How Russian aristocrat Maria Tarnovskaya made love a profitable business, and then paid for it

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

In the spring of 1910, newspapers around the world shouted about one important event - in Venice, a Russian aristocrat was tried, whose family descended from Mary Stuart. The beauty and incredible charm of the defendant added fuel to the fire - after all, using her charm, this woman brought many men to death, and she managed to cash in on some of these tragedies. The life of Maria Tarnovskaya has become the theme of numerous novels and plays, the Countess has remained in history as a true "Black Angel" of the Russian Empire.

Countess Maria Nikolaevna came from the ancient Irish family O'Rourke (the American film actor Mickey Rourke is the offspring of the same family). Her ancestors settled in Russia during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and since then they have served the Russian throne with faith and truth. The father is a brilliant naval officer, the mother is an aristocrat of the Kiev province, in such a noble family in 1877 a daughter, Maria, appeared, whom everyone used to call Manyune from childhood. The girl grew up to be a real beauty. When describing her, they usually spoke of "intoxicating blue eyes" and "titian hair."

However, her character also manifested itself early - even at the Poltava Institute of Noble Maidens, she was nicknamed "demivierge" - "half virgin". History is silent about what merits the girl was so nicknamed, however, having escaped from the school at 17, she instantly found herself an admirer. The most enviable groom in Kiev, Vasily Tarnovsky, fell in love with her. A huge inheritance awaited the young man, but while he was burning his father's capital. This marriage became for a time the main local scandal. Since the parents were against it, the young people played out a real story with a bride kidnapping and a secret wedding in the village church.

Family life, which began so crookedly, then rolled merrily, but rather "downhill" - chic receptions and carousing, rivers of absinthe and morphine in a gilded syringe. Foreign newspapers, after many years describing the details of the life of Maria Tarnovskaya, always stopped at describing this Russian decadence. However, the couple even had two children. According to legend, Maria gave birth to her first child right in a separate office of one of the Kiev restaurants.

However, problems soon began in the young family. At the age of 17, the younger brother of Vasily Tarnovsky hanged himself, rumors circulated that the reason was love for Maria. By that time, this high-profile beauty had a solid list of admirers, and rumor no longer considered her a respectable woman. All her lovers, as if by selection, were real breters, her husband had to fight once in a duel with swords, then a tragedy occurred, which Maria, apparently, set up by inviting her husband and lover to one restaurant. Seeing the farewell kiss of this couple, Vasily drew his pistol and fired. By the way, it is believed that in just the life of Maria Tarnovskaya, about 15 men died because of her, and she showed amazing indifference to all these tragedies. So, for example, after this incident, while the lover was fighting for life in the hospital, and the husband was in prison, the windy countess drove off to the Crimea with a new toy. Baron Vladimir Stahl left his wife for her and became another victim of this terrible woman. It is difficult to say exactly how she managed to "process" him, but having insured her life in favor of Tarnovskaya, the baron shot himself two days later.

Her husband, oddly enough, was soon acquitted, but the family, of course, as well as her reputation, Maria Tarnovskaya could not be returned. Her next man was Moscow lawyer Donat Prilukov. It's still amazing what power this unique woman possessed over the stronger sex! Just a couple of months later, a wonderful family man and a loyal husband with an ideal professional reputation, Prilukov fled with Countess Tarnovskaya to Algeria, stealing 80 thousand of clients' money. Later, he became her constant accomplice, and the two then sat in the dock together.

Maria Nikolaevna's inquiries were always too sophisticated, and not a single man had enough money for a long time. Therefore, when the stolen amount quickly disappeared, this professional seductress and her friend found a new victim. The Komarovskys seemed like a worthy object. Countess Emilia was ill, and her husband brought her abroad for treatment. Quickly falling under the influence of Maria Tarnovskaya's irresistible charms, the count proposed to her the next day after his wife's death (why in the life of the "black countess" some deaths came too quickly and conveniently for her - this is a separate question that remained unclear in the future).

It seems that this time, together with the faithful Prilukov, the Countess has developed a plan for the "ideal", from her point of view, crime. They acted according to the already worked out scheme. As if hypnotized, Pavel Komarovsky very soon not only gave Tarnovskaya a large sum of money, but also bequeathed to her all movable and immovable property. After the poor man also signed an insurance policy in her favor, his death was only a matter of time. However, the criminals approached this point very carefully. A young and unconscious admirer of Countess Nikolai Naumov was chosen as the "tool". By the way, he was a friend of the doomed to death Komarovsky. Having caressed the poor man, the "black countess", in the best traditions of French novels, confessed to her young lover that Komarovsky was persecuting and insulting her. It is difficult to imagine what was going on in the heads of lovers at the beginning of the 20th century, but as a result of such a not very original move, Nikolai Naumov chased after the offender of his beloved in order to punish him.

The finale of this tragedy took place on September 4, 1907 in the beautiful scenery of Venice. Komarovsky was resting there while the Countess was “working on” her “instrument of crime”. Appearing early in the morning at the apartment of a former friend, Naumov fired several shots point-blank. The murderer from him, however, came out unimportant, since after that his victim survived. The unfortunate man died in the hospital only a few days later, and that, apparently, through an oversight of the doctors. So, at first, all events developed exactly as planned by the criminals. The arrested Naumov told the investigators about his love, and they began to consider him just a jealous person, Komarovsky died, and his will came into force. However, upon learning about the monetary side of this case, Naumov realized that he was simply being used and accused Countess Tarnovskaya of incitement. The criminals were captured a little later in Vienna, where they were trying to get insurance money.

The long trial dragged on for more than two years - numerous translations of all documents were required. However, in 1910, four accused were finally put in the dock: Maria Tarnovskaya herself, her assistant Prilukov, the "blind murder weapon" Naumov, and the countess's maid, who was aware of all the criminal plans. The latter was acquitted, the stupid enamored Naumov was given three years, but the main culprits ended up in prison for a long time. The "Black Countess" was to serve 8 years, and Prilukov - 10. The public following this high-profile case was satisfied. They were afraid that the magic charms of this terrible Russian would conquer the jury, and the sentence would be too lenient. On the walls of houses during the days of the trial, the inscriptions constantly appeared: "Tarnovskaya - to the galleys." People came to the courtroom as the main entertainment of the year, and the proceedings were covered in detail by newspapers around the world.

It is not known exactly how the fate of the "Black Angel" from Russia developed. Her crimes became the basis for many works of art, the authors of which tried to solve one riddle - where did women get such power to command men and drive them crazy. However, the answer to this painful question, unfortunately or fortunately, is unlikely to ever be found.

Read on for another famous beauty swindler: Olga von Stein - the daughter of a jeweler, the wife of a general and the criminal heiress of Sonya the Golden Hand.