July 28: Natalia Goncharova's second marriage – Pushkin's widow married General Lansky
On July 28, 1844, in Strelna, Natalia Pushkina (née Goncharova), seven years after the poet's death, remarried—to General Pyotr Lansky. In society, their marriage was called "the union of hunger and thirst." Natalia Goncharova's second marriage lasted nearly 20 years.
"Not for a windbag": Pushkin's last will
Before his death, Pushkin himself spoke to his wife about his future marriage.
Wear mourning for me for two or three years. Try to be forgotten. Then marry again, but not to a windbag.
The poet said these words while addressing Goncharova.
Beauty from Tambov province
Natalia was descended from the Tambov province nobility and received an excellent education at home. From an early age, she was distinguished by her beauty, and she began appearing in society early on.
Her unusually expressive eyes, charming smile and attractive simplicity in communication, against her will, conquered everyone
This is what Pushkinist and historian Nikolai Raevsky wrote about her.
She met Pushkin at a ball: she was 16, he was 29.
I feel sad and light; my sorrow is bright;
My sorrow is full of you,
By you, by you alone. My despondency
Nothing torments or worries me,
And the heart burns and loves again - because,
What it cannot help but love
They married three years later. At the ceremony, Pushkin's ring fell to the floor and the candle went out. He turned pale and said, "Everything is a bad omen!"
A widow with four children and huge debts
At the time of the poet's death, Natalya was 24. She was left with four young children, enormous debts, and no roof over her head. In letters to loved ones, she admitted her complete ignorance of the management of Pushkin's family estate, Mikhailovskoye.
I don't dare give any orders for fear that the headman will laugh in my face.
She spent the first two years with her relatives near Kaluga, deeply depressed. Historians still debate her role and the extent of her guilt in the duel between Pushkin and Dantes.
Returning to St. Petersburg, Natalia struggled to make ends meet, but she managed to support her children. She spent all the imperial allowance on their education. Five years later, she began to appear in society—as Pushkin had instructed, without attracting attention.
It was amazingly, destructively, devastatingly good.
This is how Pyotr Vyazemsky remembered her.
Natalia Goncharova's Second Marriage: Meeting General Lansky
She met General Lanskoy when her brother sent a parcel from abroad through him. She was in her early 30s, he was 45. Natalya didn't immediately agree to marry him. A stroke of luck helped: Lanskoy visited her daily when she twisted her foot and dislocated her ankle.
A confirmed bachelor, Lanskoy had a reputation for honesty and integrity, but he was not wealthy. This is precisely why the union of two poor men became the subject of gossip in society.
Neither Pushkina nor Lansky have anything. The world marvels at this union of hunger and thirst.
This is how Nicholas I’s confidant Modest Korf spoke about the marriage.
The role of Nicholas I and a modest wedding
According to one version, Nicholas I had a particular liking for Pushkina (there is no evidence of an affair, and many historians consider the poet's widow's reputation impeccable). He had a habit of arranging marriages for his lovers, with the husband receiving promotions. Soon after meeting Pushkina, Lanskoy was appointed commander of a cavalry regiment under the emperor's patronage.
Nevertheless, the wedding was modest, without lavish celebrations or widespread publicity. Nicholas I was not invited to the ceremony—he offered to be her father-in-law, but Natalia cited the "intimate setting." The Emperor presented her with a precious brooch and later became godfather to the eldest of the three Lansky daughters.
Summer in Strelna and seven children
The family spent the summer in Strelna, occupying a wing of the Constantine Palace. Natalia also housed the numerous children of her relatives and friends there.
My calling is definitely to be the headmistress of an orphanage: God sends me children from all sides, and this doesn’t bother me at all, their cheerfulness distracts and amuses me.
She was married to Lansky for almost 20 years. He became not only the official guardian of Pushkin's children (Natalia had seven children in total from her two marriages), but also her beloved husband.
I'm no longer at an age where my head is spinning with success and I can put real value into words. Everything is vanity except love for God and love for my husband, when he loves the way my husband loves me.
The Key to My Heart
Natalia died of pneumonia in 1863, at the age of 51. Many still considered her cold and reserved. She called open expressions of emotion "profanation."
Moreover, until the end of her life, on Fridays (the day of Pushkin’s death), Natalya did not go anywhere, indulged in sad memories and did not eat anything for 24 hours.
Only God and a select few have the key to my heart
General Lanskoy outlived his wife by 14 years.
