Natalia Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya - biography and interesting facts. The love story of Natalia Goncharova and Pushkin

Natalia Pushkina (Natalia Goncharova) is one of the few Russian women whose deeds were discussed not only during her life, but also centuries after death. Her image was sung by the greatest of Russian poets, and at the same time in the eyes of many she was and remains the cause of the death of her brilliant wife.

A family

The future wife of Alexander Pushkin was the daughter of Nikolai Goncharov. His ancestors were merchants, who under the rule of Elizabeth Petrovna the nobility granted the highest decree. Being the only son of his parents, Natalia's father received an excellent education, in 1804 was enrolled in the College of Foreign Affairs, and after a while, having received the rank of collegiate assessor, took the post of secretary of the Moscow governor.

His wife - Natalia Ivanovna, nee Zagryazhskaya, was a maid of honor at the imperial court. From their marriage seven children were born. Natalia Goncharova is the fifth child in the family.

Childhood and youth

The first years of life Natalia Goncharova spent in the village: first in the village of Karian Tambov province, then in the manor Yaropolets and Polotnyany Zavod. Then the family moved to the capital.

Natalia Goncharova, like her brothers and sisters, received a wonderful home education. Children were taught Russian and world history, geography, Russian and French languages and literature. At the same time, Natalia, who was the youngest of the Goncharov sisters, was exceptionally beautiful. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, her sisters were also attractive enough, but all three had a huge disadvantage at the time - the girls were unmarried, since their grandfather squandered the whole family together with his French lover and left his son with only debts.

Matchmaking

Alexander Pushkin and Natalia Nikolayevna Goncharova met in Moscow, at the end of 1828, at a ball given by the dancing master Yogel. The beauty and grace of the girl made an indelible impression on the poet. Four months later, the enamored Pushkin asked her for her parents' hands, choosing Fyodor Tolstoy as an intermediary, the "American."

Goncharova, the eldest, did not deny him, but she did not give consent to this marriage either, motivating her decision by the fact that her daughter is still too young to acquire a family. In fact, she most likely dreamed of a more brilliant party for Natalia, and also did not want to enter into kinship with a freethinker who did not enjoy the location of the yard.

Pushkin was greatly upset and left with a heavy heart in the army in the Caucasus. Returning to Moscow in September, he hurried to Goncharov, where he was waiting for a cold reception. Probably, during the absence of the poet, a potential mother-in-law discovered the true state of his finances and learned about the fiance's addiction to the cards. In addition, Natalia Ivanovna Goncharova was devout and adored the late emperor, so she sharply interrupted Pushkin, who was trying to criticize Alexander the First's policy or to play tricks on those who displayed ostentatious piety. It seemed that the poet would never succeed in getting the girl's family's location, captivating his heart, and he could never call her his wife.

The love story of Natalia Goncharova and Pushkin

In the spring of 1830, Alexander Sergeevich was in St. Petersburg. Through mutual acquaintances he learned that the Goncharovs were ready to agree to his marriage with their daughter. He hurried to Moscow and again made a proposal that was accepted. And close friends of the family subsequently noted that the decisive role in this matter was played by Natalia Goncharova herself, who at that time was already seriously involved in the poet.

Since Pushkin was under unspoken supervision, he was obliged to inform the Emperor Nicholas I personally about his actions. In response to a letter about the desire to marry, the monarch through Benckendorff conveyed his "benevolent satisfaction", but said that he intended to continue to instruct the poet with advice.

Engagement

The groom, along with the bride, and also the future mother-in-law, went to the estate of the Polotny Factory to introduce himself to the head of the family. A few days after meeting his father-in-law, the engagement of Pushkin and Goncharova took place, but the wedding had to be postponed because of the dowry talks.

My mother-in-law incessantly clashed with her son-in-law, so many friends thought that this wedding would never take place, especially since the death of Vasily Lvovich's uncle, the poet, did not give the opportunity to marry young people until the end of mourning.

The poet was forced to leave for Boldino and stayed there because of an epidemic of cholera. Before the trip, he again quarreled with Madame Goncharova and later wrote her a letter, in which he reported that her daughter could consider herself completely free, although he would never marry any other woman. In response, the bride assured him of her love, which reassured Pushkin.

After much trouble about the 18 February 1831, the young were married in the temple of the Great Ascension, which was located at the Nikitsky gate.

Short Happiness

Subsequently, many doubted whether Natalia Goncharova loved Pushkin. However, the poet himself after the wedding wrote to friends that he was infinitely happy.

At first the newlyweds settled in Moscow, but then moved to Tsarskoe Selo, as Alexander Sergeevich strove to protect his wife from the influence of his mother-in-law.

Plans of the poet to lead a solitary life far from the world prevented the arrival there of the emperor, who decided to take away the household and the yard away from the capitals, in which the cholera raged.

During one of the walks along the Park of Tsarskoye Selo, the Pushkin's spouses met Nikolai I and his wife by chance. The Empress expressed her hope that the poet and Natalia would become frequent guests in the palace, and appointed a day when a young woman was to pay her a visit.

In Petersburg

Upon her return to the capital, Natalia Pushkina, whose fate at that time was of no concern to anyone, was favorably received in high society. At the same time, many noted its coldness and restraint, which were attributed to the natural shyness of the young woman.

May 19, 1832 in the Pushkin family was born the first-born daughter Mary, and a year later Natalia Nikolaevna presented her husband's son Alexander.

Life in the capital required a lot of expenses, and the extended family was constantly in a strained position. In addition, Pushkin loved gambling and often lost at the card table his salary, which was already barely enough to pay for an apartment.

The situation improved somewhat when older unmarried sisters moved to Natalia. They paid part of the cost of renting an apartment from their own funds. In particular, Ekaterina Goncharova entered the post of maid of honor to the Empress and received a good salary.

Acquaintance with Dantes

Appointment of Pushkin to the post of chamber-junker, which the poet considered an insult, but had to accept, presumed the presence of him and his wife at all social events held in the palace. On one of these parties there was a fateful meeting, which is mentioned by any biography of Natalia Goncharova, written both by her contemporaries, and many years later.

So, in 1835 the spouse of Alexander Pushkin met the adoptive son of the Dutch envoy in Russia - the cavalryman Georges Dantes. According to contemporaries, before meeting with this handsome officer in the world, there never was gossip about any connections that discredited Natalya Nikolaevna, although everyone knew that Nikolay the First was not indifferent to her.

Georges Dantes did not hide that he was in love with Goncharov, and he did not hesitate to tell his friends that he hoped to win her heart over time. He even persuaded their common acquaintance Idaliy Poletika to invite Natalia Nikolaevna to her home and leave for a plausible excuse so that, left alone with her beloved, he could achieve her favor. According to the researchers, this meeting took place and became one of the reasons that prompted Pushkin to send a challenge to a cute Frenchman.

Duel and death of the first spouse

In the fall of 1836 Natalia Nikolayevna and Dantes allied the whole Petersburg, and on November 4, Pushkin and his friends received an anonymous libel in which the poet was awarded a cuckold diploma. The jealous husband fell into a rage and sent a challenge to Dantes. He was on duty in the barracks, and only Hecker Sr. was at home. He accepted the call for his son, but asked for a reprieve.

Learning about Pushkin's intention to defend his honor, the Frenchman wooed Catherine Goncharova. A happy girl, long in love with a handsome officer, not only gave her consent, but together with Natalia Nikolaevna and other relatives began to persuade the poet that Dantes had met with the Goncharovs in order to be closer to her.

Pushkin could not shoot with the groom sister-in-law, so he withdrew the challenge. However, after the marriage of Dantes and Catherine, rumors of his novel with the younger Goncharova did not stop.

January 23 at the ball the Frenchman showed tactlessness in relation to Pushkin. Since, shortly before, Alexander Sergeevich had promised the tsar not to challenge Dantes to a duel, he wrote a harsh letter to Heeckeren. He was forced to answer him with a challenge, but he could not fight with Pushkin because of his diplomatic status, so he was replaced by his adoptive son.

Already nothing could prevent the tragedy, and on 27 January a great poet and his offender met in the deadly duel on the Black River. As a result of the shot of Dantes, Pushkin was wounded and died two days later.

Widowhood

Emperor Nicholas the First took care of the Pushkin family. He allocated funds to pay his debts, appointed a pension to the widow and daughters, and wrote his sons into the pages, with the allocation of their content until they begin to receive their salaries.

Natalia Nikolayevna had no reason to stay in St. Petersburg and left with the children in the Polotnyany Zavod. Returning to the capital, she led a quiet life of an exemplary and caring mother and began to appear at court only six years after the death of her husband.

Second marriage

In the winter of 1844, the widow of Pushkin met a friend of her brother Major-General Petr Lansky, who gave his whole life to the service of his homeland and was never married by the age of 45. A few months later he made an offer, and soon Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina-Lanskaya-Goncharova became a full-fledged mistress in his house.

In this marriage she gave birth to three more daughters and was happy, although she noted that in her relationship with her second husband there is no passion, which is replaced by a "feeling with a touch of love".

Natalia Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya died in 1863 at the age of 51 years. She was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and 14 years later she found her last refuge with her second husband. The grave does not attract the attention of those who do not know the biography of this woman, since on the tombstone there is only one name - Lanskaya.

Now you know the full biography of the main muse of the greatest Russian poet. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, the portraits of NN Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya give only a remote idea of its perfect beauty. However, she did not bring her happiness.