Pages of history. Who is Princess Tarakanova? Painting “Princess Tarakanova”: description

22.11.2016| 16:46

The premiere of a film about Princess Tarakanova took place at the One Picture Museum. The identity of this woman has been shrouded in mystery for the third century. The image of the adventuress, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and the sister of Emelyan Pugachev, was captured by Konstantin Flavitsky.

The filmmakers did not set themselves the task of telling about the fate of the rebel Tarakanova. They wanted to convey to the public the story of how Flavitsky’s masterpiece ended up in Penza.

“We remember Nikolai Seliverstov, the former governor of Penza, who bequeathed a collection of paintings to the city. “Princess Tarakanova” was among them,” said Larisa Trushina, director of the film “The Secret of an Ancient Painting.”

The subject of Flavitsky’s work was the legend of the death of Tarakanova during a flood in St. Petersburg on September 21, 1777. Although this legend does not correspond to historical reality (the princess died of consumption two years earlier), thanks to the artist it was this version of the impostor’s death that became entrenched in people’s memory.

“No one has lifetime photographs and portraits of Princess Tarakanova, no one knows her real name and who she was. This is a mystery woman,” said the director of the art gallery named after. K. A. Savitsky Kirill Zastrozhny.

The film “The Mystery of an Ancient Painting” featured actors from the Penza Drama Theater. The role of the princess was played by Anna Arzyamova, Prince Alexander Golitsyn, who interrogated Tarakanova in the Peter and Paul Fortress, was played by Pavel Tachkov, and Grigory Mazur acted as the presenter.

By the way, the previous film, which told about the history of the portrait of Varvara Rimskaya-Korsakova, was shown at the Museum of One Painting, attracted a record number of spectators - 20 thousand people - and brought the institution 650 thousand rubles.

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:33|

If this is a fictional artistic and literary image, then why blather?

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:34|

This is how it works. We talk about history, but what comes out is falsification

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:40|

“The identity of this woman has been shrouded in mystery for the third century. The image of the adventuress, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and the sister of Emelyan Pugachev, was captured by Konstantin Flavitsky.”

According to Penzainform, she is the daughter of the empress and the sister of a rebellious serf - a stinker

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:43|

Only Kirya doesn’t know, but any loser knows her name

Princess Tarakanova (called herself Princess Elizaveta of Vladimir; between 1745 and 1753 - December 4, 1775, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire) - unknown, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky. In 1774, she declared her claims to the Russian throne and for some time found support from supporters of the Bar Confederation. Kidnapped by order of Catherine II in Livorno by Alexei Orlov and brought to St. Petersburg. During the investigation, she did not admit guilt and did not reveal her origin. She died in custody in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:46|

Guest | 22.11.2016 20:16|

Guest wrote:

and for them there is no difference between Count Alexei Razumovsky and the man Emelyan Pugachev

But she’s not there. Razumovsky was from the peasants, they took him from the singers.

Guest | 23.11.2016 09:19|

Guest wrote:

If this is a fictional artistic and literary image, then why blather?

Right! and THERE IS NO NEED TO READ “WAR AND PEACE”, these are fictional characters anyway.

Guest | 23.11.2016 10:36|

There are so many disagreements about the image of the “princess”. And we are talking about the picture. We need to watch the movie.

Guest | 23.11.2016 19:50|

But there should be no disagreement about the image of Medinsky

The President of the Russian Academy of Sciences specified the number of officials elected to academicianship

President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) Vladimir Fortov said that in October up to seven civil servants received the title of Academician of the RAS. This was reported on Wednesday, November 23, by Interfax.

“Five to seven people, that’s it. Depends on how you count,” Fortov said. He added that the further work of officials in government positions depends on the decision of President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on Wednesday, the head of state at a meeting of the Council for Science and Education demanded that Fortov answer why employees of the presidential administration, ministries and the Federal Security Service were included in the number of academicians and corresponding members. Putin threatened to resign senior officials who did not heed the Kremlin's recommendations.

According to the president, it is impossible to effectively combine work in government bodies with serious scientific research. He explained that his statement regarding officials and governors elected to the RAS applies only to those who did so after October 15, 2015.

Guest | 23.11.2016 19:52|

governors elected to the RAS apply only to those who did so after October 15, 2015)))))

Guest | 23.11.2016 21:39|

Putin demanded that the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Fortov, answer why officials from the presidential administration, ministries and the FSB were included in the number of academicians and corresponding members. “Why did you do this? Are they such great scientists that the Academy of Sciences cannot do without them?” - Interfax quotes the head of state.

Fortov assured that all of them met the requirements. The President, in turn, emphasized that at the end of last year he gave instructions not to combine scientific activities with public service. Conscientious officials should not have any free time for scientific activities, the head of state noted.

The ban on election to the Russian Academy of Sciences applies to all officials, including governors, Putin said after the meeting.

Guest | 24.11.2016 00:02|

Meeting of the Council for Science and Education

At the end of our meeting today, I have one technical, personnel question. Vladimir Evgenievich knows, at the end of last year I made a request to my colleagues and to the president of the Academy of Sciences. The request was that in previous times, many representatives of various levels of government took part in elections to the Academy of Sciences, including senior officials.

I asked my colleagues to refrain from participating in the elections of new members of state academies of sciences due to the fact that people who hold positions in government bodies, especially at the upper levels, are employed or should at least be engaged in a serious manner , otherwise they are not able to fulfill their official duties, and they can engage in scientific research only in their free time, which is practically not left for people who work conscientiously in administrative positions.

The question arises: can they engage in scientific research in full with the desired result? Nevertheless, some of our colleagues from the Presidential Administration, from the Ministry of Education, from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from the Ministry of Defense, from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and from some other departments took part in the election and were elected.

Vladimir Evgenievich, I have a question for you and other representatives of the Academy of Sciences: why did you do this? Are they such great scientists that the Academy of Sciences cannot do without them? First question. And the second question: what should I do now?

V.Fortov: They all said that they received permission from their leaders.

Vladimir Putin: No, that was not the question. Are they such great scientists that they should be corresponding members and academicians?

V.Fortov: Vladimir Vladimirovich, they passed the entire competition without any exceptions or exceptions. I reported to you that the election technology is such that this person must be heard six times and voted for six times, in this way.

News discussion is closed

The origin of the “princess” is still not known with certainty. Some contemporaries called her the daughter of a Prague innkeeper or a Nuremberg baker, but this version was contradicted by her clearly outstanding education and upbringing: manners, tact, knowledge of languages, etc. She herself spoke about her origins in different ways, obviously in accordance with her latest “image.” " Distinguished by her rare beauty and intelligence, as well as her craving for immoderate luxury, Tarakanova always had many admirers, whose funds she shamelessly used, driving some to ruin and prison. Pursued by creditors, she migrated from Kiel to Berlin, from Berlin to Ghent, from there to London, then to Paris, etc., calling herself either Maid Frank, or Chelle, or Madame Tremoille. Having settled in Paris, Tarakanova was called Sultana Ali-Emete, Eleanor (Alina), Princess of Azov and, finally, turned into Princess Elizabeth of Vladimir. According to this version, she came from a wealthy Russian family of the princes of Vladimir, was raised by her uncle in Persia, and upon reaching adulthood came to Europe in order to find an inheritance located in Russia.

Political claims

Kidnapping and death

Arrested on his orders by Admiral Greig in Livorno, she was taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress in May, subjected to a lengthy interrogation by Field Marshal Prince Golitsyn, during which she gave various testimonies, and died of consumption on December 4, hiding the secret of her birth even from the priest . No rituals were performed at her burial.

The Legend of Elizabeth's Real Daughter

The existence of any offspring of Empress Elizabeth has not been proven. Meanwhile, the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia provides an article about the allegedly real daughter of the Empress from Alexei Razumovsky.

Augusta Timofeevna Tarakanova- (princess, c. -), born from the morganatic marriage of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna with Alexei Razumovsky. Her place of birth is unknown. It is also unknown when she was sent abroad, where she received her upbringing and from where she was brought by force to the city by order of Empress Catherine II to the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery, which, according to the decree of the city, was intended “for the care of widows and orphans of noble and honored people.” Tonsured under the name Dosithea, she lived here until her death () in complete solitude (even church services were performed exclusively for her alone), doing charity work, reading “spiritual” books and handicrafts. She spent her last years in silence and was considered “righteous.” She was of average height, thin and of rare beauty. Only after Catherine’s death did Metropolitan Platon and some noble persons begin to visit her. At her funeral, with a large crowd of people, the Razumovsky relatives and many nobles were present. She was buried in the Novospassky Monastery, in the tomb of the Romanov boyars.

Similar information is also available in RBS, edited by A. A. Polovtsov. A portrait is also reproduced, presumably depicting Augusta, on the back of which was written “Princess Augusta Tarakanova, in the foreign workshop of Dosifei.”

M.I. Pylyaev noted:

Orlov, according to the stories of his contemporaries, while living in Moscow, never drove past the Ivanovo Monastery, where the real Princess Tarakanova lived; he thought that his victim was languishing in prison there...

Vasilchikov's version

There is also an opinion that the legend about Tarakanova occurred due to consonance with the surname Daragan (Daragonov). Alexey Razumovsky raised his nephews Daraganov, Zakrevsky and Streshenny abroad (in Switzerland). Due to the distortion of the Daragan surname, a legend appeared about the daughter of Razumovsky and Elizaveta Petrovna - Princess Tarakanova.

In art

The famous writer of the early 19th century, D.S. Dmitriev, in his book “The Adventuress,” fascinatingly outlines his version of the adventurous life of Princess Tarakanova.

The popular play “The Tsar's Hunt” by Leonid Zorin tells the story of the “kidnapping” of a princess from Europe and her return to Russia. In the film adaptation, the role of Tarakanova was played by Anna Samokhina.

The legend about the death of Tarakanova during a flood in St. Petersburg in the city, which served as the plot for Flavitsky’s painting that caused a lot of noise (in the city), is not confirmed by research (she died two years before the flood). Her life has more than once served as a theme for novelists, including G. P. Danilevsky, who wrote the novel “Princess Tarakanova” in the city.

In literature

Danilevsky G. P. “Princess Tarakanova”
Radzinsky E. “Princess Tarakanova”
Grimberg F. “Princess Tarakanova”
Luninsky E. “Princess Tarakanova”
Kravtsova M. “Dosithea. Life for the Empress"
Pikul. "Favorite"

Notes

E. Luninsky. Princess Tarakanova. Translation from Polish by V. Petruchik. Moscow, edition of "Russian Byli", 1908. 312 pp.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Princess Tarakanova (impostor)” is in other dictionaries:

Konstantin Dmitrievich Flavitsky Princess Tarakanova, 1864 Oil on canvas. 245 × 187 cm State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow “Princess Tarakanova” painting by artist Konstantin Flavitsky ... Wikipedia

Princess Tarakanova (? d. 1775) is an impostor who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky. “Princess Tarakanova” painting by Konstantin Flavitsky 1864. “Princess Tarakanova” Russian mute... ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Princess Tarakanova (meanings). Princess Tarakanova ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Princess Tarakanova (meanings). Princess Tarakanova Genre drama historical film Director Kai Ganzen Andre Maitre Screenwriter ... Wikipedia

- (Princess). Under this name two princesses are known in our history: one is real, the other is an impostor. The first, born from the morganatic marriage of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna with A.G. Razumovsky, named Augusta (Timofeevna), was born around... ... Biographical Dictionary

- (Princess, ca. 1744 1810). Under this name two princesses are known in our history: one is real, the other is an impostor. The first, born from the morganatic marriage of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna with A. G. Razumovsky, named Augusta... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

The impostor princess, who “knocked a name into her name,” was nothing more than an adventurer. In essence, this mysterious person remained unknown either by last name, first name, or gender. And Catherine II’s remark is also not entirely true... Large biographical encyclopedia

- (pseudonym; also known under the names of the maiden Frank, Madame Tremul, etc.) [about 1745 4(15).12.1775, St. Petersburg], an impostor adventurer who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Count A.G. Razumovsky; origin of T.... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Princess Tarakanova... Most readers probably associate the mention of this name with the beautiful painting by Flavitsky, which is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery. Solitary confinement in the Peter and Paul Fortress... The icy streams of the St. Petersburg flood are gushing through the window bars. The unfortunate woman climbed onto the prison bed, which was about to disappear under the water, and pressed herself against the wall in despair. Her luxurious dress contrasts sharply with the squalid decoration of the casemate. Two rats seek refuge at the feet of the prisoner. Her head is thrown back, her hair is loose, her arms hang limply along her body.

Speaking of hands... If you come closer to the picture and look closely, you will discover an amazing thing: the princess has four of them. Two that hang down, and two more folded on the chest. They are visible under the top layer of paint. This is exactly how the artist painted them at first, but then he found a position that was more consistent with the hopeless mood of the canvas and rewrote the hands again.

The painting caused a lot of noise in its time, was extremely popular and traveled from exhibition to exhibition. Once on the road, the canvas was not protected from the rain, and the first pair of hands, for the time being hidden by the top layer of paint, clearly appeared out. The canvas was restored several times, but without success: the hands treacherously appear again and again.

However, our story is not at all about this feature of the picture, but about a completely different mistake of the artist - a historical one. And to begin with, a very characteristic fact: in the catalog of the academic exhibition of 1864, where the painting was exhibited for the first time, by order of Emperor Alexander II it was indicated: “The plot of this painting is borrowed from a novel that has no historical truth.”

So who did Flavitsky depict in his painting? An impostor who “riveted a name onto herself” or, in modern language, posed as Princess Tarakanova. We will tell you who this princess is at the end, but for now - about the impostor.

The origins of this legendary person are very vague. It is possible that she was originally from Germany. Some historians call her the daughter of a Prague innkeeper, others - a Nuremberg baker, and still others claim that she was the fruit of love between the Persian Shah and his Georgian concubine. Some knew her as Mademoiselle Frank, others as Madame Tremoille. Sometimes she is called Alina, sometimes she goes by the name Shel. Sometimes she appears as Countess Silinskaya, sometimes as Princess of Azov. Places of residence change just as rapidly: Kiel and Berlin, Ghent and London... And everywhere rich admirers appear, sparing no expense for the charming lady. Many of her admirers soon found themselves not only without their savings, but also in debtor’s prisons, and the clever swindler once again changed her name, pedigree, title and place of residence.

The first mention of the mysterious princess (without mentioning her name) is found on the pages of the book “The Life of Catherine II, Empress of Russia” (1797) by the French diplomat and writer Jean Henri de Caster. Naturally, according to an old Russian habit, the book was banned, although all educated Russian contemporaries read it. In the absence of his own historical books and because the forbidden fruit is sweet, the book by de Caster, who himself had never been to Russia and only retold what he received from second or even third hands, was popular. How could the average person find out about the secret marriage and illegitimate children of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna? From the then "samizdat". It was from such a work, where the truth was intricately mixed with half-truths and lies, that people learned about the fruit of the love of Empress Elizabeth and her favorite Alexei Razumovsky.

The former secretary of the Saxon embassy at the court of Catherine II, Georg Adolf von Gelbig, in his sensational book “Russian chosen ones from the time of Peter I (1680) to Paul I (1800),” announced a mysterious person as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth and her other favorite, Ivan Shuvalov. Perhaps he was the first to add the surname Tarakanova, which she never bore, to the princess's title. The meek princess lived quietly in Italy and did not dream of the throne at all, but only suffered from lack of funds, but the insidious Russian officers paid her debts in order to lure the girl into a trap. The barbarians sent the princess to Russia, where the poor thing died in the Shlisselburg prison. The unfortunate father did not dare to open up to his daughter.

In 1859, in the Moscow magazine "Russian Conversation" excerpts from the letters of the Italian abbot Roccatani (compiled in the 20s of the 19th century) appeared about the stay in Rome at the beginning of 1775 of the "unknown princess Elizabeth", who called herself the daughter of the Russian empress Elizabeth Petrovna and sought support from the Polish ambassador and the papal curia. At the end of his message, the abbot, who was personally acquainted with this lady, reported that she had left for Livorno, where the Russian naval fleet was anchored.

The exact date of birth of “Princess Elizabeth,” who knew neither Russian nor Polish, but spoke German well and preferred to write in French, is unknown. During the investigation in 1775, she herself claimed that she was 23 years old. It turns out that she was born in 1752. “However, this date has not been confirmed by anything, and it seems that, in indicating her age, the prisoner of the Peter and Paul Fortress was disingenuous,” notes writer and historian Igor Kurukin. “In a letter of 1773 to the minister of the Elector-Archbishop of Trier, she reported that she was born in 1745; therefore, then she was 28 years old, and by the time the investigation began, she was already thirty. So<...>She was between 20 and 30 years old."

Major General Alexei Ivanovich Tarakanov really existed, but could he take in the empress’s child and give him his name? He was sent to Kizlyar, where he stayed until November 1742, after which he served in Moscow, then received leave for two years, and from the 50s. XVIII century was not on active service.

The “tramp” or “adventurer”, as Catherine II certified her in letters to investigator Golitsyn, had nothing in common with the real “Princess Elizabeth”. I. Kurukin, the author of the biography of “Princess Tarakanova,” concludes: “The captive of the Peter and Paul Fortress eclipsed in her person the one about whom the authorities and researchers, perhaps, had more reason to worry: the mysterious nun Dosithea - the alleged daughter of Empress Elizabeth and Alexei Razumovsky, "who was born around 1746, lived in honorable isolation in the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery and was buried in the family tomb of the Romanov boyars in the Novospassky Monastery. But the story of the law-abiding recluse is not so adventurous... so a beautiful legend did not develop."

In connection with such a turbulent biography of the “princess,” unintentional distortions of reality are quite acceptable. For the simple reason that it is difficult to understand what in her biography is true and what is fiction. Her contemporaries cite mutually exclusive facts, and in current literature one can find a wide variety of descriptions of her adventurous life. What kind of novels have not been written about her, what kind of films have not been made!.. Because this beautiful mysterious woman has provided very rich food for imagination.

So who exactly was she? If we compare all the data that has reached us, then her biography looked like this. In infancy, she was taken first to Lyon, France, and then to the Duchy of Holstein, to Kiel. In 1761, she again found herself in St. Petersburg, but Peter III, having ascended the throne and fearing his rival, sent her to Siberia (or Persia). It was then that she learned about her supposedly high origin, but, fearing to return to Russia, she began to travel around Europe to achieve recognition of her rights.

The first real traces of the stranger are found in Berlin, from where she arrived in Paris in 1772 through Ghent and London. Where exactly this charming adventuress visited before 1772 is unknown. She told Alexei Orlov that from Russia through Riga and Koenigsberg she went to Berlin, where she revealed herself to Frederick II. After this, Orlov reported to Empress Catherine II, she “was in France, spoke with ministers, letting little information about herself be known.”

In Paris, she called herself Ali Emete, Princess of Vladimir from the Caucasus (in some letters she also calls herself “the ruler of Azov, the only heir of the very ancient Voldomir family”), and claimed that she was extremely rich, since she owned “Persian treasures” - according to another According to legend, she was raised by her uncle in Persia, and upon reaching adulthood, she moved to Europe. Her future plans include searching for the Russian heritage. And again, a charming person who speaks many European languages fluently, draws well and plays the harp, is surrounded by numerous admirers. They willingly pay for her stay in Paris for two years, and the false Elizabeth does not refuse anything.

The stormy life of the “Princess of Vladimir” in Paris ended with her becoming completely entangled in debt and forced to flee to Frankfurt am Main, where, however, she was immediately sent to prison. She was rescued by Count F. Limburg, who fell head over heels in love with the adventurer and seriously wanted to marry her. Taking advantage of his cordial patronage, she lived for about a year and a half in his county of Oberstein.

In 1773, for the first time, a rumor spread that under the name of “Princess of Vladimir” was hiding the direct heir to the Russian throne - Princess Elizaveta Alekseevna Tarakanova, the daughter of Elizaveta Petrovna and her favorite Count Razumovsky, the fruit of their legal, albeit secret, marriage. It is likely that the root cause that forced the impostor to take on the name “Princess Tarakanova” was the basic need for funds that accompanied her throughout her life.

Polish emigrant circles had a decisive influence on the degeneration of the international adventurer into the impostor “Princess Tarakanova”. It is possible that the very idea of being called the daughter of Empress Elizabeth was given to her by the Polish noble emigrant Mikhail Domansky, who back in 1769 heard from some Russian officer that Elizaveta Petrovna had a daughter from a secret marriage with Razumovsky.

Domansky's closeness with the impostor soon grew into something more; in any case, he became the most devoted person to her. And at the beginning of 1774, a larger figure appeared near “Princess Tarakanova” - Prince Karl Radziwill, Marshal of the General Confederation, Voivode of Vilensky, a personality very popular among the gentry, a more than wealthy and ambitious man. It was after meeting him that she declared herself the daughter of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, and, to boot, the sister of Emelyan Pugachev.

The correspondence between the “princess” and Radziwill began back in 1773. It is characteristic that in one of the letters Radziwill calls her “called by providence to save Poland.” And the first meeting of “Princess Tarakanova” with Radziwill took place in Venice, where the impostor arrived in 1774 under the name of Countess Pinnenberg. She was surrounded by a small retinue, including Domansky, Colonel Baron Knorr, who became the “marshal” of her “court,” the English adventurer Montagu and others.

Radziwill quite transparently hinted to the impostor that she could be very useful for the interests of the Confederates. Because she, as the “legitimate daughter of the late Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna” has an inalienable right to the Russian crown, then the Confederates are ready to help her, and in return, having become the Russian Empress, “Elizabeth II” will have to return the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to Belarus and force Prussia and Austria to restore Poland within 1772

The plan, developed by Polish emigrants with the participation of French well-wishers, was as follows: the impostor with Radziwill and a group of Polish and French volunteers go to Constantinople, where, under the banner of “Princess Tarakanova,” a Polish-French volunteer corps is created, at the head of which the “princess” arrives at the theater of war actions of the Russian-Turkish War and refers to the Russian army as the “legitimate heir to the throne”...

Brad, of course. But the game of this nonsense captured the impostor like a small child. She sent letters to different countries in which she assured that in Russia she had many followers, etc. She again began to lead her usual luxurious and cheerful life. The result is again debts, lack of funds, desperate attempts to get money.

And as before, the newly-minted pretender to the Russian throne seeks support and help in implementing her plans from Radziwill, but soon becomes convinced that he is only capable of making beautiful speeches in front of like-minded people. And the “All-Russian Princess” decides to act independently. She either sends a lengthy message and seeks a meeting with the Sultan, then tries to negotiate with the cardinal himself, or develops a plan to establish contact with the command of the Russian squadron located off the coast of Italy. “I will try,” she wrote to one of her correspondents on July 10, 1774, “to take possession of the fleet located in Livorno... I need to announce who I am, because they have already tried to spread rumors about my death... I will publish manifestos, distribute them throughout Europe, and the Porte will openly announce them to the public."

The impostor explained her rights to the Russian throne as follows: “I was born in 1753 and lived with my mother until the age of nine. When she died, her nephew, the Prince of Holstein-Gottorp, took over the rule of the Russian Empire and, according to my mother’s will, was proclaimed emperor under the name Peter III. I was only supposed to ascend the throne upon reaching adulthood and put on the Russian crown, which Peter put on, without having the right to do so. But six months after the death of my mother, the emperor’s wife Catherine deposed her husband, declared herself empress and was crowned in Moscow for me belonging to the ancient crown of the kings of Moscow and all Russia."

These actions and texts, naturally, receive publicity in Russia and cannot leave Catherine II indifferent. Moreover, Catherine was seriously alarmed: the impostor was not only posing as the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna, but also laying claim to the Russian throne. The appearance of another “legitimate” heir to the world once again reminded of Catherine’s usurpation of the throne and ultimately undermined her prestige in the West.

And so Catherine, fairly frightened by Pugachev’s just suppressed rebellion, takes energetic measures to neutralize the impostor: she instructs Count Alexei Orlov to “seize the tramp” and put an end to her claims to the throne. “If this is possible,” she wrote to Orlov, “lure her in a place where you could cleverly put her on our ship and send her here on guard.” If this idea failed, Catherine even allowed Orlov to bombard Dubrovnik, where the “princess” was at that time, from the ship’s guns: first, it was necessary to demand from the city authorities to hand over the “creature,” and if they refuse, “then I allow you to use threats, and if "Punishment is necessary; you can throw several bombs into the city."

While developing a plan to arrest the impostor, Ekaterina and Orlov were preoccupied with seizing the papers that were with her. In one of her letters to Orlov, the princess reported that she had copies of the original wills of Peter I, Catherine I and Elizabeth. And in August 1774, the impostor directly stated to Orlov that she was going to publish the named documents in European newspapers, which, especially the will of Elizabeth Petrovna, allegedly confirmed her rights to the Russian throne.

Orlov begins to implement a cunning plan: to become the next admirer of the newly-minted Princess Tarakanova and offer her not only money, but also his hand.

It is generally accepted that Orlov pretended to be in love with the “princess,” but how far his pretense extended and where the line between falsehood and true feeling ended, and whether it was a true feeling - who knows?.. Orlov offered her his hand, his heart and his services, “everywhere she demands them,” and vowed to elevate her to the Russian throne. The impostor was fascinated by him, but the offer of his hand caused her hesitation. Maybe she felt something with her feminine intuition? But on the whole, the loving and ambitious adventurer had no reason not to believe in the sincerity of her new admirer’s assurances. On February 21, 1775, after breakfast with the English consul, Orlov invited the impostor to get acquainted with the Russian ships anchored in Livorno. The squadron greeted Princess Elizabeth II with a royal salute, music and shouts of “Hurray!” The impostor boarded the flagship Three Hierarchs. In Admiral Greig's cabin, the impostor's retinue and the squadron command raised cups filled with wine for the health of the Elizabeth. "Princess" was happier than ever. She was invited onto the deck to admire the maneuvers of the squadron. Captivated by the spectacle of “her” fleet, the impostor did not even notice how Orlov and Greig had disappeared somewhere...

In general, “Princess Tarakanova” was arrested. According to one version - only herself, according to another - together with Orlov - as a diversion. According to one version - after the wedding, according to the second - instead of it.

In 1775, the captive was taken to Kronstadt, from where she was transported to St. Petersburg and on May 26 she was imprisoned in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress. To investigate the impostor's case, a special commission was created headed by Prince A.M. Golitsyn. The main goal of the commission was to find out who led the impostor intrigue - “who is the boss of this comedy.”

At first, she was given several rooms, fed from the commandant’s kitchen, and even given the disposal of two maids and a personal doctor. Catherine was not delighted with this manifestation of humanism and demanded that Golitsyn complete the investigation as soon as possible. There were constant interrogations, the testimony from which became the basis of legends about the fate of “Princess Tarakanova.” “With the natural quickness of her mind, with extensive information in some areas, and finally, with her attractive and at the same time commanding appearance, it is not surprising that she aroused people’s trust and reverence for herself,” Golitsyn wrote to the empress.

The prisoner begged the field marshal for a personal meeting with Catherine, but achieved the opposite: she was placed in a solitary cell on bread and water. It was this sad stage of the impostor’s life that Flavitsky captured in his painting “Princess Tarakanova”. And he did it very realistically and convincingly.

So what historical mistake of the artist did we promise to talk about at the beginning of our article? Exclusively that the unfortunate woman could not have died from the flood of September 10, 1777, during which part of the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress collapsed, and rumors circulated throughout the capital that the prisoners had drowned. For one simple reason: she died of consumption two years before this natural disaster. This happened on December 4, 1775. The prisoner was secretly buried on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, taking with her to the grave both the secret of her birth and her true name, without revealing herself even to the priest before her death.

No rituals were performed at her burial.

Now, as promised, we will tell you about the “real” Princess Tarakanova.

In 1785, by order of Catherine II, an unknown woman was brought to the Moscow monastery. She was not yet old, of average height, thin, and retained traces of rare beauty on her face. No one knew her real name or origin. It was only clear that she was “of noble origin and highly educated.” They said that this was Princess Augusta Tarakanova, that she was born a year or a year and a half after the secret marriage of Empress Elizabeth with Count Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky.

For some reason, the “princess” called herself Matveevna by her patronymic. Until 1785, this Augusta Matveevna Tarakanova, according to her, lived abroad. When and how she got there is unknown. It is likely that this could have happened after Elizabeth's death on December 25, 1761.

The idea that the “genuine” (as opposed to the “non-genuine” - impostor Elizaveta Tarakanova) daughter of Elizaveta Petrovna lived somewhere abroad worried Catherine II no less than other concerns. The continuous struggle with the annually appearing contenders for the throne, courtiers, intrigues and conspiracies eventually led the Empress to the idea that “Princess Tarakanova” needed to be returned to Russia and isolated.

How the operation to deliver the princess to Russia was carried out is known only from the words of the nun Dosithea herself. In a somewhat allegorical form, speaking about herself in the third person, she subsequently told this story to G.I. Golovin: “It was a long time ago. There was one girl, the daughter of very, very noble parents. She was brought up far across the sea, in a warm place, received an excellent education, lived in luxury and honor, surrounded by a large staff of servants. Once she had guests, and among them was one Russian general, very famous at that time. This general offered to take a boat ride along the seaside. We went with music, with songs, and when we went out to sea, a Russian ship stood ready there. The general said to her: you don’t want "Should I look at the structure of the ship? She agreed, entered the ship, and as soon as she entered, she was forcibly taken to the cabin, locked and sentries were assigned. This was in 1785."

Further, according to legend, the captured princess was brought to St. Petersburg and presented to the empress. Catherine talked with her for a long time, talked about Pugachev, about the impostor Tarakanova - the aforementioned Princess of Vladimir, about state upheavals that are possible if “enemies of the existing order” use her name, and finally announced that in the name of peace in the country “ Princess Tarakanova" must withdraw from the world and live in a monastery in solitude, "so as not to become a tool in the hands of ambitious people." The Ivanovo Monastery in Moscow was chosen as the place of imprisonment, which, according to Elizabeth’s decree of June 20, 1761, served as a place “for the care of widows and orphans of noble and honored people.”

Catherine II ordered the abbess to “receive and keep the new arrival in special secrecy, cut her hair and not allow anyone to see her until the date.” Princess Tarakanova was tonsured under the name Dosifeya and during the first years of her imprisonment in the monastery was kept in great secrecy. Apart from the abbess, confessor and cell attendant, no one had the right to enter her. The windows of her cell were constantly covered with curtains. A portrait of Empress Elizabeth hung on the wall until the very last day of Dosithea’s life.

The story of Augusta-Dosithea practically repeats the story of Elizaveta Tarakanova in its main features. It seems that the “fake” impostor once somewhere “heard a ringing”, but clearly did not know “where it was”, and so that the “real” impostor Augusta did not ring on all corners, she was hidden in the monastery.

Dosithea did not participate in the general divine services and meals of the sisters of the monastery, and only sometimes a divine service was held especially for her in the small gate church. During services, the church doors were locked.

Dosithea's moral state was very difficult: she was constantly afraid of something, at any rustle or knock she flinched, turned pale and “shaked all over.”

After the death of Catherine II, Dosithea's position improved somewhat. Visitors began to be allowed to visit her without hindrance; Metropolitan Platon, a number of high-ranking officials, and allegedly even one of the members of the imperial family visited Dosithea.

Dosithea died on February 4, 1810 at the age of 64, after a quarter-century of imprisonment, and was buried in the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, in the tomb of the Romanov boyars. In this monastery a portrait of a nun was kept for a long time, on the reverse side of which someone made an inscription: “Princess Augusta Tarakanova, a monk of Dosithea, tonsured in the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery, where after many years of her righteous life she died.” On the gravestone there is only the monastic name and the day of death.

It seems that the mystery of the “Tarakanov princesses” has not yet been revealed and leaves room for imagination.

Princess Ekaterina Tarakanova, Princess of Vladimir (that’s what she called herself), was supposedly born in 1745. The adventurer and impostor pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Count Alexei Razumovsky from a morganatic marriage. The real name of this woman is unknown, which, of course, is very strange, knowing the traditional omnipotence of Russian detectives and Catherine’s desire to get to the bottom of the truth. At different periods of her life, the imaginary princess called herself differently: now the maiden Frank, now Sheil, now Tremuille, now Ali-Emete , Princess Voldomirskaya from the Caucasus, then the Princess of Azov, she is also Countess Pinneberg and, finally, Queen Elizabeth.

Biography of Princess Tarakanova

The biography of Princess Tarakanova is very confusing. No one knows the true origins of this woman - neither the lovers of the adventurer, nor the investigators of Catherine II, nor all-knowing historians. It seems that she herself knew little about her origins in order to hide something. One English envoy at the St. Petersburg court, after the capture and imprisonment of the impostor in the Peter and Paul Fortress, announced to Catherine that she was the daughter of a Prague innkeeper, another envoy assured that she was the daughter of a Nuremberg baker. But the versions about her origins from the lower classes are unlikely, since the princess clearly had an outstanding education and upbringing: manners, tact, knowledge of languages, she was keenly interested in art, was well versed in architecture and painting, painted and played the harp.

Princess Tarakanova was a very beautiful woman. Judging by the surviving descriptions, she was petite, slender and dark-haired, and her appearance resembled an Italian. Distinguished by her rare attractiveness, which was not spoiled even by a slight squint and intelligence, as well as a craving for immoderate luxury, the impostor always had many admirers, whose funds she shamelessly used, driving some to ruin and prison.

Count Alexei Orlov later described the adventurer as follows: “She is a woman of small stature, a very dry body, her face is neither white nor black, her eyes are large, open, dark brown in color, her braids and eyebrows are dark brown, and there are freckles on her face. He speaks good French, German, a little Italian, understands English, one must think that he also knows Polish, but he just doesn’t respond; she assures herself that she speaks Arabic and Persian very well. She has a rather courageous quality and boasts a lot about her courage.”

Financial interests of Princess Tarakanova

Hiding from creditors, the princess often changed her place of residence and appeared in different cities of Europe. In each country, she gave out new information about her life and was called by different names. In 1772 in Paris, she introduced herself to local society as the heir to the Russian throne, a royal person, the daughter of Empress Elizabeth, Princess Ekaterina Tarakanova. In secular Paris, a new legend about the life of the princess appeared. Allegedly, she came from a wealthy Russian family of the princes of Vladimir, was raised by her uncle in Persia, and upon reaching adulthood came to Europe in order to find an inheritance that was in Russia.

Thanks to new fans, the princess spent 2 years of fun and luxury in Paris, inventing and bringing to the public court new legends about her life. Historians are sure that someone persuaded the princess to impersonate Elizabeth’s daughter. The princess herself was outstanding only in the sense of unbridled imagination in terms of wasting her own life in pure pleasure. Politics and a career didn’t interest her, and apparently she didn’t have enough internal strength for such a thing.

According to one version that exists today, the great adventurer herself decided to invent this Russian story. Most of all in life she was interested in money and for the sake of it she was ready to commit any scam. Having heard stories about Emelyan Pugachev, who declared himself Peter III, perhaps she called herself a Russian princess in order to obtain funds from gullible creditors through beautiful deceptions. It is unlikely that anyone will lend a decent amount to an unknown person, but very likely to the heir to the throne.

There is another version. At the same time, an impostor was expelled from Belgium, who pretended to be the daughter of Emperor Francis I and lived in luxury until the empress demanded her, exposing the deception. The deception techniques were too similar. “It is possible that another bluff with the Russian throne would have culminated in another shameful exposure and another expulsion from another country, but “God marks the rogue,” and the unfortunate woman became a toy in the hands of the Polish confederates - Catherine’s irreconcilable enemies. Princess Tarakanova had several lovers among Polish emigrants and successfully used their money, but she herself fell into the trap of a political game. It’s unlikely that she thought about the consequences, she simply passionately loved the process of the adventure itself and willingly accepted the proposals of her patrons.”

Dreams of Princess Tarakanova about the Russian throne

The idea of ascending the Russian throne greatly captured the imaginary princess. In the summer of 1774, she asked the Turkish Sultan for help in restoring “justice” and wrote him a letter. In her message to the Sultan, she cited compelling reasons that slowed down her appearance in society - illness, persecution, assassination attempts, etc. She also mentioned the name of Emelyan Pugachev, calling him her brother and asked the Sultan to help her meet him as soon as possible. By a strange coincidence, it was on this day that the “brother” suffered a decisive defeat near Tsaritsyn and thereby dug the grave of his enterprise.

Then the great adventuress, together with her instigators, arrived in Italy to await receipt of Turkish passports, which allowed her to go to Russia. “The Polish “friends” of Princess Tarakanova arranged for the “high-ranking” person to live at the French embassy, and the large society visiting the diplomat had the opportunity to observe what royal honors were given to the pretender to the Russian throne. It must be said that foreign politicians had no desire to interfere in the dynastic feuds of a distant country, but just in case, some listened to the eloquent, nervous woman, sighing with relief when she, having received a small amount of money, left the house.

The connection of Princess Tarakanova with power vested in men

Thanks to Catherine’s well-executed investigation, the letters to the Turkish Sultan did not reach the addressee, but Princess Tarakanova did not know about this and continued to draw up various forged documents. The adventuress got the hang of it and composed a will for her fictitious mother, which she showed at the first opportunity. She bombarded the Russian ambassador to France, Panin, with her claims to the throne. Sometimes it seems that Princess Tarakanova really believed that she was the daughter of Queen Elizabeth, and this was what destroyed her.”

Her health by this time was seriously compromised and she had to spend more and more time in bed due to coughing blood and febrile seizures. Despite her illness, the imaginary princess continued to seek support from Nikita Panin in St. Petersburg, Gustav Tretev in Stockholm and bombarded them with petitions for assistance in justice. Continuing to persist in her plans, the self-proclaimed princess turned to the Vatican for help, promising, if successful, to introduce the Catholic faith in Russia.

Along with her political games, the impostor continued to lead a luxurious lifestyle, which once again led her to bankruptcy. Taking advantage of her fictional legend as the heir to the Russian throne, the princess wrote a letter to the English consul and asked him for money. He, having heard that the Russian Empress Catherine had sent Count Alexei Orlov to search for the impostor, sent him a letter from the princess and informed him of her whereabouts.

Romance of Princess Tarakanova and Count Orlov

During this period, Count Orlov was in disgrace with Catherine and, in order to obtain the imperial favor of Her Highness Catherine II, he zealously began to capture the adventuress. Count Orlov approached this issue subtly. When meeting with the imaginary princess, he promised to support her and place her on the Russian throne with honors. Alexey Orlov was able to turn the impostor’s head, and she, believing that victory was close, eagerly jumped into the bed of the brother of Catherine II’s former lover. She believed that the Count had succumbed to her feminine attractiveness and sincerely believed that he would help her succeed.

Alexei Orlov invited the “future empress” to have a wedding on one of his ships. On February 22, 1775, Orlov invited his “bride” to the Russian ship “Isidora”. Having received the princess as a royal person, with fireworks and shouts of “Hurray,” the happy couple was “married.” And then... the admiral of the ship unexpectedly arrested the “newlyweds”.

While under arrest, she wrote a letter to Orlov, in which she assured him of her unchanging love and asked him to help her free herself. Continuing to play the comedy, the count, who was still afraid of possible revenge on the part of the “villain’s” accomplices, wrote a response in German in which he assured that he himself was “under guard”, but would make every effort to escape and free her. The comedy was aimed, among other things, at keeping the captive from attempting suicide. At the same time, the count's envoys hurriedly departed for Pisa to seize the property and papers of the impostor, and also to disband her retinue, which was successfully done.

Death of Princess Tarakanova

On February 26, the squadron weighed anchor and headed for Russia. In May 1775, the great adventurer was taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Empress entrusted Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsin to conduct the business. Catherine, realizing that the story with the adventurer was not worth her time and effort, ordered the woman to be released if she revealed the secret of her origin. However, the impostor was so frightened and confused that she could not understand what her salvation was. She continued to tell fairy tales that she had composed in freedom, only now interpreting them as completely innocent fun, in which she never laid claim to the throne, but, on the contrary, shamed anyone who dared to push her to make any claims.

By this time, the princess was already mortally ill and was not aware of her actions. She died on December 4, 1775 in one of the cells of the Peter and Paul Fortress from consumption, without revealing the secret of her origin even to the priest before her death. It is quite possible that she herself did not know her.

The legend about the death of Princess Tarakanova during a flood in St. Petersburg in 1777, which served as the plot for the painting by Konstantin Dmitrievich Flavitsky that caused a lot of noise, is not confirmed by research.

Many art historians call Konstantin Dmitrievich Flavitsky (1830-1866) an artist of one painting. He died early, at thirty-six, from tuberculosis. “Princess Tarakanova” is a painting that immortalized the artist. But its meaning remains unclear to an inexperienced person. If the princess is depicted on the canvas, then why is she in a prison cell? And why are the dungeons filled with water? The viewer only understands that the young beautiful girl is waiting in horror for her hour of death. The tragedy of the situation shines through in every detail of the picture. What secret does the painting in the Tretyakov Gallery hide? Read about it in this article.

A short excursion into history

Who is Princess Tarakanova, and is she a real character? The origins of this personality are still unclear. Some researchers believe that she was the daughter of a baker from Nuremberg, others - an innkeeper from Prague. There is even an opinion that she could be the offspring of the "Cockroaches" - the illegitimate children of the empress were called in Russia. For the first time, the young adventurer appears under the name Mademoiselle Frank, then Madame Tremoille, the Persian Ali-Emete, until she finally calls herself Elizaveta Vladimirskaya, the daughter of the empress, born from the latter’s secret marriage with her favorite Razumovsky. It so happened that in Russia only recently the rebellion of Emelyan Pugachev, another “Tarakanov,” was suppressed. Catherine the Second could not remain indifferent to yet another contender for the throne. She instructs Count Orlov to kidnap the impostor. He calmly pretends to be an admirer of Princess Tarakanova, seeks her reciprocity and even offers her his hand and heart. The wedding was supposed to take place on board a Russian ship docked in Livorno. There the princess was arrested. A beautiful impostor died in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Under the impression of these events, the painting “Princess Tarakanova” was born. The story of the poor woman, who ended her life in the prime of life in dark dungeons, later became overgrown with legends.

Truth and Fiction

Official sources claim that the prisoner of the Peter and Paul Fortress died of tuberculosis in December 1775. At her last confession, she did not reveal the secret of her origin to the priest. But there are other records. Thus, it is known that in 1785 a certain Princess Tarakanova took monastic vows and, under the name of nun Dosifea, spent the rest of her life within the walls of the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery. She was under guard, and Metropolitan Platon and other noble persons visited her. Dosithea died in February 1810. She is buried in the Romanov tomb in the Novospassky Monastery. However, in the memory of the people, the death of the princess is surrounded by legends. According to one of them, Princess Tarakanova (the picture was inspired by this myth) drowned during a severe flood that occurred in September 1777. In the entire history of St. Petersburg, this was the third largest flood of the Neva. The water rose more than three meters above its normal level.

K. Flavitsky and his story

The artist was born into the family of a minor official in 1830. He was orphaned early and spent his childhood in an orphanage. However, his talent for drawing helped him break out into the world. He was sent to an art school with funds from the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Later he became a student under Professor F.A. Bruni. Flavitsky graduated with a gold medal in 1855. His student work “The Brothers Sell Joseph into Slavery” brought him the award. gave Flavitsky the opportunity to spend several years in Italy at state expense to improve his skills. It was there that the idea of writing a painting about a great and mysterious adventurer was born. The sketch, based on which the painting “Princess Tarakanova” was painted two years later, was made by the author in Italy. Returning to Russia, Flavitsky presented to the public the painting “Christian Martyrs in the Colosseum” (1862), which did not cause much enthusiasm.

Painting “Princess Tarakanova”: description

On the canvas we see a beautiful girl fleeing from inevitable death on her bed. The cold waves of the Neva are still arriving at the camera. The prison bed had already half disappeared under the water. Adding to the drama are two wet rats climbing onto the bed and huddling at the prisoner’s feet. “Princess Tarakanova” is a painting built on contrasts. The once luxurious dress looks like a bright spot in the squalid gray environment of the dungeon. And the girl herself, with wild hair, pale, frightened, seems like a beautiful exotic bird caught in the snares of the Russian prison system.

“Princess Tarakanova”: a frondeur painting?

You should take into account the period in which the canvas was created. In 1861-1862, many young people protesting against the repressive system were arrested. Some of them were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress and died there. Perhaps there is some kind of Fronde, a hidden rebellion in the picture? It is not for nothing that Flavitsky’s painting was enthusiastically welcomed by the democratic camp of Russia, and it was received very coolly by official circles. Alexander II, having visited the exhibition, ordered an entry to be made in the catalog that “the plot of this picture was borrowed from a novel that has nothing to do with historical truth.” After this, most galleries were wary of purchasing the painting. And only the private merchant Tretyakov bought it for his collection.

The rebellious princess Tarakanova?

Flavitsky’s painting, if you take a closer look at it, reveals one important detail. Princess Tarakanova has four arms. Two, clearly visible, are limply lowered along the body. But if you look closely, you can see two arms crossed over her chest. This was the author's first intention. Later he changed it, deciding to show all the monstrous power of the Russian power system to break people's souls. He painted over his crossed arms. But for some reason they appeared again.