Princess Ekaterina Dashkova - Part Three

Today, we wrap up the series of this remarkable woman. From meeting Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and Denis Diderot, Dashkova would become the first woman to lead a major science academy. 

Transcript

Episode 306 - Princess Ekaterina Dashkova - Part Three

Last time, we covered the tumultuous time when Dashkova was in the midst of the overthrowing of the Emperor of Russia, Peter III, with his wife, Catherine II. Today, we continue the story of Dashkova, which includes a falling out with her friend and confidant, the new Empress.

Peter III had abdicated the throne of Russia, yet he was still alive when we return to the story. Of course, this was not to last very long. As Dashkova remembers, "In the meantime, an event occurred which absorbed all my thoughts and filled me with horror and consternation.

When the news was received of the horrible death of Peter III, I was so affected by it and so incensed, even though my heart refused to believe the Empress capable of being the accomplice of Aleksei Orlov’s crime, that only the following day could I be persuaded to visit her. When I did, I found her sad and upset. The actual words she said to me were: 

'I am shocked by his death and dismayed'.

'It comes too early for your good fame and for mine'."

The death of Emperor Peter III would cast a shadow over Catherine's reign. There would be many people claiming to be the dead Tsar, including Yemelyan Pugachev, who would lead one of the largest rebellions in Russian history. For the rest of Catherine's life, she would always have a seed of doubt in her mind about her legitimacy as the ruler of Russia. As you know, her son Paul would hate her for the death of his father and would make a significant change in the successions of future Tsars, not allowing a woman to ever acquire the throne.

Catherine needed to head to Moscow, so she would be coronated as the new Empress of Russia. Dashkova accompanied her in the royal carriage. Upon reaching the old capital, Ekaterina wanted to head over to her mother-in-law's house, where her son Mikhail was staying. Catherine tried to persuade her not to go. As Dashkova puts it, "After dinner, the Empress took my husband and me into a room where there was no one, and then, after another attempt at dissuading me from going to town, she told me with all the tender caution of true friendship that my son, my little Mikhail, was dead.

The news distressed me so much that I became insensible to all except my sorrow. My determination to see my mother-in-law was now all the firmer because the house in which my child had lived became a refuge where I could abandon myself to my affliction and my tears. Besides, my mother-in-law had had the child with her ever since his birth, and her own grief at the loss of him made her into a sympathetic and an understanding companion."

While this should have been a time of celebration with the coronation of Catherine as Empress, the pain of the death of Mikhail was great; the Orlov brothers decided to make life even more miserable for Dashkova by arguing that she had no need or right to attend the festivities. She remembers how her friends reacted, "They therefore entered into what can only be described as negotiations with me in order to soothe my feelings, and some of them even suggested that I should not go at all. I replied that I could not help smiling at the meanness of my enemies who found it possible at a moment like that to think of anything by the supreme joy of seeing the religious coronation of a sovereign such as Catherine.”

Dashkova continues, “’Besides,’ I said, ‘I want to see a ceremony I have never seen before and have no wish to see again. As to the place I shall occupy, it is of such small importance to me, and I have so much pride that I fancy in occupying it I shall make it into the foremost in the church. I shall certainly not be to one to be blamed for occupying it. I shall therefore not be to one to blush for it, and I am charitable enough to hope that no one else shall be blamed for it either.’”

At the coronation ceremony on September 22, 1762, Ekaterina Dashkova was elevated to the position of lady-in-waiting, the highest rank in the St. Petersburg court aside from the Imperial family. Her husband was also elevated to gentleman-in-waiting, a rank similar to a Brigadier General, certainly a boost from his previous rank of Colonel. 

Shortly after the coronation, another death in the family shook the Dashkovs. The younger sister of Pavel, Anastasya, would pass in April 1763. Ekaterina was also pregnant at the time, which was actually a good thing as it prevented her from being involved in the court intrigues around the possibility of Grigori Orlov marrying the Empress. Many in the inner circle were appalled by the possibility, which led some to discuss killing Grigori. Even though Dashkova despised the Orlovs, she knew that any hint of her being involved in a plot against them could be very dangerous. 

Indeed, Vasily Suvorov, father of the now famous Russian General, was asked if he had spoken to Ekaterina about the scheme. As she remembers it, "His reply was: 'I took the liberty of calling three times on the Princess to ask her advice and even take her orders, but I was not admitted and learned afterward that she was receiving no one. Had I had the honor of seeing her, I would have presumed to reveal to her what I thought on the subject, and I am convinced that her reply would have been dictated by sentiments both high-minded and patriotic.”

Ekaterina gave birth to her third child, Pavel, on May 12, 1763. Catherine was to be his godmother, and later in life, he would serve on the staff of Grigori Potemkin. 

In August 1763, the King of Poland, Augustus III, passed away, leaving the succession up in the air. Catherine wanted to install a person sympathetic to her and Russia. That man was Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski, who was once a lover of the Empress. The House of Saxony and the Court of Vienna had other thoughts. Ekaterina's husband was given the job of helping to push the Russian position.

Unfortunately, tragedy would once again strike Dashkova. After he made the trip to Poland, Pavel Dashkov, the love of Ekaterina's life, would pass away in 1764. In addition, the growing split between Catherine and her made life miserable. She lost her sister-in-law, her son, and now her husband in just two years. When she recovered from the tragedy, Dashkova was horrified by the state of the family finances. Houses and jewelry were sold to pay off the enormous debt with little help from the Empress. In her diary, Ekaterina never seemed to blame Catherine for her troubles and the distancing of their relationship. Instead, she blamed the Orlovs and others in the court who were jealous of her and wanted nothing more than to keep her away from the Empress.

In 1768, with her children in poor health, Dashkova requested permission from Catherine to travel outside of Russia to help improve their conditions. When she finally was allowed to approach the Empress and ask permission, Catherine responded by saying, "I am sorry this should be the reason for your travels, but you are certainly free, Madam, to leave whenever you like." Catherine did give Dashkova 4,000 rubles, which was a decent sum of money at the time but nowhere near enough to pay for the entirety of the trip. Luckily, Catherine sent an entourage along with Ekaterina. They would serve as official representatives of the Russian court. 

As she moved with her family from St. Petersburg to Riga, then Danzig and Berlin, Dashkova was greeted by the nobility at each stop because of her perceived close relationship with Catherine. In addition, in each of those cities, some Russian delegates and ambassadors would greet Dashkova and the entire legation.

It is here that we begin to see a new side to Ekaterina Dashkova. We also must remember, that in 1768, she is a mere 25 years old, has lost her son and husband as well as losing the close relationship with the Empress of Russia. The way that the nobility of the countries she would visit would change her life. 

In Berlin, she remembered a particular visit this way: “Her Majesty the Queen accorded me the most distinguished welcome, and I was invited to stay for supper; the Princes and the Princesses vied with each other in showering upon me tokens of their interest and esteem, and soon I was unable to go to suppers given for me by foreign Ministers and private individuals, for I was continually invited either to the Queen’s Court or to her sister’s Both these Princesses stuttered and mumbled as they spoke, and my greatest merit in their eyes consisted in an ability to understand them in spite of their defect, so that the chamberlain who was always place next to a stranger never had the time or need to act as a kind of interpreter. I understood them and answered them at once. This put Her Majesty and her sister at their ease with me.”

The grace and ease with which Dashkova interacted with the nobility of Europe were always evident. It was likely due to her interaction with Catherine in the court of Russia that gave her the experience. Her language skills, which were way above the norm for anyone, much less a woman, added to her allure.

From Berlin, Ekaterina and her children headed to the spas at Aachen and from there to Westphalia and on to London, where they stayed for ten days sightseeing. On to France through the Pas de Calais, in which they encountered a horrific storm. Luckily, according to Dashkova, they made it safe and sound on their way to Paris. There, she would meet the world-famous French philosopher Denis Diderot. There, she would argue supporting Russia's institution of serfdom. While she would lose the discussion initially, she impressed Diderot. In her final argument, she remembers, “Diderot jumped up as if my little story had touched off a mechanical device to propel him out of his chair. He walked up and down the room and spat on the flood in a kind of anger. ‘What a woman you are!’ he burst out. ‘You have upset ideas I have cherished and upheld for twenty years.’”

Diderot eventually became friends with Catherine. She offered to buy his encyclopedia collection and make him the protector of the books, paying him an annual salary of 1,000 francs. Because of his poor economic standing, she paid him 50 years in advance and requested that he visit her, which he did in 1773, staying in St. Petersburg for five months.

Another famous Frenchman who met with Dashkova was Voltaire, who would also have decades-long communications with Catherine. The meeting would not occur in France as Voltaire had been banned from Paris by King Louis XV. His writing often criticized the monarchy, so he left France for Geneva, Switzerland. 

After Switzerland, Dashkova would begin a tour of what was to become Germany. In Frankfurt, she would meet with Vladimir Orlov, the youngest of the brothers. As you would expect, Ekaterina did not like the man at all. As Dashkova writes, “…Count Vladimir, a man of a shallow mind who had derived from his studies in Germany nothing but a pedantic tone and an entirely unfortunate conviction of his own deep learning. She would then comment, “Little did I foresee then  that he would be placed at the head of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences, that he would be followed as Director by Mr. Domashnev, a creature of the Orlovs and quite as inefficient as himself, and that I should be their successor.”

When Dashkova finally returned to St. Petersburg in 1772, she was able to get back into Catherine's good graces, as the Orlovs were no longer a presence at the court. Her relationship with the Empress began to improve with time. Dashkova received over 70,000 rubles from Catherine to buy a new home and pay off any debt she had from her trip.

While her initial plan was to return to her home in Moscow, a terrible plague outbreak struck the city. Dozens of her servants died from the epidemic, so she stayed in St. Petersburg instead. But, the stay wasn't for very long as Dashkova's son needed a European education, something still lacking in Russia at the time. Even though he was a mere 13 years old, Pavel Dashkov was accepted into the University of Edinburgh. While this was a fine education, he didn't use it in his career, as he lived the life of a playboy. Pavel served under Potemkin for a few years and as the governor of Kyiv, but he eventually retired, married, and passed away at the age of 44 in 1807.

Dashkova continued to travel throughout Europe with her son, spending quite a bit of time in Paris. Wherever she went, she would almost always dine with the local royalty and/or an ambassador from Russia. Ekaterina writes extensively about all of her stops but admits that it was all quite fatiguing.

Dashkova would return to St. Petersburg in July 1782. It wasn't until November 14 that an offer was to be made to the Princess that would change her life and mark her as a truly remarkable person. Empress Catherine offered her the position of Director of the Imperial Academy of Arts and Sciences (known now as the Russian Academy of Sciences). As you might imagine, Dashkova was stunned by the offer. As she writes, “I was struck dumb with astonishment, and the Empress had time to tell me several flattering things which she thought would induce me to accept her proposal.

'No, Ma'am,' I said. 'I cannot accept any office which is beyond my capacities. If Your Majesty were not making fun of me, I should tell you that my affection for you, among other reasons, does not allow me to risk making myself ridiculous and bringing discredit on you for making such a choice.’”

While trying desperately to avoid taking the position, Catherine pushed forward. “Her Majesty again waved aside my objection and bade me remember those who filled that office; their abilities, she said, were far below mine.

‘All the worse for those,’ I replied, ‘who had so little respect for themselves that they could assume duties they were incapable of performing.’ ‘Well then,’ she said, ‘let us leave it at that – everyone is looking at us. As to your refusal, it has only confirmed my opinion that I could not have made a better choice.’”

Dashkova even tried to appeal to Grigori Potemkin, but even that failed to reverse the Empress’s decision. The following morning, the Princess received a letter from Count Bezborodko, with the Decree from Catherine to the Senate, that she was appointed Director of the Academy of Sciences. It was a done deal. What Dashkova did not know at the time was that the Academy was in terrible shape both financially and administratively. Her predecessor, Sergei Domashnev, was totally incompetent. As the notes say in her Memoirs, “During her directorship of the Academy he made himself ridiculous by his inefficiency, his doubtful financial honesty, and his tenth-rate literary productions in the shape of poetry and essays.”

Seeing no way out of the Directorship, Princess Dashkova dove into her work right away. She spent time reading reports and talking to the professors and students there, gathering information that could tell her what was going on and what the problems were. The formal start to her position would be in January 1783.

Dashkova then noticed that one of the greatest mathematicians in the world, who was a member of the Academy, Leonard Euler, no longer attended the meetings as he was totally disgusted by the leadership of Domashnev. When the new Director held her first meeting, she invited Euler to her side. As she writes, "I therefore turned to Euler and told him to sit down wherever he thought fit, for any place he occupied would always be first."

Dashkova would turn the Academy around in spectacular fashion. She was so good at her job that in October 1783, Catherine named her the first president of the newly created Russian Academy. Dashkova immediately launched a project to create a six-volume dictionary of the Russian Languages, which would be completed in 1789, the first of its kind. 

Ekaterina’s accomplishments were immediately noticed around the world. In 1783, she was the first foreign woman elected to be an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1789, her friend Benjamin Franklin, whom she only met once in 1781, invited her to become the first woman to join the American Philosophical Society. Franklin and Dashkova would continue to correspond for many years.

The years that followed saw her continue to impress people. That is until the fateful day of November 17, 1796, when her benefactor and best friend, Catherine the Great, passed away. Because she was involved in overthrowing Peter III, his son, Paul, would exact revenge on her. 

Dashkova was exiled and stripped of her position. This would end shortly thereafter when a group of her friends appealed to the Tsar to allow her to return to her estate in Troitskoye, west of Moscow. Yekaterina Romanovna Vorontsova-Dashkova died there on January 4, 1810, at 66 years of age.

Her legacy continues to this day all over the world. From February to December 2006, an exhibition entitled The Princess and the Patriot: Ekaterina Dashkova, Benjamin Franklin, and the Age of Enlightenment was held in Philadelphia. As recently as 2010, the University of Edinburgh opened the Princess Dashkova Russian Center in her honor.

Dashkova would write two novels that we know of, the Marriage of Fabian and a comedy entitled Toissiokoff. Not only that but she was also known to be an accomplished music composer. Her titles included A Collection of Airs, Andante, Air Russe, Sweet Enslaver, How Imperfect is Expression, and Nel dirti addio bel Idol mio.

As you can see, Princess Dashkova was an incredibly brilliant woman, which is impressive given the times she lived in. This is why I highly recommend reading her memoirs.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Join me next time when we look at the memoirs of another person, someone of not as high a standing as Dashkova. We will review the book A Life under Russian Serfdom: The Memoirs of Savva Dmitrievich Purlevsky 1800-1868. 

So, until next time, Dasvidania eh Spasiba za Vinyamineya.