Ekaterina Svanidze
Encyclopedia
Ekaterina "Kato" Svanidze (Georgian
: ეკატერინე "კატო" სვანიძე; April 2, 1885 – December 5, 1907) was the Georgia
n first wife of Joseph Stalin
. They were married in 1906.
She was a daughter of Semon Svanadze and Sephora (née Dvali). Ekaterina, nicknamed Kato, was a tailor who worked for the ladies of the Russian army
She had two sisters, Alexandra (nicknamed "Sashiko") and Maria ("Mariko"). She had at least one brother, but some sources claim she had more than one. Because her only known brother Alexander Svanidze
spoke German
and French
and studied in Germany
, it is unlikely that her family was poor. Alexander Svanidze was married to Maria Korona, a singer at the Tiflis Opera.
She married Joseph Stalin
in 1906 and had a son, Yakov Dzhugashvili
. She died of typhus
in 1907. Much of her family (including her sister Mariko and brother Alexander) would later be executed during her husband's Great Terror
.
Stalin would later state that, other than his mother, she may have been the only person he truly loved. At her funeral, he said
"This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity."
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: ეკატერინე "კატო" სვანიძე; April 2, 1885 – December 5, 1907) was the Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
n first wife of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. They were married in 1906.
She was a daughter of Semon Svanadze and Sephora (née Dvali). Ekaterina, nicknamed Kato, was a tailor who worked for the ladies of the Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
She had two sisters, Alexandra (nicknamed "Sashiko") and Maria ("Mariko"). She had at least one brother, but some sources claim she had more than one. Because her only known brother Alexander Svanidze
Alexander Svanidze
Alexander Semyonovich "Alyosha" Svanidze was a Georgian Old Bolshevik and historian. He was a personal friend of Joseph Stalin and a brother of Stalin’s first wife Kato. Nevertheless, Stalin had him arrested during a purge in 1937...
spoke German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and studied in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, it is unlikely that her family was poor. Alexander Svanidze was married to Maria Korona, a singer at the Tiflis Opera.
She married Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in 1906 and had a son, Yakov Dzhugashvili
Yakov Dzhugashvili
Yakov Iosifovich Dzhugashvili was one of Joseph Stalin's four children . Yakov was the son of Stalin's first wife, Ekaterina Svanidze...
. She died of typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
in 1907. Much of her family (including her sister Mariko and brother Alexander) would later be executed during her husband's Great Terror
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
.
Stalin would later state that, other than his mother, she may have been the only person he truly loved. At her funeral, he said
"This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity."
Further reading
- Simon Sebag-Montefiore: Young Stalin, 2007