Emperor Nicholas I and poet Pushkin

[Elisabeth]

Natalia Goncharova did come from a noble family, although they were very poor by Western standards, like a lot of the Russian nobility. Her father, as I recall, was either an alcoholic or a madman or both (he attacked his wife once with a knife, and was then kept locked up in a set of rooms separate from the rest of the family). Natalia did not have a dowry, and this is probably why she ended up marrying Pushkin, who was not considered a good catch. On the contrary - he also lacked a personal fortune and had a bad reputation as a gambler and ladies' man (although he was also a great poet, this did not count for very much in the eyes of the aristocracy). With her astonishing beauty, it surprised society that Natalia did not make a better match. But Pushkin was deeply in love with her and remained so for the rest of his life, calling her "my angel" and writing many famous poems about her.

Natalia's own reputation has suffered greatly since Pushkin's death - in some quarters she is still blamed for it - and she is still the subject of great controversy amongst Russian "Pushkinists," although not so much amongst Western ones, if I have read the sources correctly (it's quite possible I have not). Nicholas I's chief Western biographer, W. Bruce Lincoln, states that the tsar was only unfaithful to his wife after thirty years of marriage, and then only with a lady-in-waiting named Varvara Nelidova. No mention is made of Nicholas ever taking as his mistress the widow of Pushkin.  As far as I know, this relationship only ever existed as a matter of rumor and gossip, chiefly amongst Nicholas' many enemies.

[hikaru]

She probably married Pushkin because of nobody else - nobody proposed the Goncharov girls - their mother was in the worry.
Their estate near Moscow  still exists .

The most famous Pushkin's verse about wife is "Madonna"

[Mike]

the tsar was only unfaithful to his wife after thirty years of marriage, and then only with a lady-in-waiting named Varvara Nelidova. No mention is made of Nicholas ever taking as his mistress the widow of Pushkin.  

Nelidova had a lasting, almost official affair with Nicholas. When he layed on his death bed, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna even suggested to invite Nelidova (whom she respected for her sincerity and modesty) for the last good-bye - which Nicholas refused.

As to Natalia Goncharova-Pushkina-Lanskaya, her probable affair with Nicholas was fleeting and not "serious".  The tsar had many such affairs called, for some reason, his "blue-bonnet adventures".

[maria1]

Hello
I am new here.
I just read what you had to say about pushkin- I am sorry- but I don't believe you can get an any worse perception of him ever!
First of all; his wife was one big flirt- she flirted whenever she could, she liked the dinnerparties, she loved the attention she could get from whom ever would give it to her... Pushkin did like to gamble, but excuse me, who didn't gamble at that time, as it was concidered a form of socialism. Yes, he may not have been a great gambler... I agree he left a huge amount of depth after his death...
But natalya did not love pushkin, I really don't believe she loved him the way a wife should. I might agree that she admired his talent or so. But Pushkin was a good man with great humane qualities and beliefs. He was very loyal to his friends, and very truthfull.
try and make some research or try at least reading what he left behind at the age of 37, before you make any judgements!

[kenmore3233]

did nicholas actually have an affair with pushkin's wife? was he involved in pushkin's death?

I have read that Nicholas was just one of many lovers of Pushkin's wife. She had many affairs, as did Nicholas himself.

Pushkin's death was the result of a duel he had with a French nobleman who was pursuing a military career in Russia. The Frenchman was intimately involved with Pushkin's wife, which is why Pushkin fought him in a duel.

[Elisabeth]

I have read that Nicholas was just one of many lovers of Pushkin's wife. She had many affairs, as did Nicholas himself.

Pushkin's death was the result of a duel he had with a French nobleman who was pursuing a military career in Russia. The Frenchman was intimately involved with Pushkin's wife, which is why Pushkin fought him in a duel.

There are two schools of thought about Pushkin's wife, Natalia Goncharova. They both have supporters in the academic community. They both can be termed equally legitimate and equally open to question. In essence, one school holds to the opinion that she was an angelic wife and mother, whilst another believes that she was a scarlet woman. Sound familiar? (The usual dichotomy when analyzing a mysterious female beauty.) But here the evidence really does point both ways and, as always in such cases, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Natalia probably enjoyed flirting with admirers; nevertheless, she probably remained faithful to Pushkin. But we have no way of knowing for certain unless new evidence comes to light.

[Mike]

But we have no way of knowing for certain unless new evidence comes to light.

Which means: never. Whether Natalia was a faithful wife or adulteress, is not a matter of facts and proofs. It's a matter of personal taste and almost religious belief.

[AlexP]

This is surely a very interesting thread.

Where is Pushkin buried now?  Where is Natalia Goncharova Pushkina better?  Was Pushking afforded a religious burial (because he died in a duel and the Church prohibited religious burials for those who died in a duel).

Please, Hikarushka, there is a lovely old churchi in Moscow, set back off the street, behind another dilapidated building, and it is called "Pushkin's Church".    The church was never closed because of its relation to Pushkin, not even during the darkest years of the Godless Soviet Regime and the rector (nactoyatel) of the parish was never trucked off to prison nor shot like the rest of the clergy.

I prayed in this church the last time I was in Moscow but I CANNOT remember its name at all.  It has lovely deep green cupolas and white face.

Hikarushka, Mike, can you help?  I know that it is called "the Pushkin Church" unofficially.

[hikaru]

There is some mistery with this church.
Officialy,  ( from the official point of view), Pushkin married in the Great Ascension Church of Moscow at the
Nikitskie Gates Square.
Marriage took place on 18th February 1831 in the vestibule of the still unfinished church. During the ceremony a sudden gust of wind blew out the groom's wedding candle, then he dropped the cross from the lectern, and during the exchange of rings one of them fell to the floor. Pushkin turned deathly pale - he saw all these things as a bad omen.

But, according to the old moscow drivers, there were another church ( I think somewhere near the Basmannaya street)

I do not know , who was right. I think that official version is more correct.
Or maybe in the small old church they celebrated something else?

[dunya]

I read that Nikolay I has sent his ''people'' to stop the duel between Pushkin and D'Anthés however he delibaretely had sent them to the wrong adress.
There are some really twisted stories about Nikolay I, I dont know if I should write here but as far as I know Pushkin's wife didnt have an affair with him , didnt even flirt with him. However in the first ball she's ever been in Tsar's palace, Tsar requested to meet her but their meeting has interrupted by one of his men.

Pushkin was too Jealous of his wife eventhough he wasnt faithfull to her; and he was very afraid of being a ''Tsar murderer'' he says in his journal. When he catches Tsar's eyes staring at his wife, he was staring at Tsarina lustfully in order to make him understand what he's doing and he strictly has forbid his wife to go to the palace, they even did stop going to T.S. that often according to what I read.

[hikaru]

Technically Natalia was enable to flirt  a lot to anybody, because she gave birth to several children of Pushkin - They had no money and she, as well as her sister, had to take care of  her children.
The fact that children did not die could tell us that her care was good.