Knyazhnina, Ekaterina Alexandrovna

Daughter A.P. Sumarokova , received a home education. The father patronized the daughter’s interest in literature, but did not approve of her penchant for writing poetry , fearing that they would contain indecent “ amicable explanations” for the girl ^[2] . Therefore, printed in the "Hardworking Bee" "Elegy" composed on behalf of a man.

At the departure of Sumarokov with his wife in 1765 - 1766, Catherine stayed with her father, with him and moved to Moscow in March 1769. In the same year, Knyazhnin moved to Moscow, taking the opportunity to show the manuscript of his first tragedy to the “father of the Russian theater”, and drawing attention to Catherine. At the request of the Princess, his friend Fedor Karin was embracing Ekaterina Alexandrovna. This version was recorded by Sergey Nikolayevich Glinka according to Karin. According to P.N.Berkov, the wedding took place in 1768, and her sister, Praskovya, moved to Moscow. This version contradicts the testimonies of Alexander Knyazhnin (son), Bolkhovitinov (according to notes and stories of a friend of the Knyazhnins Ivan Dmitrievsky ) and Glinka that the matchmaking took place in Moscow. The wedding, according to his son, was in St. Petersburg.

Reliable information about the participation of Ekaterina Alexandrovna in literary life is extremely scarce. Berkov claimed that the poem printed in the "Hardworking Bee" was composed not by her, but by her father. This statement is incorrect, in the “St. Petersburg Bulletin” for 1778 (Part 1), “Elegy” is printed with the signature “K *** a K *** a” (“Katerina Knyazhnina”).

In the letters of M.N. Muravyov for 1781 it is mentioned that a certain Arsenyev, who is patronized by Knyazhnin, writes several satyrs against N.P. Nikolaev , F.G. Karina , A.S. and D.I. Tail and others.

There is a legend that during the first presentation of Nikolaev ’s comedy “The Proud Poacher” at the Court Theater on June 15, 1781, which was rougher than the published play, from the box where the Princess was sitting, there was a whistle, picked up by the audience. So, supposedly, the beginning of the tradition of booing bad plays in the Russian theater was laid. Knyazhnina herself, in connection with this performance, wrote an unexploded epigram on Nikolayev, who in response wrote several crude poems against Knyazhnina.

The attacks of Ivan Andreevich Krylov on the Princess in the pamphlet "Pranksters", in the " Mail of Spirits " and other essays, apparently caused by some personal reasons.

Although the Princesses lived modestly enough, according to Sergei Glinka, their house was open to everyone. There were Fedor Karin , Grigory Potemkin , Ivan Dmitrievsky and others. The concept of the Princess’s house as an aristocratic salon is nothing more than a legend.

Allegedly, her poems were put on notes by Raupakh and published without the author’s name by Knyazhnin, which angered Sumarokov, who began to print them in the “ Hardworking Bee ” with his signature, but this is not reflected in any catalogs ^[2] .

She was buried at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg; in the 1950s, the gravestone was transferred to the Lazarevsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In the “Hardworking Bee” for March 1759, Catherine Knyazhnina placed the elegy “About you, which is always” ^[2] .

False Authorship

According to rumors collected by M.N. Makarov , supposedly by the beginning of 1759, the Princess was the subject of passion of the Princess, who seemed to be consulting with her about her verses and the rules of her verses. According to Makarov, the Princess allegedly persuaded the composer G. Raupakh to compose music for the poet’s love songs and published a poetic collection of Princesses with notes, which included the songs “The hours that you were looking for me were hidden ...”, “On what bad day are you in the volume assured me ... "," We love each other, so what do we have with you ... "," Forget the days of this life ... "," Already passed my age as a drag ... "," In vain I hide the hearts of sorrow of the fierce ... ". Upon learning of his daughter’s act, Sumarokov seemed to get angry and reprinted these six songs in the “Hardworking Bee” for November as belonging to himself. Makarov mistakenly attributed Knyazhnina, in addition to songs, a number of other poems to the epistle “To unrighteous judges” and the ode “Against villains”.

This version was taken on faith by many subsequent biographers, and S.A. Vengerov even reprinted six songs with “Elegy” and “Against the Villains” in the collection of poems by Knyazhnina. However, six songs actually belong to Sumarokov, and they were printed for the first time without the permission of the author in the collection of G.N. Teplova “In between, idleness, or a collection of different songs” (to the music of Teplov, 1759). All the poems and songs attributed to the Princess, except for "Elegia", are also written by her father and included N.I. Novikov in the “Complete Collection of All Works” by Sumarokov. However, the same Novikov, who was well acquainted with both Knyazhnina and Sumarokov, reported that Knyazhnina wrote very good poems published in the “Hardworking Bee”. Apparently, we are talking about some anonymously published works.

She married (c. 1769) Y. B. Knyazhnin (1740/1742 - 1791), one of the largest dramatists of Russian classicism. Their sons became generals, commanders of the Napoleonic wars : Lieutenant General Alexander Knyazhnin (1771-1829) and infantry general Boris Knyazhnin (1777-1854).

• I. A. Krylov in his comedy “Pranksters” (1787-1788) ridiculed the first playwright of his time, Knyazhnin (under the name Rifmokrad) and his wife Knyazhnin (Taratora), possibly because of personal resentment. The result was a quarrel with the Knyazhnin's family and the displeasure of the theater directorate. ^[3]

• Knyazhnina, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Knyazhnin // Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 4 volumes - St. Petersburg. 1907-1909.
• Knyazhnina Ekaterina Aleksandrovna // Dictionary of the Russian language of the XVIII century. - M :. Institute of Russian Literature and Language, 1988-1999.