Russian women

Princess Trubetskoy

On a winter night in 1826, Princess Ekaterina Trubetskoy follows her Decembrist husband to Siberia. The old count, Ekaterina Ivanovna's father, with tears, places the bear's cavity in the cart, which should take his daughter away from home forever. The princess mentally says goodbye not only to her family, but also to her native Petersburg, which she loved more than all the cities she had seen, in which her youth was spent happily. After her husband's arrest, Petersburg became a fatal city for her.

Despite the fact that at each station the princess generously rewards the Yam servants, the journey to Tyumen takes twenty days. On the way, she recalls her childhood, carefree youth, balls in her father’s house, which attracted the entire fashionable world. These memories are replaced by pictures of a honeymoon trip to Italy, walks and conversations with my beloved husband.

Impressions on the road make a difficult contrast with her happy memories: in reality, the princess sees the kingdom of beggars and slaves. In Siberia, three hundred miles away, you come across one miserable town, the inhabitants of which are sitting at home due to the terrible frost. “Why, damned country, did Ermak find you?” - Trubetskoy thinks in despair. She understands that she is doomed to end her days in Siberia, and recalls the events that preceded her journey: the Decembrist uprising, a meeting with her arrested husband. Horror freezes her heart when she hears the piercing moan of a hungry wolf, the roar of the wind along the banks of the Yenisei, the hysterical song of a foreigner, and realizes that she may not reach her goal.

However, after two months of travel, having parted with her ill companion, Trubetskoy still arrives in Irkutsk. The Irkutsk governor, from whom she asks for horses to Nerchinsk, hypocritically assures her of his complete devotion, remembers the princess’s father, under whom he served for seven years. He persuades the princess to return, appealing to her daughter’s feelings, but she refuses, reminding her of the sanctity of marital duty. The governor frightens Trubetskoy with the horrors of Siberia, where “people are rare without a stigma, and they are callous in soul.”

He explains that she will have to live not with her husband, but in a common barracks, among convicts, but the princess repeats that she wants to share all the horrors of her husband’s life and die next to him. The governor demands that the princess sign a renunciation of all her rights - she, without hesitation, agrees to find herself in the position of a poor commoner.

Having kept Trubetskoy in Nerchinsk for a week, the governor declares that he cannot give her horses: she must continue on foot, with an escort, along with convicts. But, hearing her answer: “I’m coming! I don't care!" - the old general with tears refuses to tyrannize the princess any longer. He assures that he did this on the personal order of the king, and orders the horses to be harnessed.

Princess M. N. Volkonskaya

Wanting to leave her grandchildren memories of her life, the old princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya writes the story of her life.

She was born near Kiev, on the quiet estate of her father, the hero of the war with Napoleon, General Raevsky. Masha was the darling of the family, she learned everything a young noblewoman needed, and after school she sang carefree in the garden. The old General Raevsky wrote memoirs, read magazines and gave balls, which were attended by his former comrades. The queen of the ball was always Masha - a blue-eyed, black-haired beauty with a thick blush and proud gait. The girl easily captivated the hearts of the hussars and lancers who stood with regiments near the Raevsky estate, but none of them touched her heart.

As soon as Masha turned eighteen years old, her father found her a groom - a hero of the War of 1812, wounded near Leipzig, General Sergei Volkonsky, beloved by the sovereign. The girl was embarrassed by the fact that the groom was much older than her and she did not know him at all. But the father sternly said: “You will be happy with him!” - and she did not dare to object. The wedding took place two weeks later. Masha rarely saw her husband after the wedding: he was constantly on business trips, and even from Odessa, where he finally went to rest with his pregnant wife, Prince Volkonsky was unexpectedly forced to take Masha to his father. The departure was alarming: the Volkonskys left at night, burning some papers beforehand. Volkonsky had the opportunity to see his wife and first-born son no longer under his own roof...

The birth was difficult; Masha could not recover for two months. Soon after her recovery, she realized that her family were hiding her husband’s fate from her. Masha learned that Prince Volkonsky was a conspirator and was preparing the overthrow of the authorities only from the verdict - and immediately decided that she would follow her husband to Siberia. Her decision was only strengthened after a meeting with her husband in the gloomy hall of the Peter and Paul Fortress, when she saw the quiet sadness in the eyes of her Sergei and felt how much she loved him.

All efforts to mitigate Volkonsky’s fate were in vain; he was sent to Siberia. But in order to follow him, Masha had to withstand the resistance of her entire family. The father begged her to take pity on the unfortunate child and parents, and think calmly about her own future. After spending the night in prayer, without sleep, Masha realized that until now she had never had to think: her father made all the decisions for her, and when she walked down the aisle at eighteen, she “didn’t think much either.”

Now the image of her husband, exhausted by prison, constantly stood before her, awakening previously unknown passions in her soul. She experienced a cruel feeling of her own powerlessness, the torment of separation - and her heart told her the only solution. Leaving the child without hope of ever seeing him, Maria Volkonskaya understood: it was better to go to the grave alive than to deprive her husband of consolation, and then for this incur the contempt of her son. She believes that the old General Raevsky, who led his sons out under bullets during the war, will understand her decision.

Soon Maria Nikolaevna received a letter from the Tsar, in which he politely admired her determination, gave permission to leave for her husband and hinted that return was hopeless. Having prepared for the journey at three days, Volkonskaya spent her last night at her son’s cradle.

Saying goodbye, her father, under threat of a curse, ordered her to return in a year.

Staying in Moscow for three days with her sister Zinaida, Princess Volkonskaya became the “heroine of the day”; she was admired by poets, artists, and all the nobility of Moscow. At the farewell party she met with Pushkin, whom she had known since she was a girl. In those early years they met in Gurzuf, and Pushkin even seemed in love with Masha Raevskaya - although who was he not in love with then! Afterwards he dedicated wonderful lines to her in Onegin. Now, when meeting on the eve of Maria Nikolaevna’s departure to Siberia, Pushkin was sad and depressed, but admired Volkonskaya’s feat and blessed her.

On the way, the princess met convoys, crowds of praying mantises, government wagons, and recruits; I observed the usual scenes of station fights. Having left Kazan after the first halt, she found herself in a snowstorm and spent the night in the foresters' lodge, the door of which was pressed down by stones - from bears. In Nerchinsk, Volkonskaya, to her joy, caught up with Princess Trubetskoy and learned from her that their husbands were being held in Blagodatsk. On the way there, the coachman told the women that he took prisoners to work, that they joked, made each other laugh - they obviously felt at ease.

While waiting for permission to meet with her husband, Maria Nikolaevna found out where prisoners were taken to work and went to the mine. The sentry gave in to the woman's sobs and let her into the mine. Fate took care of her: past the pits and failures she ran to the mine, where the Decembrists, among other convicts, worked. Trubetskoy was the first to see her, then Artamon Muravyov, the Borisovs, and Prince Obolensky ran up; Tears were streaming down their faces. Finally, the princess saw her husband - and at the sound of a sweet voice, at the sight of the shackles on his hands, she realized how much he had suffered. Kneeling down, she put the shackles to her lips - and the entire mine froze, sharing in holy silence the grief and happiness of the meeting with the Volkonskys.

The officer who was waiting for Volkonskaya cursed her in Russian, and her husband said after her in French: “See you, Masha, in prison!”

Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov

"Russian women"

Princess Trubetskoy

On a winter night in 1826, Princess Ekaterina Trubetskoy follows her Decembrist husband to Siberia. The old count, Ekaterina Ivanovna's father, with tears, places the bear's cavity in the cart, which should take his daughter away from home forever. The princess mentally says goodbye not only to her family, but also to her native Petersburg, which she loved more than all the cities she had seen, in which her youth was spent happily. After her husband's arrest, Petersburg became a fatal city for her.

Despite the fact that at each station the princess generously rewards the Yam servants, the journey to Tyumen takes twenty days. On the way, she recalls her childhood, carefree youth, balls in her father’s house, which attracted the entire fashionable world. These memories are replaced by pictures of a honeymoon trip to Italy, walks and conversations with my beloved husband.

Impressions on the road make a difficult contrast with her happy memories: in reality, the princess sees the kingdom of beggars and slaves. In Siberia, three hundred miles away, you come across one miserable town, the inhabitants of which are sitting at home due to the terrible frost. “Why, damned country, did Ermak find you?” - Trubetskoy thinks in despair. She understands that she is doomed to end her days in Siberia, and recalls the events that preceded her journey: the Decembrist uprising, a meeting with her arrested husband. Horror freezes her heart when she hears the piercing groan of a hungry wolf, the roar of the wind along the banks of the Yenisei, the hysterical song of a foreigner, and realizes that she may not reach her goal.

However, after two months of travel, having parted with her ill companion, Trubetskoy still arrives in Irkutsk. The Irkutsk governor, from whom she asks for horses to Nerchinsk, hypocritically assures her of his complete devotion, remembers the princess’s father, under whom he served for seven years. He persuades the princess to return, appealing to her daughter’s feelings, but she refuses, reminding her of the sanctity of marital duty. The governor frightens Trubetskoy with the horrors of Siberia, where “people are rare without a stigma, and they are callous in soul.” He explains that she will have to live not with her husband, but in a common barracks, among convicts, but the princess repeats that she wants to share all the horrors of her husband’s life and die next to him. The governor demands that the princess sign a renunciation of all her rights - she, without hesitation, agrees to find herself in the position of a poor commoner.

Having kept Trubetskoy in Nerchinsk for a week, the governor declares that he cannot give her horses: she must continue on foot, with an escort, along with convicts. But, hearing her answer: “I’m coming! I don't care!" - The old general with tears refuses to tyrannize the princess any longer. He assures that he did this on the personal order of the king, and orders the horses to be harnessed.

Princess Volkonskaya

Wanting to leave her grandchildren memories of her life, the old princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya writes the story of her life.

She was born near Kiev, on the quiet estate of her father, the hero of the war with Napoleon, General Raevsky. Masha was the darling of the family, she learned everything a young noblewoman needed, and after school she sang carefree in the garden. The old General Raevsky wrote memoirs, read magazines and gave balls, which were attended by his former comrades. The queen of the ball was always Masha - a blue-eyed, black-haired beauty with a thick blush and proud gait. The girl easily captivated the hearts of the hussars and lancers who stood with regiments near the Raevsky estate, but none of them touched her heart.

As soon as Masha turned eighteen years old, her father found her a groom - a hero of the War of 1812, wounded near Leipzig, General Sergei Volkonsky, beloved by the sovereign. The girl was embarrassed by the fact that the groom was much older than her and she did not know him at all. But the father sternly said: “You will be happy with him!” - and she did not dare to object. The wedding took place two weeks later. Masha rarely saw her husband after the wedding: he was constantly on business trips, and even from Odessa, where he finally went to rest with his pregnant wife, Prince Volkonsky was unexpectedly forced to take Masha to his father. The departure was alarming: the Volkonskys left at night, burning some papers beforehand. Volkonsky had the opportunity to see his wife and first-born son no longer under his own roof...

The birth was difficult; Masha could not recover for two months. Soon after her recovery, she realized that her family were hiding her husband’s fate from her. Masha learned that Prince Volkonsky was a conspirator and was preparing the overthrow of the authorities only from the verdict - and immediately decided that she would follow her husband to Siberia. Her decision was only strengthened after a meeting with her husband in the gloomy hall of the Peter and Paul Fortress, when she saw the quiet sadness in the eyes of her Sergei and felt how much she loved him.

All efforts to mitigate Volkonsky’s fate were in vain; he was sent to Siberia. But in order to follow him, Masha had to withstand the resistance of her entire family. The father begged her to take pity on the unfortunate child and parents, and think calmly about her own future. After spending the night in prayer, without sleep, Masha realized that until now she had never had to think: her father made all the decisions for her, and when she walked down the aisle at eighteen, she “didn’t think much either.” Now the image of her husband, exhausted by prison, constantly stood before her, awakening previously unknown passions in her soul. She experienced a cruel feeling of her own powerlessness, the torment of separation - and her heart told her the only solution. Leaving the child without hope of ever seeing him, Maria Volkonskaya understood: it was better to lie alive in the grave than to deprive her husband of comfort, and then incur the contempt of her son for this. She believes that the old General Raevsky, who led his sons out under bullets during the war, will understand her decision.

Soon Maria Nikolaevna received a letter from the tsar, in which he politely admired her determination, gave permission to leave for her husband and hinted that return was hopeless. Having prepared for the journey at three days, Volkonskaya spent her last night at her son’s cradle.

Saying goodbye, her father, under threat of a curse, ordered her to return in a year.

Staying in Moscow for three days with her sister Zinaida, Princess Volkonskaya became the “heroine of the day”; she was admired by poets, artists, and all the nobility of Moscow. At the farewell party she met with Pushkin, whom she had known since she was a girl. In those early years they met in Gurzuf, and Pushkin even seemed to be in love with Masha Raevskaya - although who was he not in love with then! Afterwards he dedicated wonderful lines to her in Onegin. Now, when meeting on the eve of Maria Nikolaevna’s departure to Siberia, Pushkin was sad and depressed, but admired Volkonskaya’s feat and blessed her.

On the way, the princess met convoys, crowds of praying mantises, government wagons, and recruits; I observed the usual scenes of station fights. Having left Kazan after the first halt, she found herself caught in a snowstorm and spent the night in the foresters' lodge, the door of which was pressed down by stones - from bears. In Nerchinsk, Volkonskaya, to her joy, caught up with Princess Trubetskoy and learned from her that their husbands were being held in Blagodatsk. On the way there, the coachman told the women that he was taking prisoners to work, that they were joking, making each other laugh - they obviously felt at ease.

While waiting for permission to meet with her husband, Maria Nikolaevna found out where prisoners were taken to work and went to the mine. The sentry gave in to the woman's sobs and let her into the mine. Fate took care of her: past the pits and failures she ran to the mine, where the Decembrists, among other convicts, worked. Trubetskoy was the first to see her, then Artamon Muravyov, the Borisovs, and Prince Obolensky ran up; Tears were streaming down their faces. Finally, the princess saw her husband - and at the sound of a sweet voice, at the sight of the shackles on his hands, she realized how much he had suffered. Kneeling down, she put the shackles to her lips - and the entire mine froze, sharing the grief and happiness of the meeting with the Volkonskys in holy silence.

The officer who was waiting for Volkonskaya cursed her in Russian, and her husband said after her in French: “See you, Masha, in prison!”

Princess Trubetskoy

1826, Princess Ekaterina Trubetskaya leaves for Siberia with her Decembrist husband. Her father is quite worried, however, and puts the bear's cavity in the cart. Now the daughter will leave her father's house forever. The princess herself, without showing it, only mentally says goodbye to everything that was so dear to her. After all, her childhood, her youth passed here. Nothing can be done; her husband's arrest forced her to leave it all.

Twenty days on the way to Tyumen, the princess gave gifts to absolutely all her servants. During this time, she manages to plunge headlong into the memories of her carefree childhood and innocent youth. She clearly remembers how wonderful balls were held in her father’s house, to which the most fashionable people came. At the same time, she remembers her honeymoon with her beloved husband in Italy. The road brings some fear to the princess; she is very afraid of not getting to the right place. She is scared when she hears the groan of a hungry wolf, the roar of a strong wind.

Two months later, Trubetskoy breaks up with her companion, who was unwell, and comes to Irkutsk. She asks the governor for horses to get to Nerchinsk, but he begins to intimidate her in order to make her think and return to her father’s house. He tells her that she will need to give up everything and go on foot, along with the convicts. To which the princess confidently stated that she was ready to endure all the trials, just to always be with her husband.

After this, the governor demands that she give up everything she has, and in the morning he informs her that he will not give her horses and she will have to go on foot. Having agreed to all this, he decides to stop and claims to the princess that he did everything on the orders of the king. Soon he harnesses the horses for her.

Princess Volkonskaya

Maria Volkonskaya writes the story of her life and decides to leave it to her grandchildren. She was born near Kyiv, was a beloved daughter, and could do absolutely everything that a girl of her age needed. Masha loved to sing, and at the balls hosted by the old general, she was a queen.

Having become an adult, she marries General Sergei Volkonsky. He was older than the girl, but she did not dare to go against her father's will. After the wedding, she and her husband spent very little time because he was constantly traveling. Having gone on vacation with his pregnant wife, he was forced to send her to his parents because of the alarming departure. Having recovered from childbirth, Masha goes with her husband to Siberia, but she had to go through a lot, including the tears of her parents.

Staying with her sister Zinaida, Princess Volkonskaya meets Pushkin, who was in love with her. Soon in Nerchinsk, Volkonskaya learns from Princess Trubetskoy that their husbands are in Blagodatsk. Without waiting for permission to meet, she finds the place where the Decembrists worked. She sees her husband among the convicts; they finally met.

Kissing his chains, the whole mine froze, the officer swore in Russian, and the husband said in French that they would see each other in the Spur.

Essays

Princess Trubetskoy in N.A. Nekrasov’s poem “Russian Women” “No! I’m not a pathetic slave, I’m a woman, a wife!” (essay based on the work of N.A. Nekrasov “Russian Women”) The image of a Russian woman in the poetry of N. A. Nekrasov (based on the poem “Russian Women”) The image of a Russian woman in the works of N. A. Nekrasov (Based on the poems “Frost, Red Nose,” “Russian Women”) Favorite work (poem by N. A. Nekrasov “Russian Women”)

N. A. Nekrasov is a famous Russian writer, poet and publicist. He dedicated his creations mainly to the common people, their sufferings and experiences. These are works such as “Frost, Red Nose”, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” and others. There is also a poem in the author’s work dedicated to the feat. Here is a brief summary of it. “Russian Women” (Nekrasov N.A.) is an ode to the selfless love and moral strength of our compatriots who left everything for their husbands.

“Russian Women”, N.A. Nekrasov. Princess Trubetskoy: departure from her home

In the fierce winter of 1826, the young princess Ekaterina Ivanovna Trubetskaya travels to Siberia following her husband, who was convicted of an attempt on tsarist power. Her father begs her to come to her senses. However, the Decembrist’s wife remains adamant. She mentally said goodbye to St. Petersburg, which she loved madly, and her loved ones, as she understood that she might not return here. Her father, the old count, carefully placed the bearskin in a cart that was supposed to take his beloved daughter forever to the kingdom of snow and frost. Thus began the princess’s long journey towards her Decembrist husband, now a convict in Siberia. A brief summary will help us remember all the main points of the work.

“Russian Women” Nekrasova N. A. Princess Trubetskaya: travel impressions

On the road, Princess Trubetskoy recalls her carefree childhood, serene youth, in Italy. How far away it all is now! Ahead of her lies captivity in the kingdom of bitter winter. On the way, the princess only occasionally comes across wretched little towns, the population of which is small. It's bitterly cold outside. But all this does not frighten the brave woman who dreams of meeting her beloved husband. This is how Princess N.A. Trubetskoy describes her journey through Siberia. Nekrasov. “Russian Women” (a brief summary of the work is given in the article) is a poem about great love and the Russian soul.

Princess Trubetskoy: visiting the Irkutsk governor

After two months of hard travel, Princess Trubetskaya arrives in Irkutsk. She is met by the governor himself, who assures the woman of his devotion and desire to help in everything. However, when the princess asks him for horses to Nerchinsk, the official is in no hurry to help her out. He appeals to her feelings, convincing her to take pity on her elderly father, talks about the horrors of Siberia that await her if she does not change her mind. He says that the woman will have to live with thieves and murderers in a common barracks. But this does not scare Trubetskoy. The horrors of hard labor do not frighten her. “If only,” as she says, “to be close to my loved one and die with him.” Then the official plays his last trump card, inviting the woman to renounce her title and continue on as a commoner. But this cannot break the princess. Then the governor gives up and agrees to help his guest, who soon continues on her way. This work (its summary) will remind us of the historical events of that time.

"Russian women". Nekrasov N.A. Princess Volkonskaya: marry a general

He spent his childhood and youth near Kiev, on his father’s estate. There she grew and matured, opening like a rosebud. At all the balls held in her father’s house, the young beauty was the center of attraction for both men and women. When Masha turned 18, her father found her a good groom - General Sergei Volkonsky, who was in honor of the sovereign. He was much older than his young bride, but this did not stop Mary from falling in love with him. Soon the wedding took place. The young people were happy. The only thing that upset the woman was that she rarely saw her husband, who was constantly on the road. More than 50 years later, this poem was created. Nekrasov finished writing it in 1872. “Russian Women” (a brief summary of the poem will tell you about its main points) to this day remains one of our favorite works by the great master.

Princess Volkonskaya: the birth of her first child and the arrest of her husband

It soon became clear that Maria became pregnant. But General Volkonsky did not wait for the birth of his first child. He was convicted of preparing a conspiracy against the king. The valiant general was sentenced to hard labor in Siberia. Masha gave birth in her father's house. And as soon as I recovered from childbirth, I decided to immediately go after my husband. The father begged her to think, to take pity on her little child. But the princess’s desire was firm. And soon Maria sets off on a long journey. This work (its summary) will tell us what happened to her next.

“Russian Women” by Nekrasova N.A. Princess Volkonskaya: a difficult road through Siberia

At the beginning of the journey, the woman stops in Moscow at the house of her sister Zinaida. Here she became the heroine of the day. She is admired and admired. Even the poet Pushkin was in love with her. Later he would dedicate lines to her in the poem “Eugene Onegin.” The woman’s path across Siberia was not easy. Blizzards and frosts made it difficult. In Nerchinsk, Maria catches up with Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna. They arrived at the place where their husbands were imprisoned almost simultaneously.

Princess Volkonskaya: meeting with her husband

As soon as the women reached their destination, Volkonskaya went to the mines where the convicts worked. The sentry did not want to let her in, but, taking pity on the sobbing princess, he still allowed her to go into the mines. Trubetskoy was the first to see Maria Nikolaevna. And then Obolensky, and Muravyov, and Borisov ran up... Finally, the woman saw her husband. There were shackles on his legs and agony on his face. The faithful wife knelt down in front of her husband and pressed her lips to the shackles. This is how Princess Volkonskaya met with her husband.

Nekrasov’s poem “Russian Women,” a summary of which can be read below, is one of the most tragic works of Russian literature. Two women from wealthy noble families renounce all privileges and share the plight of their husbands - conspirators of the rebellion on Senate Square on December 14, 1825. This day went down in history as the Decembrist uprising.

Princess Trubetskoy
Part one

Six stallions were harnessed to a cart leaving with the count’s daughter, Princess Trubetskoy. The Count checked whether everything was arranged correctly - he adjusted the pillows, hung the image, reading a prayer, and then began to sob. His daughter is going far away...
Praying through tears, the count asks the Lord to forgive them and bless his daughter. Princess Trubetskoy stands nearby and ponders whether she is destined to see her father again? She knows that she will always remember her father's instructions. The moment of parting is difficult. The princess understands that from now on her fate is predetermined, and her path will be difficult and long. At the same time, she encourages her father, asks him not to cry in vain, but to be proud of her - his daughter and the woman who performs such a heroic act.
Before leaving, the princess remembers her native place, this “fatal city,” which she will still love, despite its grayness and gloom. She remembers carefree days - social balls, evening walks along the Neva. She even remembers the Bronze Horseman, Peter I, proudly standing on his horse. The princess knows that later everyone will know her story and, in the end, still curses this city.
The cart set off. The princess rides in it alone, “deadly pale” in black clothes. It’s a threatening, “harsh winter,” and the horses are quickly reharnessed at each station. The princess thanks the servants, not skimping on the ducats. Ten days later the cart was already in Tyumen, and the count’s secretary, who set off on the journey with the princess, assures her that “the sovereign doesn’t travel like that!”
Every day the road becomes more and more difficult, and the soul of Princess Trubetskoy is enveloped in melancholy. She dreams of the past, her home, standing right on the river bank. Elegant and magnificent balls with equally elegant old people and children, a wonderful sundress of the young princess, which “will drive everyone crazy?!” The dream about childhood quickly flows into another - she meets a “handsome young man.” They go to Rome, to this ancient city, and it’s so nice that their loved one is nearby. She dreams of the Vatican and the sound of the sea, walks and conversations that left an “indelible mark” on her soul.
But these dreams of halcyon days have disappeared, and dreams of a “downtrodden, driven country” appear on the scene, where from time immemorial some have become accustomed to being the authorities, and others to submit to this authority. She seems to be asking the question: is the whole earth really saturated with oppression and lust for power? To which she is given the answer: “You are in the kingdom of beggars and slaves!”
The princess wakes up from the sound of shackles. A cart of a group of exiled convicts passes by. The princess throws money at them, and for a long time she will remember the expression on the faces of the prisoners.
The cart passes places where on one side there are mountains and rivers, on the other there is a dense forest. The frost is becoming more and more severe, but Princess Trubetskoy is still thinking, she cannot sleep. As a result, the princess still falls asleep. She dreams of a “familiar city,” St. Petersburg, the day when the Decembrist uprising took place, and her husband was among the Protestants. The Tsar ordered to shoot at the demonstrators. The princess finds no place for herself, she tries to understand whether her beloved is alive or not. Then she dreams of a prison, where the princess is led to a meeting with her husband, who looks like “the living dead.”
The frost intensifies and the princess becomes unbearably cold. She is afraid that she will not be able to get there. Again she has a dream, but more rosy. South, blue sea, bright sun, many flowers and the princess with her beloved husband. And the dream itself sings to her that “Again, my beloved friend is with you, he is free again.”
Part two
Two months have passed since Princess Trubetskoy, this strong and brave woman, was on the road. The princess's secretary fell ill, and Trubetskoy decided to go further alone. Having reached Irkutsk, the princess met with the governor himself. Trubetskoy asks to harness the horses to Nerchinsk, but the governor asks to wait, without explaining why. He says that the road to Nerchinsk is very difficult, that the princess needs to rest, and talks about how he knew her father, the count. He showed with all his appearance that he did not want to let the princess go. When asked by the princess whether the new horses have been harnessed to the carriage, the governor vaguely replies: “Until I order, it will not be served...”. He says that some kind of paper came to him, that he knows the princess’s father, and that after his daughter’s departure he began to feel unwell. The governor asks Trubetskoy to return home, to which the princess replies that she has already made her choice. The governor immediately warns that a terrible life awaits her, she will not be able to see her husband often, and the prison atmosphere can break anyone. Trubetskoy is irrepressible - she is ready to share such a fate with her loved one.
The governor says he will order them to leave tomorrow. But the next day the old general again begins to dissuade the princess, citing arguments that then she will have to renounce her rights, her inheritance. The princess agrees to everything. Then the governor says that she will have to go along with the convicts along the stage, on foot. In this case, the princess will get to Nerchinsk only in the spring, if she can bear it. Trubetskoy, in despair, asks why such intrigues are being plotted against her if she acts as her heart tells her. As a result, the general himself could not stand it and said through tears that he was ordered to create obstacles for the princess in order to delay the trip as long as possible. As a result, the governor said that he would take the princess in 3 days and ordered the horses to be harnessed.

Princess Volkonskaya

The story begins with the grandchildren of the elderly Princess Volkonskaya coming from a walk and asking their grandmother to tell some story from her life. The princess states that children are too young to hear some stories. To do this, Volkonskaya keeps a diary, which her grandchildren can then read. Volkonskaya also bequeaths to her grandchildren a bracelet given to her by her husband. This bracelet was made from my husband's own chain when he was serving his exile.
In her notes, Volkonskaya talks about her early years. Born near Kiev into a noble Russian noble family, Volkonskaya from childhood got used to noble life, to social balls, at which she was always the “queen”. Her father was a legendary military man who fought in 1812, so he wanted his daughter to marry a military man. He had just such a person in mind - the brave Prince Volkonsky.
A few weeks later, the then young princess was already standing under the aisle with Volkonsky. The princess writes that she did not know her chosen one at all - neither before the wedding nor after: “... we lived so little under one roof...”. At some point, the princess, who already bore the surname Volkonskaya, fell ill and went to Odessa for treatment. Prince Volkonsky once came to visit her. One night the prince woke up his wife and excitedly asked her to light the fireplace. As soon as the fire flared up, Volkonsky began to burn some papers. He read some, and simply threw others into the fire. After this, the prince told his wife that they needed to go to the princess’s father. Having reached the place, Volkonsky said goodbye to his beloved and left somewhere.
Chapter II
For a long time the princess could not see her husband. To her questions, her father answered that Volkonsky had gone on some urgent business by order of the tsar. No letters came from the husband himself, not even a single piece of news. At that time, the princess gave birth to a boy, after which she became seriously ill for several months. One day, the nanny told Volkonskaya that her father and brother had left for St. Petersburg. At that same moment, Volkonskaya decided to go to the capital, as she felt that some kind of trouble had happened to her husband.
Having met her father, the princess asked what was happening. Her father answered evasively that her husband was serving in Moldova. Then the princess began to write letters to her husband’s relatives, but there was no answer from them either.
As a result, the princess soon learned that her husband was among the Decembrists and conspirators who were preparing to overthrow the government. The princess still felt better because she finally found out the truth. But she could not forgive her husband for not telling her anything. However, then she realized that, without talking about his affairs, Volkonsky was thereby protecting his wife and son. The princess understood that the situation was difficult, but this was not the end of the world: “Siberia is so terrible, Siberia is far away, but people also live in Siberia...”.
The next day, the princess's father met with Volkonsky, since those arrested were given the right to see each other. The princess also went with her sister to prison. Volkonskaya saw in her husband a pale, exhausted man who, as it seemed to her, “...looked into my soul...”. In turn, Volkonsky, seeing his wife, seemed to come to life. The meeting was very short, after which the loved ones exchanged scarves as souvenirs.
After the meeting, the princess met with her husband’s relatives and friends and asked them to help. Her father said that the situation could not be corrected, that the Russian Tsar had finally decided what to do with the conspirators. After her husband's exile, the princess realized that she needed to go after him.
The entire Volkonskaya family was against such a rash decision. The father blamed himself for the fact that it was he who married his daughter to Volkonsky, although he already knew that the future father-in-law was a man of freedom-loving views. The princess was unwavering - she finally decided to go after her beloved husband.
Chapter III
That sleepless night the princess thought for a long time. She thought that in her entire short life she had not learned to think for herself, everyone always decided for her, and that only now she realized what tragedies happen in life. She reflected that she experienced the strongest and most sincere love for her husband during her meeting with him in prison. She also understood that she would be most needed there, with her husband, than here, at home, raising a child. When the son grows up, he simply will not forgive his mother for leaving his father without support.
She told her father everything she was thinking about in the morning. He only quietly answered - “crazy daughter...”. Those days were difficult for the princess. None of the relatives wanted to help with any advice or support. Afterwards, the princess wrote a letter to the Tsar, where she spoke about the decision made. Volkonskaya was afraid that she would not be able to come to her husband, as there were rumors that they tried to “turn around” Princess Trubetskoy on the way to her husband. The answer from the king came quite quickly. Emperor Nicholas respected the will of the princess, her courage, but warned that those regions were very harsh and the young lady’s young mind, not accustomed to difficulties, simply could not stand it. Nikolai also hinted that there would be no turning back.
The princess was noticeably happy when she found out that she could safely get to her husband and began to get ready. Relatives could not believe that the princess nevertheless decided on such a desperate act. Volkonskaya spent the rest of the time before leaving with her son. The child smiled, not realizing that he might be seeing his mother for the last time, and fell fast asleep.
It's time to say goodbye to your family. The princess bequeathed to her sister that she would become a mother for her son. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my father. Finally, he told his daughter: “... come home in a year, otherwise I’ll curse you.”
Chapter IV
Three days later, the princess stopped in Moscow, where she saw her sister Zinaida. The latter was delighted with the princess’s action. The news that the wife of one of the conspirators had arrived here instantly spread throughout the city. The princess met with writers who sympathized with her - Vyazemsky and Odoevsky. Pushkin also stopped by to see him, with whom the princess was already familiar and had gone on vacation to Crimea. The meeting with the brilliant Russian poet was very tragic. Pushkin was “suppressed by true grief,” but supported her confidence. The princess listened to music, but in her soul there was sadness and fear of the unknown. At the end of the evening, each guest said with tears: “God bless you!”
Chapter V
On the way, Princess Trubetskoy saw pictures of another Russian world - severe December frost, poor old women, soldiers, common people's noise and din at the stations. Having reached Kazan, the princess made a short stop. A young girl in years, but already a woman inside, she remembered her life in St. Petersburg when she saw a luxurious ball in the house opposite. Volkonskaya immediately discarded these thoughts.
A fierce Russian blizzard arrived and the princess remembered that the New Year had arrived. But she was not in the mood for a holiday. The snowstorm was so strong that the crew had to wait out the bad weather in the foresters' hut. When morning came, they set off again, and the forester showing the way refused to take money out of respect for such a difficult adventure that awaited Volkonskaya.
The princess was resting in one of the Siberian taverns. A young officer entered it. This soldier might have known something about the imprisoned Decembrists. The princess asked him, in response the officer very sharply and even impudently replied that he knew nothing. Another soldier answered the princess that everything was fine with the imprisoned conspirators, they were healthy and were in one of the Siberian mines. This news was at least some consolation for the princess.
Having reached Nerchinsk, the princess had an amazing meeting with another woman with the same tragic fate - Princess Trubetskoy. She told Volkonskaya that her husband, Sergei, was imprisoned in Blagodatsk. Realizing that her husband was already close and that next to her was a kindred spirit in the person of Princess Trubetskoy, Volkonskaya began to cry happy tears.
Chapter VI
Sisters in misfortune, princesses Volkonskaya and Trubetskoy tell each other their experiences, what accumulated during the time they were on the road. It’s hard for the two women, but they agree that “...we will both bear our cross with dignity...”.
One of the coachmen said that he took exiles to the mine and said that they looked very dignified and did not show it. The coachman had a cheesecake, and he gave it to the prisoners. The princesses asked the coachman to take them straight to the place of detention, to the prison.
The head of the prison was dissatisfied, asked for confirmation and did not believe Volkonskaya that she had a letter from the tsar in her hands. As a result, the boss personally decided to go to the city and bring the necessary papers. He asked to wait until the next day.
However, Princess Volkonskaya could not stand it and still managed to tell one of the sentries to let her into one of the mines. The prisoners, seeing the woman, thought “if God’s angel” was standing in front of them. Volkonskaya saw familiar faces there - Sergei Trubetskoy, Artamon Muravyov and Obolensky, all of them were happy to see her with tears in their eyes. The princess's husband was not among them, but they had already gone to warn him.
As a result, the princess saw her husband, who also had tears running down his cheeks. The princess recalls that at that moment all work stopped and there was “holy silence.” The boss, understanding the sacredness of this moment, allowed some time for the meeting. Then he still said that women do not belong here. The last thing Volkonskaya heard from her husband was “See you, Masha, in prison”...

Princess Trubetskoy

It was late at night in 1826. Catherine decides to go into exile with her Decembrist husband in distant Siberia. Her father was an old count, he sends his daughter away from home with tears, because she is leaving forever. It is very difficult for Ekaterina Trubetskoy to say goodbye not only to her loved ones and family, but also to her beloved city of St. Petersburg, and despite the fact that she has seen a large number of different cities, this city has become the most important in her life. But also, after her husband was arrested, he became the most fatal for her.

The princess generously gifts the servants at all stations, but still the journey takes her a very long period of time, almost a whole month. All the way, Catherine recalled her childhood and adolescence, it was a magical time, as she went to balls with her father, the count. All these memories were replaced by pictures from their honeymoon trip through the most beautiful country of Italy, where she walked with her beloved husband.

The whole road provided a strong contrast between her happy memories from her life and the upcoming trials that awaited her in Siberia. In this remote place, after a while, you come across a small, poor town, in which the residents do not leave their houses, since it is very cold outside. Ekaterina Trubetskaya is in despair.

Now she realized that she was doomed to spend her whole life here, and she was shrouded in the events that happened before this entire journey, before the uprising and goodbye after her husband’s arrest. She is terrified by the howl of a wolf near the river bank, her blood freezes in her veins from the fact that she may not even reach her destination.

But still, after several months of travel, after she buried her companion, she reaches the city of Irkutsk. She asks for horses to the city of Nerchinsk, from the local governor, he pretends to be devoted to her, since he knows her father well, because he served with him for seven long years. He asks Trubetskoy to return home to her father, but she says that this is her marital duty. He tries to scare Catherine, says that she will live in the barracks, side by side with convicts, but she is persistent. Catherine explains that she wants to share with her husband all the horrors of life in hard labor and take her last breath next to her beloved.

The Irkutsk governor hands her a document renouncing all rights, hoping that she will refuse, but Trubetskoy gives her consent about the poor commoner.

The princess spends a week in Nerchinsk, as a result, the governor does not give her horses, and she wants to follow on foot under escort along with the prisoners.

The general bends over and, with tears, harnesses the team of horses.

Princess Volkonskaya

Maria Volkonskaya wants future generations to be able to remember her, and writes a letter about her life. She was born near the city of Kyiv, on the small estate of her father, who was listed as a hero of the war with France. She was born under the name Raevskaya. Everyone in the family loved her very much, she studied well, comprehending all the knowledge that was necessary for a noble person. After training, she loved to walk and sing in the garden. General Raevsky wrote a lot about battles, loved to read newspapers and collected balls. Maria was always the center of attention. A beautiful girl with blue eyes, jet-black hair, a bright blush and a proud character. She had long won the hearts of all the men who visited her father, but her heart was untouched.

When Maria turned eighteen, she was found a promising husband who had proven himself well in the Patriotic War. During this war, Paul Leipzig, Volkonsky was wounded. She was a little embarrassed only by the fact that he was somewhat older than her, and she didn’t know him at all. But she had no right to resist her father’s will. The wedding took place within half a month. Maria rarely found her husband at home, since he was at work almost all the time. One day they went to Odessa on vacation. The princess was pregnant. But before they had time to settle down, their husband was taken away to serve. They left in a hurry, and before leaving, they burned a lot of documents. Volkonsky saw his son already under arrest.

Volkonskaya had a difficult birth and recovered for a long time after that. After some time, Maria realized that her relatives were hiding something from her. She learns that her husband was a Decembrist and wanted to overthrow the government. Volkonskaya decides to go to Siberia for him. She was once again convinced of her decision after she was allowed to see him in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

She asked that Volkonsky’s punishment be commuted, but she failed. The whole family resisted Maria's departure. The father asked to take pity on the very young child and think about his future life. But after Volkonskaya spends the night in prayer, she realizes that until that day she had not made a single decision on her own.

But Masha could not bear the images that awaited her husband. Her heart tells her only one solution. She leaves the child, knowing that she will never be able to see him again, realizing that it is easier for her to die than to leave her husband. She believes that General Raevsky will still be able to understand her decision.

Masha receives a message from the Tsar, in which he explains that she will never be able to return and admires her decision. He also allows her to leave her home and follow her husband. In three days, she collects all the necessary things, sings her last lullaby at the baby’s crib and says goodbye to her family.

Her father, threatening, asks her to return home next year. She stays with her sister in the capital for several days. Maria Volkonskaya's decision was admired by everyone around her.

On the day of the farewell evening, she meets with Pushkin, whom she has known since her youth. At that time they saw each other in the city of Gurzuf. At that time he was even in love with the beautiful Raevskaya. Later, he was able to give her a few lines in his work “Eugene Onegin”. When Pushkin left for Siberia, he was deeply saddened and depressed, but he was extremely admired by the action of this young and beautiful woman and therefore gave her his blessing.

On the road, the princess saw a lot. After leaving the city of Kazan, where she spent several days, she finds herself in a severe snowstorm. After spending the night with a forester in a lodge where even the door was simply covered with a stone, she went to the city of Nerchinsk. In this city, Maria Nikolaevna catches up with Princess Trubetskoy, she tells her that their spouses are in the city of Blagodatsk. On the way to the appointed place, the coachman told the woman that he takes prisoners to work, and that prisoners, just like free people, still know how to joke and laugh

While Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya was waiting for permission to meet her husband, she finds out exactly where her beloved works and begins to get ready for the mines. The guard, briefly resisting the tears of the sweet woman, gives in to her and gives her a pass to the mines. Volkonskaya miraculously bypasses all the gaps and pits and gets to the mine itself, where her husband, along with all the other convict prisoners, works.

Trubetskoy notices her, and later Muravyov, Borisov and Obolensky catch up with him. There were tears of joy on their faces.

Soon Princess Volkonskaya notices her husband in the crowd. Looking at his chains, she understands how much suffering he has already had to endure. Volkonskaya drops to her knees and puts his bonds to her lips. The mine freezes in absolute silence. Maria is taken away, but within a second her husband shouts out in French that they can see each other in prison.