False Elizabeth The sad fate of the impostors
In the previous article (The high tragedy of "Princess Tarakanova" ) we left our heroes in Italy.
Alexey Orlov, whom Catherine II sent to the honorary exile - to command the Russian squadron of the Mediterranean Sea, was in the Tuscan city of Livorno, located on the shore of the Ligurian Sea.
Abandoned by the Confederates and desperately needing, the False Elizabeth was in Rome.
As early as September 1774, Alexei Orlov himself proposed to Catherine II a plan for the abduction of an impostor. He said that, in his opinion, the French Yard was behind her, and proposed two options:
In a letter from November 12 to November 1774, Catherine II ordered him to act on the second option:
She wanted to subject the rival to the most biased interrogation.
Now Orlov was looking for a meeting with the False Elizabeth. But she, apparently, knew what kind of person he was, and therefore, in a letter sent to him in August 1774, she said that she was in Turkey and was reliably guarded. However, she did not succeed in deceiving anyone at that time, the Russians knew about her presence in Ragusa, and, in the same letter, Catherine allowed Orlov not to pay attention to the sovereignty of this small republic:
How cute, isn't it? Commit aggression against a small but universally recognized state. One can imagine what anti-Russian hysteria would rise in the newspapers of Europe, and what a surge of Russophobia would be provoked by such actions. But Catherine, perfectly aware of the risk, nevertheless, gives this order. And for what is all this? To arrest some adventurer? This serves as further evidence of the empress's greatest concern.
But the letter was late, the impostor had already left Ragusa, and was now in Rome. She was already sick, but now the signs of consumption (tuberculosis) were manifested more clearly. She was tormented by fever and cough, sometimes it was even difficult for her to get out of bed.
There was no money, and False Elizabeth inadvertently wrote to the British ambassador in Naples Hamilton with a request for a "loan."
Hamilton did not give money, and sent the letter to his colleague in Livorno - John Dick, who transferred it to Alexei Orlov. From that moment on, the impostor, who had recklessly sat down to “play politics” at the same table with the Powerful of this world, was doomed. Alexey Orlov always achieved his goal, and even Ekaterina herself was afraid of him, politely exposing her former “benefactor” outside Russia.
In January 1775, Adjutant General I. Khristinek found an impostor in Rome, telling her that Count Orlov had “living participation” in the fate of “the daughter of Empress Elizabeth.” Through the English ambassador in Rome, Jenkins paid her debts (even the debt to the Polish Confederate Radziwill had to be repaid). Despite the desperate situation, the impostor, who herself had recently turned to Orlov for help, apparently anticipating the evil, very reluctantly agreed to meet with him. Under the name of Countess Silinsky (Zelinsky), she went to Pisa, where she met with her alleged supporter - in February 1775.
The meeting did not disappoint her: Orlov, who had previously rented a house for her in Pisa (very large - because there were 60 people in the retinue’s retinue, whose salaries were now paid from the Russian treasury), “showed every kind of arrangement, offering his services everywhere wherever she is they didn’t require them. ” He swore allegiance, promised to ascend to the Russian throne, and even offered to marry him. The adventurer was dizzy and she, perhaps for the first time in her life, could not resist the man, and maybe even fell in love with him.
The English consul who participated in the “intrigue” in Livorno, John Dick, sent Orlov a letter with false news about the clashes between the Russians and the British, and demanding an urgent return to his squadron to “restore order”. 21 February 1775 Mr. Orlov, having shown this letter to the False Elizabeth, invited her to Livorno in order to get acquainted with his squadron.
He persuaded her to take with him only 8 people - Domansky, Charnomsky, a maid and five valets.
In Livorno, the False Elizaveta stopped on February 24 at the house of the English consul, who, during dinner, helped Orlov persuade her to inspect the Russian squadron.
Distract for a while. More recently, Russia took part in the Seven Years War, fighting against Prussia and its allied England on the side of France and Austria. Several years pass, and France and Austria support the Polish Confederates, and Prussia is on the side of Russia. France actively participates in the intrigues of the "emigrant government" of Poland, officials of the kingdom host the "pretender" to the Russian throne, trying to help her and the "volunteers" get to the front of the Russian-Turkish war. And the three English envoys in Italy at this time are doing their best to help Alexei Orlov - just like a native, and then a ship with a captive adventurer calmly enters Plymouth harbor, and the British authorities, well aware of everything, politely ask no questions to anyone. And again the "damned" question hangs in the air: why and why did Russia fight against the country of Prussia and England, who wanted peace with our country, and even on the side of such treacherous and hypocritical "allies"?
The squadron of Alexei Orlov met the girl with fireworks and music, the sailors joyfully greeted the "Grand Duchess", it seemed that nothing was impossible, and the most cherished dreams come true. Forgetting caution, she boarded the flagship Holy Great Martyr Isidore and drank wine in the cabin of Admiral Greig.
In Europe, by the way, a version appeared in which Aleksey Orlov and Jose (Osip) de Ribas are represented by some incredibly cynical scoundrels and blasphemers: before the arrest, on the ship, supposedly, a clownish wedding ceremony was performed, the role of the priest on which the Spaniard performed. Of course, there was nothing like this in real life. Orlov and de Ribas, of course, were far from angels, but such a trash could be thought of only by some completely downcast clicker, and for very little money, which was enough to get sober. Unfortunately, this frank fake was joyfully picked up and replicated by our writers, here in the play of Zorin and the film staged on it in 1990, we see this scene:
In fact, Orlov and Greig suddenly disappeared somewhere, but Captain Litvinov appeared with the guards, who announced the arrest of the impostor. Together with her were detained and members of her small retinue. The shock was too great, the adventurer left the forces: she lost consciousness and came to her senses already in the cabin, which became the first prison cell in her life. Of her people, a maid was left with her, the rest were transferred to other ships.
Often you have to read that the Russian squadron immediately departed from the coast, but it was still in Livorno for 2 days - until the papers of the False Elizabeth were delivered from Pisa. All this time, ships were surrounded by boats of local residents, who managed to keep at a distance only by the threat of use weapons. Adjutant General Khristinek was immediately sent by land to Petersburg with a report, followed by Alexei Orlov. In Venice, he met with Panet Kohanku - Karol Radzivil, which was described in a previous article. The tycoon tearfully asked Catherine to “apologize” for her connections with the Confederates and for participating in an adventure with the “princess”, and begged him to intercede before the empress.
Conscience apparently bothered Orlov: before leaving, he never found the strength to meet again with a woman who confided in him, who, as it turns out, became pregnant from him. He managed to get a letter from her pleading for help, to which he replied that he himself was under arrest, but those loyal to him would release both of them. It is believed that by giving hope, he wanted to turn her away from a suicide attempt. And, indeed, in the hope of an early release, the captive remained calm until her arrival in Plymouth. Here the girl fainted (or staged him). When she was carried out into the fresh air, she tried to jump into a boat passing by - this desperate attempt to escape failed.
Orlov’s actions, of course, violated international law, and aroused great indignation among the politicians of some countries - from among those that are now commonly called “partners”. It was especially strong in Italy and Austria. In a letter to Catherine II, Orlov wrote that “in these places (in Italy), he must be careful not to be shot or nourished from the accomplices of this villain, I am most afraid of the Jesuits, and with her some were and remained in different places” .
Of course, it can be assumed that Orlov points to the empress at the “special complexity” of her assignment and hints at the need to “be grateful”. But, it is thought that, during his journey, he really felt uncomfortable, constantly feeling hostility both of local authorities and private individuals.
To quarrel seriously with the powerful Russian empire over imposture, however, no one wanted it, Orlov safely reached St. Petersburg, the noise soon ceased.
And the pseudo-voyage of the False Elizabeth continued until 11 on May 1775, when the ship with the captive arrived in Kronstadt. On May 26 she found herself in the western (Alekseevsky) ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
A special commission led by Prince A.M. Golitsyn, the investigation began. Catherine II did not believe that her rival acted on her own: she demanded at any cost and by any means to obtain from her recognition that "who is the boss of this comedy."
The commission found out that the name Elizabeth the impostor considers real that she is 23 years old and does not know either her birthplace or her parents. Until nine years old, she supposedly lived in Kiel, and then for some reason she was transported to Persia, where she lived for 15 months - through Livonia and Petersburg. The people accompanying her (three men and a woman) said that all this was done by the will of Emperor Peter III. She fled from Persia with some Tatar who brought her to Baghdad - to the house of the rich Persian Gamet. Then she was taken to Isfahan by the “Persian Prince Gali,” who informed the girl that she was “the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna, and her father was called differently, who is Razumovsky and who is different.” In 1769, the “Persian Prince” was for some reason forced to flee the country. He took the girl dressed as a man outfit with him. Through St. Petersburg, Riga, Koenigsberg and Berlin, they reached London, where the patron left her, giving goodbye "precious stones, gold bullion and cash a great number." From London she moved to Paris, then to Kiel, where the local duke invited her to marry him. But at first she decided to go to Russia to find out “about her breed,” but instead she ended up in Venice, where she met Prince Radziwill.
Sometimes she changed her testimony, claiming that she was a Circassian born in the Caucasus, but brought up in Persia. She allegedly intended to acquire a strip of land along the Terek in order to settle French and German colonists on it (her fiancé — Philip de Limburg should have helped her) and even found a small border state in the Caucasus.
A young woman, who had recently played, as if with puppets, with far from stupid men, and who had become a serious factor in European politics for some time, carried some outright nonsense, and it seemed that she firmly believed in her words. It was hard to believe that this apparently not mentally healthy girl scared Ekaterina, who was so careful about her reputation abroad, that forced her to scandalously violate the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which was ruled by relatives of the Austrian Habsburgs. They didn’t believe her, torturing her with long interrogations and constantly tightening her conditions of detention. Catherine demanded an answer to the main question: which of the European, or even Russian, politicians stood behind the impostor?
The “owner” of the adventurer was never found, it seems that he really wasn’t.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of tuberculosis in the captive rapidly progressed, the most alarming of them was a cough with blood. In addition, according to some reports, communication with Orlov was not in vain, and it was revealed that the impostor was in the fifth month of pregnancy. Based on the doctor’s report, it was decided to transfer it to the basement under the house of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress, as a drier room.
From her cell, she wrote to Catherine, begging for a meeting, these letters remained unanswered.
In 1860 in the newspaper "Northern Bee" was published an essay by P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, where the testimony of a certain Vinsky was given. It was a sergeant of the Izmaylovsky Guards Regiment, who was imprisoned in Alekseyevsky ravelin for some “political” cases, and ended up in the cell of “Princess Tarakanova.” Here he saw the words "About mio Dio!" Scrawled on a window pane. A very old veteran watchman, allegedly having opened up once, told him that Count Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlov himself once visited the young lady who was here before, who she “really scolded” in a foreign language and even “stamped her feet.” the same watchman Vinsky learned that the "lady" was "brought pregnant, she gave birth here."
It should be said that not all researchers tend to trust this story. However, this situation is the rule, and not the exception: story it does not belong to the category of “exact” sciences, and many more answers are offered to more than one.
The prisoner's health deteriorated sharply in October 1775, on the 26 of this month, Golitsyn told the empress that "the doctor is despairing of her cure and says that she, of course, will not live long." However, it is believed that in November she gave birth to a living child. This was a boy whom some researchers identify with Alexander Alekseevich Chesmensky. He later served in the Life Guards Horse Regiment and died at a young age. Other historians, of course, strongly disagree with this - everything, as always.
In early December, the prisoner asked to send an Orthodox priest for a confession, which was held in German. After this, agony began, lasting two days. On December 4 this mysterious woman died, her body was buried in the courtyard of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Members of the impostor suite brought from Livorno together with the “princess” (Domansky, Charnomsky, the maid Melschede, valets Marchezini and Anchiolli, Richter, Labensky, Kaltfinger), who could not say anything about the origin of the impostor, were sent abroad after her death. They were even given money “for the journey” (Domansky and Charnomsky for 100 rubles, Melshed for 150, the rest for 50), forbidding them to return to Russia and strongly advising them to “forget” everything.
It is interesting that after the death of Alexander I, in his personal office in the Winter Palace were discovered the “Book of the Senate's Secret Expedition” (which contained materials on the Pugachev case) and the investigation case of “Princess Tarakanova”. It would seem: figures of a completely disparate scale, but even the imposter of Catherine II, apparently, seemed no less dangerous than the famous leader of the Peasant War. Moreover, having discovered the Tarakanova case, Nicholas I, ordered D.N. Bludov, in parallel with the Decembrists case, to prepare for him a full report on the impostor. And when, in 1838, in the papers of the deceased Chairman of the State Council, N.N. Some new documents related to the False Elizabeth were discovered by Novosiltsev, followed by an order from the emperor: all papers, not familiar with the contents, should be immediately transferred to ... Bludov! And then the new emperor, Alexander II, wished to familiarize himself with the Tarakanova case. Something painfully much attention was paid to this impostor and Catherine II, and her heirs. Maybe we still don’t know everything about her?
The case of “Princess Tarakanova” was kept secret, however, some fragmentary information became known to the general public, as a result, over time, this already sad story was dramatically reinforced by the rumor about the death of an impostor during a flood in St. Petersburg - 10 September 1777 of the year. In 1864, Mr .. Konstantin Flavitsky painted the famous painting "Princess Tarakanova", which contributed to the final consolidation of this legend in the public mind.
The success of Flavitsky’s painting prompted Alexander II to declassify some of the documents “cases of Princess Tarakanova” - because “the picture is false” and it is necessary “to put an end to empty talk”.
Another irritating factor for the authorities, which pushed them to greater openness, was an appeal to the readers of the editorial board of the Russian Talk magazine in 1859:
As a result, V.N. Panin published two works in 1867: “A Brief History of Elizabeth Alekseevna Tarakanova” and “About the Impostor, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.”
Later, “Princess Tarakanova” became the heroine of the books of P. Melnikov, G. Danilevsky, E. Radzinsky, the play by L. Zorin, on which the film “Imperial Hunt” was shot, and even musicals.
A lesser-known pretender to the role of the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky is the real-life nun Dosifei, who in 1785 was placed by imperial command of Empress Catherine II in the Moscow John the Baptist Convent.
This monastery was founded by Elizabeth Petrovna in the 1761 year, which intended it "for the charity of widows and orphans" of noble and honored people of the empire. However, life made its own adjustments, and the monastery became not only a “nursing home”, but also a prison for “uncomfortable” persons of noble origin. It is curious that, at the same time as Dosifei, the underground cell of the John the Baptist Monastery contained the famous sadist "Daria Nikolaeva" (Daria Nikolaevna Saltykova, better known as "Saltychikha").
Here she spent more than 30 years, from 1768 to 1801. The investigation proved the killing of her 38 serfs. But for what was the meek Dosifei buried alive in this monastery, which was ordered to be kept indefinitely in strict isolation? The only relief was the permission to purchase products without restrictions (taking into account the “fast” and “fast” days, of course) with the money allocated from the treasury to the table of this nun.
Dosifeya was placed in two small cells with a hallway not far from the abbess herself. The windows of these cells were always covered with curtains, only the abbess herself and the personal confessor of Dosifei could enter them. These cells were not preserved - they were demolished in 1860.
As often happens, the veil of secrecy aroused an unprecedented interest in the mysterious recluse: all the while, curious people gathered, hoping to see her through the gap in the curtains, at least out of the corner of her eye. Rumors circulated about the youth and the unprecedented beauty of the nun, her high origin. Only after the death of the empress did the regime of Dosifei's maintenance somewhat improve: she was not allowed to leave the cells, but visitors were more freely allowed. It is known that Metropolitan Plato was among those. A priest of the monastery claimed that some of the guests held on like nobles, and had conversations with Dositheus in some foreign language. They also recalled that on the wall of her cell hung a portrait of Empress Elizabeth.
Dosifei died after 25-year imprisonment at the age of 64 years - in 1810 year. Her funeral surprised a lot of people, since this nun was buried by the Moscow vicar - Bishop Augustine of Dmitrov. And at the burial there were many nobles of Catherine’s time, who appeared in full uniforms and at orders. The body of Dosifei was buried in the Moscow Novospassky Monastery - at the eastern fence, on the left side of the bell tower. On the gravestone was written:
In this monastery for quite a long time they showed the still not preserved portrait of the nun Dosifei, on the back of which one could read:
In 1996, during the reconstruction of the Novospassky Monastery, the remains of Dosifei were studied by the staff of the Republican Center for Forensic Medical Examination and a forensic professor, doctor of medical sciences V.N. Zvyagin. It turned out that she had a hump, which was the result of some kind of trauma suffered in childhood.
But who was this captive of Catherine?
Some argue that from the marriage of Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky around 1746 year, indeed, a daughter was born, named Augusta. Allegedly, she was given up for education to the beloved sister of the favorite - Vera Grigoryevna, who was married Colonel of the Little Russian Army E.F.Daragan. After the death of Elizabeth, she was allegedly sent abroad - what if the new monarch doesn’t like the “unnecessary” relative? But, on the orders of Catherine II, in 1785 the girl was brought to Russia and assigned to the familiar John the Baptist monastery.
Dosifei herself, when visitors began to more freely admit visitors, leading a third-person story, told G.I. Golovina:
In St. Petersburg, she was taken to Catherine II, who, speaking of the Pugachevsky revolt and the impostor Tarakanova, said: for the peace of the state, she, “in order not to become an instrument in the hands of ambitious people,” should be tonsured a nun.
You probably noticed that this story very much resembles the real story of the abduction of the False Elizabeth by Alexei Orlov. And therefore, most historians are sure that Dosifei was a moron or mentally unhealthy girl who, having heard from someone about a real impostor, came up with a similar story for herself. Apparently, she really was of special noble origin, since the empress herself took part in her business. They did not begin to exile the daughter of one of her close associates to Siberia, but, away from sin, they were forever locked in a privileged monastery, having appointed life support. The placement of the insane in a monastery was a very common practice of those years. They told acquaintances of the pious desire of one of the relatives to get away from the temptations of a sinful social life, devoting himself to serving the Lord. This was all the more convenient because in the monastery they received new names, and, as it were, were dissolved in the total mass of monastic “brothers” and “sisters”. Previous names and surnames were oblivious, and their madness did not cast a shadow on the family.
But not everyone had the means to make the necessary “contribution” to the monastery or to appoint a “pension”. And therefore, the “holy fools” of the church porches did not surprise anyone either.
One should be equally skeptical of the information that Elizabeth also had a son born from Razumovsky, who either died in one of the monasteries of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky in the beginning of the 19th century, or under the name Zakrevsky rose to the rank of Privy Councilor.
As if this were not enough, some claim that the empress's other daughter, Varvara Mironovna Nazaryeva, lived in a monastery near Nizhny Novgorod until 1839. Another alleged daughter of Elizabeth and Razumovsky allegedly lived in the Moscow Nikitsky Monastery. Legends about the “daughters of Elizabeth and Razumovsky” were also told in the convents of Arzamas, Yekaterinburg, Kostroma and Ufa. As you probably guessed, nameless noble women were considered as such, whom relatives assigned there because of their insanity.
F. Rokotov, portrait of Alexei Orlov (between 1762-1765 gg.), Tretyakov Gallery
Alexey Orlov, whom Catherine II sent to the honorary exile - to command the Russian squadron of the Mediterranean Sea, was in the Tuscan city of Livorno, located on the shore of the Ligurian Sea.
Abandoned by the Confederates and desperately needing, the False Elizabeth was in Rome.
Anna Samokhina in the role of Princess Tarakanova, the film "Royal Hunt"
Fateful encounter
As early as September 1774, Alexei Orlov himself proposed to Catherine II a plan for the abduction of an impostor. He said that, in his opinion, the French Yard was behind her, and proposed two options:
“I would use a stone on her neck and in the water,” or, “luring her into the ships, send her directly to Kronstadt.”
In a letter from November 12 to November 1774, Catherine II ordered him to act on the second option:
"Bait her in a place where it would be clever for you to put him on our ship and send her here for the guard."
She wanted to subject the rival to the most biased interrogation.
Now Orlov was looking for a meeting with the False Elizabeth. But she, apparently, knew what kind of person he was, and therefore, in a letter sent to him in August 1774, she said that she was in Turkey and was reliably guarded. However, she did not succeed in deceiving anyone at that time, the Russians knew about her presence in Ragusa, and, in the same letter, Catherine allowed Orlov not to pay attention to the sovereignty of this small republic:
“To use threats, and if you need punishment, you can throw a few bombs into the city.”
Ragusa on the map
How cute, isn't it? Commit aggression against a small but universally recognized state. One can imagine what anti-Russian hysteria would rise in the newspapers of Europe, and what a surge of Russophobia would be provoked by such actions. But Catherine, perfectly aware of the risk, nevertheless, gives this order. And for what is all this? To arrest some adventurer? This serves as further evidence of the empress's greatest concern.
But the letter was late, the impostor had already left Ragusa, and was now in Rome. She was already sick, but now the signs of consumption (tuberculosis) were manifested more clearly. She was tormented by fever and cough, sometimes it was even difficult for her to get out of bed.
G. Serdyukov. Portrait of an unknown. The owner of this picture, P.F. Simson, claimed that it depicts Princess Tarakanova
There was no money, and False Elizabeth inadvertently wrote to the British ambassador in Naples Hamilton with a request for a "loan."
Joshua Reynolds. Portrait of Sir William Hamilton, 1777
The wife of this gentleman "became famous" as the lover of Horatio Nelson
The wife of this gentleman "became famous" as the lover of Horatio Nelson
Hamilton did not give money, and sent the letter to his colleague in Livorno - John Dick, who transferred it to Alexei Orlov. From that moment on, the impostor, who had recklessly sat down to “play politics” at the same table with the Powerful of this world, was doomed. Alexey Orlov always achieved his goal, and even Ekaterina herself was afraid of him, politely exposing her former “benefactor” outside Russia.
In January 1775, Adjutant General I. Khristinek found an impostor in Rome, telling her that Count Orlov had “living participation” in the fate of “the daughter of Empress Elizabeth.” Through the English ambassador in Rome, Jenkins paid her debts (even the debt to the Polish Confederate Radziwill had to be repaid). Despite the desperate situation, the impostor, who herself had recently turned to Orlov for help, apparently anticipating the evil, very reluctantly agreed to meet with him. Under the name of Countess Silinsky (Zelinsky), she went to Pisa, where she met with her alleged supporter - in February 1775.
Livorno and Pisa on the map
The meeting did not disappoint her: Orlov, who had previously rented a house for her in Pisa (very large - because there were 60 people in the retinue’s retinue, whose salaries were now paid from the Russian treasury), “showed every kind of arrangement, offering his services everywhere wherever she is they didn’t require them. ” He swore allegiance, promised to ascend to the Russian throne, and even offered to marry him. The adventurer was dizzy and she, perhaps for the first time in her life, could not resist the man, and maybe even fell in love with him.
The English consul who participated in the “intrigue” in Livorno, John Dick, sent Orlov a letter with false news about the clashes between the Russians and the British, and demanding an urgent return to his squadron to “restore order”. 21 February 1775 Mr. Orlov, having shown this letter to the False Elizabeth, invited her to Livorno in order to get acquainted with his squadron.
Prospect der Stadt Livorno, engraving, 1760
He persuaded her to take with him only 8 people - Domansky, Charnomsky, a maid and five valets.
Stolen
In Livorno, the False Elizaveta stopped on February 24 at the house of the English consul, who, during dinner, helped Orlov persuade her to inspect the Russian squadron.
Distract for a while. More recently, Russia took part in the Seven Years War, fighting against Prussia and its allied England on the side of France and Austria. Several years pass, and France and Austria support the Polish Confederates, and Prussia is on the side of Russia. France actively participates in the intrigues of the "emigrant government" of Poland, officials of the kingdom host the "pretender" to the Russian throne, trying to help her and the "volunteers" get to the front of the Russian-Turkish war. And the three English envoys in Italy at this time are doing their best to help Alexei Orlov - just like a native, and then a ship with a captive adventurer calmly enters Plymouth harbor, and the British authorities, well aware of everything, politely ask no questions to anyone. And again the "damned" question hangs in the air: why and why did Russia fight against the country of Prussia and England, who wanted peace with our country, and even on the side of such treacherous and hypocritical "allies"?
The squadron of Alexei Orlov met the girl with fireworks and music, the sailors joyfully greeted the "Grand Duchess", it seemed that nothing was impossible, and the most cherished dreams come true. Forgetting caution, she boarded the flagship Holy Great Martyr Isidore and drank wine in the cabin of Admiral Greig.
Central Naval Museum of St. Petersburg. Model of the 74 cannon ship "Holy Great Martyr Isidore"
In Europe, by the way, a version appeared in which Aleksey Orlov and Jose (Osip) de Ribas are represented by some incredibly cynical scoundrels and blasphemers: before the arrest, on the ship, supposedly, a clownish wedding ceremony was performed, the role of the priest on which the Spaniard performed. Of course, there was nothing like this in real life. Orlov and de Ribas, of course, were far from angels, but such a trash could be thought of only by some completely downcast clicker, and for very little money, which was enough to get sober. Unfortunately, this frank fake was joyfully picked up and replicated by our writers, here in the play of Zorin and the film staged on it in 1990, we see this scene:
Shot from the movie "Royal Hunt". Wedding on the ship
In fact, Orlov and Greig suddenly disappeared somewhere, but Captain Litvinov appeared with the guards, who announced the arrest of the impostor. Together with her were detained and members of her small retinue. The shock was too great, the adventurer left the forces: she lost consciousness and came to her senses already in the cabin, which became the first prison cell in her life. Of her people, a maid was left with her, the rest were transferred to other ships.
Often you have to read that the Russian squadron immediately departed from the coast, but it was still in Livorno for 2 days - until the papers of the False Elizabeth were delivered from Pisa. All this time, ships were surrounded by boats of local residents, who managed to keep at a distance only by the threat of use weapons. Adjutant General Khristinek was immediately sent by land to Petersburg with a report, followed by Alexei Orlov. In Venice, he met with Panet Kohanku - Karol Radzivil, which was described in a previous article. The tycoon tearfully asked Catherine to “apologize” for her connections with the Confederates and for participating in an adventure with the “princess”, and begged him to intercede before the empress.
Conscience apparently bothered Orlov: before leaving, he never found the strength to meet again with a woman who confided in him, who, as it turns out, became pregnant from him. He managed to get a letter from her pleading for help, to which he replied that he himself was under arrest, but those loyal to him would release both of them. It is believed that by giving hope, he wanted to turn her away from a suicide attempt. And, indeed, in the hope of an early release, the captive remained calm until her arrival in Plymouth. Here the girl fainted (or staged him). When she was carried out into the fresh air, she tried to jump into a boat passing by - this desperate attempt to escape failed.
Orlov’s actions, of course, violated international law, and aroused great indignation among the politicians of some countries - from among those that are now commonly called “partners”. It was especially strong in Italy and Austria. In a letter to Catherine II, Orlov wrote that “in these places (in Italy), he must be careful not to be shot or nourished from the accomplices of this villain, I am most afraid of the Jesuits, and with her some were and remained in different places” .
Of course, it can be assumed that Orlov points to the empress at the “special complexity” of her assignment and hints at the need to “be grateful”. But, it is thought that, during his journey, he really felt uncomfortable, constantly feeling hostility both of local authorities and private individuals.
To quarrel seriously with the powerful Russian empire over imposture, however, no one wanted it, Orlov safely reached St. Petersburg, the noise soon ceased.
And the pseudo-voyage of the False Elizabeth continued until 11 on May 1775, when the ship with the captive arrived in Kronstadt. On May 26 she found herself in the western (Alekseevsky) ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Western (Alekssevsky) ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress
The last days of the adventurer's life
A special commission led by Prince A.M. Golitsyn, the investigation began. Catherine II did not believe that her rival acted on her own: she demanded at any cost and by any means to obtain from her recognition that "who is the boss of this comedy."
The commission found out that the name Elizabeth the impostor considers real that she is 23 years old and does not know either her birthplace or her parents. Until nine years old, she supposedly lived in Kiel, and then for some reason she was transported to Persia, where she lived for 15 months - through Livonia and Petersburg. The people accompanying her (three men and a woman) said that all this was done by the will of Emperor Peter III. She fled from Persia with some Tatar who brought her to Baghdad - to the house of the rich Persian Gamet. Then she was taken to Isfahan by the “Persian Prince Gali,” who informed the girl that she was “the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna, and her father was called differently, who is Razumovsky and who is different.” In 1769, the “Persian Prince” was for some reason forced to flee the country. He took the girl dressed as a man outfit with him. Through St. Petersburg, Riga, Koenigsberg and Berlin, they reached London, where the patron left her, giving goodbye "precious stones, gold bullion and cash a great number." From London she moved to Paris, then to Kiel, where the local duke invited her to marry him. But at first she decided to go to Russia to find out “about her breed,” but instead she ended up in Venice, where she met Prince Radziwill.
Sometimes she changed her testimony, claiming that she was a Circassian born in the Caucasus, but brought up in Persia. She allegedly intended to acquire a strip of land along the Terek in order to settle French and German colonists on it (her fiancé — Philip de Limburg should have helped her) and even found a small border state in the Caucasus.
A young woman, who had recently played, as if with puppets, with far from stupid men, and who had become a serious factor in European politics for some time, carried some outright nonsense, and it seemed that she firmly believed in her words. It was hard to believe that this apparently not mentally healthy girl scared Ekaterina, who was so careful about her reputation abroad, that forced her to scandalously violate the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which was ruled by relatives of the Austrian Habsburgs. They didn’t believe her, torturing her with long interrogations and constantly tightening her conditions of detention. Catherine demanded an answer to the main question: which of the European, or even Russian, politicians stood behind the impostor?
The “owner” of the adventurer was never found, it seems that he really wasn’t.
Meanwhile, the symptoms of tuberculosis in the captive rapidly progressed, the most alarming of them was a cough with blood. In addition, according to some reports, communication with Orlov was not in vain, and it was revealed that the impostor was in the fifth month of pregnancy. Based on the doctor’s report, it was decided to transfer it to the basement under the house of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress, as a drier room.
From her cell, she wrote to Catherine, begging for a meeting, these letters remained unanswered.
One of the letters of the impostor to Catherine II
In 1860 in the newspaper "Northern Bee" was published an essay by P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, where the testimony of a certain Vinsky was given. It was a sergeant of the Izmaylovsky Guards Regiment, who was imprisoned in Alekseyevsky ravelin for some “political” cases, and ended up in the cell of “Princess Tarakanova.” Here he saw the words "About mio Dio!" Scrawled on a window pane. A very old veteran watchman, allegedly having opened up once, told him that Count Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlov himself once visited the young lady who was here before, who she “really scolded” in a foreign language and even “stamped her feet.” the same watchman Vinsky learned that the "lady" was "brought pregnant, she gave birth here."
It should be said that not all researchers tend to trust this story. However, this situation is the rule, and not the exception: story it does not belong to the category of “exact” sciences, and many more answers are offered to more than one.
The prisoner's health deteriorated sharply in October 1775, on the 26 of this month, Golitsyn told the empress that "the doctor is despairing of her cure and says that she, of course, will not live long." However, it is believed that in November she gave birth to a living child. This was a boy whom some researchers identify with Alexander Alekseevich Chesmensky. He later served in the Life Guards Horse Regiment and died at a young age. Other historians, of course, strongly disagree with this - everything, as always.
In early December, the prisoner asked to send an Orthodox priest for a confession, which was held in German. After this, agony began, lasting two days. On December 4 this mysterious woman died, her body was buried in the courtyard of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Members of the impostor suite brought from Livorno together with the “princess” (Domansky, Charnomsky, the maid Melschede, valets Marchezini and Anchiolli, Richter, Labensky, Kaltfinger), who could not say anything about the origin of the impostor, were sent abroad after her death. They were even given money “for the journey” (Domansky and Charnomsky for 100 rubles, Melshed for 150, the rest for 50), forbidding them to return to Russia and strongly advising them to “forget” everything.
It is interesting that after the death of Alexander I, in his personal office in the Winter Palace were discovered the “Book of the Senate's Secret Expedition” (which contained materials on the Pugachev case) and the investigation case of “Princess Tarakanova”. It would seem: figures of a completely disparate scale, but even the imposter of Catherine II, apparently, seemed no less dangerous than the famous leader of the Peasant War. Moreover, having discovered the Tarakanova case, Nicholas I, ordered D.N. Bludov, in parallel with the Decembrists case, to prepare for him a full report on the impostor. And when, in 1838, in the papers of the deceased Chairman of the State Council, N.N. Some new documents related to the False Elizabeth were discovered by Novosiltsev, followed by an order from the emperor: all papers, not familiar with the contents, should be immediately transferred to ... Bludov! And then the new emperor, Alexander II, wished to familiarize himself with the Tarakanova case. Something painfully much attention was paid to this impostor and Catherine II, and her heirs. Maybe we still don’t know everything about her?
The case of “Princess Tarakanova” was kept secret, however, some fragmentary information became known to the general public, as a result, over time, this already sad story was dramatically reinforced by the rumor about the death of an impostor during a flood in St. Petersburg - 10 September 1777 of the year. In 1864, Mr .. Konstantin Flavitsky painted the famous painting "Princess Tarakanova", which contributed to the final consolidation of this legend in the public mind.
K. Flavitsky. Princess Tarakanova
The success of Flavitsky’s painting prompted Alexander II to declassify some of the documents “cases of Princess Tarakanova” - because “the picture is false” and it is necessary “to put an end to empty talk”.
Another irritating factor for the authorities, which pushed them to greater openness, was an appeal to the readers of the editorial board of the Russian Talk magazine in 1859:
“Is Russian history condemned to lies and gaps for all the time, starting with Peter I?”
Cover of Russian Conversation magazine, 1859
As a result, V.N. Panin published two works in 1867: “A Brief History of Elizabeth Alekseevna Tarakanova” and “About the Impostor, posing as the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.”
V.N. Panin. Engraving. 1850's
Later, “Princess Tarakanova” became the heroine of the books of P. Melnikov, G. Danilevsky, E. Radzinsky, the play by L. Zorin, on which the film “Imperial Hunt” was shot, and even musicals.
The performance of the Mossovet Theater “Imperial Hunt”, 1977
Margarita Terekhova as Princess Tarakanova and Leonid Markov as Alexey Orlov
Margarita Terekhova as Princess Tarakanova and Leonid Markov as Alexey Orlov
"Princess Augusta"
A lesser-known pretender to the role of the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky is the real-life nun Dosifei, who in 1785 was placed by imperial command of Empress Catherine II in the Moscow John the Baptist Convent.
John the Baptist (Ivanovo) Women's Stauropegial Monastery, 19th-century engraving
John the Baptist (Ivanovo) Women's Stauropegial Monastery, modern photo
This monastery was founded by Elizabeth Petrovna in the 1761 year, which intended it "for the charity of widows and orphans" of noble and honored people of the empire. However, life made its own adjustments, and the monastery became not only a “nursing home”, but also a prison for “uncomfortable” persons of noble origin. It is curious that, at the same time as Dosifei, the underground cell of the John the Baptist Monastery contained the famous sadist "Daria Nikolaeva" (Daria Nikolaevna Saltykova, better known as "Saltychikha").
P.V. Kurdyumov. "Saltychikha"
Here she spent more than 30 years, from 1768 to 1801. The investigation proved the killing of her 38 serfs. But for what was the meek Dosifei buried alive in this monastery, which was ordered to be kept indefinitely in strict isolation? The only relief was the permission to purchase products without restrictions (taking into account the “fast” and “fast” days, of course) with the money allocated from the treasury to the table of this nun.
Dosifeya was placed in two small cells with a hallway not far from the abbess herself. The windows of these cells were always covered with curtains, only the abbess herself and the personal confessor of Dosifei could enter them. These cells were not preserved - they were demolished in 1860.
As often happens, the veil of secrecy aroused an unprecedented interest in the mysterious recluse: all the while, curious people gathered, hoping to see her through the gap in the curtains, at least out of the corner of her eye. Rumors circulated about the youth and the unprecedented beauty of the nun, her high origin. Only after the death of the empress did the regime of Dosifei's maintenance somewhat improve: she was not allowed to leave the cells, but visitors were more freely allowed. It is known that Metropolitan Plato was among those. A priest of the monastery claimed that some of the guests held on like nobles, and had conversations with Dositheus in some foreign language. They also recalled that on the wall of her cell hung a portrait of Empress Elizabeth.
Dosifei died after 25-year imprisonment at the age of 64 years - in 1810 year. Her funeral surprised a lot of people, since this nun was buried by the Moscow vicar - Bishop Augustine of Dmitrov. And at the burial there were many nobles of Catherine’s time, who appeared in full uniforms and at orders. The body of Dosifei was buried in the Moscow Novospassky Monastery - at the eastern fence, on the left side of the bell tower. On the gravestone was written:
“Under this stone is the body of the nun Dosipheus of the monastery of the Ivanovo Monastery, who had departed for the Lord, who labored about Christ Jesus in the monasticism of 25 years and died on February 4 of the 1810 day.”
In this monastery for quite a long time they showed the still not preserved portrait of the nun Dosifei, on the back of which one could read:
"Princess Augusta Tarakanova, in the foreign shop of Dosifey, sheared in the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery, where she died many years of her righteous life, was buried in the Novospassky Monastery."
Cenotaph chapel (symbolic grave) of nun Dosifei, Novospassky Monastery, Moscow
In 1996, during the reconstruction of the Novospassky Monastery, the remains of Dosifei were studied by the staff of the Republican Center for Forensic Medical Examination and a forensic professor, doctor of medical sciences V.N. Zvyagin. It turned out that she had a hump, which was the result of some kind of trauma suffered in childhood.
The Secret of the Nun Dosifei
But who was this captive of Catherine?
Some argue that from the marriage of Elizabeth Petrovna and Alexei Razumovsky around 1746 year, indeed, a daughter was born, named Augusta. Allegedly, she was given up for education to the beloved sister of the favorite - Vera Grigoryevna, who was married Colonel of the Little Russian Army E.F.Daragan. After the death of Elizabeth, she was allegedly sent abroad - what if the new monarch doesn’t like the “unnecessary” relative? But, on the orders of Catherine II, in 1785 the girl was brought to Russia and assigned to the familiar John the Baptist monastery.
Dosifei herself, when visitors began to more freely admit visitors, leading a third-person story, told G.I. Golovina:
"It was a long time ago. There was one girl, the daughter of very, very noble parents. She was brought up far beyond the sea, on the warm side, she received a brilliant education, lived in luxury and honor, surrounded by a large staff of servants. Once she had guests, and among them - one Russian general, very famous at that time. This general offered to ride in a boat on the seaside. Let's go with music, with songs, and when we went out to sea, a Russian ship stood ready. The general and tells her: is it not pleasant to see the device of the ship? She agreed, entered the ship, and as soon as she entered, she was taken by force to the cabin, locked and put on guard. It was in 1785 year. ”
In St. Petersburg, she was taken to Catherine II, who, speaking of the Pugachevsky revolt and the impostor Tarakanova, said: for the peace of the state, she, “in order not to become an instrument in the hands of ambitious people,” should be tonsured a nun.
You probably noticed that this story very much resembles the real story of the abduction of the False Elizabeth by Alexei Orlov. And therefore, most historians are sure that Dosifei was a moron or mentally unhealthy girl who, having heard from someone about a real impostor, came up with a similar story for herself. Apparently, she really was of special noble origin, since the empress herself took part in her business. They did not begin to exile the daughter of one of her close associates to Siberia, but, away from sin, they were forever locked in a privileged monastery, having appointed life support. The placement of the insane in a monastery was a very common practice of those years. They told acquaintances of the pious desire of one of the relatives to get away from the temptations of a sinful social life, devoting himself to serving the Lord. This was all the more convenient because in the monastery they received new names, and, as it were, were dissolved in the total mass of monastic “brothers” and “sisters”. Previous names and surnames were oblivious, and their madness did not cast a shadow on the family.
But not everyone had the means to make the necessary “contribution” to the monastery or to appoint a “pension”. And therefore, the “holy fools” of the church porches did not surprise anyone either.
Other "children" of Elizabeth and Razumovsky
One should be equally skeptical of the information that Elizabeth also had a son born from Razumovsky, who either died in one of the monasteries of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky in the beginning of the 19th century, or under the name Zakrevsky rose to the rank of Privy Councilor.
As if this were not enough, some claim that the empress's other daughter, Varvara Mironovna Nazaryeva, lived in a monastery near Nizhny Novgorod until 1839. Another alleged daughter of Elizabeth and Razumovsky allegedly lived in the Moscow Nikitsky Monastery. Legends about the “daughters of Elizabeth and Razumovsky” were also told in the convents of Arzamas, Yekaterinburg, Kostroma and Ufa. As you probably guessed, nameless noble women were considered as such, whom relatives assigned there because of their insanity.
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