Biography
The brightest and beautiful image in the gallery of the Decabrists - Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya. Like Princess Trubetskaya, she appeared an example of a limitless devotion and a sense of duty, having left Siberia for a reference husband, Prince Sergei Volkonsky after the December events of 1825. Left a mark in history and literature, becoming the author of the "Notes of Maria Volkonskaya", which inspired the poet Nikolai Nekrasov to create the second part of the poem "Russian women".Childhood and youth
Princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya (nee Raevskaya) was born, as it was believed, on July 22, 1804 in the town of Kamenka Chigirinsky County of Kiev province. But there are other data on the date of her birth - January 6, 1806.
The biography of Princess is marked with a rich and noble pedigree. Father Nikolai Nikolayevich Raevsky - Russian Communion, General, war hero 1812. Sophia Alekseevna Konstantinova's mother - granddaughter of the great Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. The family couple was born 7 children - 2 sons and 5 daughters. Many of them saw the light in endless military campaigns of the head of the family, in which he was accompanied by a faithful spouse.
From the side of the Father, children inherited the Polish origin (Raevsky - the old noble race, who served as Russian kings from the XV century), and from the mother of the mother - Greek roots (grandfather Alexey Konstantinov, Personal Librarian Catherine II, was the Greek by nationality).
Greek blood was more reflected on the appearance of Mary, the penultimate daughter of Raevsky. Black and dark-haired, with tender dark skin, she was a favorite father. Nature gave her to an excellent voice, and the general wrote out the teacher from Italy to occupy her daughter's vocal. Masha got a home education, perfectly owned by French and English, adored reading, was interested in history and literature.
The atmosphere in the House of Raevsky, despite the strict patriarchal structure, was very warm and friendly. Sisters looked at the senior brothers and father. In the evenings after dinner, they were musitis in the living room. And returning from noisy balls, locked in her launches, wrote in their maiden diaries when candles light.
In the summer of Nikolai Nikolayevich Raevsky invariably exported the whole family in the Crimea and the Caucasus. It happened that they were accompanied by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who became friends with Nikolai Nikolayevich during the southern link. Already by the age of 16, Maria Nikolaevna became delightful, and the news about her beauty spread in St. Petersburg society.
Personal life
For the first time, the heart of beauty fluttered when she caught a lovely view of a young poet in love. Traveling with Raevski in the Caucasus in 1820, Pushkin became interested in a 15-year-old girl and did not hide his romantic feelings. It is considered that Mary Raevskaya is dedicated to his lyrical poems written in the southern link (among them - later "do not sing, beautiful, with me," "on the hills of Georgia). However, this version refute other researchers of creativity and the biography of the poet.
Anyway, the image of Princess Volkonsky will not once again wake as a poetic fantasy of the poet. He will follow her fate and, having admiring her act of his wife of the Decembrist, will devote new lines to the young woman.
"As a poet, he considered his duty to be in love with all the pretty women and young girls, with whom he met. In essence, he adored only his muse, "Wantcons will write later in his memoirs.Another zadychal Maria Nikolaevna became Count Gustav Oolizar, the Polish poet, a publicist, who was at that time the leader of the nobility of the Kiev province. Enchanted by the delights of young princes, the graph became a frequent guest in the Kiev House Raevsky and in 1823 launched a girl. However, he received a refusal to her father. Olizar was seriously experienced in his personal life, and the image of his beloved washed for a long time in his work.
After a year, Father Mary again received a marriage offer. This time, Prince Sergey Grigorievich Volkonsky, a representative of a notable last name and ancient kind of old kind. He long visited the house of Raevsky and how the enchanted listened to the wonderful singing of Mary, admiring her with black curls.
He was older Masha for 20 years and in his 37 already served in the rank of General Major, the heroic showed himself in the battles of the war of 1812. This time the proposal was made, and on January 11, 1825, a wedding was played in Kiev. It is believed that Maria Raevsky married not at his own desire, but at the insistence of his father, who at the time of the shaky material situation wanted the best fate for his beloved daughter.
Honeymoon was held in Gurzuf, then an endless series of separation began: Volkonsky left for the teachings, Maria, already pregnant, went to Odessa to breathe sea air. In December 1825, Volkonsky gave into their estate in Uman, took his wife and took it to her father's house in Kiev, he left immediately.
The desire of the Decembrists occurred on December 14, 1825 on the Senate Square of St. Petersburg, Maria did not know anything. She hardly tolerated her pregnancy. On January 2, 1826, the son of Nicholas gave birth and spent on a hospital bed for a long time.
She learned about the arrest of her husband closer to the spring and immediately sent a letter to the Petropavlovsk fortress with the intention to divide his fate, even if the prison threatens. Volkonsky replied that
"Does not even want to hope that it will fall out such happiness."Katorga in Siberia
The Decembrist sentence was made on July 12, 1826, according to him, the prince of Volkonsky was convicted for 20 years of Siberian cortics. Having learned about it, Maria spoke partially with relief. After all, all these months she had to endure torture confrontation with his family - father, mother and older brother Alexander, who desperately wanted to burn out a woman from a shameful marriage, insisting on a divorce.
Natives hiding from the princess news, intercepted letters, forbid her husband and his relatives. But Maria, persistently survived all the obstacles, writes the sovereign to Nikolai I, a petition for permission to follow Sergey and receive a positive answer. Leaving a one-year-old Kohl on the care of mother-in-law, Maria Volkonskaya goes to Siberia. The desperate father promised to curse her beloved daughter, if she won't return a year later.
The woman came to the grateful mine, where the Decembrists worked, February 11, 1827. Meeting with her husband was long-awaited and hard at the same time. Maria saw Sergey Grigorievich, chained in the shackles, and in the impulse of the feelings first kissed the shackles, and then his own. The prince by that time completely fell in the spirit and seriously fell ill. The arrival of his wife improved his well-being.
Volkonskaya settled in the same house with the wife of another Decembrist Catherine Trubetskoy. Severe weekdays flowed, women led the farm, learning to save on everything. Maria Nikolaevna took over the obligation to write letters for their natives.
By the end of the year, both princes moved to the cheat. In the local new width soon transferred their husbands. In Chita, Maria Nikolayevna expects several blows of fate at once. At first, in March 1828, terrible news came from St. Petersburg - mother-in-law reported her about the death of her knees. The crushed Mare Maria in order not to go crazy, asks the king to allow her to live in an acute next to her husband and receives the permit.
In 1829, a new strike - the death of the Father. His health was strongly staggered because of the events related to Maria, but before the death he forgave his daughter. And dying, looking at the portrait of his favorite, he admitted that "Maria is the most amazing woman he knew." Mother, possessing a hard character, did not forgive her daughter, as well as brothers and younger sister Sophia. Wantkaya wrote only elder sisters Catherine and Elena.
On July 10, 1830, Maria gave birth to a daughter Sophia, who died on the same day. From the unfulfilled state, the woman came out only thanks to the new move - in the Petrovsky plant. Here, the Decembrists were allowed to live on a free settlement along with their wives in wooden houses. Then the firstborn of Volkonsky Mikhail (1832) was born, and Nelli's daughter (1834).
In 1835, Sergei Grigorievich was freed from the calendar work on the state of health, and his spouse achieved their move to the village of Urik to live near Dr. Wolf, whose services had to use frequently. Spouses built a summer house "Kamachnik" in Ust-Kudow, where they took rare guests.
In Urika, the Decembrists A. Sodahio, M. Lunin lived. Both were big friends of the Volkonsky family and, it is believed to have felt feelings for Mary. And if the first was in love with the princess purely Platonically, then between the approach and Volkonskaya, according to some historians, there was a love relationship. However, Maria Nikolaevna's biographers deny this fact.
Having lived in Urick 8 years, Maria Volkonskaya in 1845 received permission to move to Irkutsk. Here she defined children in the gymnasium and joined secular life, began to visit theaters, and soon herself opened her salon, as well as Princess Trubetskaya.
Once close and faithful girlfriends have now become risks and removed each other. Finally, women climbed, without sharing the cottage, on which both laid eyes.
At this time, the health of Maria Nikolaevna worsens. It almost does not come out of the house because of the attacks that happen to it in the cold. Hurry to determine the fate of children and in 1850 he is married to Elena's daughter (Nelly) for the official Dmitry Molchanova, despite his bad reputation in society.
In 1855, Alexander II goes back to the Russian throne. Amnesty is nearing 1856, when the liberated Decembrists leave Siberia. The princess Maria leaves a little earlier due to weak health and settles in Moscow at his daughter, and Volkonsky arrives there.
Death
In recent years, a woman traveled a lot. The daughter was secondaryly issued, widowed in 1857, for the diplomat Nicholas Kochubey. He married her son on the princess Elizabeth Volkonskaya, the wedding took place in Geneva. Having visited Rome on the grave of Mother and Sisters Elena.
Maria Nikolaevna completely slightly ran away after the death of Alexander's grandson and died in 1861, in the estate of the son-in-law in the funnels (Chernihiv province). Sergey Volkonsky was at this time abroad, he died, broken by paralysis, in 1865.