The family of N. A. and N. I. Goncharovs is known mainly because of the marriage of their youngest daughter Natalia with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. There are many testimonies about the scandalous marriage of his sister-in-law Catherine with Georges Dantes. At the same time, few people know what kind of life Alexandra Goncharova lived, but meanwhile, at one time she took upon herself the burden of caring for the poet's large family and witnessed all the events that preceded the fatal duel that deprived Russia of her most talented son.
Childhood and youth
Alexandra Goncharova was born in 1811 at the manor of Princess Baryatinsky near St. Petersburg. Thanks to an active mother, she, like the rest of the children in the family, received an excellent education at home. Because of the grandfather, who squandered the family's funds, the Goncharovs were constantly in a difficult financial situation, so they were forced to live mostly far from the capitals, mainly on the Linen Factory and Yaropolets estates. There they constantly had to be bored, and matchmakingPushkin to his younger sister Natalya brought a great revival to the lives of girls.
Alexandra Goncharova: youth
In 1831, with the active assistance of Pushkin, A. Yu. Polivanov wooed the girl. The young man was the owner of a neighboring estate and a good match for a dowry. However, for unknown reasons, Alexandra's mother refused to consent, and the marriage did not take place.
After Natalia's departure, together with her husband to the Northern capital, Alexandra Goncharova and her sister Ekaterina lived for three years in the "Linen Factory" estate together, and their only entertainment was horse riding and playing the piano.
Moving to Petersburg
Natalya Goncharova-Pushkina was preoccupied with the fate of her older sisters, who every day had less and less chance to arrange a personal life. She persuaded her husband to accept his sister-in-laws, in the hope that they could get jobs in the palace as ladies-in-waiting and find husbands.
Her plans for Catherine were fully realized, but the less attractive Alexandra failed to get a position, and she devoted herself to running the house of the Pushkins and raising their children.
In 1836, she had a brief affair with Arkady Rosset. However, the matter never came to matchmaking.
Relations with A. S. Pushkin
After the death of the poet, a lot of rumors and speculation appeared about his relationship with the three Goncharov sisters. They even gossiped that Alexandra was in love with her sister's husband. However, studies have shown that theserumors were the words of Idalia Poletika, who was a well-known hater of Pushkin and after the death of the poet did everything to defame his memory.
Marriage
After Pushkin's death, Alexandra Goncharova continued to live with Natalia, helping her sister raise her children. In the autumn of 1838, she returned with her family to St. Petersburg and, thanks to the patronage of her relative E. Zagryazhskaya, became a maid of honor at the imperial court.
When Alexandra was about 40, the pupil of her aunt Sophia de Maistre, N. I. Ivanova, who was married to the Austrian diplomat Baron Gustav Vogel von Friesengoff, returned from Vienna to St. Petersburg. The women have been friends since childhood and have met many times since.
It turned out that Baroness Friesengoff was seriously ill, and Alexandra Nikolaevna devoted a lot of time to caring for her, surrounding her with attention and care.
In 1850 the baron was widowed, but continued to see Goncharova often. Soon Friesengoff proposed to her, which she gladly accepted. The marriage turned out to be quite happy, and the couple lived together for 37 years.
After the wedding, Baroness Friesengoff and her husband left for Austria-Hungary, to his Brodzyany estate (today located in Slovenia). There, Alexandra Goncharova, whose childhood was mostly spent in the countryside, felt very happy and rarely left her new home. At the same time, its doors were always open to relatives. In particular, Natalya Nikolaevna repeatedly visited her with children from both marriages, as well as brothers and nephews.
Alexandra Goncharova: children
Although Baroness Friesengoff entered into a marriage at the age of 40, which at that time was considered more than solid, she knew the joy of motherhood. In 1854, her daughter Natalia Gustavovna Frizenhof was born. At the age of 22, the girl married Elimar Duke of Oldenburg, the youngest offspring of the ruling dynasty of Sweden. This unequal marriage was recognized as morganatic, and it was negatively perceived not only by the groom's parents, but also by Alexandra Nikolaevna, who understood that her daughter would have to endure the arrogant antics of her new relatives all her life. Nevertheless, in marriage, Natalya Gustavovna was happy and gave birth to two children, who were granted the title of Count von Welsburg.
Now you know who Alexandra Goncharova was (the biography is presented above). After many years of living as a poor relative in her sister's house, thanks to a successful tank, she became the owner of a huge fortune and the title of baroness, and also intermarried with one of the most powerful families in Europe.
