Love and family in the life of the "universal person" Mikhail Lomonosov

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The whole world knows the name of the Russian genius - Mikhail Lomonosov who lived the brightest life and left the deepest mark in the development of sciences, art, education and literature. He wrote many scientific works that allowed Russian science to step forward a lot. His creativity could last for several lifetimes. But today is not about that … Despite the enormous workload in business, the genius had a beloved wife and children. About this and many other things from his personal life, further in the review.

Childhood of the future genius

Mikhail Vasilyevich was from the Arkhangelsk North. He was the first and only child in the family of the Pomor Vasily Dorofeevich Lomonosov and his wife Elena Ivanovna. It should be noted that the formation of the personality of the future academician was greatly influenced by the fact that Mikhail did not have to sip the poverty degrading the dignity of man, which was endured by the majority of the representatives of the Russian peasantry.

His father "bloody sweat" amassed his "contentment", being by nature a very active person. In the village of Denisovka, he erected a house, in the courtyard of which, he dug a well and a fairly wide pond, connected to the river by means of a canal, and fenced off from it by a lattice. In the pond, the Pomor raised fish. And it should be noted that at that time in the North it was the only example of artificial fish farming.

And not only the character and appearance of his parent was inherited by the "gifted son", but also his business acumen. So the personal example of the elder Lomonosov served the younger as a guide throughout his life.

Mother and two stepmoms

Until the age of nine, little Mikhail was raised by his mother, Elena Ivanovna, who was a skillful hostess and a faithful wife. Remaining alone with her son for the duration of her husband's long absences, she concentrated all her love and tenderness on the baby, who grew up as a healthy, intelligent and thoughtful child. Misha was very attached to his mother, and she, in turn, gave him all her motherly warmth and tender care, as if anticipating her imminent death. Since the head of the family regularly went to fishing in the sea, most of the time the boy was raised and taught the basics of reading and writing by his mother.

Misha's carefree childhood ended in 1720, just when she was gone. At the age of 9, the boy was left half an orphan, and his father, not long grieving for his deceased wife, brought his stepmother Fyodora Uskova into the house. However, three years later, Fedora was gone. In his third marriage, Mikhail's father married the daughter of a monastery peasant Irina Semyonovna Korelskaya, an intelligent and domineering woman who had a great influence on her father.

The second stepmother disliked her stepson from the very beginning. It irritated her that the boy, instead of helping his father with the housework, read books., - wrote, many years later, Lomonosov. And in order to somehow smooth out domestic strife, the father began to take his son with him to the sea, where he got stronger physically.

And when the young man came of age, the father and stepmother at the family council decided to marry him. And they picked up a suitable bride, however, far - beyond the Arctic Circle. One can only imagine how much Michael was struck by this news. Instead of studying, he had to go to the ends of the world, become the head of the family, support his wife and future children by fishing for the rest of his days.

This terrible thought pushed our hero to a desperate decision. He invented a disease for himself, and began to feign. And so that his father and stepmother would not come up with something else on his head, the future academician decided to run away from home to Moscow. Taking with him two textbooks "Arithmetic" and "Grammar", he decided to go there on foot, and in order not to lose his way, he set off on the road after the caravan carrying fish. It took him exactly three weeks to get to Moscow. By the way, having run away from home in December 1730, Lomonosov never visited his homeland in his entire life.

And, what is noteworthy, the young Lomonosov was unlikely to have been taken for training anywhere, if he had not managed to hide his low origin. He began his studies at the Spassky schools. And, four years later, Mikhail was already one of the best students. It should be noted that at the time when the greatest Russian scientist was born and lived, people from the lower strata of society did not have the right to study sciences, their lot was writing and reading. But only a few enjoyed this right, since education in the peasant environment was considered an empty affair and completely unnecessary. Apparently for this reason, Mikhail's father was illiterate, unlike his mother.

Therefore, the exemplary example in the person of Mikhail Lomonosov was very unique by the standards of that time and the mores established in Russia. Curiously, years later Mikhail Vasilyevich will write the first Russian grammar, which will withstand 14 editions and will become the basis for literacy of the Russian speech.

Wife from germany

The talented student was selected as one of the best and sent to further study in Germany. For five years he had to study abroad. It was there that he chose his life companion, once and for all. Elizaveta Christina Zilch (1720-1766), in Orthodoxy - Elizaveta Andreevna was German by nationality. The young people met in Marburg in 1736, when Lomonosov was sent by a great decree to Germany to study at the university and internship. But he had to lodge at the Tsilhovs. Elizabeth's father, Heinrich, was a member of the Marburg City Duma, a church elder in the Reformed Church, and a brewer by profession. He died shortly before the appearance of his future son-in-law in his house.

The Russian student Lomonosov looked closely at Elizaveta Tsilkh for some time. The girl was attractive, modest and sincere. And soon his passion grew into a deep feeling. Michael perceived love in a very peculiar way, which he later wrote in the doctrine of eloquence:

Upon reaching the subject of passion for 18 years, our hero made Elizabeth his common-law wife. In November 1739, Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter. When this happened, Lomonosov was away, and returning to Marburg, he immediately married the mother of his child in the Reformed Church.

After a year and a half, Mikhail Vasilyevich had to return to St. Petersburg, as his term of stay abroad had expired. Of course, he could not immediately bring his young wife to an empty, uninhabited place. Therefore, the couple agreed that Mikhail would soon send his wife an invitation and money to move from Russia. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Elizabeth's mother fell seriously ill, and she herself carried a second child under her heart. The kid was born in January 1742, after Lomonosov's departure to St. Petersburg. The boy was named Johannes, but he was not destined to live - a month after birth, the child died. He was the only son of Mikhail Vasilyevich.

For two years Elizabeth waited for a letter from her husband, and from him - neither hearing nor spirit. It is not difficult to imagine what a young woman felt, abandoned by her husband with a little daughter in her arms. However, without waiting for news from Mikhail, she decided to find him herself. At the beginning of 1743, she turned to the Russian ambassador with a request to send a letter to her missing husband to St. Petersburg. Less than a month later, the letter found its addressee and, I must say, made a lot of noise: At the Academy of Sciences, where Lomonosov served, everyone considered him a bachelor, he kept his marriage to a foreign woman in strict secrecy.

This circumstance at that time could be explained by two reasons. The first is that the marriage of a Russian student to a foreigner during the internship was, in fact, illegal: for this, at least, it was necessary to take the permission of the Academy of Sciences. And Lomonosov already had enough disagreements with the management of the educational institution, and he apparently did not really want to add an unauthorized marriage to them. The second reason is that Lomonosov first tried to somehow equip his home and earn enough money to call his family to him later. But nothing came of this venture.

Eyewitnesses testified that when the letter from Marburg was received and opened, Lomonosov, after reading it, exclaimed: Of course, this phrase, always cited as an excuse for Lomonosov's act, sounded a little somehow unnatural … But, be that as it may, responsibility for this strange family situation remained on the conscience of Mikhail Vasilyevich.

In the summer of 1743, Elizabeth and her daughter moved to St. Petersburg. And soon she got married to Mikhail Vasilyevich in the Orthodox Church. Under Russian law, such marriages were allowed on condition that the children were brought up in Orthodoxy.

For more than twenty years, until the death of Lomonosov, the couple lived together. However, almost no special information about their family life has been preserved. It is known that the first daughter of the Lomonosovs, at the age of 4, died. And in 1749, Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter - Elena, who was named after the mother of Mikhail Vasilyevich. There were no violent scandals in the family of the great scientist, the marriage was not overshadowed by adultery and strife.

Like all geniuses, Lomonosov was completely impractical at home. Apparently, this impracticality was also characteristic of his wife, despite the fact that she was German. Once, when Elizaveta Andreevna fell ill, there was no money in the house even for medicine. Mikhail Vasilievich was forced to ask for material assistance from the chancellery of the Academy of Sciences: But the scientist was already a professor at that time and had an income of five hundred rubles a year. And this at that time was a very impressive figure.

By nature, Mikhail Vasilyevich was a homebody, giving himself entirely to his works and inventions, he did not like secular entertainment, he practically did not visit theaters and other institutions. In family relationships, he was stingy with affection. - he wrote in letters to friends.

And when he certainly had to be at official social events in person, Mikhail Vasilyevich invariably appeared with Elizaveta Andreevna, which, of course, spoke of respect and mutual understanding in their family, while many persons left their wives at home for reasons.

As you know, the genius died in the arms of his wife and daughter at the age of 53 from pneumonia. Elizaveta Andreevna survived her husband by a year and a half.

To all of the above, I would like to add that Lomonosov was a universal man of his era. During his short life, he managed to make a colossal number of discoveries in various fields of science, made an enormous contribution to the art and literature of Russia.

His creative legacy is a huge number of works in various fields of knowledge, and this diversity cannot but surprise and arouse admiration. He distinguished himself in the field of fine arts. You can read about this in the review: Hundreds of square meters of mosaics and Mikhail Lomonosov's Theory of Colors of the “Universal Man”.

One can talk incredibly long and long about this amazing person, his merits and achievements. But, very few people know one more side of Mikhail Lomonosov's personality - anti-church. At the same time, the scientist remained a deeply religious person all his life. You can read about this incredible fact. here