decided to marry me. In gratitude for the many sacrifices made to the children, and for the perseverance with which I was engaged in raising my son, he, it would seem, should have shown me more trust and respect. I always thought that more than my mother-in-law, I deserve the friendship and respect of my children, and that my son will consult with me, taking such a serious and decisive step for our common happiness as marriage. 103 Pavel Mikhailovich's marriage was not happy, and the couple did not live together for long. Apparently, the remark of a contemporary writer-memoirist F. F. Vigel (1786--1856) that Prince Dashkov "did not think for a long time, took it and got married without even being seriously in love" is true. 104 Ekaterina Romanovna did not want to recognize her son's family and saw her daughter-in-law for the first time only after her son's death in 1807, that is, 19 years after their marriage. The time after the marriage of her son was, apparently, the saddest in the life of the princess. She was completely taken over by "black thoughts" and an inexpressible longing for children, along with a heavy feeling of loneliness and humiliation. “Only the grace of God helped me cope with them, because from the moment I realized that I was abandoned by my children, life became a burden for me and I would have given it without struggle and regret to the first person I met who wanted to cut it off,” she wrote. bitterness of the princess in her "Notes". 105 Biographers of E. R. Dashkova usually indicate that the relationship between the princess and her son after his marriage was “completely broken”. 106 But what a mother's love cannot bear! And very soon, on the pages of "Notes" and in letters to his brother A. R. Vorontsov, the son again appears, concern for him, a story about solving his problems. And this is not surprising, "since no one and no passion displaced them (children.-- G. S.) from my heart,” the princess admitted. 107 1787 and 1788, Prince Dashkov spent in the army, which stood in Poland, Moldavia and Bessarabia; in April 1789 he was promoted to brigadier; participated in the capture of Ishmael and Bender; from December In 1789 he served in Kyiv, where he was promoted to major general on February 5, 1790. 108 The memoirs of Major General L.N. : "When commanding the regiment, Prince Dashkov, the soldiers underwent many needs, for food, provisions and fodder, he accepted money and detained them; the same thing happened with wages; although after some time it was given away, but not at the right time, the horses were poorly fed, from which many carts were taken on campaigns in Poland, why there were incessant complaints against the regiment, and during the campaign soldiers dressed up for the regimental convoy, so that in difficult places help climb mountains. So that the lower ranks would not grumble, the prince gave an inclination to theft, which, in time, the Siberian regiment received a bad reputation; the colonel had a predilection for some officers, but others were in the pen and suffered various injustices." 109 The death of Empress Catherine II and the accession of Paul brought a brilliant position at court to his son and disgrace to his mother. "Although I passionately wanted to go abroad, - wrote E. R. Dashkov, - but my love for my son prevented this. His affairs were upset, he did not care about them. If I had not made constant efforts to increase my own income, debts, especially in my absence, would have reduced my son’s condition to a position of more than mediocre.”110 It is known that in July 1799 the princess gave her son 9 thousand rubles October - 24 thousand to pay debts. 111 On January 4, 1798, Pavel Dashkov was promoted to lieutenant general, he enjoyed the confidence and favor of the emperor. But the princess, knowing the sovereign's changeable character, was very worried about her son: "I did not know peace neither day nor night, even in a dream, I saw my son exiled to Siberia. In letters to my brother and friends, I asked them to inform me about him as soon as possible, and even despite their assurances that he had been appointed commander of the regiment (on March 14, 1798, he was appointed military governor of Kyiv. - G. S.) 112 Inwardly aware of his mother's anxiety, on April 28, 1798, the son sent her a letter. ."; further, the thirty-year-old son bitterly reports the envy and malice that surrounds him at court, tells about an anonymous letter received by the emperor, in which "all possible vices and the most rebellious ideas" are attributed to Pavel Dashkov, and how the emperor magnanimously "It's very kind of him," he continues the letter sadly, "but the hatred remains, and I may one day be its innocent victim. It is true that I was born under a bad star, and I will never enjoy happiness..." Pavlovich, President of the Academy of Sciences, Baron A. L. Nikolai, and through them to Empress Maria Feodorovna and favorite of the Emperor E. I. Nelidova. in Moscow in the absence of the royal court there.The tsar's benevolent disposition turned out to be fragile and short-lived: on October 24, 1798, Prince Dashkov, holder of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, with the rank of lieutenant general, resigned and retired to his Tambov estate. I he returns to Moscow, where he openly lives with his mistress and continues to serve as marshal of the nobility of the Moscow province.On January 17, 1807, Prince Pavel Mikhailovich Dashkov died suddenly 43 years old. Fate did not spare E. R. Dashkova even in her declining years. She was destined to survive the death of her son. A few, but curious, memoirs of contemporaries about P. M. Dashkov have been preserved. One of the famous Russian bibliophiles of the first half of the 19th century. V. G. Anastasevich (1775-1845), who began his career in a regiment under the command of the prince, said that Dashkov kept and carried with him everywhere the notes of lectures he had heard at the University of Edinburgh, and allowed Anastasevich to use the notes of his lectures. 114 Major General L. N. Engelhardt recalled that Dashkov, in the conditions of difficult military life, had a library with him, from which Engelhardt read "many tactical books." 115 Vice-Governor of Bessarabia F. F. Vigel testified that the prince was a handsome, prominent man, kind, carefree, cheerful and "passionate dancer". 116 Many Englishmen who visited Russia met him and generally found him "an extremely learned and very noble young man", although, as Jeremy Bentham hinted, he "was too free in speech and overwhelmed with vanity." 117 The most detailed reviews of P. M. Dashkov are contained in the letters and diary of the sisters Martha and Catherine Wilmot, who visited the princess for several years early XIX in. Martha, in a letter to her mother on December 22, 1803, wrote: “Prince Dashkov is very favorable to me. In Russia, he is one of the most respected people with whom I had to meet; he has an impeccable reputation, and it is interesting to talk with him. instilled in him from childhood, laid the foundations of his character, not spoiled by bad examples, which is the fate of the few. 118 In other letters to her homeland, Martha spoke of meetings and conversations with the prince, of his wit, of his inclinations for every kind of pleasure, and of his love for dancing. Thus, Martha, in a letter to a friend on April 9, 1804, tells about a dinner with a Georgian archbishop in the Miracle Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin and reports that "everyone really liked Prince Dashkov. In general, wherever he was - at home or abroad, - From the very first acquaintance, the prince everywhere became the favorite of people of various strata of society. 119 And the letter to his father dated January 3, 1804 is entirely devoted to the election of the Moscow provincial marshal of the nobility: “Yesterday Prince Dashkov received an extremely flattering proof of love and respect from the Moscow nobility... Three years ago, Prince Dashkov was elected marshal of the Moscow nobility. Yesterday his term of office expired , and new elections were scheduled ... The prince intended to retire, but everyone, with tears in their eyes, began to beg him to re-accept the office, which he performed with such dignity and nobility. only to significant personalities. He will never say that he can hurt or offend anyone. His courage is well known, but I saw how touching music excited him to tears. " 120 The Wilmot sisters were able to understand the complex and intricate relationships in the Dashkov family and tried to alleviate the painful and acute sense of grief caused by the unexpected death of P. M. Dashkov. Remembering the prince as a man who was in the prime of life and "full of love for the world," Marta wrote in her diary on January 22, 1807, a few days after this terrible event: "Prince Dashkov had shortcomings, and quite serious ones, but if humanity ever had a friend, it was he. The prince was unusually sensitive to the experiences and sorrows of other people, I never heard him refuse to alleviate someone's plight and sincerely did not sympathize with them, whom he could not help. What is his fault.A cruel set of circumstances separated him from his mother. The son never found out that before his death he received a mother's blessing, because he was unconscious - and this further aggravates the regret of what happened. . to the namesake of Pavel Mikhailovich, writer D.V. Dashkov, wrote: “It’s not the first time for you to mess with dogs (we are talking about literary critics.-- G. S.). Not one tucked her tail away from you. You are like the late Prince Dashkov (this, apparently, is some kind of talisman hidden in your mysterious name), who went out disarmed at the most evil dogs and, looking straight into their eyes, pacified their anger and forced them to caress around him. 122 All of the above about Pavel Mikhailovich Dashkov, obviously, allows us to treat with a certain doubt the very low and very unflattering assessments of his personality in historical literature. 123 New documents, as well as a deeper study of already known sources, should dispel various distortions and inaccuracies and allow us to assess the princess's pedagogical abilities with greater confidence.
"... about the most excruciating mental pain that I had to endure in my life"
The words in the title belong to E. R. Dashkova and are caused by the actions of her daughter. 124 It is known that excessive parental love can be just as harmful in the matter of education as its absence. Excessive love introduces a despotic element into the process of education. Diligent parents know better than anyone what their children should do, what they need; make decisions for them, both when they are still small and when they are already adults. They are afraid of not educating the child, they are afraid that the child will remain stupid, that he will dishonor his parents with his stupidity, that due to his ineptness he will turn out to be unsuitable for life, which will bring misfortune on himself and others ... There is no end to parental fears. In short, we can say that parents are afraid of being bad parents. But the child grows up, and overprotective parents impose their help before the child needs it, and do not allow the ability to recognize good and bad to develop. Princess Dashkova, apparently, belonged to those mothers who, in the name of good, want to live the life of their children for them. Daughter Anastasia was born in 1760 and was in poor health. In the "Notes" the princess quite often mentions the illnesses of children and admits that the girl "was physically poorly developed." 125 Anastasia Mikhailovna received a brilliant home education under the guidance of E. R. Dashkova. When the girl turned 16, her mother hastily marries her, as she is going to leave Russia for a long time. Brigadier Andrey Evdokimovich Shcherbinin was chosen as the daughter's husband. "Under the influence of his parents' mistreatment, he developed a melancholy character, but he was a kind person," wrote E. R. Dashkova. 126 True, the princess admitted that "Shcherbinin was not the kind of husband I would have wished for my daughter, but this marriage gave the undeniable advantage that my daughter remained with me and I could look after her." 127 In this regard, I recall the remark of Mrs. Reshimova from Dashkov's play "Toishiokov": "Let me determine your lot, rely on me, let me decide for you." 128 Perhaps these words reflect the main thing in the relationship between mother and daughter. The princess did not part with her already married daughter, either during the years of her son's studies at the University of Edinburgh, or while traveling around Europe. It is well known what tender feelings she had for her son, apparently, this also left its mark on relationships in the family. In addition, the hopes of the mother "for a quiet and serene life" of her daughter in marriage did not come true. The Shcherbinins lived apart for a long time, often quarreled and periodically dispersed. After the death of his father, Shcherbinin received great legacy . Despite all the persuasions of her mother, Anastasia Mikhailovna decided to return to her husband. “I used everything that good disposition and tenderness could dictate to reason with her. Prayer, tears and burning sadness, bordering on despair, brought me to illness. ... I only remembered the grief caused by my daughter who left me ... Everything that happened later, I foresaw and, knowing the extravagance of my daughter, I understood what disastrous difficulties this would soon lead her to. 129 Aunt E. R. Polyanskaya also condemned the decision to reconcile with her husband in a letter to her brother S. R. Vorontsov on March 19, 1784. 130 in what state I am at the present moment, you would be afraid for me. 131 It is well known how hard E. R. Dashkova experienced her son's marriage, but "the next year," she admitted, "it got even worse." The fact is that the princess found out about her daughter's debts, that she had come under police surveillance, that she was forbidden to leave Petersburg, moreover, the doctor said that Anastasia Mikhailovna was very ill and her health was in danger. The heart of the princess was torn from pain and bitterness. E. R. Dashkova assumed all obligations to pay her daughter's debts, gave her 14 thousand rubles and sent her to the waters in Aachen. We agreed that after the course of treatment, the daughter would return to her mother. Instead, at the end of the season on the waters, A. M. Shcherbinina went to Vienna, from there to Warsaw, spent all the money and made a lot of new debts. “I was in despair,” Ekaterina Romanovna wrote bitterly, “from my daughter’s extreme inclination to expose herself to trouble and thereby upset her loving mother, who so generously forgave the suffering inflicted on her.” 133 And the princess again pays her daughter's debts. The Empress, knowing about the painful and gloomy relationship between E. R. Dashkova and the children, wrote to her with understanding: "Believe that I fully sympathize with your mental and physical suffering." 134 December 8, 1796, when the princess received the news of the exile, the daughter lived with her mother. E. R. Dashkova recalled that this terrible news shocked her daughter: "She hugged my knees and cried." 135 Anastasia Mikhailovna went into exile with the princess, was inseparable from her and spent more than a year in a harsh environment. But even there, mother and daughter could not live peacefully and calmly. After returning from exile to Troitskoye in the spring of 1798, relations did not become warmer and more sincere. The daughter quarreled, spent money indiscriminately, made debts ... E. R. Dashkova wrote to her superiors, vouched for, redeemed, paid her debts, suffered, hoped. .. On April 9, 1802, the princess wrote to her brother A. R. Vorontsov: “Finally, my daughter is with me; I am all the more happy because I have been feeling very bad for the last two weeks and have become so weak that I can hardly get to the garden. I enclose a letter from her to you." 136 And here is a letter dated November 30, 1803: “You will see my daughter in Petersburg. Six years after I paid all her debts, Chikhachev suddenly made a claim for 10 thousand and six weeks later they sold part of her estate. I’m afraid of you offend, dear friend, if I ask you to help her; knowing you, I believe, dear friend, that you love my children, who are dearer to me than life. 137 Katherine Wilmot met AM Shcherbinina in August 1805 in St. Petersburg, where she arrived from England. “Shortly after my arrival, Mrs. Shcherbinina visited me,” Catherine wrote to her homeland on August 27, 1805, “She is over forty, she complains of a million ailments, but is a model of health. Mrs. Shcherbinina — clever woman is fluent in languages and craftswoman fine floorbswear at the interlocutor. Not every Englishwoman can express her thoughts in English as well as she does. This lady forced me to dine with her three times, offered a carriage and servants for a trip to Moscow, which I considered it my duty to refuse; we walked for hours alone in public parks, indeed her courtesy is boundless. Since Mrs. Shcherbinina with her mother on knives she didn’t write to her about me, isn’t it funny?” 138 Anastasia Mikhailovna really wanted to win the favor of Catherine, who was not yet personally acquainted with the princess and was just about to go to Moscow. Catherine 5 pairs of slippers with silver trim.E. R. Dashkova since June 1803 was already visiting the younger sister of Catherine Wilmot - Martha, with whom the princess had the brightest moments in the last years of her life. Two English sisters Wilmot and niece A. P. Islenyev (1770-1847) were able to create a friendly and trusting atmosphere in the princess's house and helped to survive many difficult days. This very irritated and angered the daughter, causing, as Marta noted in her diary on July 11, 1807, "uncovered hostility and jealousy." 139 These feelings prompted Shcherbinina, who especially "hated" Martha Wilmot, to monstrously ugly behavior during the funeral of P. M. Dashkov. Shcherbinina shouted in hysterics in the church: let those English monsters approach him!" - and tried to push Martha away from the coffin at the last farewell. “It is incomprehensible,” Marta wrote in her diary after the funeral, “that a human being, especially a sister, could do this, and even at such a moment! But it was so, and it is obvious that Mrs. Shcherbinina’s goal was to insult her mother: I knew it from her face." 140 Upon learning of what had happened, E. R. Dashkova, heartbroken, wrote her daughter a letter, apparently the last one: “... the whole church was shaken by your furious voice, everyone was horrified, seeing inhumanity, anger and the intention to kill the mother with the hearing of this godless frenzy, all of Moscow remembers your name with disgust. I forgave you seven times, that only an angel of mercy could hardly forgive ... this indignation that you wanted to make, the order that you distributed to my people, and various slanders that you wanted in vain assert in Moscow, they prove that it is high time for me to take precautions against you. 141 E. R. Dashkova deprived her “torturer” daughter of her inheritance and forbade her to let her in even for the last farewell: “... do not let me into my house, which does not belong to her, and if the excuse says that my body wants to give, then assign her a church where my body will stand." 1 42
"Love for the Fatherland is the first and most necessary virtue in a citizen"
E. R. Dashkova was familiar with many of the achievements of pedagogical science in the 18th century and especially sympathized with the views of the English philosopher and educator John Locke (1632-1704). Views on the issues of education fit into the spiritual atmosphere of the Enlightenment. She most fully outlined her pedagogical program in the articles "On the Meaning of the Word "Education"", "On True Well-Being", published in the journal "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word"; 143 "On Virtue", "Let the Russians be Russians" - in the journal "New Monthly Writings", 144 and also in letters to the rector of the University of Edinburgh W. Robertson and the Wilmot sisters. 145 Education E. R. Dashkova considered as the main factor in the formation of the human personality. Properly set, it creates a person with high social interests and moral aspirations. The main thesis of her concept of education is that the only source of the well-being of a person and society is virtue, i.e. "that spiritual disposition that constantly directs us to acts useful to ourselves, our neighbors and society." 146 According to the princess, the virtue that is "perfect and elegant", "indispensable, immovable" at all times, is justice,"... when a person could," she wrote in the article "On Virtue," about those who love and hate him, as well as about himself, always judge without prejudice, if he always judged his deeds fairly, then everything would other virtues were not burdensome for him; he would not then consider as a sacrifice that which he would understand as a position for himself, and practical virtues would seem ordinary and natural to him. 147 Ekaterina Romanovna proposed establishing an annual prize for the best essay in verse or prose devoted to virtue. 148 The princess's reasoning about the moral qualities of a person is interesting. She was convinced that an educated person should be just, honest, philanthropic, prudent, generous, humble, noble, moderate, meek, patient and indulgent. "These special virtues give birth good manners, which constrains and establishes the social union and without which peoples cannot prosper." 149 In the "Notebook" E. R. Dashkova continues this theme and lists the indispensable qualities of individual citizens. and firmness in all cases"; to the judge - "enlightenment, justice, caution, disinterestedness and firmness"; to the merchant - "order, truthfulness and caution." The best adornment of a woman, according to E. R. Dashkova, is "modesty, modesty 150 In the articles "Sincere regret", 151 "Notes of a peddler", 152 "Party", 153 "Pictures of my relatives ...", 154 "Truths that you know and one must remember in order to avoid misfortunes by following them" 155 E. R. Dashkova showed the vices of the then Russian life: idleness, drunkenness, lies, the paucity of spiritual requests, a clear disregard for enlightenment, a contemptuous attitude nie to the national culture. Most of E. R. Dashkova's notes and discussions were aimed at condemning the Russian society's excessive enthusiasm for French "fashionable windy education." Dashkova considers not only not useful, but also harmful the desire of parents "to raise their children somehow, only not in Russian, so that through our upbringing we do not resemble Russians." Like M. V. Lomonosov and N. I. Novikov, she sought to spread education on a national basis, condemning the nobles for the stupid custom of inviting educators and teachers from foreigners into their families, who were often completely ignorant themselves, but knew how to very deftly introduce into Russian delusion. She also condemned the established practice of sending noble sons to study abroad, when they received little knowledge, but quickly learned the ability to burn life. To counteract foreign influence, E. R. Dashkova advises to use moral inoculation, i.e. education, "... fathers and mothers, taking the places of a French teacher and madam, raising children as loyal Russian subjects, teach them the fear of God, loyalty to the sovereign and commitment unlimited to the Fatherland: here is the moral inoculation, which hour by hour, in proportion to the depravity and spreading french debauchery, we need. 156 And further in the "Letter to the publisher of the Russkiy Vestnik" she remarks ironically: "If, instead of an important, respectful, or at the behest of a benevolent and favorable Russian bow, the custom of squatting in French is introduced by foreigners, I will ask if we have been enlightened through that. ..". 157 E. R. Dashkova carried her love for the Fatherland and respect for the historical past of Russia through her whole life. Many of her writings are permeated with patriotic aspirations. "Love for the Fatherland is the first and most necessary virtue in a citizen," the princess repeatedly repeated. 158 This theme was continued in a letter to the editors of New Monthly Works in 1792: “... let Russians be Russians, and not imitators of a bad original; let us always be patriots; let us preserve the character of our forefathers, who have always been unshakable in the Christian faith and loyalty to their sovereign; and let us love Russia and Russians more than foreigners!". 159 The main goal of education, according to E. R. Dashkova, is to instill "in the tender hearts" of pupils "love for truth and for the Fatherland, respect for the laws of the church and civil ", respect for parents, "disgust at selfishness" and the conviction of the truth "that it is impossible to be prosperous when you do not fulfill the duty of your title." 160 E. R. Dashkova understood that the process of education begins in the family, emphasized that success family upbringing largely depends on the lifestyle of the parents themselves, who are the closest example for children.If this example is positive, then it will contribute to "good" education, and vice versa.She strongly urged parents to create such a "lifestyle" that would serve as a wonderful a model for children.In the article "On the Meaning of the Word "Education"" the author offers some axioms that, in her opinion, parents and educators need to know: "Upbringing more examples than prescriptions are taught. Upbringing It starts earlier and ends later than is generally thought. Upbringing does not consist in external talents alone: a decorated appearance ... without acquiring the beauties of the mind and heart, there is only puppetry ... Upbringing does not consist in acquiring only foreign languages ... ". 161 "True or perfect" education, according to E. R. Dashkova, consists of three main parts: physical education, "concerning one body", moral, "having the subject of education heart", and finally, school, or classical, "engaged in enlightenment or education of the mind." 162 There is a mutual connection and dependence between these parts. E.R. hope from an exhausted and weak body to see the actions of a great spirit, which are always connected with labor, and often with danger. in her opinion, should be physical education. Moral education occupied a special place in the pedagogical program of E. R. Dashkova. It is carried out "when children have patience yu, to benevolence and to prudent obedience" accustom and form the conviction that "rules of honor there is law, to whom they obey all 164 Moral education, according to the princess, is based “on the rules of the law, on love for the Fatherland and on one’s own reverence for oneself, as a people strong, brave and distinguishing oneself from others by morality and many virtues.” 165 Moral education of children she sought to combine with religion, as she saw the basis of virtue in Christian teaching.Many of her advice and instructions on moral education had Christian teaching as their starting point.Teaching occupied essentially the last place in the pedagogical theory of E. R. Dashkova. I am "more concerned about the moral state and the mental disposition of her son, which could ever be preoccupied with the level of his knowledge, "Ekaterina Romanovna wrote on October 9, 1776 to W. Robertson. 166 This was in the spirit of the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. Locke was followed by I. I. Betskaya and N. I. Novikov. In the article "On the meaning of the word" education "" the princess reveals the content of schools education. 167 It should begin, according to E. R. Dashkova, with the obligatory study of "natural language". Latin and Greek should be taught "to draw in mature years the beauty and lofty thoughts", German, English and French - to communicate with foreigners. "It is necessary for every person," says ER Dashkova, and arithmetic. Using her familiarity with the curriculum of the University of Edinburgh, E. R. Dashkova offers the most intense youth education program, including logic, rhetoric, history, geography, higher mathematics, moral philosophy, jurisprudence, natural philosophy, experimental physics and chemistry. 168 And as if drawing a line under her reasoning "On the meaning of the word" education "", E. R. Dashkova remarks: "... the test convinces us more than what prescriptions or books are convenient to assure us." 169 E. R. Dashkova believed that "for a perfect upbringing, a person who is preparing to be useful to society" must certainly make a journey. Indeed, nothing affects the imagination so strongly and nothing so deeply and firmly sinks into the soul as a direct contemplation of the diversity of nature and the life of peoples. The main goal of such a cognitive journey, according to E. R. Dashkova, "is not to miss a single opportunity for acquiring knowledge." 170 The princess wrote a special instruction, in which she noted that the main means of "smart travel" is constant attention, and tried to determine the objects of knowledge during the trip, to which she attributed: ". .. property and form of government, laws, customs, influence, population, trade; geographic and climatic conditions, foreign and domestic politics, works, religion, customs, sources of wealth, real and imaginary means of public credit, taxes, duties and various conditions of various classes. useful knowledge, which are necessary in order to "comparing foreign life with the life of your Fatherland, trying to correct what you find bad in it, establishing what you consider useful for its well-being, you will be a friend and benefactor of your country." 172 E. R. Dashkova, as a person who traveled a lot, developed a kind of traveler's code and published it on the pages of the journal Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word. 1 73 It consists of 5 rules. The first thing the princess recommended was "leave your pride and rank at home", the second - not to rely on appearance, which "often seduces young people." The third rule says: "The prudent traveler of endeavor must distinguish himself by deeds, behavior and mental gifts, and not by finery, carriages or wealth." The fourth rule logically follows from this - cost savings. The fifth rule concerned relations with dissolute women, which were to be feared. Expressing her views on the content of education, E. R. Dashkova often tries to formulate them in the form of a moralizing or instructive aphorism. And such short expressive sayings are found in many of her writings. Here are some of these statements: "May my Fatherland be always precious to me", 174 "Do not lose heart in adversity, and do not become arrogant in happiness", 175 "Moderation in desires is most convenient to deliver independence" 176 and others. Dashkova's attitude to the issues of upbringing and education of youth also manifested itself during her travels in Russia and Europe. In her writings, notes, letters, there are descriptions of educational institutions that she attended, among them the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Oxford and Edinburgh universities. She tried to use the experience of European educational institutions in organizing learning activities Academy of Sciences. E. R. Dashkova’s remark about the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, the favorite brainchild of Catherine II, is curious. In the article “My Notebook,” the princess gives an enthusiastic review of one of the pupils of this educational institution, “... talking with her, I found in her so much prudence, modesty, knowledge and good taste in everything that I could not mentally praise that place, in which, with this excellent upbringing, she drew only graceful morals, and not to feel in my soul gratitude to the builder of this place of rebirth; for, in my opinion, a good upbringing regenerates a person, leading him out of the ordinary state of people, and gives him true ways be useful to oneself and society. 177 E. R. Dashkova was aware of the need to create a state system of education in Russia. Her judgments about the content and forms of upbringing and education were consonant with the main ideas and directions of activity of the Commission on the Establishment of Public Schools, created by Catherine II in 1782, which, with the support and energetic assistance of the Academy of Sciences and its director, E. R. Dashkova, carried out in the 80s-90s. broad school reform. 178 The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences took part in the writing of original textbooks in Russian and translations of foreign works. On October 4, 1782, the Commission on the Establishment of Public Schools turned to the Academy of Sciences with a request to translate some Austrian textbooks into Russian in the hope that "these books can be translated more correctly from people who understand these sciences." 179 And only after E. R. Dashkova was appointed director, on her initiative, in March 1783, they began to translate. 180 As a true educator, E. R. Dashkova tried to support young compatriots in their aspirations for education. In Rome, having met a young artist, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, she obtained permission for him to study and copy paintings by Italian artists who were in the palaces of nobles. 181 During her stay in Edinburgh, she more than once provided patronage and support to Russian students studying in Scotland. Ivan Sheshkovsky, who was supposed to attend lectures with Pavel Dashkov, the princess drew up a plan for training, behavior and expenses, recommended him to professors, he lived in the Dashkovs' house for 5 weeks. But, it is true, he soon abandoned his studies and spent his time in idleness. 182 The medical student Yevstafiy Zverev, who found himself in a desperate situation in Edinburgh, also enjoyed the patronage of the princess. “Pity, which is the main composition in the moral part of my being,” wrote E. R. Dashkova to the rector of the Russian church in London A. A. Samborsky, “did not allow me to leave poor Zverev to die of starvation. Fever and not having food, except earthen apples, I almost broke him off his feet. I allowed him to go live with me, why he will not pay for an apartment or food; I am not able to give money, because even our small incomes are not sent, but for now I have I will always share a corner and a loaf of bread with my fellow countryman, no matter what kind of person he is. 183 E. R. Dashkova had many nieces and nephews, and she took care of all of them and promoted promotion. In addition, the children of poor (and sometimes by no means poor) close and distant relatives constantly lived and were brought up in the princess's house. Everyday communication with the princess, "presence during her life" (if I may say so), attention and care, an atmosphere of respect and mutual understanding that reigned in the house of E. R. Dashkova, of course, influenced the formation of the character of the pupils. They kept the kindest memories of their childhood and youth, felt gratitude for the care and showed attention and respect to the princess throughout their lives. Here is how Marta Wilmot describes E. R. Dashkova’s special manner of communicating with children in her diary on June 27, 1808: “... she often communicates with children as with adults, demanding from them the same mind, understanding and hobbies that occupy her own thoughts, and her mind, as it were, strives to compete with their mind. 184 For more than 10 years, Anna Petrovna Islenyeva lived in the princess's house and conducted all business correspondence. Apparently, here she met her future husband A.F. Malinovsky. At the burial place of E. R. Dashkova in the church of St. Trinity in Troitskoye, she installed a tombstone, the text of the epitaph on which ended with the words: "This tombstone was placed in eternal memory from her heartily and grateful niece Anna Malinovskaya, nee Islenyeva." The Malinovskys carefully kept everything that remained in memory of their friend and relative. They named their only daughter in honor of E. R. Dashkova Ekaterina. 185 Katenka Kochetova's parents, entrusting her to E. R. Dashkova, transferred even their parental rights to the princess until the time she got married. Heartfelt gratitude to Ekaterina Romanovna for caring for her youngest son was experienced by the widow of a distant relative, A. A. Vorontsov. A boy from 7 to 16 years old, until he entered the service with the rank of major, was brought up by the princess. “His moral qualities,” E. R. Dashkova later noted, “behavior and tender reverence for her mother were the main consolation of her life.” 186 When the future writer Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev was 5 years old, E. R. Dashkova drew attention to him and took him in for education. She tried in a special, individual way to approach the development of his abilities: “a special effort was made to give him proper knowledge in mathematics and literature, to which he had a special inclination, and in the course of his education, in addition to the native language, he managed so much in French literature and Italian, which could not only be freely explained in conversations, but also write in these two languages. 187 NP Nikolev dedicated his first comedy "An Attempt is Not a Joke, or a Successful Experience" to E. R. Dashkova, and later published in the journal "New Monthly Works" "A Lyrical Message to E. R. Dashkova". In the "Russian Featre", published on the initiative of Ekaterina Romanovna, his plays were printed. At the end of her life, reflecting on the subject of education, considering it the most important, decisive for the well-being of mankind and at the same time poorly studied, comprehending her pedagogical experience, Ekaterina Romanovna had to note with sadness that "with all its many ramifications and in its entirety it ( subject of education. G. S.) cannot be grasped by the mind of one man." 188
"... during this leadership, as difficult as it is dear to the heart"
On January 24, 1783, by decree of Catherine II, Princess E. R. Dashkova was appointed director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. 189 The decision of the empress was unexpected for Dashkova, but she had to obey. 190 The next day, when E. R. Dashkova was waiting for an appointment with the Empress, S. G. Domashnev, dismissed from the post of director of the Academy for numerous violations, approached her and tried to give her some instructions, but the princess stopped him and firmly stated: " ... my first duty is the glory and prosperity of the Academy and impartiality to its members, whose talents will serve as the only measure of my respect. 191 This was the first policy statement of the new director, which she always tried to follow. On January 28, the Academy of Sciences learned about the appointment of a new director. The minutes of the meeting of the Conference of the Academy on that day recorded: "The academicians and adjuncts accepted this new sign of favor of their gracious patroness with the most respectful gratitude and, leaving the Academy, went to the princess to testify their joy and entrust themselves to her favor." 192 E. R. Dashkova remembered the unofficial meeting with the academicians, and later she recalled it as follows: “The next day, Sunday, all the professors and employees of the Academy came to me in the morning. I announced to them that if anyone needed to see me on business, I ask them to come at what time is more convenient for them and enter my room without a report. 193 On January 30, 1783, the first meeting of the Conference of the Academy of Sciences took place under the chairmanship of E. R. Dashkova. The princess asked the famous mathematician and oldest academician Leonhard Euler to take her into the meeting room, where academicians K. F. Wolf, S. K. Kotelnikov, L. Yu. Kraft, A. I. Leksel, I. I. Lepekhin, P S. Pallas, A. P. Protasov, S. Ya. Rumovsky, Ya. Ya. V. F. Zuev, N. I. Fuss and an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Baron von G. F. Ash. She began her opening speech, which was delivered standing, with the words: “I dare to assure you, gentlemen, that the choice that Her Imperial Majesty made in my person, entrusting me with the presidency of this assembly, is an infinite honor for me, and I ask you to believe, that these are by no means empty words, but a feeling with which I am deeply touched.I am ready to agree that I am inferior in enlightenment and abilities to my predecessors in this post, but I will not yield to any of them in that straightforwardness dignity which will always inspire me with the duty to pay tribute to your, gentlemen, talents. "She promised to acquaint the Empress with the merits of each academician individually and with the benefits that the Academy as a whole brings to the empire; she expressed the hope that thanks to their combined efforts," sciences will no longer be fruitlessly dwell on this soil; but, having taken root, they will take deep roots and flourish under the patronage of the great monarch, who venerates science." 194 On behalf of those present, the Conference Secretary, Academician Johann Albrecht Euler, son of the great mathematician, welcomed the new director and, full of admiration, noted that " these feelings portend a happy future for this Academy." 195 Russian scientists were enthusiastic about the news of the appointment of E. R. Dashkova as director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. , in a letter on March 3, 1783, he expressed his joy at the new appointment: "... only a few days after my arrival here (in Kharkov. - G. S.) I learned to my great satisfaction that Her Imperial Majesty had deigned to appoint the Most Serene Princess Dashkova in the place of Mr. Domashnev. I congratulate you on this change and hope with all my heart that peace and tranquility will once again reign in the long-humiliated Academy. On March 6, 1783, he remarked that he “considers himself happy,” that he could “end his life under your gracious direction.”197 European scholars also welcomed the choice of Catherine II. 198 Member of the Royal Society of London, physicist and traveler, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy J. G. Magellan (1722-1790) found it necessary to personally congratulate the scientists of St. Petersburg on April 4, 1783. 199 German botanist, honorary member Russian Academy I. G. Kelreuter (1733-1806), praising E. R. Dashkova, wrote on April 20, 1783: conference secretary. -- G. S.) all the more so since her lofty spirit and depth of her views have caused general astonishment here at court since she honored us with her visit by passing through Karlsruhe. 200 And if later, which is beyond doubt, she manages the Academy with the same wisdom with which the great empress knows how to manage almost half of the world, then under her leadership you can confidently count on the most better times ". 201 The French astronomer, member of the Paris Academy of Sciences, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy J. J. Lalande (1732--1807) was very satisfied with the appointment of E. R. Dashkova, in letters to St. Petersburg scientists he calls her "our worthy patroness" and always asks to convey to the princess "a thousand respectful bows".202 Sincere love for science, respect for scientists, clear mind, logical thinking, good education and closeness to the empress allowed E. R. Dashkova to lead the Academy of Sciences for the benefit of Russia. came to the Academy at a critical time, the Academy had many debts: it owed booksellers, publishing houses, did not pay salaries to academicians and other employees, could not properly conduct scientific research, etc. Books and maps published at the Academy were sold at too high price and therefore remained lying in stores.There was no catalog of these books and maps, so readers did not know what was in the bookshop. numerous collections kept at the Academy, a library, an archive, a printing house, take care of the academic gymnasium, the selection of new academicians, etc. According to Ekaterina Romanovna, she "felt harnessed to a cart that had completely collapsed." 203 Already in the first years, E. R. Dashkova managed to organize her work in such a way and take such measures that made it possible not only to pay off her debts, but also save a large amount. A catalog of existing academic publications was printed, the prices of books and maps printed by the Academy were reduced, and they were sold in large quantities. E. R. Dashkova also looked for other sources of increasing the income of the Academy, for example, she rented out free cellars and part of the academic garden. These funds, the sums donated by the Empress, various donations, donated books, collections - all contributed to the improvement of the library, the remuneration of academicians and other employees of the Academy, and the maintenance of the collections in good condition. E. R. Dashkova’s administrative abilities helped her to intensify the publishing activities of the Academy of Sciences, which was essential for the dissemination of scientific knowledge in the country, as well as for their application in the Russian economy. On the initiative of E. R. Dashkova, the Academy is undertaking the first edition of the works of M. V. Lomonosov with a biographical article - "The Complete Works of Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov with the introduction of the writer's life and with the addition of many of his works that have not yet been published anywhere" (Ch. 1--6. SPb., 1784--1787). Also, the fifth and sixth editions of the "Russian Grammar" by M. V. Lomonosov (St. Petersburg, 1788, 1799) and three editions of the "Short Guide to Eloquence" (St. Petersburg, 1788, 1791, 1797) were also carried out. The second edition of "Description of the Land of Kamchatka" (St. Petersburg, 1786) by S. P. Krasheninnikov is published. The "Day Notes of a Journey... Through Different Provinces of the Russian State" by I. I. Lepekhin (Part 1-4. St. Petersburg, 1771-1805) continue to be published. They begin to print a multi-volume translation of the work of the French naturalist J. L. Buffon "General and private natural history" (Part 1-10. St. Petersburg, 1789--1808). Large in terms of the scale of that time was the work of translating from German and publishing a ten-volume work with 480 engravings called "The Spectacle of Nature and Arts" (Part 1-10. St. Petersburg, 1784--1790). The translation from the Vienna edition of "Schauplatz der Natur und der Kunste" (1774--1779) was made by the best translators of the Academy of Sciences. The initiative for preparing this edition belongs to Catherine II, but only the energy, perseverance and constant control of E. R. Dashkova over the translation, the production of engravings, and the work of the academic printing house could ensure a quick and successful result. The translation of 480 popular science articles and the preparation of 480 engravings required quite significant expenditures of funds and effort from the Academy of Sciences. (The engravings included in these volumes are used in this edition.) It should be noted that in the 18th century. in foreign countries, for example, in Germany and France, similar educational popular publications with illustrations were in great use, which provided information about the sciences, arts, crafts and various natural phenomena. "The Spectacle of Nature and Arts" is the first popular encyclopedia on natural science and technology published in Russia for youth. The first and second volumes of the publication contain articles devoted mainly to the description of various technical devices. At the beginning of the third volume, the main place is occupied by zoological subjects, at the end, descriptions of building materials and various crafts are given. In the fourth volume, most of the articles are written on astronomical topics. The fifth volume contains many descriptions of Greek and Roman antiquities. The sixth volume is dominated by geographical and ethnographic subjects. In the seventh volume - anatomical and zoological topics. In the eighth and ninth volumes, mainly descriptions of crafts are given, the last tenth volume contains a number of articles on a wide variety of issues with a predominance of ethnographic (descriptions of different nationalities). The success of the book was significant. It sold out quite quickly, and after a few years there was a need for a second edition, which was carried out in 1809-1813. During the years of E. R. Dashkova's directorship, a book was published, the appearance of which became a significant event in the history of science and education. We are talking about "Letters on various physical and philosophical matters written to a certain German princess" by Leonhard Euler. Accessibility and clarity of presentation of the material ensured the amazing success of this book. During the XVIII century. "Letters" were reprinted in Russia four times (T. 1-3. St. Petersburg, 1768-1774, 1785, 1790-1791, 1796) and were translated into many languages, including English, German, Italian, Spanish , Dutch and Swedish (to date, there are 111 editions of this work). Cartographic work is expanding, maps, books, and calendars are being sold at reduced prices. Two periodicals were founded - "The Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word" - the first literary, artistic and historical magazine and "New Monthly Works" - a popular science magazine, in which many of the works of E. R. Dashkova were published. An important aspect of the activity of the Academy of Sciences was the education of the younger generation. By the time E. R. Dashkova came to the Academy, there was no university at the Academy and life was barely glimmering in the academic gymnasium. Dashkova paid special attention to improving the condition of the gymnasium. She took care of both the organization of teaching and the health, nutrition and clothing of the students. 204 To encourage young people and excite competition between them, E. R. Dashkova established two examinations a year with awarding books to the best students. The princess regularly asked the academicians to attend exams at the academic gymnasium, 205 and when the scientists of the mathematical class were dissatisfied with the pupils' knowledge of mathematics, E. R. Dashkova instructed P. B. Inokhodtsev to draw up a training plan for teachers. 206 In an appeal on December 13, 1783 to the Prosecutor General of the Senate, Prince A. A. Vyazemsky on the allocation of additional funds for the Academy of Sciences, E. R. Dashkova clearly defined the purpose of the gymnasium: “The main subject and benefit of the Academic Gymnasium is to educate and to educate young men in such a way that some of them, capable of higher sciences, could become professors at the Academy, while others, according to their knowledge and talents, could be released for definition in the civil service, for which I expected that the government would be considered in some way obliged to the Academy " . E. R. Dashkova sent the most capable pupils of the gymnasium to continue their education at the University of Göttingen, which was a favorite place for Russian students to stay. In the XVIII century. 23 students of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences studied abroad, 9 of them in Göttingen. The first academic students appeared in Göttingen in 1766. In 1785, after a 20-year break, the Academy again sent four students to Göttingen, this time V. M. Severgin, Ya. D. Zakharov, A. K. Kononov and G. Pavlova. The prestige of the University of Göttingen at that time was very high. At the end of the 80s. 18th century A. G. Kestner lectured in it on mathematics and physics, and I. F. Gmelin and G. K. Lichtenberg taught chemistry and mineralogy. E. R. Dashkova’s choice of students and the university exceeded all expectations: three of them later became academicians. During the years of E. R. Dashkova’s directorship, Academician F. I. T. Epinus drew up a “Plan for the Organization of Lower and Secondary Education in Russia,” which formed the basis of all school reforms. Of the 80 books created for the newly opened schools, about 30 textbooks were prepared at the Academy of Sciences. Many teaching aids are printed in the academic printing house. E. R. Dashkova and members of the Academy of Sciences saw the success of school reforms in the special training of teachers. And when in 1783 the Pedagogical Seminary was opened in St. Petersburg, three professorships in it were occupied by adjuncts of the Academy. 208 E. R. Dashkova emphasized in every possible way her respect for science and scientists. During her tenure, the Academy was replenished with 20 full members, among them such well-known academicians as the mineralogist V. M. Severgin, the chemist Ya. Ozeretskovsky, mathematicians N. I. Fuss and F. I. Schubert. She tried to create favorable conditions for the work of scientists and later recalled that "each of the scientists could do their science completely freely ... they turned directly to me with their affairs and received their quick permission, without submitting to clerical red tape." In the first year of the reign of E. R. Dashkova, the great Leonard Euler died. Obituaries were read out twice at the meetings of the Academy, the first one was by Y. Ya. Academicians raised money for a marble bust of Euler, which was made by the famous sculptor J. D. Rachette, who knew the scientist well. The princess presented a marble column as a pedestal for the bust. This gift was accepted with great gratitude and was considered by academicians as evidence of respect for the great man. January 14, 1785 E. R. Dashkova personally installed the bust. 209 Since 1759, there was a category of corresponding members at the Academy of Sciences. It could be a Russian amateur scientist who maintained scientific contacts with the Academy of Sciences and gained fame for his scientific works. E. R. Dashkova understood that the election of new corresponding members contributes to the expansion of the Academy of Sciences' ties with the country, strengthens its authority, contributes to the rise of scientific thought and practical scientific activity in Russia. During the period from 1783 to 1796, 13 corresponding members were elected. Among them were, for example, the writer and translator M. I. Verevkin, the Arkhangelsk historian V. V. Krestinin, the Oberberggauptman at the Kolyvan mining plants P. I. Shangin, the Arkhangelsk merchant, a member of the Free Economic Society A. I. Fomin and others The Academy expanded its ties not only within Russia, but also outside it, accepting major European scientists as honorary members of the Academy. E. R. Dashkova was well acquainted with many of them. During the years of her leadership, 47 scientists were elected by foreign members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, which accounted for 25% of all those elected in the 18th century. In 1783, the historian and rector of the University of Edinburgh W. Robertson was elected a foreign member of the Academy, in 1784 - a biologist from Denmark I. G. Koenig, in 1785 - a mathematician from Germany A. G. Kestner, in 1789 in 1794 - a physicist from the USA B. Franklin, in 1794 - a philosopher from Germany I. Kant and others. In April 1789, at the suggestion of B. Franklin, E. R. Dashkova was unanimously elected a member of the American Philosophical Society and became the first woman and the second Russian member of the American Philosophical Society. 210 On November 14, 1791, she transferred to the archives a copy of the diploma sent to her by the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin, which elected her an honorary member. 211 E. R. Dashkova's relations with academicians were mostly good. However, sometimes she entered into disputes with scientists, and it was not easy to convince her of the wrong. This was the case with adjunct VF Zuev, who belatedly presented the Academy with travel logs of his expedition. E. R. Dashkova considered that the delay was due to the fact that Zuev was engaged in other matters without her permission. And E. R. Dashkova expelled Zuev from the academic service, attributing with her own hand at the disposal: "Although with regret, but for an example to others." 212 Academicians stood up for him, first of all, his scientific adviser Academician P. S. Pallas. After several unsuccessful explanations with E. R. Dashkova, he turned to Catherine II, thanks to whose intervention Zuev managed to stay at the Academy. He was later elected an academician. Another misunderstanding was related to E. R. Dashkova's proposal to close the old chemical laboratory. But the academicians decided that it was necessary for work. The princess was offended, deciding in her turn that the academicians were accusing her of not understanding the interests of the scientists, and suggested that a vote of confidence be held in the director. This is a unique episode. There was nothing like this either before or after the directorship of E. R. Dashkova at the Academy of Sciences. When voting, all academicians and adjuncts, with the exception of P. S. Pallas and A. I. Leksel, declared their trust in the director and respect for him. Pallas announced that he was dissatisfied with the story with Zuev, and Leksel that he had not been given an increase in salary. This confession upset E. R. Dashkova: she treated Leksel well, and, in her opinion, he could remind her of a salary increase during a personal meeting. Everything ended well. 213 Along with the post of director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, from October 30, 1783, E. R. Dashkova held the post of president of the Russian Academy, founded according to her own plan. Similar academies also existed in other countries, for example, in France and Sweden, and were mainly engaged in compiling dictionaries of the native language. The Russian Academy was organized to create a dictionary of the Russian language. E. R. Dashkova participated in compiling the main principles of the dictionary, examined it from sheet to sheet, and made her own additions and comments to these sheets. She collected more than 700 words for the letters "Ts", "Sh", "Sh" and worked on the interpretation of the meaning of words denoting moral qualities. "Dictionary of the Russian Academy" in 6 volumes was published in 1789-1794. The dictionary contains 43,254 words. The dictionary was created in a relatively short time - 11 years, while the "Dictionary of the Florentine Academy" worked for 39 years, and the French Academy published its dictionary after 59 years. Subsequently, the academic dictionary will be called a "giant". H. M. Karamzin and A. S. Pushkin wrote about him with enthusiasm. Referring to the history of the Russian Academy, V. G. Belinsky called her first work "a true feat." N. G. Chernyshevsky rated the dictionary as "an extraordinary phenomenon." 214 A major undertaking, in which ER Dashkova was the main character, was the construction of a new building for the Academy of Sciences. The need for its construction was discussed at the Academy for a long time, but only with the advent of E. R. Dashkova were able to start construction. It began in a free area, between the monumental buildings of the first half of the 18th century. -- The Kunstkamera and the building of the Twelve Colleges. The architect Giacomo Quarenghi (1744--1817) designed the Academy building as a free-standing object, facing the main facade to the Bolshaya Neva, but open to the view from other sides. The PFA RAS keeps a lot of documents that tell about the construction of the building and testify to the constant and strict control over the work and spending of funds by E. R. Dashkova. And this certainly contributed to the work, but active intervention in the architectural part of the project, the desire to give more elegance to the appearance of the building gave rise to a conflict between E. R. Dashkova and the architect Quarenghi. On March 21, 1786, with his usual determination and independence, he wrote to the princess: "... I have the honor to inform you that in the approved project there are no Venetian-type windows and that they cannot be made there without distorting the interiors of the building. Therefore If the building is to be completed according to the approved project, then this is one conversation; if the project is to be changed according to your ideas, then in this case I will not further supervise the construction, focusing on what I have already done. 215 Unfortunately, they failed to overcome their differences, and Quarenghi had to leave the building. But the building, in spite of everything, was built and still adorns the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg, this building houses the St. Petersburg Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Among the well-known reviews of contemporaries and descendants about E. R. Dashkova, there are no reviews of academicians and members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Therefore, of particular interest are the memoirs of the son of the famous academician-astronomer F. I. Schubert, F. F. Schubert (1789--1865), who himself became the largest scientist-cartographer and an honorary member of the Academy. The memoirs of F. F. Schubert were written in Germany and published in German in Stuttgart, where the scientist spent his last years and died. Let us quote a full excerpt from the memoirs of E. R. Dashkova: “Of the three buildings of the Academy of Sciences located along the Neva, the closest to the Colleges was built under me by Princess Dashkova. She was the President of the Academy during the reign of Catherine, and I still clearly remember this wonderful woman , which played such a big role in the accession of the Empress to the throne. I believe that my father (F. I. Schubert. - G. S.) was among all academicians the one who was closest to her; at least he often visited her and exchanged letters with her, and I have a large number of letters from her to her father, most of which are written in English. She, like the whole Vorontsov family, loved England, the English and their language (however, she suffered from an illness of the 18th century, that is, she wrote very illiterately, which, however, did not in the least prevent her from having a mind, reason and knowledge, just as this did not prevent Frederick the Great , Voltaire and Catherine II). Her manners were very unconstrained, and when, during the aforementioned building of the Academy, in which Dashkova was very interested and which she visited daily, sometimes even twice a day, she climbed through the scaffolding, she could be mistaken more for a man in disguise than a woman. That she naturally knew everything better than the others, goes without saying! The fact that I saw her many times happened because my father, when he needed to tell her something, he, instead of visiting her, not wanting to waste time, looked for her right at the construction site, and since he willingly allowed 216 In the 1990s, relations between E. R. Dashkova and Catherine II escalated. But the immediate reason for the resignation was the permission of E. R. Dashkova to publish in a separate edition in the journal "Russian Featr" for 1794 the tragedy of Ya. 217 On August 5, 1794, E. R. economic situation Academy of Sciences for 1783-1794". 219 In this document, the director summarizes some of the results of almost twelve years of management of the country's main scientific institution and names the amount of profit that she "had the good fortune to make" - 526,118 rubles. 13 kopecks. "Giving justice to meritorious labors and zeal", by decree of August 12, 1794, Catherine granted the request of the princess. 220 Formally, the empress let E. R. Dashkova go on a two-year vacation, retaining her position as director and salary, but in fact it was a resignation. August 14, 1794 On Monday, E. R. Dashkova arrived at the Academy of Sciences for the last time. She entered the conference hall, where the meeting had already begun, and took her place at the head of the table. There were 13 academicians and adjuncts present in the hall. More than half of them were witnesses "entering" her office on January 30, 1783. She began her last speech at the Academy of Sciences with a confession that she "is proud of having been at the head of the Academy of Sciences for twelve years ... that she and felt real pleasure in this, which was fairly rewarded with affection, which Mr. Academicians and Adjuncts testified to her on every occasion and which she was sensitively touched every time. 221 She further explained that "during this directorship, which was as difficult as it was dear to the heart," she did not have the opportunity to take care of her health and household chores, so she was forced, "although to her great regret," to ask the empress to release her from duties of the director of the Academy of Sciences. Then the princess handed over copies of the petition she had submitted to the Empress and the decree on a two-year leave. Academician S. Ya. Rumovsky read these documents aloud. “After that,” the minutes of the meeting recorded, “Her Grace the Madam Princess rose and, bowing in a touching manner to the entire Academy, hugged, before leaving the conference hall, each academician and adjunct separately, who in full force accompanied her to the doors of her carriage, which was accompanied by their unanimous wishes of good health and a safe return." 222 But the return did not take place. In August 1796, the two-year vacation expired. On August 27, while in Troitskoye, the princess draws up a petition to Catherine II, in which she asks to extend her vacation for another year. 223 "The benevolent" Catherine II of September 1796 allows "to stay on vacation for another year with the preservation of salary." 224 But already on November 12, a few days after the death of Catherine II, Emperor Paul removed the princess from "administration of the places entrusted to her." 225 In 1993, when the 250th anniversary of the birth of E. R. Dashkova was celebrated, a sculptural portrait of E. R. Dashkova, created by the sculptor I. A. Sursky. This is how grateful descendants perpetuated the memory of this outstanding woman, one of the most active organizers of Russian science.
"... giving lectures in Russian ... seems to me all the more useful because the sciences will be transferred to our language and enlightenment will spread"
Among the major educational initiatives carried out by E. R. Dashkova at the Academy of Sciences, one should include the organization of public lectures available to the public. These lectures, conducted by the best scientists of that time, brought the light of knowledge to Russian society, were aimed at fostering interest in knowledge, at explaining the goals and objectives of science, at familiarizing broad sections of Russian society with the achievements of world and domestic science, and contributed to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and satisfaction the need to receive them in the first place by those who, due to age or for other reasons, were not able to attend educational institutions or wanted to complete their education. They played an important role in the development of culture and the spread of education. Russian scientists have always considered the promotion of scientific knowledge and the enlightenment of the people their direct duty, duty. 226 Therefore, E. R. Dashkova’s proposal, which followed on July 3, 1783, to use part of the time that they have left from scientific activity for giving public lecture courses, was met with great understanding at the Academy. 227 On March 25, 1784, the princess presented a report to Catherine II, which stated: "... giving lectures in Russian not only for students and gymnasium students, but also for all outside listeners, who will be admitted, seems to me all the more useful, that the sciences will be transferred to our language and enlightenment will spread. 228 By a decree of April 20, 1784, the empress approved the submission of E. R. Dashkova, 229 and from the economic sums of the Academy, a capital of 30 thousand rubles was transferred to the bank in order to produce an annual payment to four Russian professors for lecturing, that is, 375 rubles each. to each "in excess of their present salary." 230 "Public Instructions" were opened in 1785 and ran until 1802. Academic lectures were given only in Russian, in the summer - from May to September - 2 hours twice a week and covered a wide range of subjects. Lectures began on mathematics and chemistry, in 1786 natural history was added, in 1793 physics, in 1794 mineralogy was taught instead of chemistry, and in subsequent years they were read in parallel. Almost all Russian academicians and adjuncts acted as lecturers: S. E. Guryev, Ya. D. Zakharov, S. K. Kotelnikov, N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky, V. M. Severgin, N. P. Sokolov. The lectures were announced in advance in the Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti, indicating when and where the readings would be held; specially printed announcements were sent to all educational institutions of St. Petersburg and pasted on the streets of the city. Mathematical "instructions" for 12 years (1785-1796) were read by Academician S.K. Kotelnikov (1723-1806), a former teacher at the Academic University. This required considerable effort: he was already 62 years old, and the academician was often unwell, "... however, arguing that there is no other in the mathematical part of the Russian sciences, then I take on that part, or parts of the parts of mathematics, which I put behind good will be needed." 231 The program of lectures can be judged from the report of Kotelnikov E. R. Dashkova dated September 24, 1793: “At first I started with arithmetic and taught it together with algebra, explaining the proven rules with examples and applications in problems. After arithmetic, geometry, following the Euclidean elements , releasing some unnecessary or rarely used sentences, without losing sight of algebra, as a necessary part of the current state of mathematical sciences.Then we go through trigonometry ... in an analytical order, in order to show the first approach to the calculations of transcendental quantities dependent on a compass.After trigonometry, he showed the first foundations of the differential and integral alculuses, explaining the rules with examples and applications in light problems, showing the first approach to the concept of the doctrine of curved lines, and with this ended my lectures. 232 In 1794, in addition to arithmetic, geometry, and algebra, Kotelnikov devoted several lectures to mechanics. In 1797, when censorship was established in Russia, he was appointed censor and dropped out of the Academy of Sciences. To continue the mathematical lectures was invited teacher of navigation, artillery and mathematics in the Artillery Engineering Cadet Corps, shortly before that elected as an adjunct, S. E. Guryev (1764--1813). He was not a graduate of the Academy, like most of its members, but came to it as an already established scientist with broad mathematical interests, which were formed under the direct influence of the scientific ideas of L. Euler. The program of lectures given by Guryev from 1797 to 1800 was very close to the Kotelnikov system. Guryev read geometry, algebra, trigonometry, the doctrine of curved lines and the first elements of differential calculus. 233 At the same time he taught at the School of Naval Architecture and at the Artillery Cadet Corps, but gave preference to lectures at the Academy. Closely connected with the lectures are the manuals compiled and translated by Guryev during these years. In 1798 he published "An experiment on the improvement of the elements of geometry", on the basis of this book he lectured on geometry; trigonometry taught according to the textbook "Spherical trigonometry" (St. , 1801). After translating from the French book of J. A. J. Cousin "Differential and Integral Calculus" (St. Petersburg, 1801), in 1800 Guryev devoted a significant part of his lectures to this topic. Simultaneously with lectures in mathematics, a course in chemistry began. Public lectures on chemistry for 8 years (1785-1792) were read by an adjunct, later academician N. P. Sokolov (1748-1795). In April 1785, he submitted for approval to E. R. Dashkova the plan of lectures he had developed. In his note on the content and nature of the public course of lectures on chemistry, on the basis of which he intended to put a "statement on chemical operations," Sokolov wrote that "this will allow theory with practice to always walk in common and equal footsteps, and listeners, seeing almost every day different new experiences, the more they are hunted and enlightened. 234 Of considerable interest is the introductory lecture "Speech on the Benefits of Chemistry" delivered by Sokolov on May 30, 1786 and published in the academic popular scientific journal New Monthly Works. 235 Sokolov's lecture was sustained in the best Lomonosov traditions and corresponded to the spirit of the times. In it, the author shows in detail the connection between chemistry and mathematics, physics, natural history, medicine, metallurgy and mineralogy. Sokolov was an excellent lecturer, he taught chemistry, as Princess Dashkova noted, "with special praise and glory." 236 His lectures were very popular, and Sokolov repeatedly applied to the Chancellery of the Academy with a request to increase the number of chairs for listeners. 237 Sokolov conducted classes at the Chemical Laboratory of MV Lomonosov. The old laboratory, founded in 1748, did not meet the new requirements at all, so the scientist had to deal with its transformation and repair. But this only slightly improved the situation, and already in May 1791 he was forced to lecture at his home, and in September he proposed the construction of a new laboratory, since, he wrote, “the old one is very cramped and so cold and damp, that chemicals are constantly freezing." 238 But this request did not meet with understanding. In 1792, having barely finished lecturing, Sokolov filed a letter of resignation from the Academy. The chemical laboratory and the right to lecture on chemistry were transferred to the adjunct, later academician Ya. D. Zakharov (1765-1836), who was sent by E. R. Dashkova to study at the University of Göttingen. Since 1793 Zakharov began to read lectures on experimental chemistry twice a week - on Tuesdays and Fridays. The next 1794 did not bring anything new in the construction of a new chemical laboratory, and when discussing the program of public lectures on April 24, 1794, it was decided: "Since the new chemical laboratory has not yet been completed, and the old one no longer exists ... Read to Zakharov mineralogy course this summer." 239 In 1795, Zakharov gave a course of public lectures "on experimental chemistry according to Lavoisier's speculation" in an auditorium completely unsuitable for this in the new building of the Academy of Sciences. In 1796-1797. he did not give lectures: there was no suitable room. At the beginning of 1798, Zakharov was elected an academician, which, apparently, added to his strength and desire to work, and from 1798 to 1802 his name is constantly found in lecture announcements. Zakharov usually began his "public instructions" with summary history of chemistry, explained its practical nature and connection with other sciences and "arts". He paid the main attention to the propaganda and explanation of the oxygen theory of the French chemist A.L. Lavoisier and demonstrated experiments that confirmed his beliefs. 240 If the listeners were not very prepared, then he explained the laws of physics in a special way, and then showed how they are applied in chemistry. Here it is important to note one feature Chemistry of the 18th century - close connection with other natural sciences, and above all with physics. It can be said with confidence that this is precisely why Zakharov has been delivering his lectures for the last three years in the Physics Room of the Academy of Sciences, where, moreover, all the new equipment purchased for scientific purposes was concentrated. Separate cycles of lectures were devoted to the study of salts, metals, drugs, as indicated in the announcement - "we will talk about simple bodies and about their connection with each other and obtaining other bodies." One year of study was devoted entirely to familiarization with the properties of acids. Zakharov tried very hard to make his lectures interesting, useful and illustrative. In E. R. Dashkova’s report on lectures in 1793, he wrote: “I tried to confirm all my proposals and all chemical operations by experiments, as much as the appointed ... time and supplies could allow me.” 241 Lectures on natural history for 17 years (1786-1802) were given by Academician N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky (1750-1827). He defined the content and form of presentation as follows: “I explained to my listeners the general properties of amphibious animals and fish and showed their external and internal structure in the drawings, and in the Kunstkamera I presented to the listeners the animals themselves, both dry and stored in alcohol, keeping to the Linnean system and citing the most important memorabilia about each thing. 242 To help the students, Ozeretskovsky published more than 20 articles on the life of animals and birds in the popular science publications of the Academy of Sciences. Public lectures on physics began only in 1793, after returning from the University of Göttingen, where he was sent by E. R. Dashkova, A. K. Kononov (1766-1795). Before his return to St. Petersburg, there was no one to read lectures on physics in Russian. Since the physical lectures enjoyed special attention of the public, Adjunct Kononov reported their program in great detail in the St. Petersburg Vedomosti: “The doctrine of the general properties of bodies; the doctrine of air; the doctrine of electric force; doctrine of water and fire. 243 The young scientist gave lectures in 1793-1795, in his report to E. R. Dashkova he wrote: “All this time I have been occupied with the explanation of those most important parts of physics, about which I am sure that their knowledge provides us with the greatest moral, and physical benefit in public life. 244 Kononov at lectures showed experiments using the instruments of the Physics Cabinet, because "through this, every listener, firstly, is completely convinced of the true situation, and secondly, receives about these (experiments. -- G. S.) the clearest concept, and thirdly, the more firmly it remembers." Kononov's lectures gathered so many listeners "that in the spacious auditorium ... where I taught my lectures, they could hardly fit." But, unfortunately, having barely managed to finish in lectures at the end of September 1795, on October 9, at the age of 29, Kononov died. , hydrodynamics, etc.". 245 The next year there were no physical lectures, and from 1798 to 1801 Guryev, having combined the two disciplines, began to read physical and mathematical lectures, fulfilling this order "very commendably", for which, as he himself wrote, "repeatedly from the mouth of Mr. Director himself he listened to goodwill. "246 May 17, 1801, before the start of the next cycle of lectures, three academicians - N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky, Ya. D. Zakharov and S. E. Guryev - - turned to the President of the Academy, Baron A. L. Nikolai with a request to give them a reward for lecturing, which they have not received for 6 years. 247 The President promised to sort things out in the fall, after classes were over. On September 30, at a meeting of the Conference of the Academy of Sciences, it was announced that each academician would be paid 300 rubles. - and this is instead of 375 r. per year, set according to the original plan of Princess Dashkova, not to mention the amounts due for lectures delivered in previous years. Academician Guryev considered himself very offended and announced that "there will be no more public courses." Zakharov and Ozeretskovsky were not embarrassed by this circumstance, and they continued reading for free. The audience was greatly impressed by the lectures on mineralogy given by Academician V. M. Severgin (1765-1826), who completed his education at the insistence of E. R. Dashkova at the University of Göttingen. In 1792, addressing the audience in his first lecture "On the Benefits of Mineralogy", he urged young people not only to study mineralogy in general, but "to learn to know Russian minerals, Russian methods of their extraction and processing, which all differ in many respects from foreign ones." 248 In his speeches, which became regular in 1796-1802, Severgin dwelled in detail on the definition of mineralogy and its sections, covered the foundations of science and its tasks, and provided specific material on the properties, application, methods of extraction and processing of minerals and ores. He paid special attention to the history of mineralogy and mining. Severgin carefully prepared his public courses, which allowed him, in parallel with lecturing, to publish them at the invitation of E. R. Dashkova, first in the journal New Monthly Works for 1792-1793, and later, on the basis of speeches, compile tutorial "The First Foundations of Mineralogy", published in two books in 1798. Lectures brought him well-deserved success, and E. R. Dashkova noted that Severgin "proved his knowledge in this science - so that the entire public who used his instructions gives justice in his knowledge, to the credit of the Academy of employees". 249 Residents of the capital were interested in academic lectures and attended them willingly, especially at the beginning of the season. We read about this in the report of S.K. Kotelnikov for 1793: "At first there were enough listeners, the shops were full, but as is the custom, then less and more came and from time to time decreased, by the end a very small number remained." 25 0 Similar remarks are also found in the report of A. K. Kononov: “There were many listeners from the very beginning of my reading even until the beginning of September, and very many times there were so many of them, both in a spacious auditorium and in a gymnasium where I lectured mine taught, they could hardly fit in. Since September, when the real autumn weather set in, the number of students deliberately decreased. 251 Ya. D. Zakharov's lectures also attracted science lovers, "so that a whole half stood still." 252 A. N. Ya. Ozeretskovsky wrote to E. R. Dashkova that he “did not have a single lecture for which a sufficient number of listeners did not gather, sometimes more than 50 people converged, especially on those days when the most natural things." 253 Contemporaries left interesting remarks about their studies at the Academy of Sciences. The provincial landowner I. A. Vtorov, who attended lectures in 1796, spoke sharply about Ozeretskovsky’s “instructions”: “I didn’t like Mr. Ozeretskovsky, because he interferes too much with Latin in his lectures, repeats too much and is distracted from real matter by extraneous judgments ...". 254 And the memoirs of the famous journalist N. I. Grech (1787-1867) are distinguished by a more benevolent tone: "I zealously followed the lectures of Ozeretskovsky, who spoke rudely, not understanding expressions, but cleverly, clearly and captivatingly." 255 Thirteen-year-old Grech, who, in addition to lectures in biology, also attended courses in mathematics, chemistry and mineralogy, later wrote with a feeling of sincere gratitude about these studies, since they contributed to "the development of my concepts and the acquisition of information about some subjects." Public lectures of the Academy of Sciences gathered a large audience; Lectures were attended, in addition to the inhabitants of the capital, by students of the senior classes of the cadet corps, the Medical and Surgical Academy, students of the School of Naval Architecture, the Main Public School and, of course, the academic gymnasium. In the summer of 1786, there were many future teachers in the auditoriums of the Academy of Sciences - students of the St. Petersburg Teachers' Seminary, who, in order to complete their education, came to listen to lectures on mathematics, chemistry and biology. Unfortunately, it is not known what kind of knowledge they acquired, but together they wore out state-owned boots, listening to lectures, for 96 rubles 25 k. 256 E. R. Dashkova, who put a lot of effort into organizing public academic lectures, observing the implementation of her plans, wrote: “I often attended these lectures and experienced pleasure, seeing that they were useful to the children of poor Russian nobles and young non-commissioned officers of the guard ". 257 Fascinated by her undertaking, on April 22, 1788, the princess handed over to V. M. Severgin a large collection of minerals to show the audience of the lecture. 258 Public lectures were also given in the European Academies of Sciences. Such lectures were of particular importance in the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and in the Royal Society of London, 25 9 but nowhere did they acquire such a scale and were not so regular, thanks to the efforts and understanding of their significance by E. R. Dashkova, as in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
"... the approaching end of my life I meet without fear and anxiety"
After returning from exile, E. R. Dashkova spends most of her time in Troitskoye, but often visits Moscow. She takes care of the household, builds houses, cultivates gardens; her attention is still drawn to politics and literary creativity. 260 But family troubles, a difficult relationship with her daughter, the unexpected death of her beloved brother A.R. Vorontsov, and the premature death of her son darken her life. “It seems,” the princess writes, “it is fate that will send me all the painful trials that can be heaped on one head.” 261 In "Notes" the princess only casually mentions the last years. “I will pass over in silence for the next few years, because they are of no interest to the reader. The sorrows that tormented my heart made life painful. They were of such a nature that I myself would like to hide it in my soul and will not talk about them to those who will read my notes." 262 During these years, next to the princess were the sisters - Irish women Martha and Catherine Wilmot and the niece of A.P. Islenyev, who tried in every possible way to help her survive the painfully difficult days. For several years of their life together, the girls became very attached to Ekaterina Romanovna. “The greatest and most precious consolation for me,” wrote the princess, “is the arrival of Martha Wilmot. While living in Troitskoye, Miss Wilmot, by conversations with me, by our joint reading, by her meekness and friendliness, brought me those quiet joys, the value of which for friendly relations and inquisitive mind is incomparable." 263 Martha's amazing qualities were noticed by all members of E. R. Dashkova's house; “There is every reason to believe,” Catherine Wilmot noted, “that the sister responds to such an attitude of the princess towards Matti with the same devotion, love, respect and admiration.” 264 Yielding to Marta's urgent request, on February 10, 1804, Ekaterina Romanovna "began to write down the history of her life." 265 October 27, 1805, finishing his memoirs and comprehending his life path, E. R. Dashkova wrote: “I fulfilled my duty as I understood it, in accordance with what my mind suggested. with a pure heart and with honest intentions I endured all the torments from which I would have been exhausted if my conscience had not been calm; and now - I meet the approaching end of my life without fear and anxiety. " 266 Ekaterina Romanovna dedicated "Notes" to Martha Wilmot, transferring to her the right to publish on the condition that they will be printed only after her death. (The first edition of the memoirs of E. R. Dashkova appeared 30 years after her death, in 1840) Worried about her health and the position of Martha Wilmot in Russia, on July 13, 1806, the princess wrote a letter to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and asked "in case of my death to take under her protection Wilmot, as long as she remains in Russia.” On 267 March, having learned about the princess's letter, on 24 July 1806 she wrote in her diary: “It is difficult to imagine more touching and delightful lines. I can't express how I felt when I read them. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to the princess for her tender care." 268 She retained these feelings forever. In memory of the "Russian mother", her eldest daughter Marta Wilmot, married to Bradford, named Katerina-Anna-Dashkova. Until the end of her life, E. R. Dashkova retained admiration for Catherine II. Memories of the Empress were invariably present in her everyday life. "It is absolutely necessary for me to sufficiently study the heroes and customs of Catherine's time," wrote Catherine Wilmot, "since the princess constantly mentions them and her thoughts return so often to the courtyard, study, dressing room and boudoir of Catherine, which seems to me, I myself recall Catherine's habits and speeches, and as if I participated in a conspiracy. By the way, the main hall in Troitskoye is decorated with a huge portrait of Catherine, on a horse in a uniform, depicted on the day of the overthrow from the throne of her husband; the princess says that the resemblance is very great. In addition, there are portraits of the Empress in every room." 269 In recent years, E. R. Dashkova continues to write. She is published under various pseudonyms in the journals "Friend of Education", "Bulletin of Europe", "Russian Bulletin" and, possibly, in She did not lose interest in literary life. In 1807, her attention was attracted by the magazine "Spring Flower", the publisher of which was a student of Moscow University K. F. Andreev. She gave the young student publisher 20 chervonets for books. 270 E. R Dashkova established a scholarship named after Princess Dashkova at the Moscow Catherine Institute (Moscow School of the Order of St. Catherine), donated 5,000 pounds for the maintenance of shelters under the patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna, and made numerous gifts to her family and friends. In May 1807, E. R. Dashkova donated to Moscow University "a cabinet of natural history and other rarities", which she had been collecting for more than 30 years. Here is his description: “The cabinet contained a total of 15,121 items: including animals, natural and fossilized 4805; dry plants, fruits, etc. 765; stones and ores 7924; antiquities - prints 1636. The entire donation was estimated at 50,000 rubles". 271 A special hall was appointed to accommodate the office, which was to be decorated with a portrait and the name of a philanthropist. Following that, Princess Dashkova donated another 332 items to the university: these were gems, physical instruments, antiques, original drawings of insects and a significant library. Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova died in her sixty-seventh year, on January 4, 1810. Her ashes rest in the church of St. Trinity in the Trinity estate near Moscow. “I thought more than once,” wrote Katherine Wilmot, after spending several years in the house of E. R. Dashkova, “how difficult it would be to describe the character of the princess. I think that this is completely impossible. She is so original and complex that the result will be a description of the ball contradictions of human nature. Without a doubt, she is of the same flesh and blood as we are, but nevertheless, consideration of her individual features will not give any idea of their totality! Any generalization will instantly destroy individuality. " 272 About historical figures, especially on such a scale as E. R. Dashkova, it is difficult to write. The princess is a bright, complex and in many ways contradictory nature. Although we know her life in some detail, Ekaterina Romanovna still remains a mystery to us. She inspires deep respect, and it is impossible not to feel such sincere sympathy for her that, following Academician Ya. some roughness of her character, for excessive ambition and vanity, went her brilliant way honestly, fulfilled her task, which was unusual for a woman, conscientiously and successfully, and acquired an indisputable right to a prominent place among the figures who rendered true services to Russian education. 273 Rereading the works of E. R. Dashkova, one involuntarily admires the depth of her thoughts, many of which are in tune with our time. Here are the wishes with which the princess addresses her contemporaries, but they have not lost their relevance today: “Love each other. Do not deviate from truth and justice. Know and remember that the fate favorable to you gave you to live in the happiest century of the Fatherland dear to me. Recognize that you have been given rights and pleasures that your ancestors did not enjoy. The paths to enlightenment and truth are open to you; and know that if we are not the happiest people in the universe, we should only reproach ourselves for this. Why should love for the Fatherland be in you be unlimited and serve it as a zealous and pleasant duty for you ... Be indulgent in your conclusions and decisions about people. Do not lose heart in adversity, and in happiness do not become arrogant. change in the light; why enjoy the present with the firm hope that virtue, sooner or later, will not remain without reward. 274 1 Rostopchinsky letters. 1793--1814 // Russian archive. 1887. No 2. S. 175. 2 Notes. Moscow, 1987, p. 66. 3 Ibid. P. 35. 4 Cited. Quoted from: Characteristics of Princess Dashkova Diderot // Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876, pp. 144--145. 5 Ibid. P. 140. 6 Ibid. pp. 148--149. 7 Ibid. P. 149. 8 Ibid. S. 144. 9 Broitman L.I. Petersburg addresses of E. R. Dashkova // Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: Research and materials. SPb., 1996. S. 183. 10 Bolotina I. YU. Different fates of the Vorontsov sisters: Ekaterina Dashkova and Anna Stroganova // E. R. Dashkova and A. S. Pushkin in the history of Russia. Moscow: MGI im. E. R. Dashkova, 2000. S. 34--38. II Notes. M., 1987. S. 37. 12 Ibid. P. 296. 13 Letter from Princess Dashkova to Mistress Hamilton // Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876, pp. 119-120. 14 Notes. M., 1987. S. 38. 15 Ibid. 16 Ibid. P. 39. 17 Ibid. eighteen Kucherenko G. C. The work of Helvetius "On the Mind" translated by E. R. Dashkova // XVIII century. SPb., 1999. Sat. 21. S. 215--227. 19 Vorontsov-Dashkov A.I. Moscow Library of Princess E. R. Dashkova // Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: Research and Materials. SPb., 1996. S. 134--139; Somov V. A. Several books from the library of E. R. Dashkova // E. R. Dashkova and Russian society of the XVIII century. M., 2001. S. 133--154. 20 Notes. M., 1987. S. 39. 21 Ibid. 22 Mordovtsev D. L. Russian women of the new time. SPb., 1874. T. 2. S. 122--123. 23 Nast, edition. P. 268. 24 Ibid. S. 271. 25 Mordovtsev D. L. Russian women of the new time. T. 2. S. 137--138; IlaboutVayskiy D.I. Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova // Op. M., 1884. S. 248--289; Suvaboutrin A. A. Princess Katerina Romanovna Dashkova. SPb., 1888; Ogarkov V.V. E. R. Dashkova: her life and social activities. SPb., 1888. S. 24--26; Chechulin. pp. 120--122; Krasnobaev B.I. Head of two academies // Questions of history. 1971. No 12 S. 86--89; Lozinskaya. pp. 18--25; etc. 26 Letter from Princess Dashkova to Mrs. Hamilton. S. 123. 27 Herzen A. I. Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova // Ekaterina Dashkova. Notes 1743-1810. L., 1985. S. 235. 28 Archive of Prince Vorontsov. M., 1872. Prince. 5. S. 105. 29 Ibid. 30 Letter from Princess Dashkova to Mistress Hamilton. P. 121. 31 Archive of Prince Vorontsov. M., 1880. Book. 16. S. 78. 32 Notes. M., I987. pp. 91--92. 33 Ibid. P. 94. 34 Ibid. P. 97. 35 Journey of a Russian noble lady in some English provinces // Experience of the Works of the Free Russian Assembly at the Imp. Moscow University. 1775. Part 2. S. 105--144. 36 Cross E.G. Trips of Princess E. R. Dashkova to Great Britain (1770 and 1776-1780) and her "A Little Journey to Highland Scotland" (1777) // XVIII century. SPb., 1995. Sat. 19. S. 224. 37 Journey of a Russian noble lady... S. 105. 38 Ibid. P. 141. 39 Notes. M., 1987. S. 98. 40 Moiseeva G. N. Denis Diderot and E. R. Dashkova // XVIII century. L., 1986. Sat. 15. S. 197--204; Nivier A. E. R. Dashkova and the French Enlightenment philosophers Voltaire and Diderot // Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: Research and Materials. SPb., 1996. S. 41--54. 41 Cit. Quoted from: Characteristics of Princess Dashkova Diderot. pp. 140--141. 42 Notes. M., 1987. S. 99--100. 43 Innocent exercise. 1763. January. pp. 13--21; February. pp. 51--56; March. pp. 99--111; April. pp. 143--155. 44 Ibid. January. pp. 5--10. Cm.: Fences P. R. Russian literature and Voltaire of the 18th - the first third of the 19th century. L., 1978. S. 52. 45 New monthly compositions. 1788. Ch. 21. March. pp. 70--81. 46 Notes. M., 1987. S. 105. 47 Ibid. 48 Op. by: Lozinskaya. P. 53. 49 Voltaire and Catherine II. SPb., 1882. S. 122. 50 Notes. M., 1987. S. 110. 51 Ibid. P. 109. 52 Letter from K. Wilmot. November 15, 1805 // Friend of Enlightenment. 1806. Part 4. No 12. P. 190. 53 The life and adventures of Andrei Bolotov, described by himself: In 3 vol. M., 1999. T. 1. P. 36. 54 Notes. M., 1987. S. 142. 55 More about the notes of Princess Dashkova // Russian archive. 1881. Book. 1. S. 378. 56 Letter to William Robertson. August 30, 1776 ed. P. 231. 57 Notes. M., 1987. P. 120. 58 Letter to William Robertson. August 30, 1776 Nast ed. S. 231. 59 Cross E. G. On the banks of the Thames. Russians in Britain in the 18th century. St. Petersburg 1996. S. 149. 60 Ibid. 61 University of Edinburgh // International dictionary of university historiês / Ed. by S. Summerfield. Chicago, 1998. P. 492. 62 Ibid. 63 Schü rerN. Robertson W. // American national biography 24 Vol. New York, 1999. Vol. 18. P. 628--629. 64 Karamzin I. M. Letters from a Russian traveler / Ed. prepared by Yu. M. Lotman and B. A. Uspensky. L., 1984, pp. 252, 369, 438, 656, 675. 65 Ibid. P. 369. 66 Letter to William Robertson. August 30, 1776 ed. P. 231. 67 Ibid. P. 232. 68 Letter to William Robertson. October 9, 1776 ed. S. 238. 69 Ogarkov V.V. E. R. Dashkova: her life and social activities. S. 47. 70 Vasilkov N. Education of E. R. Dashkova and her view of education // Bulletin of Education. 1894. No 1. P. 60. 71 Letter to William Robertson. November 10, 1776 ed. pp. 240--241. 72 Die Privilegien und alteste Statuten der Georg-August-Universitat / Hrg. W. Ebel. Gôttingen, 1977, pp. 40--83. 73 History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR: In 3 vols. M.; L., 1958. T. 1. S. 147. 74 Notes. M., 1987. S. 114. 75 Cross E.G. Near the Thames banks... S. 152. 76 Notes. M., 1987. S. 115. 77 Ibid. S. 114. 78 Cross E.G. Trips of Princess E. R. Dashkova to Great Britain... S 228 79 Notes. M., 1987. P. 115. 80 On the meaning of the word "education" // Interlocutor. 1783. Part 2. S. 18. 81 Ibid. 82 Notes. M., 1987. S. 116. 83 Dashkov P. M. Discourse on a sad hypocritical performance // New monthly compositions. 1794. Ch. 94. April. pp. 18--28; Ch. 95. May. pp. 6--14. 84 Ibid. Ch. 94. P. 18. 85 Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876, p. 102. 86 Ibid. P. 113. 87 Ibid. 88 Ibid. P. 111. 89 Notes. M., 1987. S. 129. 90 Ibid. 91 Letters from Princess E. R. Dashkova to Prince G. A. Potemkin // Ancient and New Russia. 1879. No 6. S. 156--157. 92 Letters from Princess E. R. Dashkova to Prince A. B. Kurakin // Russian Archive. 1912. No 7. S. 463. 93 Notes. Moscow, 1987, p. 131. 94 Ibid. P. 143. 95 Archive of Prince Vorontsov. Book. 16. S. 143. 96 Notes. M., 1987. S. 157. 97 Viktorov. P. 124. 98 Notes. M., 1987. S. 160. 99 Ibid. P. 147. 100 Ibid. P. 163. 101 Letter to William Robertson. August 17, 1786 ed. P. 253. 102 Letters from Princess E. R. Dashkova to Prince G. A. Potemkin. pp. 152--159. 103 Notes. M., 1987. S. 171. 104 Vigel F. F. Notes: In 2 volumes / Ed. and enters, article by S. Ya. Shtreich. M., 1928. T. 1. S. 53. 105 Notes. M., 1987. S. 172. 106 Ilovaisky D.I. Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova. S. 360; Notes. Chechulin. C. VIII. 107 Notes. M., 1987. S. 175. 108 Russian M. Dashkov Pavel Mikhailovich // Russian Biographical Dictionary. Dabelov-Dyadkovsky. SPb., 1905. S. 142--143. 109 Engelhardt L. N. Notes / Preparation and entry, article by I. I. Fedyukin. M., 1997. S. 62. 110 Notes. M., 1987. S. 186. 111 Notes. Chechulin. pp. 283--284. 112 Notes. M., 1987. S. 193. 113 Archive of Prince Vorontsov. Book. 5. S. 271. 114 See: Briskman M. A. V. G. Anastasevich. M., 1958. C. 10. 115 Engelhardt L. Ya. Notes. S. 72. 116 Vigel F. F. Notes. S. 54. 117 Cross E. G. At the Thames coast ... S. 115. 118 Notes. M., 1987. S. 238. 119 Ibid. P. 255. 120 Ibid. P. 242. 121 Ibid. S. 342. 122 Arzamas: In 2 books. M., 1994. Book. 2. P. 416. 123 Catherine II's statement is usually cited, recorded by her secretary of state A. V. Khrapovitsky on June 7, 1792: "With the upbringing praised by the mother, both daughter and son turned out to be scoundrels." And on the basis of this draw conclusions. See: Diary of A. V. Khrapovitsky. 1782--1793. SPb., 1884. S. 400. 124 Notes. M., 1987. S. 112. 125 Ibid. 126 Ibid. 127 Ibid. 128 Toyishokov. SPb., 1786. S. 11. 129 Notes. M., 1987. S. 164. 130 Archive of Prince Vorontsov. M., 1881. Prince. 21. S. 458. 131 Notes. Chechulin. S. 279. 132 Notes. M., 1987. S. 172. 133 Ibid. 134 Viktorov. P. 149. 135 Notes. M., 1987. S. 188. 136 Notes. Chechulin. S. 284. 137 Notes. M., 1987. S. 286. 138 Ibid. P. 288. 139 Ibid. P. 354. 140 Ibid. S. 343. 141 Notes. Chechulin. P. 298. 142 Ibid. P. 317. 143 Interlocutor. 1783. Part 2. S. 12--18; Part 3. S. 24--34. 144 New monthly essays. 1786. Part 5. November. pp. 67--71; 1792. Ch. 78. S. 3--5. 145 Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876, pp. 98-110, 118-125, 158-160. 146 About true well-being // Interlocutor. 1783. Part 3. P. 29. 147 On Virtue // New Monthly Works. 1786. Part 5. November. P. 69. 148 Ibid. S. 71. 149 About true well-being. P. 30. 150 An excerpt from a notebook // New monthly compositions. 1790. Ch. 47. May. pp. 13--14. 151 Sincere regret... //Interlocutor. 1783. Part 3. S. 148--154. 152 Notes of a peddler // Ibid. Ch. 9. S. 7--16. 153 Party // Ibid. pp. 24--26. 154 Pictures of my relatives or past Christmas time // Ibid. 1784. Ch. 12. S. 17--22. 155 Truths that you need to know and remember in order to avoid misfortunes by following them // New monthly works. 1795. Ch. 114. November. pp. 2--7. 156 Letter to the publisher of "Russian Bulletin" // Russian Bulletin. 1808. Part 1. No 2. S. 228. 157 Ibid. P. 131. 158 Abbreviation of the Catechism of an Honest Man // Interlocutor. 1783. Part 1. S. 35; Aunt's Notes // New monthly essays. 1786. Part 1. July. P. 78. 159 Let the Russians be Russian // New monthly compositions. 1792. Ch. 78. December. P. 5. 1 60 On the meaning of the word "education". P. 25. 161 Ibid. pp. 21-22. 162 Ibid. P. 23. 163 Ibid. pp. 23--24. 164 Ibid. pp. 24--25. 165 Something from my notebook // Friend of enlightenment. 1806. Part 4. no 12. S. 195--196. 166 Letter to W. Robertson. October 9, 1776 ed. P. 236. 167 On the meaning of the word "upbringing". pp. 25--28. 168 Ibid., p. 28. 169 Ibid. 170 Letter to his son with travel recommendations // Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876, p. 104. 171 Ibid. 172 Ibid. pp. 106--107. 17 3 Travelers // Interlocutor. 1784. Part II. pp. 120--132. 174 An Abbreviation of the Catechism of an Honest Man. P. 35. 175 Aunt's Notes. P. 79. 176 An excerpt from a notebook. P. 12. 177 My notebook // Interlocutor. 1784. Ch. 13. S. 25--26. 178 Smagina G.I. Academy of Sciences and Russian School. Second half of the 18th century SPb.. 1996. S. 87--155. 179 RGIA, f. 730, op. 1, d. 11, l. 1. 180 Ibid. l. 3. 181 Notes. M., 1987. S. 132. 182 Cross E.G. Near the Thames banks... S. 155--156. 183 Ibid. P. 157. 184 Notes. M, 1987. S. 394. 185 Dolgova S. R. E. R. Dashkova and the Malinovsky family // Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: Research and materials. SPb., 1996. S. 71--79. 186 Notes. M., 1987. S. 196. 187 Cited. on: Kochetkova N. D. Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev // Dictionary of Russian Writers of the 18th Century. SPb., 1999. Issue. 2 (K--P). P. 350. 188 Notes. M., 1987. S. 37. 189 RGIA, f. 1329, op. 1, d. 153, l. 128. 190 E. R. Dashkova's activity at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences is one of the brightest pages in her creative and social life. It is no coincidence that it is this activity that attracts the attention of researchers. Cm.: Krasnobaev B.I. Head of two academies // Questions of history. 1971. No 12. S. 84--98; Lozinskaya L. Ya. At the head of two academies. M., 1978, 1983; Tolstoy M. Ya. E. R. Dashkova - the organizer of Russian science // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 1993. No 3. S. 245--248; Chelyshev E.P. From Ekaterina Romanovna and Konstantin Romanov to the present day. To the 250th anniversary of the birth of E. R. Dashkova // Ibid. no 6. pp. 536--554; Tishkin G. A."Her Grace Madame Director" (E. R. Dashkova and St. Petersburg University in 1783-1796) // Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova: Research and Materials. SPb., 1996. S. 80--93; Ozhigova E.P. E. R. Dashkova - Director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences // Ibid. pp. 94--102; Smagina G.I. E. R. Dashkova and educational activities of the Academy of Sciences // Ibid. pp. 103--109; Zaitseva A. A. E. R. Dashkova and the book trade of the Academy of Sciences // Ibid. pp. 110--127; Pavlova G. E. Academy of Sciences and Power: The First Century. Formation of the scientific center // Russian Academy of Sciences: 275 years of service to Russia. M., 1999. S. 92--96; Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. 1724--1802. SPb., 2000. S. 698--819. 191 Notes. M., 1987. P. 153. 192 Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. S. 699. 193 Notes. M., 1987. S. 154. 194 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference of the Imperial Academy of Sciences from 1725 to 1803: In 4 vols. St. Petersburg, 1897-1911. T. 3. 1900. S. 647. See translation from French. in present ed. P. 274. 195 Ibid. 196 PFA RAS, f. 1, op. 3, d. 67, l. 66--66 about. 197 Ibid., f. 3, op. 1, d. 331, l. 140--141; f. 21, op. 3, d. 306, l. 1. 198 The Russian Academy // The Edinburgh Magazine. 1785. T. 1. P. 304-- 307; PFA RAS, f. I, on. 3, d. 67, l. 71--72, 112--112 rev. 199 PFA RAS, f. I, op. 3, d. 67, l. 70--70 rev. 200 ER Dashkova visited Karlsruhe during her first trip to Europe. See: Notes. M., I987. pp. 106--107. 201 PFA RAS, f. 1, op. 3, d. 67, l. 87--89. 202 Scientific correspondence of the Academy of Sciences of the 18th century. Scientific description. 1783--1800. L., 1987. S. 181--183. 203 Dashkova E. R. Notes 1743--1810 / Preparation of the text by G. N. Moiseeva. L., 1985. S. 144. In "Notes" (M., 1987. S. 152) the following translation of this phrase is made: "I was forced to drag a completely faulty plow." In present ed. the following translation: "I found myself harnessed to a completely already upset rattletrap." 214 Tishkin G. A."Her Grace Madame Director" ... S. 80--93; Smagina G.I. E. R. Dashkova and educational activities of the Academy of Sciences. pp. 103--109; Under the canopy of "madame director" // Margolis Yu. D., Tishkin G. A."Unified Inspiration" Essays on the history of university education in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th - the first half of the 19th century. SPb., 2000. S. 53--81. 205 Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. S. 748, 789, 800, 814. 206 Ibid. S. 801. 207 RGADA, f. 248, op. 80, d. 6514, l. 125-126. 208 Smagina G.I. Academy of Sciences and Russian School... P. 101--117. 209 Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. S. 704, 705, 708, 715. 210 Bolkhovitinov N. N. Russia discovers America. 1732--1799. M., 1991. P. 149. 211 Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. S. 790. 212 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 1, d. 556, l. 153 vol. 213 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... T. 3. S. 729--735. 214 Nekrasov S. M. Russian Academy M., 1984; Kalaminov V.V., FainShtein M. Sh. Temple of the Verbal Muses: From the History of the Russian Academy. L., 1986: Derzhavina E. I. E. R. Dashkova // Domestic lexicographers of the XVIII-XX centuries. M., 2000. S. 21--40; Bogatova G. A. E. R. Dashkova - lexicographer // Dashkova E. R. and Russian society of the XVIII century. M., 2001. S. 22--39. 215 Bogoslovsky V. A. Quarenghi is a master of the architecture of Russian classicism. L., 1995. S. 44. 216 Schubert Friedrich von. Unter dein Doppeladler. Stuttgart, 1962. S. 390. 217 V. A. Zapadov Knyazhnin Yakov Borisovich // Dictionary of Russian writers of the 18th century. SPb., 1999. Issue. 2 (K--P). pp. 79--80. 218 PFA RAS, f. 1, op. 2--1794, August 14, § 118, fol. 2--2 about. 219 Ibid., l. 6--7. 220 Ibid., l. 1. 221 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... T. 4. S. 388--389. See translation from French. in present ed. P. 329. 222 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... P. 389. 223 RGIA, f. 938, op. 1, d. 386, l. 5. 224 PFA RAS, P. V, op. D, d. 4, l. 31. 225 RGIA, f. 1329, op. 1, d. 184, l. 36.226 Smagina G.I. Public lectures of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in the second half of the 18th century. // Issues of the history of natural science and technology. 1996. No 2. S. 16--26. 227 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... V. 3. S. 681. 228 RGIA, f. 17, op. 1, d. 35, l. 11. 229 Ibid., l. 11 vol. 230 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 1, d. 556, l. 215 rev. 231 Sukhomlinov M.I. History of the Russian Academy. SPb., 1876. Issue. 3. P. 46. 232 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 9, d. 488, l. 2--2 about. 233 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference... V. 4. P. 571. 234 PFA RAS, f. 1, op. 2--1785, d. 4, l. 6--6 about. 235 New monthly writings. 1787. Part 9. S. 56--59. 236 Sukhomlinov. Issue. 1. P. 344. 237 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 1, d. 347, l. 77--78. 238 Raskin N. M. Chemical laboratory of M. V. Lomonosov. M.; L., 1962. S. 197. 239 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... T. 4. S. 347--375. 240 St. Petersburg Vedomosti. 1795. June 1st. No 44. 241 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 9, d. 488, l. 4 vol. 242 Ibid., l. 1--1 vol. 243 St. Petersburg Vedomosti. 1795. June 1st. No 44. 244 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 9, d. 488, l. 3. 245 St. Petersburg Vedomosti. 1796. June 3. No 45.246 Veselovsky K. C. The attitude of Emperor Paul to the Academy of Sciences // Russian antiquity. 1898. No 4. P. 9. 247 Minutes of the meetings of the Conference ... T. 4. P. 900. 248 New monthly works. 1792. Ch. 73. S. 13. 249 Sukhomlinov. Issue. 4. P. 45. 250 PFA RAS, f. 3, op. 9, d. 488, l. 12 vol. 251 Ibid., l. 3 vol. 252 Ibid. 253 Ibid., l. 1 vol. 254 DePoulet M. F. Father and son // Russian Bulletin. 1875. No 5. S. 164. 255 Grech N.I. Notes about my life. M; L., 1930. S. 178. 256 RGIA, f. 730, op. 2, d. 5, l. 77. 257 Notes. M., I987. P. 157. 258 Chronicle of the Russian Academy of Sciences. T. 1. S. 750. 259 Kopelevich Yu.x.,Ozhigova E.P. Scientific academies of Western Europe and North America. L., 1989. S. 99, 224. 260 Veselaya G.A. E. R. Dashkova in the village of Troitsky // Proceedings of the State Historical Museum. M., 1984. Issue. 58. S. 77--91; Dolgova S. R."Here every bush is planted by me..." // Science and life. 1986. No 3. S. 33--35: Firsova E. N. After exile: E. R. Dashkova in Moscow and Troitsky in 1797-1801. // E. R. Dashkova and A. S. Pushkin in the history of Russia. Moscow: MGI im. E. R. Dashkova, 2000. S. 62--75. 261 Notes. Chechulin. S. 283. 262 Notes. M., 1987. S. 207. 263 Ibid. 264 Ibid. P. 294. 265 Ibid. S. 246. 266 Ibid. P. 208. 267 Materials for the biography of Princess E. R. Dashkova. Leipzig, 1876. S. 158. 268 Notes. M., 1987. S. 337. 269 Ibid. P. 296. 270 Consolidated catalog of Russian serial publications (1801-1825). T. 1. Journals (A--B). SPb., 1997. P. 174. 271 History of the Imperial Moscow University, written for its centennial anniversary by Stepan Shevyrev. M., 1855. S. 372. 272 Notes. Moscow, 1987, p. 301. 273 PFA RAS, f. 137, op. 1, d. 13, l. 10. 274 Aunt's Notes. pp. 78--80.
, Statesman
Dashkova Ekaterina Romanovna (March 17 (28), 1743, according to other sources 1744, St. Petersburg - January 4 (16), 1810, Moscow), nee Vorontsova, married Princess Dashkova. A friend and associate of Empress Catherine II, a participant in the coup d'état of 1762 (after the coup, Catherine II lost interest in her friend and Princess Dashkova did not play a significant role in the affairs of government). One of the prominent personalities of the Russian Enlightenment. Her memoirs contain valuable information about the reign of Peter III and the accession of Catherine II ("Mon Histoire, Mémoires de la princesse Dachkoff" published in French in Paris (1804-1805); "Memoirs of Princess Dashkova", published in 1840 in London) .
Born March 17, 1743; daughter of Count Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov. She was brought up in the house of her uncle, Vice-Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. "Excellent", according to the concepts of that time, her upbringing was limited to teaching new languages, dancing and drawing. Only thanks to the desire to read Dashkova became one of the most educated women of her time. Her favorite writers were Bayle, Montesquieu, Boileau and Voltaire. Trips abroad and acquaintance with famous writers contributed a lot to its further development. From an early age, she was occupied with politics. Even as a child, she rummaged through her uncle's diplomatic papers and followed the course of Russian politics. Time of intrigue and fast coup d'état contributed to the development of her ambition and desire to play a historical role.
The Russian language, in beauty, abundance, importance and various kinds of measures in poetry, which are not found in others, surpasses many European languages, and therefore it is regrettable that the Russians, neglecting such a strong and expressive language, zealously try to speak or write imperfectly, in a language very low for firmness of our spirit and abundant feelings of the heart. To what a flourishing state would the Russians bring their literature if they knew the price of their language!
Dashkova Ekaterina Romanovna
Acquaintance with Grand Duchess Catherine (1758) and personal disposition towards her made Dashkova her most devoted supporter. They were also connected by literary interests. The final rapprochement with Catherine took place at the end of 1761, after the accession to the throne of Peter III. Having conceived a coup d'état, Catherine chose Grigory Grigorievich Orlov and Princess Dashkova as her main allies. The first promoted among the troops, the second - among the dignitaries and the aristocracy. Thanks to Dashkova, Count N.I. was attracted to the side of the Empress. Panin, Count K.G. Razumovsky, I.I. Betsky, Baryatinsky, A.I. Glebov, G.N. Teplov and others. When the coup took place, other people, contrary to Dashkova's expectations, took a leading place at court and in state affairs; at the same time, the relations of the empress with Dashkova also cooled. Some time after the death of her husband, Brigadier Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Dashkov (1764), Dashkova spent time in a village near Moscow, and in 1768 made a trip to Russia. In December 1769, she was allowed to travel abroad.
For 3 years she visited Germany, England, France, Switzerland, often saw and talked with Diderot and Voltaire. 1775 - 1782 she again spent abroad, for the sake of raising her only son, who completed a course at the University of Edinburgh. In England, Dashkova met Robertson and Adam Smith. At this time, her relationship with the empress improved somewhat, and she was offered the position of director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and Arts. According to Dashkova, the Russian Academy was opened (October 21, 1783), which had one of the main goals of improving the Russian language; Dashkova was its first president.
The new displeasure of the Empress Dashkova brought upon herself the publication in the "Russian Theatre" (published at the academy) of Knyazhnin's tragedy "Vadim" (1795). This tragedy was withdrawn from circulation. In the same 1795, Dashkova left St. Petersburg and lived in Moscow and her village near Moscow. In 1796, immediately after ascending the throne, Emperor Pavel removed Dashkova from all her posts and ordered her to live in her Novgorod estate.
Only with the assistance of Empress Maria Feodorovna Dashkova was it allowed to settle in the Kaluga province, and then in Moscow.
In Moscow, no longer taking part in literary and political affairs, Dashkova died on January 4, 1810.
What deserves the most attention is not Dashkova's political role, which lasted a very short time, but her activities in the academy and in literature. Upon her appointment as director of the academy, Dashkova delivered a speech in which she expressed confidence that the sciences would not be the academy's monopoly, but "would be appropriated to the entire fatherland and rooted, they would flourish." To this end, public lectures were organized at the Academy (annually, during 4 summer months), which were very successful and attracted many listeners.
Dashkova increased the number of Academy scholarship students from 17 to 50, students of the Academy of Arts - from 21 to 40. During the 11 years of Dashkova's leadership, the academic gymnasium showed its activity not only on paper. Several young people were sent to complete their education in Göttingen. The establishment of the so-called "translation department" (instead of the "meeting of translators" or " Russian collection") was aimed at giving Russian society the opportunity to read the best works of foreign literature in their native language. At this particular time, a number of translations appeared, mainly from classical languages.
On the initiative of Dashkova, the magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word" was founded, which was published in 1783 - 1784 (16 books) and was of a satirical and journalistic nature. It was attended by Derzhavin, Kheraskov, Kapnist, Fonvizin, Bogdanovich, Knyaznin. Here were placed "Notes on Russian History" by Empress Catherine, her own "There were also fables", her answers to Fonvizin's questions. Dashkova herself owns the inscription in verse to the portrait of Catherine and the satirical "Message to the word: so."
Another, more serious publication: "New Monthly Works" was published from 1786 to 1796. Under Dashkova, a new series of memoirs of the Academy was started, under the title "Nova acta acad. scientiarum petropolitanae" (since 1783). According to Dashkova, a collection was published at the Academy: "Russian Featr". The main scientific enterprise of the Russian Academy was the publication of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. In this collective work, Dashkova owns the collection of words for the letters "h", "sh", "u", additions to many other letters; she also worked hard to explain words (mostly denoting moral qualities).
Saving academic sums, skillful economic management of the Academy - the undoubted merit of Dashkova. In 1801, upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, the members of the Russian Academy unanimously decided to invite Dashkova to take the chair of the Academy again, but Dashkova refused. She wrote poetry in Russian and French(mostly in letters to Empress Catherine), translated Voltaire's "Experience on Epic Poetry" ("Innocent Exercise", 1763, and separately, St. ), delivered several academic speeches (written under the strong influence of Lomonosov's speeches).
Some of her articles were published in "The Friend of Enlightenment" of 1804-06 and in "New Monthly Writings". She also owns the comedy "Toishiokov, or the Spineless Man", written at the request of Catherine for the Hermitage Theater (1786), and the drama "Fabian's Wedding, or Greed for Wealth Punished" (a continuation of Kotzebue's drama "Poverty and Nobility of the Soul"). In Toisiokov (a person who wants "both this and that") to see L.A. Naryshkin, with whom Dashkova did not get along at all, and in the heroine Reshimova, who is opposed to him in character, - the author of the comedy.
An important historical document is Dashkova's memoirs, published first on English language Mrs. Wilmot in 1840, with additions and changes. The French text of the memoirs, undoubtedly belonging to Dashkova, appeared later ("Mon histoire", in the "Archive of Prince Vorontsov", book XXI). Giving a lot of valuable and interesting information about the coup of 1762, about her own life abroad, court intrigues, etc., Dashkova's memoirs are not distinguished by impartiality and objectivity. While praising Empress Catherine, she gives almost no factual basis for such praise. Not infrequently, the "Notes" show through, as it were, an accusation of the Empress of ingratitude. The emphasized disinterestedness of Dashkova herself is far from being justified by the facts.
Dashkova died on January 16, 1810 and was buried in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in the village of Troitskoye in the Kaluga province. By the end of the 19th century, traces of the gravestone were practically lost. On October 22, 1999, at the initiative of the MGI. E. R. Dashkova’s tombstone was restored and consecrated by the Archbishop of Kaluga and Borovsk Kliment. The place where she was buried was established: “in the refectory part of the church“ on the left side of the refectory, against the pillar ”, in its north-eastern corner in the crypt located under the floor. The arrangement of the tomb of representatives of princely families in the temple corresponded to the Russian memorial tradition.
On the wall of the refectory, between the second and third windows, a copper plaque was placed, on which was the text of the epitaph, compiled by Dashkova's niece Anna Islenyeva: “Here lie the perishable remains of Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova, nee Countess Vorontsova, lady of state, Order of St. Ekaterina Cavalier, director of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, the President of the Russian Academy, various foreign Academies and all Russian scientific societies members. She was born on March 17, 1743, and died on January 18, 1810. This tombstone was placed in her eternal memory from her cordial and grateful niece, Anna Malinovskaya, nee Islenyeva, who was devoted to her. At present, the church has been restored, a tombstone has been made on the grave.”
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova photo
Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova - quotes
The Russian language, in beauty, abundance, importance and various kinds of measures in poetry, which are not found in others, surpasses many European languages, and therefore it is regrettable that the Russians, neglecting such a strong and expressive language, zealously try to speak or write imperfectly, in a language very low for firmness of our spirit and abundant feelings of the heart. To what a flourishing state would the Russians bring their literature if they knew the price of their language! 
The more intelligent and knowledgeable a person is, the more cautious.
In women, a determined young man is more likely to get good luck.