Vorontsova-Dashkova, Elizaveta Andreevna

Elizaveta Andreevna ( Lily ) was the eldest child in the family of Count Andrei Pavlovich Shuvalov (1816–1876) and Sofya Mikhailovna Vorontsova (1825–1879). Her father was the son of a diplomat Count Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov and the heir to a great fortune. Mother was the daughter of Elizabeth Ksaverievna , nee Countess Branitskaya, and St. Prince Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov (non-standard versions regarding her fatherhood are known) ^[3] . The Shuvalov family life was not particularly successful: from the 1850s, the count had a relationship with another woman, and in fact the spouses lived in different houses.

Elizabeth Andreevna’s cousin was her cousin Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (1837-1916), the son of Count Ivan Illarionovich Vorontsov and his wife Alexandra Kirillovna , nee Naryshkina. The count was a close friend of the future emperor Alexander III , who considered his candidacy as spouse for Maria Meshcherskaya . Tsesarevich believed that “this would be a great husband: an honest, noble and smart fellow. "I would be completely happy and calm if this ended ^[4] ."

Nevertheless, Vorontsov-Dashkov preferred to marry Lily, and the families of the Vorontsov and Shuvalovs favorably reacted to this union, uniting the two branches of the genus, descended from the brothers Roman and Ivan Illarionovich Vorontsov ^[5] . E. S. Andreevsky wrote in his memoirs: “The princess is too much too happy to marry her granddaughter Shuvalova, Count Vorontsov-Dashkov ^[6] .” The wedding, held on January 29, 1867, was, according to Andreevsky, “hasty.” This was connected with the father of the bride, who “due to dangerous liberalism” was ordered to leave Petersburg within three days ^[7] .

Despite the Countess’s “wayward and resolute character ^[8] ”, the union was happy, the couple sincerely cared for each other. So, the death of Count Shuvalov, which occurred on April 14, 1876, coincided with the severe pulmonary disease of Elizabeth Andreevna. Her condition was so serious that Illarion Ivanovich, who refused to serve for this period (Vorontsov-Dashkov did not even attend the summer classes of the Guards Corps , whose chief of staff he was) and daily informed Tsarevna Maria Fedorovna in telegrams about the course of the disease, inform his wife about the sudden death of her father ^[9] .

Vorontsov-Dashkov and his wife were among the most trusted and close to the imperial family. The count was a regular partner of Alexander III in the card game and the royal hunt. In the house of the Vorontsovs on Promenade des Anglais, all of Petersburg gathered. A regular guest of the house, A. Polovtsov , reporting on the wedding of the Vorontsov’s eldest daughter on April 8, 1890, wrote: “The triumph takes place with special splendor due to the presence of their majesties and the entire reigning family. A crowd of guests staggering around the living rooms ... ^[10] ”In the Vorontsov-Dashkovs' house on January 27, 1887, Leo Tolstoy ’s play“ The Power of Darkness ”was read, against which the censorship and the count themselves opposed the production in the theater. Readings were organized in many secular living rooms, but the Vorontsovs were attended by the emperor and his wife. The play was liked by Alexander III, he wished to attend the dress rehearsal. Good relations with the imperial family remained after the death of Alexander Alexandrovich in 1894. The Vorontsov children were in the inner circle of the new Emperor Nicholas II . V.N. Voeikov wrote: “The Tsar felt quite at ease in this family, in which he was in childhood easily, being a peer of the children of Count Vorontsov-Dashkov ^[11] .”

The 1890s were overshadowed by a number of misfortunes for Elizabeth Andreevna. In 1893, on the eve of the wedding of Sister Sofia, the 19-year-old son Roman, or, as his family name was, died from illness. The Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich wrote to his brother Sergey : “I was terribly struck by the death of Roman. I can imagine the family’s grief, it’s terrible, so unexpected. ”On December 8, 1897, after hunting, the eldest son, Ivan, tragically died from infection. There was a big quarrel with his son Illarion in connection with the matchmaking of the latter to I.V. Naryshkina . Illarion Ivanovich wrote: “Today I received a letter from my mother in which she informs me that you asked for the hands of Irina Naryshkina. I can’t hide from you that your action really upset me. It seems that neither I nor your mother deserved such an unceremonious and heartless attitude on your part. You could warn us about your intention, consult with us, finally, ask for our blessing for such an important step ^[12] . ”On June 28, 1905, during the usual reception of visitors, the Vorontsov-Dashkov’s son-in-law, Moscow city governor Count P., was killed by the terrorist Kulikovsky . P. Shuvalov .

Illarion Ivanovich's disease progressed. The countess accompanied her husband in all his affairs. During the governor’s trip in 1906 to Erivan, Elizaveta Andreevna went with him to inspect the military units and educational institutions. In November 1914, Emperor Nicholas, who traveled around the Caucasus, was met at the station by Countess Vorontsova-Dashkova. Due to poor health Vorontsov could not accept the emperor even in the palace ^[11] . This allowed the deputy Chkheidze , speaking in the Duma, to declare that “not the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and not the Viceroy commanded the Caucasian army, but Countess Vorontsova-Dashkova entangled in Armenian networks ^[13] .” Later, her daughter-in-law, Anna Ilinichna, recalled: “For each speech Chkheidze frantically hit me, as if I were responsible for him. I must admit that I ... could not stand him, and for his political views, and for my stories with my mother ^[14] . ”Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich , reporting in his diary that“ poor Count Vorontsov is completely ramlen, ”wrote on January 17, 1915 “The Countess doesn’t let anyone in, takes personally all the reports and personally manages the entire Caucasus, both the civilian and military ^[15] .” The commander of the Vorontsov-Dashkov convoy, N. A. Bigaev, in his notes “The Last Viceroys of the Caucasus (in the light of personal memoirs)” reported that “they were scared of the countess.” Even rumors of people conveyed before her arrival to the Caucasus that “the countess is something scary that she meets foreign royal princesses with a nod of her head.” Her stern and proud appearance made the guests afraid to sit down at the table next to her, and some of the military in general, she preferred not to attend the governor’s receptions, since “they could not overcome the“ fear ”that gripped them in the presence of the majestic countess.” Even in the presence of the royal family, she “remained herself: stern, genuinely important and not easily accessible”. According to Bigayev, “she was strict and harsh, first of all to herself, and then to everyone.” During the panic in Tiflis in December 1914 due to the failures of the Russian army near Sarykamysh , Elizaveta Andreevna was offered to evacuate, to which they received an answer Countess: “Only cowards run away. Instead of organizing the defense of their native land, hometown, part of the population, especially the Armenians, shamefully flee, not sparing money for it. I won’t leave. ”Nikolai Aleksandrovich noted that Elizaveta Andreevna was“ a kind woman, to whom she had to be able to “apply“ ^[16] . ”

The count left the Caucasus with his wife and son Alexander shortly before his death on January 15, 1916 in Alupka . Empress Alexandra Fedorovna wrote that day: “Poor Countess Vorontsova. She will yearn for her sweet old husband ... ^[17] "

The last meeting of Elizabeth Andreevna with the Empress took place on February 8, 1917. After the revolution, the countess left for Essentuki , where most of the family soon gathered. She was later arrested and imprisoned in Pyatigorsk. During the offensive of the Volunteer Army, the Vorontsov-Dashkov managed to leave Russia: in April 1919, Elizaveta Andreevna with the family of the countess’s youngest daughter I. I. Sheremeteva left her Alupka Palace on one of the English ships heading for Malta .

Countess Elizaveta Andreevna Vorontsova-Dashkova died in 1924 and was buried in the Wiesbaden cemetery.

December 23, 1903 (January 5, 1904), the brother of Elizabeth Andreevna, Mikhail Andreevich His Grace Prince Vorontsov, Count Shuvalov (1850-1904), who did not leave direct heirs, died. By the decision of the St. Petersburg District Court of May 1, 1904, Elizaveta Andreevna became the heiress of the Vorontsov Majorate ^[18] . Among other things, she inherited the Yugo-Kama Ironworks, a profitable house in St. Petersburg, a palace in Alupka , the estate of Pargolovo , Andreevskoye and others, which she was actively landscaping. By combining in their hands the possessions of the Vorontsov, Shuvalov and Vorontsov-Dashkovs, Elizaveta Andreevna and her husband became one of the largest landowners. They owned 21 estates with an area of ​​over 160 thousand hectares of land, several oil mills and factories, a factory and several apartment buildings, 10 oil fields on the Absheron peninsula ^[1] . One of her husband’s subordinates in his memoirs about Count Hilarion Ivanovich remarked: “He was rich, and his wife was even richer ... ^[19] ”

In 1912, Elizaveta Andreevna tried to get the majorate transferred not to her grandson Illarion Ivanovich (1893-1920), but to his mother Varvara Davydovna. However, she was denied ^[18] .

After the revolution, all the property of the family was nationalized .

Like other ladies from high society, Elizaveta Andreevna devoted a lot of time to charity work. Together with her husband, who since 1904 served as chairman of the Main Directorate of the Russian Red Cross Society , she was engaged in the affairs of the company. The payment of pensions and benefits occupied a significant part of the income of the Vorontsov-Dashkov family (for example, in 1906, about 11,000 rubles were paid). In the division of parental estates, the sisters Elizabeth and Ekaterina Andreevna allocated 9300 rubles for charity ^[20] .

The Countess was in charge of the institution of St. Nina .

Vorontsova-Dashkova was the chairman of the Caucasus Committee for Assistance to War Victims. In the governor’s palace in the Caucasus, a warehouse was built to help the wounded, bearing the name of the empress. During the war, the rooms of the St. Petersburg and other Vorontsov mansions were provided for people with disabilities, which, according to A. I. Vorontsova-Dashkova, was “the greatest mistake” and contributed to propaganda against the owners. In the mother-in-law’s house, she heard the words that “for one old woman it’s all ... and all the servants ... and her own church ^[14] .”

This activity was marked with the distinction of the Red Cross of 1 degree ^[2] .

Married:

• Ivan Illarionovich (1868-1897) - Colonel, adjutant Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich . Since 1891 he was married to Varvara Davydovna Orlova (1870-1915), daughter of Lieutenant General D.I. Orlov .
• Alexandra Illarionovna (1869-1959) - maid of honor, from 1890 the wife of Count Pavel Pavlovich Shuvalov (1859-1905).
• Sofia Illarionovna (1870-1953) - since 1893, the wife of Elim Pavlovich Demidov , Prince of San Donato (1868-1943). Son Vladimir (1907-1983)
• Maria Illarionovna (1871-1927) - since 1894, the wife of Count Vladimir Vladimirovich Musin-Pushkin (1870-1923).
• Irina Illarionovna (1872-1959) - since 1892, the wife of Count Dmitry Sergeyevich Sheremetev (1869-1943).
• Roman Illarionovich (1874-1893) - midshipman and denominator of the Naval Cadet Corps .
• Illarion Illarionovich (1877-1932) - since 1900 he has been married to Irina Vasilyevna Naryshkina (1879-1917). The marriage ended in divorce. From 1915 to 1922 he was married to Lyudmila Nikolaevna Ushkova, nee Zeydler (d. 1943).
• Alexander Illarionovich (1881-1938) - adjutant outbuilding. Since 1916, married to Anna Ilyinichna Mamatsashvili , nee Princess Chavchavadze (1891-1938), granddaughter of Prince D. A. Chavchavadze .

• Alekseev V.N. Counts Vorontsov and Vorontsov-Dashkov in the history of Russia. - CJSC Centerpolygraph, 2002. - 477 p.
• Ismail-Zade D.I. Count I.I. Vorontsov-Dashkov. Caucasian governor. - CJSC Centerpolygraph, 2005. - 511 p.