Varvara Nelidova
Encyclopedia
Varvara Arkadyevna Nelidova (Варвара Аркадьевна Нелидова, 1814-1897) was a mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...

 of Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...

 from 1832 until his death in 1855. Her aunt Yekaterina Nelidova
Yekaterina Nelidova
Yekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova was a Russian noble and lady in waiting. She was the royal mistress of Tsar Paul I of Russia.Nelidova graduated from the Smolny Institute in 1776 and became a lady in waiting of first Grand Duchess Natalya and then Grand Duchess Maria...

 was a mistress of Nicholas's father Paul, and her maternal grandfather was Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden
Friedrich Wilhelm von Buxhoeveden
Friedrich Wilhelm Count von Buxhoevden was a Russian Infantry General and a government official. Buxhoeveden commanded the Russian armies during the Finnish War....

.

Nelidova's liaison with the Emperor was kept more or less secret, giving rise to never ending speculations about its length and the number of children she bore him. According to Nikolay Dobrolyubov, their several children were adopted by her relative, Peter Kleinmichel, Russia's Minister of Communications.

Nelidova is also claimed to have been the mother of Baron Paskhin, a 8-year-old boy who was made a Baron of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 in 1839. His surname is derived from the feast of Pascha
Pascha
Pascha may refer to:*Easter, central religious feast in the Christian liturgical year*Paskha , an Easter dish served in several Slavic countries*Paska , an Easter bread served in Ukraine...

, for he was born on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 Sunday. No documentation survives, however.

Nelidova's secretive relationship with the Tsar is the subject of Yuri Tynyanov's novella Young Vitushishnikov (1933).
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK