The history of the youngest daughter of Pushkin

imp Tasha h3> So called in the family's youngest daughter of Pushkin - Natalia.
When the tragedy occurred on the Black River, Natasha was only 8 months.
After the disaster Natalia Goncharova immediately took away the children from St. Petersburg to his family estate in the Kaluga province. There also grew Natasha, surrounded by love and care of family members. Of the four children she was very restless and mischievous. However, the girl differed good manners, excellent knowledge of Russian and French, and in 13 years hit the surrounding beauty that captures the famous Russian artist Ivan Makarov.

When her mother, Natalia Goncharova, decided to remarry, Tasha was 8 years. Chosen Goncharova became the commander of the Life Guards regiment adjutant general Peter Lansky.

The wedding day came a curiosity. The young Count Nikolai Orlov from a desire to see the wedding of his commander climbed the bell tower of the church where the wedding took place. But, though he made his way back quietly found myself very loudly, I touched the big bell. There was a hit, and Eagles of fright and confusion do not know how to stop ringing. When it was explained, he was terribly embarrassed, apologized to the bride and groom.

As time went on, Tasha grew. Nikolai Orlov spent more and more time in the family Lansky, especially in the summer on a summer residence in Strelna. Gradually gave way to mutual friendship passionate love. When Tasha was 16, 24 and Nicholas, in love with no memory of the young man he made an attempt to woo. But Father Nicholas, the head of the Third Department Count AF Orlov (successor Benkendorf) was totally against this marriage. "The truth was that radiant beauty Natalie was for him only a" daughter of a writer who was killed in a duel, "- wrote Alexander Lanskaya-Arapova sister Natalia Alexandrovna. Taking advantage of his position, noble father under the pretext sent his son from Russia.

From the frying pan into the fire so h3> Natasha hide from prying eyes sad. The youngest daughter of the poet was proud and capricious, character - all in the father. Runaway soon after the first heat downtrodden love she chose his Cavaliers player and hung Michael Dubbelt. It was the son of the chief of staff of the gendarmerie, General Dubbelt subordinate ... Father Nikolai Orlov. The surprising similarity with the young Pushkin and at the same time luminous beauty, inherited from the mother, Natasha notice in many of its contemporaries.

«I was struck by her beauty. In my life have I seen a woman more beautiful. Tall, extremely skinny, with great shoulders and a remarkable whiteness face, she shone some glare. Although few regular features, resembled an African type of person her father, she could be called perfect beauty, and if we add to this the mind and courtesy, you can easily imagine how she was surrounded at the balls and how her buzz all dandy youth and old men did not take his eyes off her », em>

- Son of the famous novelist, wrote MN Zagoskina.

Colonel Dubbelt was in the "suite" and instantly lost his head. With despair in retaliation Orlov, without much love - and, by the way, who knows now? - Natasha accepted a marriage proposal Michael L. Dubbelt. According to contemporaries, Dubbelt Jr. famous intemperate disposition and passion for Card game. But neither the mother nor the stepfather dearly loved Tasha could not talk her out of this union. They agreed to postponing marriage for almost a year. With her usual sharpness and pressure Natalie Jr. reproached mother that she deliberately opposes her happiness ... and broke the resistance of the family.

January 6, 1853, on the eve of the wedding, Natalia Pushkina doomed Count Pyotr Vyazemsky wrote:

«imp Tasha quickly moved from childhood to adulthood, but it has nothing to do - the fate can not be evaded. For the past year I struggle with it, finally he resigned to God's will and impatience Dubbelt ». Em>

At the time there were not betrothed misunderstanding ended in quarrels and spats. But Dubbelt, a man of outstanding intellect and possessed also the gift of eloquence, swore Tash in mad love. A groom maturity age (he was 13 years older than the bride) gives hope that Michael will become for her an experienced mentor. Alas, these hopes did not materialize, although outwardly everything went brilliantly. In February 1853 the wedding.

Under cover of dark veil h3> As in the life of the disgraced poet Pushkin chat with the chief of the gendarmerie Leonty Dubbelt bring grief and trouble, and his daughters build a happy family life with his son Dubbelt failed. Michael, an avid gambler and spendthrift, quickly lost the card all the dowry of his wife - 28 thousand rubles, with Natalia was rude, furiously jealous, scandals and beat her. And increasingly, Her Excellency Ms. Dubbelt left the house in a dark and dense fog closed dress with long sleeves. Even in the summer. She hid under the cover bruises. Her body for life traces spurs. The drunken, frenzied rage Dubbelt then trampled wife kicking and screaming: «This is for me the price of your beauty!» Em>

Natalia gave birth to three children, having one of the best buildings in the capital and shone at balls and receptions. But rumors of atrocities family General Dubbelt reached the ears of the Emperor Alexander II, and July 16, 1862 Michael L. was abruptly dismissed from the regiment, removed from office and sent on indefinite leave.

In the same year, after 9 years of marriage, Natalia with two older children came to my aunt, the sister of his mother. She lived with her husband, an Austrian baron Frizengofom in the Slovak village Brodzyany. At this time Frizengofov was visiting her mother, Natalia. There also was not slow to appear and Dubbelt. He said that was up to the divorce process. The current situation was hopeless Natalie, future seemed hopeless.

Inscrutable are the ways of love h3> leave your children in the care of his mother and relatives, Natalia disappeared from Dubbelt, fleeing from Slovakia. Young woman produced a furor in any country, wherever they appear, but her heart was silent. Several years have passed in endless wanderings: Switzerland, Italy, Austria, France. There was no permanent shelter, home, position Natalia Alexandrovna was at that time uncertain and bleak. Finally, she settled in Germany.

... When this happened, and how they first met? Ten years ago, Prince Nikolai Wilhelm of Nassau, arrived in Russia at the coronation of Alexander II as a representative of the Prussian royal court, I saw the ball twenty daughter of Pushkin. They could then tear apart the eyes and danced the night away. And the presence Dubbelt, legal spouse, did not stop them. Even after the scandal broke out not long Natalia regret dizzying waltz.

And years later, they met again. Nikolai Wilhelm asked for the hand of Natalia Alexandrovna. Prince wanted to marry a divorced woman with three children! Humble family, foreigner ... July 1, 1867 in London, they were married. For the sake of his love, Prince refused rights to the throne. Husband to wife procured the title of Countess Merenberg - the name of the fortress, which is the ancestral domain of princes of Nassau - and they settled in Wiesbaden.

Divorce papers Natalia Dubbelt received only in 1868, already a morganatic wife of the Prince of Nassau. Remarriage Natalie has been a long and happy. Prince Nikolai Wilhelm, a German-natured, loved his wife. She bore him a son and two daughters.

Princess of course she did not - the marriage was uneven and did not give her the rights to join the family of the Dukes of Nassau. But relatives of the husband warmly welcomed her (though not immediately), and Natalia in their new possessions feel easy and comfortable. Palace, where they lived with the prince, her efforts had been turned into a museum. Natalie was surrounded by an atmosphere of love and reverence.

Speaking of Natalia, all contemporaries noted that she inherited disposition of his father - a passionate, hot-tempered and proud. His words did not climb. Even now in Wiesbaden legends of her wit. In their house were well received writers and artists, the gallery has a fine collection of rare paintings, garden flowers know the touch of her hand. She read a lot in almost all European languages, traveling, was an excellent rider - this is the rock Goncharov.

Turgenev - a duel! h3> The history of literature Countess Merenberg remained as the keeper of letters to Pushkin Goncharova. When Natalia dared to publish them, she turned to Turgenev. Not from acute material needs - it was not there then.

Best intermediary than the Ivan Sergeyevich, it was hard to find. The writer considered it an honor for myself to do the publication of Pushkin's heritage. «This is one of the most distinguished of the facts of my literary career, em> - said Turgenev. - The letters and spurting bright and courageous mind Pushkin, striking candor and loyalty to his views, accuracy and involuntary beautiful expression. Wrote with great candor family relations, without amendments, reservations and utaek they more clearly convey to us the moral image of the poet ». Em> Ivan S. sincerely and warmly thanked the Countess Merenberg for action on the « which she, of course, solved not without some hesitation, » em>, and he expressed hope that « feel the same gratitude and render it public opinion ». em>

However, when the first issue of "Bulletin of Europe" for 1878 appeared the letters to the daughter of the poet is not an avalanche struck gratitude and resentment boiling lava. Even siblings Natalie Alexander and Grigory Pushkin, were not on the side of the sister and ... going to call Turgenev a duel for insulting the honor of the family! Do not forget that in the XIX century, the scale of moral values ​​was very different.

The originals of these letters Natalia broke up only in 1882, and transferred to a storage in the Rumyantsev Museum. And that is not all. Letters Pushkin Natalie Goncharova, written before their wedding, and stayed with her. Then inheritance passed to her daughter, Countess Sofia Thorby (morganatic wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov). When in-law Natalia Alexandrovna sold priceless letter Diaghilev, she came to the outrage, but to do anything it was too late ... In 1882, Pushkin's letters to Natalie Goncharova finally hit the Rumyantsev Museum after long and painful negotiations.

The inaccessibility of the Pushkin archives owned by the descendants of his younger daughter, is explained by the fact that her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren were related not only come from the Romanovs, but also with the British ruling dynasty Windsor.

Praprapravnuchka Alexander, Duchess of Westminster Natalie - the godmother of Prince Charles, the son of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.

The history of the novel h3> In 2004 published a book of Pushkin Natalia Merenberg "Vera. Petersburg a novel. " Where did it come, and what is his story, he tells the Countess Clotilde von Rintelen, the manuscript of his great-grandmother's publisher: "In the 40-ies of XX century, my father, Count Georg von Merenberg received from Argentina package from his aunt Ada, née Countess von Merenberg. We had hoped to receive from the rich aunt from South America something valuable - and that's on you! The package turned out to be a sheet of old paper, written in Gothic script. Read this no one came to mind. "Inheritance" is negligible, as we then thought was to rush for the wardrobe ... In 1991, I came to St. Petersburg, began to study Russian. And so the summer of 2002 by chance (or maybe it was fate?) I came across the package with the manuscript. The more I read carefully, the more learned in the heroine Vera Natalia Pushkin, after marriage, the Countess von Merenberg, his great-grandmother. She described her life, to relive the pages of excruciating story of first love and the drama of his first marriage. " Needless to say, that this manuscript is published and subsequently the book became a sensation not only for Pushkinists.

Natalia Pushkin Dubbelt, Countess von Merenberg, lived a long and wonderful life. She taught her children to speak in Russian. And the interest in the Russian roots survived and her descendants.

Illustrious Countess until his death differed clarity of mind, great composure and determination temper. She could not forgive the Russian Committee for the anniversary celebration of the 100th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin that this committee has seen fit to invite her to the opening of the monument to the poet in Moscow. I could not forgive neglect of society and gave Rumyantsev Museum of deposit of 11 letters his father, leaving them at home.

When he learned that the laws of the principality of Nassau, it would not be able to rest after death near the body of her beloved husband, sacrifice for it all, Countess Merenberg ordered to dispel his ashes over his grave in the family tomb. This item capricious wills Countess her family was executed March 10, 1913. No cross, no wreath, no plate after the youngest daughter of Pushkin left. There were only portraits and memory.

In her apartments in the palace museum in Wiesbaden are always fresh flowers. There in the palace and the room where hanging on the wall in a gilt frame the portrait of her father, Alexander Pushkin. On the contrary - for irony - a portrait of another relative, the family of Emperor Nicholas I. They are looking at each other - two irreconcilable contemporary genius and his persecutor Crowned. And remember the words of the poet: «Were carried out Pushkin kings ...» em>



That is the destiny! The granddaughter of Alexander Pushkin Sofia (daughter Natalia Alexandrovna and Nicholas William of Nassau) chosen husband grandson of Nicholas I, that is, the grandson of the man who deliberately and publicly humiliated her grandfather. Togo, who secretly loved Pushkin's wife Natalie Goncharova. The one who is probably the only in the whole of Russia was happy death of the great Russian poet ...



See also:
Letter Marina Tsvetaeva children
Quotes incomparable Faina Ranevskaya
Post memory Dovlatova

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