Pushkin Dubbelt Natalia Alexandrovna, Countess Merenberg

(23.05.1836 - 10.03.1913)
She lived a long and brilliant life of a noble society lady. She gave balls and receptions, garden party and lunch. Spent half his life abroad. I almost did not remember his father, the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. And how could she his pomnitN to the day of his death she was barely 8 months. And after the disaster it almost immediately took away from St. Petersburg mother in his ancestral estate of Medicine and plant, Kaluga Province. There, she grew up and surrounded by family concerns. Educated governesses, mother. Nothing strictness and punishment would not let her live, cheerful character. "Imp Tasha" - so called her mother ... However, she has good manners, excellent knowledge of French and Russian language, and already in 13 years was striking characteristic of the surrounding beauty that captures the portrait of the famous Russian artist and. Makarova. The art-pushkinist E. Pavlova writes about this portrait: "She is very good and similar to Pushkin. In sharp turning heads and strong views one can conclude the firm strong character ". Where are much more determined! At age 16, shortly after graduation from school (now living in St. Petersburg, where the mother and the children returned in 1842) is madly in love with Count Nikolai Orlov - son of the all-powerful chief of police, heads of department III, п?.пє. Orlova (successor Benckendorff). But п?.пє. Orlov with Pushkin, even fifteen years after his death, the family did not want: peer did the count's son, shining in the light, the daughter of a poet there, and even killed in a duel!

. In desperation, in retaliation, without a special love - and, incidentally, who is now znaetN - Natalia accepted the offer of his son L.V
. Dubbelt (such as her luck at the officials of the agency ... I wonder what would have said on this occasion, Alexander SergeevichN ... Unpredictable turns of fate!

. General Pyotr Petrovich Lanskoy, . stepfather Nataly, . loving children Pushkin, . as their native, . along with which came into despair Natalia Nikolaevna, . tried to dissuade her stepdaughter from this union: Dubbelt Jr., famous for intemperate temper and passion for the game kartezhnoy,
. They delayed the consent to the marriage as much as possible for a long time - almost a year. No longer able. With its inherent harshness and obstinacy Natalie Jr., almost nothing knowing refusal of the family, the mother stated that she purposely resists her happiness ... and became Madame Dubbelt.
Everything turned out as not worse. My husband immediately spent 28 thousand rubles dowry, . madly jealous Natalia, . perhaps and beat, . no matter how terrible it is to submit! In this difficult marriage Natalia gave birth to and raised three children, . managed to contain one of the best houses in the capital, . shine on the balls and receptions, . maintaining a cheerful and carefree appearance,
. In 1862, the spouses had to disperse. Pushkin's widow, Natalya Nikolaevna hard life of his daughter, as did all the cost of white hair and health. My husband did not give long Natalia divorce, pursuing her. Even went to the Czech name of her aunt on his mother, . Baroness Alexandra Nikolaevna Frizengof, . where Natalia was hidden from him with children, . and carried a huge scandal, . which led to the horror of all his family and was stopped only by the decisive intervention of Baron Gustave Frizengofa, . husband's aunt Azi, . affectionately called her as Natalia ..,
. Human passions are running high everywhere, and in high society - also!

Divorce Natalia Dubbelt was only in 1868, having already unofficially wife of Prince Nicholas of Nassau William. During the divorce Natalia had to give the husband the right to educate one of his daughters - Anna. He is madly in love with her and drove around behind him. Two remaining children were also in Russia, under the wing of a loving grandmother - Natalia Nikolaevna Pushkina-Lanskoy. Natalia has been finally settled abroad. Her new marriage, unlike the first, was a long and happy.

. German Prince Nikolai William Nassau she knew a long time, ever since 1856: met in a secular society, during his visit to Russia.

. Officially Natalia princess, of course, did not - the marriage was unequal
. But through the efforts of influential relatives wife received the title of Countess Merenberg - under the name of one of the fortresses, which stood near Wiesbaden and is a family possession of the Princes of Nassau. Was entree into high society, lived in the palace was later converted into a museum through the efforts of. The appeal was always friendly and simple, but one of the contemporaries wrote about it this way: "About the beauty of it can say only one thing: she was radiantly. If the star came down from heaven to earth, she would have shone as brightly as it. In a big room became brighter, as she entered, her posture was regal, arms and shoulders outline of the goddess ". In her house, had access writers and musicians in the gallery collected a rare and rich collection of paintings, garden flowers knew the touch of her hand. She read a lot, almost all European languages, traveling, was an excellent rider - is already in the rock Goncharov.
In the history of literature Countess Princess Merenberg remained as keeper of letters A.S. Pushkin to his wife and his fiancee. And here her name is firmly linked with the name of Ivan Turgenev, to whom she turned for help when it decided to print them. Not from acute material - it was no longer then, but probably from a desire to somehow bring them through time to other generations. Best broker for the publication of her letters she could not and find. The spiritual heir of Pushkin, the continuer of his traditions, Ivan Sergeevich felt honored to engage in the publication of Pushkin's relics, "one of the most distinguished of the facts of my literary career" - as he said himself.

. "In these letters, - noticed more Turgenev - and hit a light jet and courageous mind, Pushkin striking candor and loyalty to his views, accuracy, and as if involuntarily beautiful expression
. Wrote with great candor family relations, without amendments, reservations and utaek, they more clearly convey to us the poet's moral character.

. Turgenev, sincerely and warmly thanked the Countess Merenberg for an act to "which of course she decided, not without some hesitation," and expressed hope that "the same feel and will thank her opinion."

. But when the first issues of The Messenger of Europe "for 1878 appeared the letters, readers showered the poet's daughter is not a heap of gratitude and appreciation, and boil virtuously
. On the side of those who found the fact of publication of private, family letters completely unnecessary, rose and brothers Nataly - Alexander and Grigory Pushkins. They are even going to call Turgenev a duel for insulting the honor of the poet's family!

What did not happen in history!

Do not forget, of course, that age was still the 19th and moral values were still slightly more. It is now we can not imagine the history of literature without Pushkin's letters, and then ...

Originals of Natalia initially decided to keep himself, and parted with them only in 1882, handing them over to be deposited in the Rumyantsev Museum. And even then not all. Letters of the poet to his fiancee were at the Countess, . then by inheritance passed to her daughter, . Countess Sofia Torba, . wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov (also morganatic, . now tribal tradition!) When the son of Nataly sold the originals of these letters S.P,
. Diaghilev, she came to the strongest indignation, but something about it was too late ... Text of letters, of course, long since printed, but the originals were returned to their Rumyantsev Museum relatively recently, almost on the eve of 200-anniversary of the poet, and then only after long and painful negotiations ...
. The inaccessibility of the Pushkin archives belonging to the descendants of his youngest daughter, explained by the fact that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were related not only to the kind of the Romanovs, but the British ruling dynasty Windsor
. It's not just an ordinary admirers of the poet to behold documents, notes, diaries, albums. All this is a sealed with the royal coat of arms. Great-great-great-granddaughter of Alexander Sergeevich, Duchess of Westminster Natalie - the godmother of the current Prince of Wales, William, grandson of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.
. Natalia Pushkina-Dubbelt, Countess Merenberg, lived a long and wonderful life
. Her children she taught to speak in Russian, and an ability and interest to the Russian roots, living and genuine, and kept her distant descendants. They can not visit her grave, as the dust of the Countess, Princess scattered at the family tomb, the grave of her husband. For example, she pointed out in his will, knowing that the strangeness of the laws of class she would be denied a privilege to lie beside her husband, who sacrificed much for her. But in her apartment in the Palace Museum are always fresh flowers. There in the palace and the room where hangs on the wall in a gilt frame a portrait of her father - Alexander Pushkin. Instead portrait of another relative - Emperor Nicholas I. They look at each other - two contemporary. And remember in the magnificent halls of the palace Wiesbaden strangely prophetic words of Pushkin, more poetic quote: "Vodilis Pushkin and kings ..." She was destined to come true, it is sold on.