Natalia Goncharova and Nicholas I: Why there was a portrait of Pushkin's wife on the cover of the emperor's watch

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

Almost all contemporaries of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin were sure that between Tsar Nicholas I and the poet's wife there was a closer than just a platonic connection. Now it is difficult to find the truth, but one thing is known: the poet himself, despite constant unbridled jealousy, did not doubt the decency of his wife, saying to Natalie before his death: "I believe."

When Nicholas I "laid eyes" on Natalia Nikolaevna

The acquaintance of the Russian emperor with Natalya Nikolaevna happened in 1831: it was then that the Pushkin couple lived in Tsarskoe Selo at their dacha, and Nicholas I with his wife and court entourage arrived there, hiding from the cholera epidemic. Natalia, nee Goncharova, became famous for her ideal appearance as soon as she came out and began attending Moscow balls. The tsar, who was considered a connoisseur of female beauty and had heard about the irresistibility of the face and grace of young Pushkina, undoubtedly had a great interest in seeing her with his own eyes.

Apparently, the beauty of Natalya Nikolaevna really made an indelible impression on Nicholas I, and this immediately affected the official position of Alexander Pushkin. In November 1831, by the highest decree, the poet was reinstated in the Foreign College, from where he was dismissed in 1824, leaving his previous rank. At the same time, instead of the annual salary of 700 rubles due to the rank, Pushkin was given a salary of 5,000 rubles!

At the same time, Pushkin was instructed to write the history of the period of Peter the Great and his successors, opening access to the archive and classified materials. In addition to the fact that in the eyes of the world this was a manifestation of the highest benevolence, the work itself as a tsarist historiographer brought a good income. Only for the presentation of the events of the Pugachev rebellion, the poet was paid 160,000 rubles.

How Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and his wife ended up "in court captivity"

The sudden manifestation of generous imperial mercy by the high society was interpreted unequivocally - Nicholas I has a certain interest in the poet's wife, and does so in order to bring Pushkin closer to the court, giving Natalia the opportunity to attend royal receptions. High-society guesses were confirmed by the following appointment of Pushkin: at the very end of December 1833 he was given the title of chamber-cadet, whose duties included the obligatory presence at all social events. But it was at that time that the poet practically did not appear at court, limiting his wife in this.

The hot-tempered Alexander Sergeevich accepted his new position with undisguised irritation. First, he believed that the title was not befitting his years. Secondly, Pushkin suspected how such an approach to the court could end and was jealous of Natalie for the emperor in advance, knowing about his long-standing affection for her. According to the testimony of a friend of the poet, Pavel Nashchokin, Pushkin had to be doused with cold water: he was so enraged by his appointment that he wanted to immediately go to the palace and express everything in the face of the emperor.

Later, in protest, he did not order a court uniform. Friends with difficulty persuaded to accept the uniform, bought by them on the occasion. And having met at the ball with the emperor, Pushkin did not in any way express gratitude for the new title, which was a direct violation of etiquette. But Natalia was delighted. A lover of secular balls, she did not hide her joy at the upcoming receptions with the participation of the highest persons, which further increased the jealousy of Pushkin, who had lost his peace.

"Do not flirt with the Tsar", or what is the confirmation of Natalie's romance with the Emperor

There is no direct evidence of the close relationship between Nicholas I and Pushkin's wife. Only circumstantial "evidence" speaks of a possible connection, among which one can name the poet's clearly expressed jealousy, expressed by him in letters to Natalie when he was in Boldino in October 1833. In them, with undisguised concern, he urged his wife not to flirt and not flirt with the king, so that he would not take this as a hint of a desire for closer communication.

The Russian historian and the first Pushkin bibliographer P. I. Bartenev, having thoroughly familiarized himself with the spouses' correspondence in 1893, did not give any comments on this matter. Only before his death in 1912, he expressed the opinion that the publication of all letters is possible "sometime in the distant future", but not in the near future. What was contained in them is unknown. Since then, only one letter from Natalie to Pushkin has survived. Namely, her messages contained some kind of secret, which the historian chose to hide without explaining the reason.

Several facts speak at once about the special attitude of the emperor to Natalie, in addition to open favor to her husband. The medallion, which the tsar wore on his chest, contained an image of Pushkina. A few years after the death of the poet, Nikolai, before the widow's remarriage, ordered her portrait and ordered that it be placed in the regimental album. This was considered unprecedented at the time!

The emperor's love for Natalya Nikolaevna was noted by all aristocratic society, which did not even doubt that the loving sovereign had a new favorite. In addition, Nicholas did not forget about Pushkina until her second marriage to Peter Lansky, who, by the way, had been a confidant of the Russian emperor for several years.

How Nicholas I helped Natalya Nikolaevna after the death of the poet

Pushkin himself was never an exemplary family man. Along with jealousy of his wife, he did not shy away from persons of easy virtue, as well as gambling card games. With the latter, he was absolutely unlucky, and since the poet liked to live on a grand scale and preferred to make big bets, he also had debts after his death in the amount of more than 130,000 rubles.

The king did not leave the widow to vegetate in poverty with four small children in her arms. The emperor established a special state Guardianship over the property and children of Pushkin, which was to release the poet's family estate from debts, pay a pension to his family members (widow - 5,000 rubles a year, daughters - 1,500 rubles before marriage), assign sons to the Corps of Pages with allowance 1,500 rubles. before joining the service. At the same time, the Guardianship was instructed to provide the family with a one-time payment of 10 thousand rubles, and the money for the essays published at the state account was given to the widow and children in full.

But the question is who he really was the hero of Pushkin's epigram, the Smoking-room, still worries many.