Valentina Ivanovna Chebotareva
Encyclopedia
Valentina Ivanovna Chebotaryova (birth date unknown - April 23 (O.S.)/May 6 (N.S.), 1919) recorded her impressions of work in a military hospital in Tsarskoye Selo
, Russia
during World War I
in her journal. Portions of the journal, which included her impressions of Tsarina Alexandra
and of her daughters Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
and Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
were published in magazines, books, and in her son's memoirs after the war.
and had taken formal nursing courses at the time. Despite the fact that she did not move in the highest society circles, she was asked to join a group of women who nursed soldiers along with the Tsarina and her daughters at a Palace Hospital at Tsarskoye Selo.
for the political upheaval that followed. Chebotareva exchanged letters with the grand duchesses and the Tsarina while they were imprisoned at Tsarskoye Selo following the October Revolution
. Alexandra felt hurt that that Chebotaryova and her fellow nurses did not write to her directly while she was imprisoned at Tobolsk
. "I greatly regret that I was unable to kiss Tatiana and take leave of her personally -- but kindness from (Alexandra Feodorovna) I find difficult to bear," Chebotaryova wrote in her journal on August 10, 1917. "I feel terribly sorry for her and yet it is all so painful that I cannot find the warm feelings of old, after all she is the awful cause of all the misfortunes of our land, she ruined her entire family, the unfortunate -- sick of soul, sick with mysticism and arrogant pride ..."
and died in April 1919. Her son, Grigory
, was given a ribbon by her fellow nurses that read "From the Trustees and the Army Hospitals to the unforgettable V.I. Chebotareva who gave her life 'for her friends' "
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo is the town containing a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.-History:In...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in her journal. Portions of the journal, which included her impressions of Tsarina Alexandra
Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse
Alix of Hesse and by Rhine later Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova , was Empress consort of Russia as spouse of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of the Russian Empire...
and of her daughters Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia ; , November 16 after 1900 – July 17, 1918) was the eldest daughter of the last autocratic ruler of the Russian Empire, Emperor Nicholas II, and of Empress Alexandra of Russia....
and Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia , , was the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch of Russia, and of Tsarina Alexandra...
were published in magazines, books, and in her son's memoirs after the war.
Life
Chebotaryova was the daughter of Ivan Stepanovich Dubyagsky and his wife Olga Sergeyevna. She married Porphiry Grigoryevich Chebotaryov and had two children, Grigory and Valentina. Chebotaryova had earlier volunteered as a nurse during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
and had taken formal nursing courses at the time. Despite the fact that she did not move in the highest society circles, she was asked to join a group of women who nursed soldiers along with the Tsarina and her daughters at a Palace Hospital at Tsarskoye Selo.
Association with the Romanovs
Chebotaryova grew fond of the grand duchesses and had personal sympathy for the Tsarina, but also blamed Alexandra and her reliance on Grigori RasputinGrigori Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic who is perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son Alexei...
for the political upheaval that followed. Chebotareva exchanged letters with the grand duchesses and the Tsarina while they were imprisoned at Tsarskoye Selo following the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. Alexandra felt hurt that that Chebotaryova and her fellow nurses did not write to her directly while she was imprisoned at Tobolsk
Tobolsk
Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers. It is a historic capital of Siberia. Population: -History:...
. "I greatly regret that I was unable to kiss Tatiana and take leave of her personally -- but kindness from (Alexandra Feodorovna) I find difficult to bear," Chebotaryova wrote in her journal on August 10, 1917. "I feel terribly sorry for her and yet it is all so painful that I cannot find the warm feelings of old, after all she is the awful cause of all the misfortunes of our land, she ruined her entire family, the unfortunate -- sick of soul, sick with mysticism and arrogant pride ..."
Death
Chebotaryova continued her volunteer hospital work under the new administration, but caught typhusTyphus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
and died in April 1919. Her son, Grigory
Gregory P. Tschebotarioff
Gregory P. Tschebotarioff, , was a Russian-born civil engineer and prolific author. His memoir Russia, My Native Land recounted his experiences as a boy and young man in Russia, where he served in the military during World War I...
, was given a ribbon by her fellow nurses that read "From the Trustees and the Army Hospitals to the unforgettable V.I. Chebotareva who gave her life 'for her friends' "
Sources
- Tschebotarioff, Gregory P., Russia: My Native Land: A U.S. engineer reminisces and looks at the present, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1964, ASIN B00005XTZJ