Catherine's namesake was glorified by television people, giving her the title of the Bloody Lady. The name of the admirable representative of the Saltykov family is practically forgotten today. It's time to restore justice.
Contemporaries considered Ekaterina Saltykova one of the most charming women in Northern Palmyra. Emperor Alexander I treated her with great sympathy and was clearly not against reciprocity. However, the beauty was alien to love intrigues, even the "oral creativity" of the court could not attribute spicy adventures to her. The reason for such coldness was not vanity, or indifference to the joys of life, but deep religiosity and a desire to follow the commandments of Christ.
early years
In 1791, the family of the retired general, Prince Vasily Dolgorukov, was replenished with a daughter. She was named after the reigning empress and benefactress. After 5 years, Catherine the Great will die, and her son will grant the prince the position of a real privy councilor. The grace of Paul I was short-lived - soon Vasily Dolgorukov was expelled from service and for his own safety, together with his wife and children, he went on a trip to Europe.
The exiles preferred to leave their sons abroad, sending them to study at the University of Strasbourg. Little Katya remained with her parents. She visited Germany, Austria, Italy. The princely couple gave the heiress an excellent education and raised her interest in the arts. The Dolgorukovs' daughter, as a teenager, aroused admiration from everyone who saw her - she was called a magnificent dancer and musician.
Homecoming
The change of the sovereign allowed the Dolgorukovs to return to Russia. They arrived in the capital in 1807 and rented a house from Count Nikolai Saltykov. Sixteen-year-old Katya was introduced to the imperial court and made a splash - everyone marveled at her beauty and modesty. The young maiden was immediately included in the empress's maid of honor. The years of wandering were not in vain for the financial situation of the princes, and the same Saltykov, who rented them living space, demanded to pay the expenses by giving his daughter in marriage to his son.
Sergei Saltykov, the future husband of Catherine, was enrolled in the guard from birth, but preferred to stay at court to military service. Marrying a new maid of honor helped his career, but turned his personal life into a living hell. The newlyweds tried not to wash dirty linen in public, however, everyone in St. Petersburg knew that their life together was not going well.
Unhappy wife
The plight of the Saltykov couple was so obvious that Alexander I himself decided to intervene in the situation. The Emperor was a connoisseur of female beauty and was very sorry for Ekaterina Vasilievna. He offered the lady of the court to divorce her husband, promising to protect her from possible attacks and, if she so wished, remarry her. The woman refused such a flattering offer, citing the fact that the Christian church does not approve of the breaking of marriage ties. Such an answer to the sovereign himself shocked society.
In 1828 Sergei Saltykov died. He did not leave a will, because the unfortunate Catherine was awaited by the courts - a widow without children could not claim all the property of the deceased spouse. As a result, she had to buy a house on her own. The princess chose the option closer to the Winter Palace in order to keep up with the service on time. Evil tongues noted that Ekaterina Vasilievna had become prettier and hoped to find out the name of her lover. However, the widow had no heart secret and it became boring to discuss it again.
Keeper of the order
Interest in the pious aristocrat flared up under Nicholas I. The courtyard, which resembled a barracks, needed gendarmes, and Ekaterina Saltykova seemed the best candidate for this role. In 1835 she was awarded the title of lady of state, and 5 years later she took the post of chamberlain under Tsarevich Alexander.
Career rise did not spoil the character of our heroine - contemporaries remember her as a strict, but not at all cruel woman. Having ascended the throne, Alexander II left Saltykov at court. The patronage of the once famous beauty was sought by girls who were first brought to the magnificent St. Petersburg, they knew that she would become their second mother. The ladies-in-waiting called Ekaterina Vasilievna Mother Goose, noting her emotional care for her neighbors.
Personality
Behind Ekaterina Saltykova's stiffness hid a strong nature. The ruined family life and piety did not prevent her from finding pleasure in creativity. The noble lady played music and painted in her free time. One of her paintings has survived to this day - a self-portrait next to a portrait of her mother. Unfortunately, the contribution of this extraordinary person to Russian culture was not appreciated, even today Saltykova's painting is viewed exclusively as an object of the era, and not art.
In 1846, Ekaterina Vasilievna bought a dacha on the Okhta River. There she organized an almshouse at her own expense. The princess ordered the project of the church from the academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts Vladislav Lvov, paid for its decoration and the construction of living quarters for her wards. Soon, homeless and poor women found shelter here. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of Ekaterina Saltykova to the social protection of the population: the princess paid for the needs of the institution and bequeathed all her property to him. The almshouse founded by the lady of state has been receiving the needy for almost 100 years.
The biography of Ekaterina Saltykova confirms that a person's personality plays a decisive role in the interpretation of popular ideas in society. If for the already mentioned Daria Saltychikha religion served as an excuse for monstrous crimes, then Ekaterina Saltykova, guided by the teachings of Jesus, saved the lives of the disadvantaged. It is unfair that the name of a woman, a philanthropist and artist, is less popular than the stories of the monster and murderer.
