22.11.2016| 16:46

The premiere of a film about Princess Tarakanova took place at the Museum of One Picture. The identity of this woman is shrouded in mystery for the third century. The image of the adventurer, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and 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. Among them was "Princess Tarakanova", - said the director of the film "The Secret of the Old Picture" Larisa Trushina.

The plot for the work of Flavitsky was the legend of the death of Tarakanova during the 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), but thanks to the artist, it was this version of the death of the impostor that was fixed in the people's memory.

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

The actors of the Penza Drama Theater starred in the film "The Secret of the Old Picture". The roles of the princess were played by Anna Arzyamova, Prince Alexander Golitsyn, who interrogated Tarakanov in the Peter and Paul Fortress, was played by Pavel Tachkov, and Grigory Mazur acted as the host.

By the way, the previous film, which told about the history of the portrait of Varvara Rimskaya-Korsakova, which was shown at the Museum of One Picture, gathered a record number of viewers - 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|

That's how it works. We talk about history, but falsification comes out

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:40|

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

This is according to Penzainform, she is the daughter of the Empress and the sister of a rebellious serf - a smerda

Guest | 22.11.2016 19:43|

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

Only Kirya does not know, and any loser knows her name

Princess Tarakanova (calling herself Princess Elizabeth Vladimirskaya; between 1745 and 1753 - December 4, 1775, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire) - an unknown person who posed as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky. In 1774, she announced 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 pleaded not guilty and did not disclose 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 peasant Emelyan Pugachev

And she is not. Razumovsky was from the peasants, they took from the choristers.

Guest | 11/23/2016 09:19|

Guest wrote:

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

right! and DO NOT READ "WAR AND PEACE", all the same, these are fictional characters.

Guest | 23.11.2016 10:36|

So many disagreements about the image of the "princess". And it's about the painting. Gotta 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 clarified the number of officials elected as academicians

President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Vladimir Fortov said that up to seven civil servants received the title of academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences in October. It is reported on Wednesday, November 23, "Interfax".

“A man five or seven, like this. 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, at a meeting of the Council on Science and Education, the head of state 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 high-ranking officials who did not heed the Kremlin's recommendation.

According to the President, it is impossible to effectively combine work in public authorities 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 it? They are such prominent scientists that the Academy of Sciences cannot do without them?” - Interfax quotes the head of state.

Fortov assured that they all met the requirements. The President, in turn, stressed that at the end of last year he instructed not to combine scientific activity with public service. Conscientious officials should not have 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 | 11/24/2016 00:02|

Meeting of the Council for Science and Education

At the end of our today's meeting, I have one technical, personnel question. Vladimir Evgenievich knows that 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 the past, many representatives of various levels of government took part in the elections to the Academy of Sciences, including top officials.

I asked my colleagues to refrain from participating in the election of new members of state academies of sciences due to the fact that people who hold positions in government bodies, especially at the top levels, are employed or should at least be seriously employed , otherwise they are not able to fulfill their official duties, and they can engage in scientific research only in their free time, which, in fact, is not left for people who conscientiously work 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 Office of the Presidential Affairs, 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 prominent 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 had received permission from their leaders.

Vladimir Putin: No, that was not the issue. Are they such great scientists that they should be correspondent members and academics?

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

Discussion news closed

Princess Tarakanova

When the light-filled halls of the Kolomna Palace roared, the feast arranged by Peter I in honor of the birth of his daughter Elizabeth, hundreds of miles from Moscow, thundered, in one of the huts of the seedy Lemeshi farm, located on the highway between Kiev and Chernigov, a cradle with a baby swayed under a low ceiling , son of the Cossack Grigory Rozum. They called him at baptism Alexei, in Ukrainian Oleksa.

Chernigov Cossack

Oleksa grew up as a smart, inquisitive lad. His father, an inveterate reveler and frequenter of local taverns, was infuriated by his love for a book, which he noticed v son. Once, entering the hut and seeing Oleksa with a book in his hands, he rushed at him with an ax. Oleksa, fleeing the fierce father's anger, fled to the neighboring village of Chemer, to the deacon of the parish church, and begged for protection and shelter. The deacon of Chemer arranged him at the temple, since his voice was, as they said in the old days, angelic.

There, in Chemery, Oleksa Rozum was spotted by Colonel Fyodor Vishnevsky, who was returning from Hungary with wines for the imperial cellars. In addition to this, the main assignment, he had one more, so to speak, incidental - to look for vociferous guys for the court chapel.

Count Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky

Tsesarevna Elizaveta saw and heard the singer from Chernihiv region for the first time in the palace church. Yes, and how it was not to notice him, how not to admire his singing! .. They say that Oleksa Rozum was extremely good-looking. Tall, slender, swarthy, with regular features, with dark eyes under gracefully arched eyebrows. In a word, a written handsome man. And besides, the voice is clear, sonorous tenor.
Oleksa Rozum moved to the princess and was enrolled in her modest court as a bandura player. After the palace coup in November 1741, when the thirty-two-year-old Elizabeth finally ascended the throne, the bandura player from the Lemeshi farm soared skyward: the count's dignity under a new surname - Razumovsky, chamberlain, chief jagermeister, captain-lieutenant of the life company and, finally, field marshal general.

Palace coup by Elizabeth Petrovna

Order of St. Anne and Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Thousands of fortresses. At the coronation, he carried her train.

The passion of the Russian Empress for the former singer and bandura player was apparently so strong and deep that she went down the aisle with him. Elizabeth and Razumovsky got married secretly in a church near Moscow late in the evening, on November 24, 1742, on the first anniversary of the palace coup...

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

What prompted such a move? Most likely, the secret wedding was due to political considerations. The dignitaries feared that many European princes would harass the hands of a beautiful queen. And foreign dominance and so more than suffered in the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Bironovshchina was memorable to everyone ...

According to legend, two or three years after the wedding in a church near Moscow in Perovo, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna secretly gave birth to a daughter, who was later nicknamed "Princess Tarakanova." Strange name, isn't it?

Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign in Perovo

History does not know the princes Tarakanovs. And what does the Tarakanovs have to do with it, when on the one hand - Romanova, and on the other - Razumovsky? Various assumptions were made on this score, but one seems more convincing than others, connecting the surname of the mysterious princess with the surname of Alexei Razumovsky's relatives - Daraganov.

One of his sisters, Vera, was married off to the Cossack Daragan. In court circles, the Daraganovs were remade into the Daraganovs, and from the Daraganovs - one step to the Tarakanovs, a surname much more understandable for Russians. Tarakanovs began to be called not only the nephews of Alexei Razumovsky, but also his own daughter, who spent her early childhood in the Daragans' house. More about her, in those years, nothing was known.

Emperor Peter III Fedorovich

After the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter III came to the throne. Their relationship with his wife Catherine was bad, the emperor was clearly heading for a break: Catherine was waiting for a divorce, a monastery, maybe death.
Various circles cherished the idea of ​​the deposition of Peter III. Catherine, who was popular with the people, had her own plans.

Peter III and Catherine II

The guards dreamed of seeing her on the throne; dignitaries contemplated replacing Peter with his son under Catherine's regency. The incident caused a premature explosion. In the center of the movement were the guards: the dignitaries had to recognize the fait accompli of Catherine's accession.
Peter III was deposed on June 28, 1762 by a military mutiny, without a shot, without shedding a drop of blood.

proclamation of Catherine II as empress

In the subsequent death of Peter III (July 6, 1762), Catherine is most likely innocent. However, the accession of Catherine was certainly a usurpation - it was impossible to find any legal grounds for it.

Empress Catherine II Alekseevna the Great

Empress Catherine II had absolutely no blood connection with the “royal house”, and all the years of her long reign she constantly and intently looked around in fear of the appearance of some “legitimate” applicant or some “legitimate” applicant.
And the legend went around the world that somewhere there is a legitimate heir (heir?) of the throne ...

In October 1772, a charming young woman appeared in Paris - the same one who later began to call herself Tarakanova. She also had another name - Ali Emeti, Princess of Vladomirskaya. She stayed in a luxurious hotel on the island of Saint-Louis and lived in a big way, which was soon known to all of Paris. She was surrounded by crowds of servants. Baron Embes, whom she passed off as her relative, and Baron de Schenck, the commandant and manager, were always nearby.

The arrival of a mysterious foreigner brought an extraordinary revival to the life of the Parisians. Princess Vladomirskaya opened a salon, sent out invitations, and they were eagerly responded to.

To tell the truth, her audience was very diverse: for example, among the representatives of the nobility one could meet a merchant from the Saint-Denis quarter, who was simply called Ponce, and a banker named Mackay. Both of them considered it a great honor to be in such a refined society. The merchant and the banker assured that they were always happy to help the noble Circassian princess (for, according to her, she was born in distant Circassia), who was about to inherit a huge fortune from her uncle, who now lives in Persia.

What did the mysterious princess look like? Here is how Count Waliszewski describes it:
“She is young, beautiful and amazingly graceful. She has ashy hair, like Elizabeth's, the color of her eyes is constantly changing - they are either blue or blue-black, which gives her face a certain mystery and dreaminess, and looking at her, it seems as if she herself is all woven from dreams. She has noble manners - she seems to have received an excellent upbringing. She pretends to be a Circassian, more precisely, so many call her - the niece of a noble, wealthy Persian ... "

We also have another, rather curious description of our heroine - it belongs to the pen of Prince Golitsyn: “As far as one can judge, she is a sensitive and ardent nature. She has a lively mind, she has a wide knowledge, is fluent in French and German and speaks without any accent. According to her, she discovered this amazing ability for languages ​​in herself when she wandered around different states. In a fairly short time, she managed to learn English and Italian, and while in Persia, she learned to speak Persian and Arabic.

Among the guests, who visited the princess most often, was the Polish nobleman Count Oginsky. He arrived in Paris to ask the French king to help his long-suffering Poland.

Mikhail Kazimir Oginsky

The princess also had another loyal admirer - Comte de Rochefort-Valcourt, who was literally captivated by her beauty. The count confessed his love to the princess, and she, it seems, did not remain indifferent to his feelings.

But here's a surprise! The royal gendarmes have taken into custody the so-called Baron Embs! It turned out that he was not at all a baron and not a relative of the princess, but an ordinary Flemish commoner and her lover. They arrested him because he refused to pay bills on time. True, he was soon released on bail. And a friendly company (princess, Embs and Shenk) hastily left for Germany ..

Comte de Rochefort, burning with love, followed his beloved to Frankfurt. Moreover, he introduced the princess to the prince of Limburg-Stirumsky, the owner, like most German petty nobles, of a tiny plot of land and the leader of an army of a dozen soldiers. Prince Limburgsky immediately fell in love with a beautiful Circassian woman and she decided to play on his passions - of course, for her own benefit. She succeeded, and so much so that, in the end, the prince asked for her hand!

0 the existence of the real Princess Tarakanova she could know by hearsay - therefore, she could well appropriate her name and fool people right and left. So, for example, it is known for certain that, when she traveled to different European cities, she introduced herself under various names, being called, in particular, Mademoiselle Frank, then Mademoiselle Choll, and everywhere she made love affairs and swindled money from simple-hearted admirers.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Limburg gradually became a slave to his passion. Blinded by love, he did not notice how, surrounded by Princess Tarakanova, now everyone called her that, a Pole appeared by the name of Domansky. He was young, good-looking, had a lively mind and was distinguished by enviable courage, not only in words, like many, but also in deeds. Thus, another Pole appeared in our history - perhaps not by chance.

Stanislaw-August Poniatowski, King of Poland

In 1772 and 1773, Poland experienced a crisis, which, however, she would never be able to overcome. Catherine II imposed her favorite Stanislav Poniatowski as king on the Poles. He remained in power solely thanks to the patronage of the Russians, who took literally everything into their hands: the Polish army, diplomacy, and local government. Most of the Polish nobles, who dreamed of an aristocratic republic, took up arms to defend the independence of their homeland. But the regiments of Stanislav and Catherine defeated the rebels to smithereens. And those of them who survived had to leave Poland.

Count Oginsky settled in Paris, and Prince Karl Radziwill, the Vilna governor and chief leader of the Confederates (as the Polish nobles who rebelled against Poniatowski were called) preferred to settle in Mannheim. Most of his supporters followed him. They did not hide their desire - at the first opportunity to again take up arms against Stanislav. Domansky, more than anyone else, was impatient to fight for the independence of Poland.
With him were a certain Joseph Richter, who once served Count Oginsky in Paris. Oginsky "conceded" to his princess Vladomirskaya. So Richter, in the retinue of the princess, ended up in Germany. Richter told Domansky, his new master, about the princess, about her "quirks, beauty and charm." And Domansky, who had a weakness for beautiful women, fell in love with her without memory. Our princess definitely resembled a siren. But after Domansky appeared in the life of Princess Tarakanova, her behavior changed dramatically. Until now, Tarakanova behaved like a notorious adventuress. Now she really imagines herself a contender for the throne.

Chalemel-Lacour, who studied this intricate story in the most detail, believed that such a change did not happen to her by chance. Polish emigrants were well aware that Catherine intended to wipe their homeland off the face of the earth, and the only thing that could save Poland was the removal of Catherine from power.

Maybe she should have been killed? Difficult, even impossible. But what if we set up a worthy rival against Catherine, presenting her to the Russian people as the only legitimate heir to the Russian throne? Not bad idea! From time immemorial, Russia has been considered a country of palace conspiracies and coups, where the people, ready for any surprises, always lived in anticipation of some kind of miracle.

Emelyan Ivanovich Pugachev

At the time when Domansky met Tarakanova, in Europe they were only talking about the Pugachev rebellion. Didn't Pugachev pretend to be Tsar Peter III? The same Peter III, the husband of Catherine II, who was killed by Catherine's supporters on her own - as they said - order. Pugachev, who appeared from nowhere, took it and announced:
“I am Peter III, miraculously saved from death. Follow me, Russian people, and take revenge on the wicked wife who yearned for my death!”

However, they did not have time to execute Pugachev, as another “king” appeared - a Greek doctor named Stefano. He wandered around Montenegro and publicly declared: “I am Tsar Peter III!”
Thus, under the prevailing historical conditions, a woman who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth had no less chances than some Pugachev or Stefano.

Just at this time, Tarakanova participated in all the gatherings of Polish emigrants. It was then that Prince Radziwill, to whom Domansky told about the “appearance” of the princess, wrote: “Madam, I consider the enterprise conceived by your highness as a kind of miracle bestowed by Providence itself, which, wanting to save our long-suffering homeland from death, sends her such a great heroine."

Karl Stanislav Radziwill

The only person who looked at all this mouse fuss with complete indifference was the Prince of Limburg. He did not even notice that his beloved was cheating on him with Domansky. Imagine his amazement when Tarakanova told him that she intended to leave Germany, because she was expected in Venice. She was gentle with him, but in everything that concerned her ambitions, she was firm and resolute.

Once she showed him a letter allegedly received from an associate of Radziwill, where it was written that Louis XV approved of her intention to go to Constantinople and claim her rights to the Russian throne. In addition, Radziwill was already waiting for her in Venice.
In the face of such convincing political arguments, the unfortunate Prince of Limburg had no choice but to resign himself. He swore that he would love Tarakanova until the end of his days, and, having equipped a magnificent motorcade for her (which took a lot of money), he escorted her to De Pont. Moreover, he even recognized her right, in the event of his untimely death, to take the title of Princess of Limburg-Shtirumskaya and fixed this on paper. So Tarakanova, having arrived in Venice on May 13, 1774, already introduced herself as the Countess of Pineberg - that was the name of one of the estates of Prince Limburgsky.
Tarakanova in a gondola went up the Grand Canal.

She was met by Radziwill himself - he bowed most humbly to the newly-minted Russian empress. The gondola delivered Tarakanova to her residence. But not to some inn, to a hotel or a private house, but straight to the mansion of the French embassy. Just like in a fairy tale. Nevertheless, the documents undeniably show that Versailles almost recognized Tarakanova. Still: after all, Oginsky was his own person there. Having become "persona grata" under Louis, he managed to awaken in the French monarch sympathy for the fate of Poland. In addition, royal diplomats mistakenly believed that the power of Catherine II was fragile.

But did Louis's ministers really believe in Tarakanova's rights? Or was there a political calculation at work here? Unfortunately, it is not easy to answer this question unambiguously.

Meanwhile, Tarakanova, having securely settled in the French embassy, ​​began to arrange receptions. And many were in a hurry to see it, and mainly - the inhabitants of the French colony. She received visitors with all the ceremonies of court etiquette, as befits a real empress. Radziwill and Domansky literally spent the day and night with her. English merchants and aristocrats visited her. The Italians, however, also did not stand aside.

The Poles from her entourage were poor, like church mice, and it turned out to be very, very expensive to maintain at their own expense a whole “yard”, albeit a small one. After some time, Tarakanova began to be overcome by creditors. And then one fine day, our princess, without the slightest hesitation, ordered to collect all her belongings and went to Ragusa. Before leaving, she summoned the Polish nobles and encouraged those present by declaring that she would do her best to punish those responsible and avenge all the atrocities committed against Poland.

And France continued to patronize her. The French consul at Ragusa placed at her disposal a country residence, the most beautiful villa in the vicinity of the city.

Ragusa

And again, aristocrats from all over Europe began to gather in her salon. None of them for a moment doubted the validity of her claims - they sincerely believed that the day was not far off when Tarakanova, the unfortunate victim of political intrigues, would replace the wicked Catherine on the Russian throne.

Apparently, she knew the life of the Russian people quite well and was well versed in "everything that had to do with the East." But was it really enough to claim the Russian throne? Others still doubted it. And then, Tarakanova called Radziwill to her and showed him papers, among which was the spiritual Peter the Great and another one written by Elizabeth's hand and securing the right to titles and the crown of the Russian Empire for Tarakanova. Thus, in her will, Elizabeth recognized Tarakanov as her own daughter and expressed her will to replace her on the throne and rule under the tutelage of Prince Peter Holstein.

As Chalemel-Lacour notes, Radziwill did not doubt the authenticity of her papers at all. The Pole was not surprised when Tarakanova confessed to him that Pugachev (just at that time he was devastating the Russian provinces like a hurricane) was no Peter III. In that case, who? And just like her, the son of Elizabeth and Razumovsky.

She's clearly gone over the top here. And Radziwill, always so obliging before, began to visit her less and less often. In addition, a Russian-Turkish peace treaty was signed at that time. And the Poles, who hated Catherine and Russia, now pinned great hopes on Turkey's help. Their hopes were not justified, but in the current political situation, Tarakanova's authority began to noticeably fall.

Rumors spread that Tarakanova was a real adventurer. Radziwill and his closest associates defiantly returned to Venice. And Tarakanova had to live only on her own means and those that fell to her from Domansky. However, such an unexpected turn in fate did not embarrass her, and she was not at all going to retreat.

Soon she became aware that there was a Russian squadron in the Mediterranean Sea and that it was commanded by Alexei Orlov, brother of Grigory, Catherine's favorite. There was a rumor that he fell out of favor with the Empress of All Russia.

Count Alexei Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky

Tarakanova wrote to Orlov, admitting that she was a true Russian empress, that Pugachev was her brother, and that the Turkish sultan considered all her claims legitimate. She also promised to make Orlov the first person in Russia - if, of course, he would take her side and help her ascend the throne. But she never received an answer.

In the meantime, behind her, as once in Paris and Venice, creditors followed in a crowd. And, as in Paris and Venice, our princess took it and quietly disappeared! A little later, she showed up in Naples, at the English embassy. The English ambassador, Sir William Hamilton, and his wife, Lady Hamilton, met Tarakanova with open arms and courted her like a real queen.

Sir William Hamilton and his wife

In Rome, where she subsequently went, she was taken under the protection of a cardinal. Tarakanov was about to be recognized by dad ...
Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Catherine II, who until now only despised the adventuress, was now literally tearing and throwing. It's time to put an end to the intriguer once and for all, who was already becoming seriously dangerous.

To whom to entrust such an unusual and delicate task? Catherine decided without hesitation - only to Alexei Orlov. The very one to whom Tarakanova had the audacity and imprudence to write. Orlov forwarded the message addressed to him to Catherine, and she gave the following answer in a message dated November 12, 1774:
“... Tell me where she is now. Try to call her on the ship and then secretly smuggle here; if she is still hiding in Ragusa, I command you to send one or more ships there and demand the extradition of this nonentity, who arrogantly appropriated a name that in no way belongs to her; in case of disobedience (that is, if you are denied extradition), I allow you to resort to a threat, and if the need arises, then shell the city with cannons; however, if there is an opportunity to grab it silently, you will have the cards in your hands, I will not object.

Orlov had to start the game. His flagship anchored in Livorno. The princess left Rome and settled in Pisa. And then one fine day Tarakanova received great news: a cortege of Admiral Orlov was heading towards her. The admiral asks to be accepted. Having appeared before Tarakanova, Orlov immediately bowed to her and with all his behavior made it clear that he recognized her as a real princess. He began to visit her almost every day. And every time the princess told him for a long time about her wishes, hopes and prospects for the future. The admiral listened and nodded in agreement .. The only thing that Catherine did not take into account when sending Orlov on a secret mission to the swindler was that she was young and beautiful. Nor could she have foreseen that Orlov would fall in love with her without memory. He, too, was young and handsome. And the princess loved him with all her heart.

Soon he humbly asked the future "Empress" whether she, Romanov, Orlov would honor the honor of becoming his wife. Having lost her head from such unexpected happiness, Tarakanova agreed. Then the admiral offered to celebrate their wedding on his ship - "a particle of the Russian land."

And Tarakanova, dressed in a wedding dress, boarded the Russian flagship.

But before she had time to step on deck, the sailors grabbed her and carried her into the farthest hold. The sails were raised on the flagship. Orlov's trick was a success! The traitor in him turned out to be stronger than the man in love...

Tarakanova was taken to Russia and thrown into prison.

The person who was assigned to conduct an inquiry into the Tarakanova case was Field Marshal, Prince Golitsyn.

Golitsyn Alexander Mikhailovich (Prince, Field Marshal)

He presented the most curious reports to the Empress, based on the confessions of Tarakanova herself, saying that she did not know the Russian language at all. Golitsyn was struck by Tarakanova's poor health: "She has not only frequent attacks of dry cough, but also vomiting mixed with hemoptysis."

A.M. Golitsyn interrogates Princess Tarakanova

So what did Tarakanova admit to? And here is what: “Her name is Elizabeth, she is twenty-three years old; she knows neither her nationality, nor the place where she was born, she does not know who her parents were. She grew up in Holstein, in the city of Kiel, in the house of a certain Frau, either Peretta, or Peran - she doesn’t remember exactly. She was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church...

When she was nine years old, she repeatedly asked her teacher who her parents were. She replied that soon, they say, she would know everything. At the same time, the teacher and another woman, a native of Holstein named Katrin, together with three men whose nationality she did not know, took her to Russia, through Livonia. Bypassing Petersburg and other cities, they moved towards the Persian border.

She was sick all the way, and she had to be left in some village - she does not remember her name. It seems to her that they just tried to poison her. She then suffered greatly, wept all the time and asked at whose insidious instigation she was left in this wilderness. But it was all in vain. And only later, from the conversations of the peasants, she realized that she was being kept here on the orders of the late Emperor Peter III...
But finally, together with a maid and a peasant, she managed to escape, and after four days they reached Baghdad on foot. In Baghdad, they met a rich Persian named Gamet, who invited them to his house, treated her in a fatherly manner, affectionately and caringly. Soon she learned that the almighty prince Gali, the owner of a huge fortune in Isfahan, was hiding in the same house. Somewhat later, Prince Gali, having heard her story, promised to help her and took her to Isfahan with him.

There he treated her like a noble person. Believing in her high origin, the prince told her more than once that she was probably the daughter of the deceased Empress Elizabeth Petrovna - however, everyone who saw her said the same thing. True, many argued about who her father was. Some believed - Razumovsky, others believed - that a completely different person, but for some reason they did not name him.

Prince Gali, having taken her under his protection, declared that he would not spare all his wealth in order to prove her highest origin. She lived in Isfahan until 1768. However, soon there was again a great turmoil in Persia, and the prince, not wanting to endanger his life, decided to leave his homeland and go to Europe. She agreed to go with him, but only on one condition - if they bypassed Russia, because she also did not want to risk her life ... But Gali reassured her, saying that in Astrakhan she would change into a man's dress, and thus they could safely cross all of Russia.

According to Tarakanova, she spent two days in Astrakhan, a night in St. Petersburg, then, through Riga, she ended up in Koenigsberg, lived in Berlin for six weeks, almost six months in London, and moved from London to France. She arrived in Paris in 1772.

E. Tarakanova in Paris (Princess Vladomirskaya)

But what about Tarakanova's claims? However, let's give the floor to Golitsyn:

“In the end, she claims that she never thought of impersonating the daughter of the late Empress Elizabeth and that no one incited her to this, and she supposedly learned about her origin only from Prince Gali. She declares that she did not want to be called this title - neither Prince of Limburg, nor Radziwill ...

She says that in Venice she strictly forbade Colonel Knorr to address her as highness. When he objected, she went to Ragusa and forbade the local authorities to use the title of princess in relation to her.

While in Ragusa, she received an unnamed letter and three spiritual letters: the first was signed by the hand of Emperor Peter the Great and had to do with the crowning of Catherine I; the second was signed by Empress Catherine I - about the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna, and the third - Elizavetino - about the transfer of the crown to her daughter, who should be called Elizabeth II ...

She also claims that she sent a letter to the count, Orlov, only in order to find out who took the trouble to send her the mentioned papers and whether they could come from Russia ... "

Prince Golitsyn ended his report to the Empress as follows:
“The prisoner, relying on the mercy of the Empress, claims that in fact she always had love for Russia and prevented any malicious intent that could harm the Russian state, which ultimately caused her quarrel with Radziwill ....”

Tarakanova soon realized that she, it seems, would never be destined to be released, and nevertheless she sent a letter filled with bitter despair to Catherine II:

"Your Imperial Majesty, I believe it is time to notify you that everything written within the walls of this fortress is clearly not enough to dispel Your Majesty's suspicions about me. Therefore, I decided to turn to Your Imperial Majesty with a plea to listen to me personally , but not only for this reason, but also because I can be of great benefit to Russia.

And my prayer is a true guarantee of that. Besides, I could well refute everything that was written and said against me. I look forward to Your Imperial Majesty's orders and trust in Your generosity. Having the honor to convey to Your Imperial Majesty the assurances of my deepest respect, I remain Your most obedient and humble servant.
Elizabeth".


In addition, Tarakanova wrote two letters to Prince Golitsyn and signed with the same name - Elizabeth.

Thus, she twice committed an unforgivable mistake, thereby incurring the wrath of Catherine.

Soon she was informed that the swindler was the daughter of a Prague tavern keeper; then - as if she was born in Poland, which explained her connection with Radziwill's confederates; then - that she is the daughter of a Nuremberg baker, and to top it all - that she comes from a family of a Polish Jew. However, none of the versions clearly suited Catherine II. Judging by the behavior of the empress, she was excited about something and even alarmed.

Princess Tarakanova in the casemate of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Soon, she found some comfort: it turned out that the impostor was really bad. She was shaking with fever every now and then. Hemoptysis has become more frequent. On October 26, 1775, Prince Golitsyn informed Catherine that Tarakanova's condition was deplorable: "The doctor who uses her fears that she will not last long."

And indeed, on December 3, 1775, having called a Catholic priest to her, she expired, confessing nothing and betraying no one.

It is known that Catherine II forbade any inquiry that could expose Tarakanova. The queen never formally challenged her claims. Catherine wanted only one thing - to end this matter as soon as possible.

“It is quite remarkable,” writes Chalemel-Lacour, that no one has ever attempted to refute the widespread belief that the Empress Elisabeth had a daughter, or to prove that she died, or at least to find out what became of her.

Eight years after the death of the prisoner of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the French ambassador to Russia, the Marquis de Vrak, at the request of one of the Paris creditors of the former Princess Vladomirskaya, collected some information about Tarakanova in St. Petersburg. The ambassador presented them in a dispatch, which is now kept in the archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this dispatch, de Vrak expressed his conviction that "she really was the daughter of Elizabeth and Razumovsky."

After long painstaking research, supported by eloquent documents, the historian Charles de Lariviere also came to the conclusion that Tarakanova could well be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth.

The time of the Pugachev rebellion was clouded for yet another extremely unpleasant event. 1773, December - a person appeared in Germany who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth and her secret husband Alexei Razumovsky. The impostor called herself the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and assured that she had all the rights to the Russian throne.

As soon as Pugachev appeared in Russia, she assured that he was her half-brother, who would help her in everything. The whole story of Princess Tarakanova is shrouded in such secrets, gave birth to so many fables and sewn with such white threads that there is no way to tell about it clearly. One thing is for sure, after the first partition of Poland, Prince Karl Radziwill, head of the Polish Confederates, seized on the idea of ​​imposture and promised Tarakanova the support of both Poles and Turks. The princess's heart longed for a storm, and she got it.

A.G. Brickner wrote: “The Changeling, according to the testimony of all those who saw her, had a rather attractive appearance, was distinguished by a quick mind, was not devoid of some education, spoke German and French very fluently and a little English and Italian. According to her, in 1775 she was 23 years old, but apparently she was older. Either she called herself Sultana Selina or Ali-Emete, then Princess of Vladimir, then Madame Frank, Shell, Tremul, etc. In Venice, she appeared under the name of Countess Pinneberg. The English envoy in Petersburg claimed that she was the daughter of an innkeeper in Prague, the English ambassador in Livorno considered her the daughter of a Nuremberg baker.

She possessed unusual energy, constantly lived in debt, her indefatigable nature craved glory. Mobile as mercury, she wandered around Europe with a retinue of admirers, looking for influential people and funds to help "her brother", assuring everyone that Pugachev, in turn, would help her. Indeed, not a single century, except for the 18th century, gave birth to so many brilliant, inventive and absolutely incredible adventurers.

Princess Tarakanova had three documents in her hands, which confirmed her rights to the Russian throne. All three documents were forged: testament, "testament" - the testament of Catherine 1 on the succession to the throne and the spiritual testament of Elizabeth. 1774 - after long and difficult wanderings, she appeared in Italy, in Venice, and then in Ragusa. She was surrounded by noble Poles. Here the legend was born that she was the daughter of Empress Elizabeth and Razumovsky, however, instead of Alexei (Elizabeth's unmarried husband), she strayed and called Cyril, his brother. However, she didn't care.

Catherine heard rumors from Europe about the appearance of an impostor. She said with equanimity: “There is no need to pay attention to this wanderer,” but this matter could not be ignored. Alexey Orlov meanwhile was in Livorno and lived very widely. His duties included solving all diplomatic and political affairs, money from Russia flowed like a river. Proud of his recent victory, he commissioned an Italian artist to paint a picture of the Battle of Chesma. At that time, abstractionism was not yet thought of, and a real battle in the picture required a real reproduction of the action at sea. To please the artist, they fired from cannons, broke the masts and cut down the rigging, and then, so that the artist would understand, in the end, how everything really happened, Orlov ordered to blow up another good ship and burn everything that was left of it. The artist understood what was happening, the picture turned out excellent.

Orlov was informed about the strange "wanderer". And then suddenly, in August 1774, he receives a message from the same impostor about whom the empress wrote to him. The message was accompanied by a manifesto, that is, a spiritual testament signed by Elizaveta Petrovna. You can explain what this woman was counting on. A month ago, the Kyuchuk-Kainarji peace was concluded with the Turks, this is true, but the war with Pugachev still continued, and its outcome was not clear. In addition, a rumor reached Italy about the disgrace of Grigory Orlov, but this could be followed by disgrace for the whole family of the former favorite. It was hoped that Alexei Orlov would agree to betray Catherine, and with the Russian fleet he could be very useful.

However, Orlov did not even think of such a thing. He immediately reported to St. Petersburg about the appearance of an impostor. 1774, September - he wrote to Catherine: “Is there such a thing in the world or not (the daughter of Elizabeth), I don’t know; and if she is and wants something that does not belong to herself, then I would impose a stone on her neck and into the water. I am enclosing this letter, from which you will clearly see the desire ... ". And then ... all the same, tough, in a businesslike way, Orlov sets out his plan: he has already sent a faithful person to the impostor - to talk and find a way to bring her to Livorno, and then lure her onto a ship and take her to Russia.

The letter of the "wanderer" infuriated the Empress. She immediately answered Orlov - do not hesitate, in any way to lure out of Ragusa "this creature, so boldly riveting its name and nature on itself", and in case of failure, "you can even throw a few bombs into the city."

Bombs were not needed. Orlov decided to act in his own way. The operation to deliver the impostor has begun. He made acquaintance with Princess Tarakanova, offered her the help of the Russian squadron, rented a luxurious house for her in Pisa, paid all her debts, surrounded her with honor and began to play at love. This is where the main question arises - was it a game or did Count Orlov really fall in love?

How much has been written on this subject, how many meters of film have been spent! Each author answers this question in his own way, but Princess Tarakanova herself believed Orlov recklessly. He was a handsome man (the scar on his cheek did not interfere), almost 2 meters tall, a winner at sea and the head of the Russian squadron - a hero and a knight in one person.

After that everything was simple. As planned, the princess was lured onto the ship, where she and Orlov were betrothed or married - it doesn’t matter, because the ceremony was performed by a sailor dressed as a priest. After that, the princess was arrested. She was indignant, called her "husband", but she was told that Count Orlov was also arrested. What for? Maybe it was an act of mercy, the betrayal of fate is sometimes easier to endure than the betrayal of a loved one.

The squadron under the command of Admiral Greig headed for Kronstadt, meanwhile Orlov went ashore. He preferred to get to his homeland by land. 1775, May 11 - the Russian squadron arrived in Kronstadt, and on May 25, Princess Tarakanova and her companions - two Poles, Domansky and Charnomsky - were imprisoned in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress. They began to conduct interrogations, they were conducted in French. The investigation was led by Prince Golitsyn, a gentle and gentle man, but his princess also managed to piss her off.

Bas-relief: Princess Tarakanova (Unknown sculptor of the 18th century)

The court, meanwhile, was in Moscow, he arrived there immediately after the execution of Pugachev, which took place on January 10, 1775. It seems that the empress was no longer in danger, and she could be merciful, but it wasn’t there. Catherine followed the progress of the investigation with great attention, couriers with dispatches dangled between the two capitals like pendulums. Princess Tarakanova had to clearly answer two main questions: who is she and who could convince her to plot an intrigue with an encroachment on the Russian throne.

“There is a possibility,” Catherine wrote, “that no one, of course, will stand up for such an extravagant vagabond, right, but everyone should be ashamed to covertly and clearly show that he had the slightest relation.”

The investigation lasted 7 months, but the princess did not answer any of these questions. Tarakanova was not silent, she did not close her mouth, inventing, like Scheherazade, more and more new stories: she recalled her childhood that took place in Persia ... or in Siberia, or in Kiel - she got confused, talked about her romance with the Polish envoy in Paris Oginsky , or about the Prince of Limburg, who "loved her passionately and promised to marry." She sincerely assured that she never called herself the daughter of Empress Elizabeth, all these are the machinations of her enemies, and important papers found with her, only copies that her ill-wishers threw at her. No, she did not claim the throne, in Persia she has untold wealth ... At the same time, she signed all the questionnaires with the name Elizabeth, which inexpressibly annoyed the empress.

Golitsyn was in despair:

– If you lived in Persia, then you know the Persian language. Feel free to write something on it.

The princess readily wrote incomprehensible letters on a piece of paper. Golitsyn called on pundits from the Academy of Sciences, who said that these signs have nothing to do with the Persian language and in general with any language, they have nothing.

- What does all of this mean? Golitsyn asked the impostor.

“It means that you have ignoramuses sitting at the Academy,” the princess replied imperturbably.

Princess Tarakanova asked for one thing - a personal meeting with Catherine and even wrote letters to the Empress. She will explain everything to the empress herself, she can be useful to Russia! The answer of the Empress Golitsyn: "The audacity of her letter to me seems to exceed all expectations, and I begin to think that she is not in her full mind."

In prison, the princess gave birth to a child from Alexei Orlov. The child is dead. It is known that the impostor in custody had a whole staff of servants, the room in which she was kept had several rooms, she received medical care. But the disease made itself felt. Consumption appeared in Princess Tarakanova back in Venice, in the fortress she was already coughing up blood.

The empress did not honor the arrested woman with a meeting. Brickner writes: “In the autumn of 1775, the impostor began to gradually weaken; painful seizures returned more and more often. The patient asked Golitsyn to send a priest to her. Golitsyn called the archpriest of the Kazan Cathedral, who spoke German. And in this last conversation with the priest, the adventurer did not say anything that could give at least some idea about her origin, about her accomplices, etc. On December 4, she died. The next day, the soldiers, who stood watch with her all the time, deeply buried her body in the courtyard of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Together with Tarakanova in Italy, her companions, the Poles Chernomsky and Domansky, her “court staff”, were also captured on the ship. They were also kept in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Domansky was in love with an impostor and dreamed of marrying her, despite the fact that they would have to live their whole lives in prison. Before the wedding, it did not come. After the death of Tarakanova, the Poles and servants were allowed to return to Europe, they even gave money for travel, but with a firm condition - never to come to Russia. Otherwise, they were waiting for immediate arrest, and possibly the death penalty.

Princess Tarakanova died, and historians are still wondering who she was? There are many versions here. The fate of the princess is connected with the mysterious story of the old woman Dosifei, who died in 1810 in the Ivanovsky Monastery in Moscow and was buried in the Novospassky Monastery - the family tomb of the Romanovs. There is evidence that Dosifeya, then Augusta Alekseevna Tarakanov, was brought from abroad in 1785 and placed in a monastic monastery. It was said that Augusta Tarakanova - the daughter of Elizabeth and Alexei Razumovsky, was brought up by her father's relatives - Daraganov, hence the name Tarakanova.

There is evidence that Alexei Orlov was burdened by the fact that he caused the arrest, fortress and death of this woman. It can be understood. The public, as they would say now, also condemned him for this act. “The public” in this case I call his colleagues. In the collection of biographies of cavalry guards about Alexei Orlov, in addition to magnificent laudatory phrases, it is written that he sinned in the removal of Peter III, glorified himself by Chesma and disgraced himself by Tarakanova.

One can understand the compiler of Orlov's biography, it's a pity for this adventurer, this fool, who our historical literature called Princess Tarakanova. By the way, she never called herself that. This is what later researchers called it.

December 1775 - Orlov-Chesmensky arrived in Russia and resigned from all positions due to illness. Decree of the Military Collegium of December 11, 1775: “In the nominal, after the signing of Her Imperial Majesty’s own hand, the highest decree given to the Military Collegium this December 2, it is depicted: General Count Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky, exhausted in his strength and health, most submissively asked us about his dismissal from service. We, having expressed our royal favor to him for such important works and exploits of him in the past war, with which he pleased us and glorified the fatherland, leading the forces of the sea, we most mercifully condescend to this desire and petition of him, dismissing him forever from any service, oh than you, Mr. General-in-Chief and Cavalier, have to be known. Next is the signature.

December 1, 1934 Sergei Kirov, Secretary of the Central Committee and the Leningrad Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, was killed in Smolny. A terrorist act against one of Stalin's competitors served as a pretext for the start of large-scale repressions.

December 4, 1775 in the Peter and Paul Fortress, at the age of 30, “Princess Tarakanova”, an adventurer who pretended to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and was considered a contender for the Russian throne, died of consumption. The “princess” was distinguished by rare beauty and intelligence, was successful in European secular circles, had many admirers (including the famous Polish adventurer Prince Radziwill), whom she brought to ruin and prison. When talk of the imaginary daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna reached St. Petersburg, Catherine II ordered Count Alexei Orlov to seize her, not stopping even before using force. Orlov tricked the adventurer into a Russian ship and arrested her. A long sea voyage undermined her health, and upon arrival in St. Petersburg, the young woman quickly died out: the sentence was no longer required. The corpse of the impostor, according to legend, was buried in the courtyard of the Alekseevsky ravelin. The version about the death of Tarakanova during the flood in St. Petersburg in 1777, which served as the subject for the famous painting by Flavitsky, has no documentary evidence.

December 5, 1319 Grand Duke Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tverskoy (born 1271) died in the Horde. In December 1318, in a battle near Tver, near the village of Bortnev, Mikhail and his retinue inflicted a crushing defeat on the Moscow prince Yuri Danilovich, who in 1317 the Golden Horde Khan Uzbek granted a label to the Grand Duke's table. Mikhail was married to Khan's sister Konchaka (baptized Agafya). During the Battle of Bortnev, Konchaka was taken prisoner and, under unclear circumstances, died a few days later. This death gave Yuri a reason to slander Mikhail in front of Uzbek in the allegedly intentional poisoning of the Khan's sister. Mikhail Yaroslavich was summoned to the Golden Horde in 1319 and hanged on charges of concealing tribute and killing the captive Konchaka.

December 7, 1815 general Michel Ney was shot. One of the best marshals of Napoleon, a participant in many victorious campaigns, in 1814 he swore allegiance to the Bourbons, then again joined Napoleon who had fled from the island of Elba, led an unsuccessful French attack at Waterloo, after the battle he was arrested and sentenced to death by the royal (Bourbon) court.

December 8, 1610 in Kaluga, the "Tushinsky thief" False Dmitry II, the last of two impostors posing as the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry, was killed.

December 8, 1980 musician, singer and composer John Lennon, one of the founders and members of the legendary band The Beatles, was shot dead in New York. The killer, 25-year-old Beatles fan Mark Chapman, was declared mentally ill and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

December 8, 1986 political prisoner Anatoly Marchenko, a well-known human rights activist, author of books about the Soviet prison-camp system, died in the Chistopol prison.

December 14, 1988 42-year-old drug addict Christopher Peterson, who was charged with the 1986 murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, was arrested in Stockholm. The accusation was based on the testimony of a number of witnesses and the identification of the "murderer" by the Prime Minister's widow, Lisbeth Palme. Peterson was sentenced to life imprisonment, but a few months later, a higher court, having reviewed the case, delivered a verdict of not guilty (the facts were revealed that confirmed the 100% alibi of the accused). The Stockholm police, who had already managed to report on solving the crime, were so discouraged by the failure of the case that many employees of the department needed the help of psychoanalysts-consultants. Christopher Peterson received $50,000 from the authorities in compensation for eleven months in prison.

December 15, 1938 pilot Valery Chkalov died in Moscow while testing a new I-180 fighter.

December 17, 1916 Grigory Rasputin was killed by a group of conspirators led by Vladimir Purishkevich in the palace of Prince Yusupov in St. Petersburg.

December 19, 1722 Emperor Peter I issued the so-called "decree on fools and fools", forbidding them to marry.

December 20, 1920 Felix Dzerzhinsky signed an order to organize a foreign department of the Cheka - the foreign intelligence of the Soviets.

December 23, 1588 Duke Henry de Guise, leader of the Parisian "Catholic League" and pretender to the French throne, was killed on the orders of King Henry III - a dramatic denouement of an intricate palace intrigue. The duke was warned in advance of the danger that threatened him, but refused to leave the royal palace in Blois, where he was invited to "stay" by Henry III, as he intended to spend the coming night with his mistress. As a result, the Duke of Guise lost love and life at the same time.

December 23, 1953 in Moscow, by the verdict of a special court, the "spy and counter-revolutionary" Lavrenty Beria was shot.

December 25, 1909 Yevno Azef, an agent of the secret police, writes from Paris to Gerasimov, head of the St. Petersburg security department: “The case is rubbish. Two days ago in the evening they came to my apartment for questioning. I purposely delayed them so that they had to leave at two o'clock in order to resume in the morning. At half past four I ran out of the house without anything and did not return. The situation is difficult, they will search. If they (i.e. the French police. - I.D. ) guess to turn to private detectives, then they, perhaps, will attack the trace ... ”Azef was arrested by the German authorities only in 1915. He spent the last three years of his life in the Moabit prison in Berlin.

December 28, 1925 Sergei Yesenin was found hanged in the Angleterre Hotel in Leningrad. There is a version that the poet was killed by Chekists who staged a suicide.