Grand tour of Paul I - a foreign trip undertaken in 1781 - 1782 by the heir to the Russian throne, the son of Empress Catherine II, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, together with his wife Maria Fedorovna , nee Princess Sofia Dorothea of Württemberg. They traveled incognito under the names of the Count and Countess of the North ( Du Nord - du Nord), which emphasized the private, unofficial nature of the trip. Tsesarevich was 27 years old during the trip, his wife - 22.
Such a voyage was a traditional stage, usually completing education in 18th-century Europe. Catherine II attached great importance to this journey. Sending the heir to Europe, she pursued political goals and sought to demonstrate to the royal courts the enlightening tendencies and the power of her rule. According to the notes of N. A. Sablukov , “the most stringent orders were given so as not to spare money in order to make this walk in Europe as brilliant as interesting, by influencing the yards that they will have to visit” [1] .
Content
Suite
In the retinue, in accordance with the wishes of Pavel Petrovich, were appointed:
- General Nikolai Ivanovich Saltykov (1736-1816) and his wife Natalya Vladimirovna (1736-1812);
- Lt. Col. Hristofor Ivanovich Benkendorf (1749-1823) and his wife Juliana Benkendorf (1758-1797), childhood friend of Maria Feodorovna, who arrived in Russia with her;
- Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov (1750-1831), as an art connoisseur and already known at European courts thanks to his stay in Europe in 1774-1777.
- Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin (1752-1818), childhood friend of Pavel Petrovich;
- chamber junk Fyodor Fyodorovich Vadkovsky (1756-1806), childhood friend of Pavel Petrovich;
- maids of honor of Maria Fedorovna Natalya Semenovna Borshchova (1758–1843) and Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova (1756–1839), later the favorite of Paul I;
- captain-lieutenant Sergey Ivanovich Plescheev (1752-1802), subsequently confidant of Pavel Petrovich;
- writer Franz German Lafermier (1737–1796), librarian and mentor Pavel Petrovich, teacher of French;
- poet Andrei Lvovich von Nikolai (1737-1820); mentor of Pavel Petrovich, a teacher of logic, then the secretary of Maria Fedorovna. During his stay in Vienna, Joseph II granted him the title of baron;
- Fyodor Ivanovich von Klinger (1752-1831), reader and librarian of Pavel Petrovich, who arrived in Russia as part of the retinue of Maria Fedorovna;
- life doctor Karl Fedorovich Kruse (1727-1799);
- Priest Andrei Afanasevich Samborsky (1732-1815), Rector of the Russian Church in London in 1768-1780 and amateur agronomist, confessor of Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna since 1782.
The voyage to Europe, as part of the accompanying count and countess of the North, laid the foundations for a solid friendship of all persons included in the retinue, and some of them will remain attached to the grand ducal couple for life [2] .
Route
The couple visited the Austrian Empire , the Vatican , where they received the audience of Pope Pius VI , several states of Italy and France, where they were greatly impressed by the castle of Chantilly , the estate of Prince Conde . Two weeks were spent with the parents of Maria Feodorovna, the duke and duchess of Württemberg , in their family estate in the principality of Montbeliard .
The empress included in the program of the visit only those countries that she considered Russia's allies or potential friends, not allowing her son a visit to Prussia and a meeting with King Frederick II [2] . In general terms, the route was developed by Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov , and all technical details were decided by naval captain and geographer Sergei Ivanovich Plescheev , who later published a small brochure describing the journey at his own expense [2] .
The journey lasted 428 days; during this time, 13,115 miles were crossed [3] (almost 14 thousand kilometers).
Vienna
On November 6, 1781, travelers arrived in Troppau ( Czech Silesia ). Here they were met by the envoy at the Vienna court, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn and the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II . After dinner, a performance and ball were given. After spending the night in the house of Count Dmitrevsky, the count and Countess Severny went further on the road in the same carriage with the emperor. After seeing the sights and the fortress of Olomouc and spending the night with the bishop of Olomouc, on November 8 we arrived in Brunn , where they spent the night in the , and the next day in Wilfersdorf , where they spent the night in the Prince Lichtenstein . November 10, 1781 travelers reached Vienna. Here, Maria Fedorovna was waiting for her mother and father , who arrived there under the name of the Count and Countess of the Greningensky, as well as sister Elizabeth and brother Ferdinand - with them she had breakfast in the garden.
At noon, a ceremonial entry into Vienna took place. The couple stopped at the imperial palace Amalienburg . After a family dinner attended by Joseph II, guests attended a performance at the National Theater . The next day, the Count and Countess of the North received visits from ambassadors and Viennese nobles. In the evening, a large ball was given at the court, at which the emperor and Prince Golitsyn represented foreign ambassadors and charge d'affaires of their powers to Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna.
In the following days of their stay in the city, guests got acquainted with various Vienna institutions and attractions, participated in celebrations and receptions. At the same time, Maria Fedorovna was discussing with Joseph II the future of her sister, Princess Elizabeth [2] (in 1788 she married Franz , the emperor’s nephew, and died two years later during childbirth).
Rome
In Rome, the grand couple visited the Roman Forum . February 8, 1782 she was awarded the audience of Pope Pius VI .
Venice
In Venice, a regatta was organized especially for distinguished guests on the Grand Canal . On January 22, 1782, a ball and a gala dinner were given in their honor at the San Benedetto Theater . This event is dedicated to the painting by Francesco Guardi .
Curious triumphales ad adventum clarissimorum Moschoviae principum Pauli Petrovitz et Mariae Theodorownae conjugis regali ornandum spectaculo in Divi Marci venetiarum foro die 24. Januari XII MDCC was dedicated to the ceremonial entry of the count and countess to Venice.
Value
The journey had a great influence on the creation of ensembles of Pavlovsk , Gatchina and Mikhailovsky Castle , as well as the formation of imperial art collections. In particular, items were purchased for the design of the Kamennoostrovsky Palace [1] . For Gatchina in Nuremberg, the Neptune Fountain (installed in Peterhof ) was purchased for 30 thousand rubles.
See also
- Travel of the Demidov brothers in Europe
Bibliography
The participants of the trip kept traveling magazines and diaries, which for the most part were not preserved. The journal of Maria Fedorovna and the diary of Ekaterina Nelidova disappeared, the notes and letters of Pavel Petrovich were preserved only in fragments.
- S.I. Pleshcheev . The inscription of the journey of their imperial highnesses, Sovereign Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna under the name of Count and Countess Severny, Indicating daily crossings, indicating the number of miles, places and houses in which there were overnight stays, and many days of stay, the borders of the dividing state and areas on the way. With private and general checklists of the whole journey undertaken in 1781 and completed in 1782. SPb., 1783.
- , Countess Orsini-Rosenberg . Du sejour des comtes du Nord à Venise en Janvier MDCCLXXXII: Lettre de Mme la comtesse Douairière des Ursins, et Rosenberg à Mr. Richard Wynne, son frère, à Londres / On the stay of the Counts du Nord in Venice. London, 1782.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Ekaterina Dubrovskaya. The brilliant journey of Paul I and Maria Fedorovna. // "Historical journal"
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Zotov. A.V. Count and Countess du Nord. A brilliant visit to Europe // historical magazine "Gatchina through the centuries"
- ↑ N.K. Schilder. Emperor Paul the First. Publishing House of Suvorin, 1901. Pages. 175.
Links
- Zotov. A.V. Count and Countess du Nord. A brilliant visit to Europe // historical magazine "Gatchina through the centuries"
- Bashomon L. Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich in France in 1782. Notes of Bashomon (Excerpts) // Russian Antiquity, 1882. - V. 35. - No. 11. - P. 321—334.