Countess Ekaterina Ivanovna Razumovskaya was the sister of Empress Elizabeth and was the wife of the last hetman of the Zaporizhzhya Army.
Biography
Catherine was born in 1729 in a family belonging to an old family - the Naryshkins. This family belonged to the mother of Peter I Natalya Kirillovna. The naval officer, Captain Ivan Lvovich, was Catherine's father, her mother was Daria Kirillovna. Ekaterina Ivanovna herself was the closest relative of Empress Elizabeth - they were each other second cousins.
Parents of Ekaterina Ivanovna died early: mother died in 1730, father - in 1734. At the age of five, the girl was left completely orphaned, Senator Alexander Lvovich, her uncle, took care of the upbringing.
Razumovskaya possessed nobility, a huge inheritance and attractive appearance. These circumstances helped her become a court maid of honor. After ascending the throne of Elizabeth in 1741, Ekaterina Ivanovna became a member of the personal retinue of the queen.
A little later, Elizabeth decided to determine the fate of her younger brother Alexei Razumovsky, who at that time was her favorite. So Kirill G. Razumovsky got married to Catherine Naryshkin.
Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky, in his hands is a hetman's mace
At the time of the wedding, the bride was seventeen years old, the groom a little more - eighteen. The betrothal took place in the summer of 1746, and a wedding took place in October. The wedding had a royal scope, and the bride and groom received a huge dowry - 44 thousand peasants, several estates near Moscow, Penza, Romanov yard in Moscow, jewelry, a solid library, furs, prints, etc.
Manor Petrovsko-Razumovskoe. One of the oldest surviving photographs.
The Razumovsky family was subsequently honored with attention from Catherine II - in July 1762 she honored their residence with her presence. Later, the empress repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the military career of Razumovsky - he bore the title of hetman of the Zaporizhzhya Army, Field Marshal. This caused a cooler relationship with the family afterwards.
A family
Kirill Grigoryevich and Ekaterina Ivanovna gave birth to eleven children: 6 sons and 5 daughters. All the children lived long enough and quite happily. The only exception was the daughter Daria, who died at the age of nine. According to descriptions of contemporaries, the couple lived well. Disagreements occurred mainly in matters of raising children - Ekaterina Ivanovna, as a rule, spoiled the children very much.
Razumovsky is described by historians as a generous, direct and accessible person. Catherine II herself said the following about him: "he is handsome, of an original mind and pleasant to communicate with, and even superior in intelligence to his brother."
On the other hand, Kirill G. allowed himself novels on the side. But the life of Ekaterina Ivanovna could not be called unhappy or failed. She played not only the role of wife and mother, but also wore the title of cavalry lady of the Order of St. Catherine of the 1st degree since 1762. The Grand Duchesses, ladies from the upper world, granted this order, and formally it was the second oldest in the hierarchy of Russian awards from 1714 to 1917.
Catherine Razumovskaya died at the age of 42 years, in the summer of 1771. The last refuge was the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where the elder brother of her husband was resting. Since she was a relative of Empress Elizabeth, courtiers — ladies and chamberlains — were on duty near her tomb.
Tombstone in the tomb, where Ekaterina Ivanovna Razumovskaya and Alexei Grigoryevich Razumovsky are buried
